How To Carve a Wooden Duck (DIY)

For years, a carved wooden duck sat on the upstairs bookshelf of my childhood home. As a little boy, I'd often admire it while playing. It was life-sized, beautifully hand-painted and stunningly realistic. Its glass eyes seemed to stare at me as I walked past. The duck, and the equally impressive wooden loon next to

Introduction

For years, a carved wooden duck sat on the upstairs bookshelf of my childhood home. As a little boy, I'd often admire it while playing. It was life-sized, beautifully hand-painted and stunningly realistic. Its glass eyes seemed to stare at me as I walked past. The duck, and the equally impressive wooden loon next to it, were fixtures of my early years.

It wasn't until I was nine or 10, with a budding interest in woodcarving, that I grew tall enough to reach the waterfowl and examine them more closely. The smooth wooden perfection of their bodies, heads and beaks fascinated me. Then I turned the duck over to examine the underside. Inscribed on the flat, unpainted bottom were the letters "S.M." — my father's initials. Only then did I realize they were my father's handiwork.

I later learned he carved them years earlier while in college, during the early days of his relationship with my mother. Mom had taken part, too, adding the stunning paint jobs.

I was amazed. I'd already been carving for a few years at that stage, but had no idea such beauty and detail could be pulled from a block of wood. It wasn't long before I attempted to carve a bird of my own. It wasn't nearly as nice as these, but I was hooked.

My skills improved in the years that followed, and now I'd like to pass them on to you. Here I'll teach you how to carve a simple wooden duck, from start to finish.

The best part? You don't need expensive tools. After the initial planing and band saw cutout work, you'll carve this duck with a simple utility knife.

Let's get started.

Tools Required

Materials Required

  • Acrylic paints or wood finish
  • Double-sided tape
  • Glass taxidermy duck eyes
  • Rubber cement glue
  • Three or four approx. 1- to 2-inch-thick slabs of knot-free basswood pine or poplar (At least 6- nches longer and 2 inches wider than you want your duck to be.)
  • Transparent tape (If duck template won't fit on a single sheet of paper.)
  • Transparent urethane
  • Two 1/4-inch-diameter dowels about 2 inches long 120-grit sandpaper (optional)
  • Waterproof wood glue

Finished hand carved and painted wooden DuckRobert Maxwell for Family Handyman

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7p63MoqOyoJGjsbq5wKdlnKedZL2zu8memq1nlZbAunnWqKadm5Gnw6q6xmanq6eamrC1eceormasn2Kwor7VnmSaZaekvKWxzWabrpubZA%3D%3D

 Share!