May Workbench

A little late start for the May workbench, but what you guys got going on?

I just picked up a truckload of cedar and got started on a dozen birds. 6 Mallards and 6 Blacks.

scoter heads!

I'm mainly working on getting well. I dislocated my shoulder 11 days ago and mostly have been getting to stare at this mountain of work we have to do. It's kind of depressing looking at all those nice blocks you have about ready to go. I did carve on a few heads yesterday, that's the first carving I've done since getting hurt.

Dave- (or anyone else that wants to answer) After you plane the wood, how long can it sit before it needs to be glued? I've read it shouldn't be more than a day or two, for what reason I don't know.

DonMintz wrote:I'm mainly working on getting well. I dislocated my shoulder 11 days ago and mostly have been getting to stare at this mountain of work we have to do. It's kind of depressing looking at all those nice blocks you have about ready to go. I did carve on a few heads yesterday, that's the first carving I've done since getting hurt.

Well I wish you a speedy recovery Don!

Scott Salzer wrote:Dave- (or anyone else that wants to answer) After you plane the wood, how long can it sit before it needs to be glued? I've read it shouldn't be more than a day or two, for what reason I don't know.

That is correct Scott, the faster you get those boards glued or screwed together, whichever method you use, the better. The reason for this is because when you surface plane the wood, you are now exposing fresh wood grain, which will expand and contract with temperature changes, causing slight warping. The whole purpose of planing the wood is so that you have a tight joint for your blocks. You don't want to mate two boards together and have a sloppy joint. This can cause you problems down the road after you've hollowed the decoy and go to join it back together, you won't have a good fit.

I glue my blocks together the same day I surface plane them. Those blocks I planed and cut yesterday were mated together last night. I let the boards sit once for a few days and when I went to set them up together, the surface had already warped slightly and I ended up having to re-plane them. I usually dedicate one day to surface planing, cutting to length and then gluing the blocks together. Once they are glued or screwed together with a tight fit, the inside surface will not warp and there is no rush to carve them. I have some blocks in the shop that I put together a year ago and they are still ready to be cutout.

Anybody else carving?

Working a 6 bird mallard rig.

I'm trying, still struggling with this dislocated shoulder. I'll finish up some pintail foamers tomorrow.

here is the pair of pintail foamers I finished last night. Actually Caleb finished them, he did all the painting on these.

Incredible!

Very alert and very relaxed rester poses. Trying to add a bit of variety. Putting some color on 'em now...

Nice Pintails Ed. Look forward to seeing them done.

Nice pintails Ed. I need to make a few of those myself. I like the raised head bird.

Guess it's not for the "May Workbench" anymore, but I put some paint on that sprig before going to a morning meeting.

Nice job Ed. They came out great.