Decoy Carving

[fishyspringer]

Hello,

I am interested in getting into carving decoys. Are there any books or websites that you guys would recommend to get me started? I have a dremel and carving bits for it I plan to use. I also have a few hand carving tools. Thanks for your help?

[Laska]

http://www.midarkhouse.org/articles/holmes_buildingafishdecoy.html

Thats building your own decoy by Mike Holmes

http://www.midarkhouse.org/articles/holmes_weighingyourdecoytoswim.html

Thats swimming your own decoys.

If you have any questions post em on here and Id be glad to help, there is a couple others on here that could give you a hand aswell! I warn you, carving your own deaks gets very addicting!! And is a blast!!

[shamalex72]

http://www.midarkhouse.org/articles/holmes_buildingafishdecoy.html

Thats building your own decoy by Mike Holmes

http://www.midarkhouse.org/articles/holmes_weighingyourdecoytoswim.html

Thats swimming your own decoys.

If you have any questions post em on here and Id be glad to help, there is a couple others on here that could give you a hand aswell! I warn you, carving your own deaks gets very addicting!! And is a blast!!

+1

[fishyspringer]

Thanks guys. Those are some good articles. Where do you get your wood? Mike talks about using cedar. Can I go buy a cedar 2x4 from the local home improvement center and use that? Is there any benefit to using copper vs aluminum fins? I can see how this could be addicting! Just like rod building :-)

[Laska]

I always use red cedar for my deaks. 2x4 will work just fine. I prefer aluminum fins because its cheaper... Go to your local gutter service and ask them if they have any scrap rolls they want to part with. Be your cheapest bet.

[shamalex72]

Menards or home depot should have cedar. The copper may be a little easier to cut than aluminum. They both work good.

[merkman]

The advantage of metal fins is that the decoy can be picked off the bottom of the lake with a magnet.

.

[Archerysniper]

The advantage of metal fins is that the decoy can be picked off the bottom of the lake with a magnet.

+1 it sucks to put spear marks in nice decoys.

.

[jasonmichalski]

Northern white cedar is the best decoy wood its been used for Yeats by fish and duck decoy carvers, red cedar is fragile and splits more when carved, white holds up better.

[Laska]

Jason I have yet to have a red cedar decoy crack on me.... The best is actually Alaskan Yellow Cedar. But overall any cedar is your best bet for water resistance.

[BOUNCED]

Jason I have yet to have a red cedar decoy crack on me....

+1

[jasonmichalski]

Jason I have yet to have a red cedar decoy crack on me.... The best is actually Alaskan Yellow Cedar. But overall any cedar is your best bet for water resistance.

I didn't mean crack, when I said split when carved, I carve by hand with hand forged knives, some wood like cedar splits with the grain as you carve it, to stop you have to back cut, or it chips your carving deep, I tend to chip carve with almost no power tools except my New worker series there almost all with power tools and then the splitting is not noticed. Not trying to say red is crappier just different style of carving, wood react differently

[fishyspringer]

Thanks for all the info guys. For those of you doing power carving, do you have some kind of air filter going to help with the dust? I will be carving in the basement and want to keep the dust to a minimum. Where can you find northern white cedar? Would rockler carry it? Also what do you use to cut out your fins?

[jasonmichalski]

I cut it behind my house and bandsaw it, your get it from local wood mills

[Laska]

I run a system off a leaf blower that run the dust thru and into a garbage can, and my grandfather made a lap table with a 3" tube running to pvc piping and into the intlet suction end of the leaf blower- outlet to garbage can. Garbage can has a filter in it for leaf pick up- only smoke from burning slots gets thru the bag not any dust, cuts the dust down by 80%.

Couldnt tell you where to find wood in your area besides menards,fleet farm or a store like that... or of course a lumber yard.

Jason I see how the carving style could be a problem with lots of different wood. You should try alaskan yellow cedar sometime!!

[BOUNCED]

I just use a shop vac and move hose to whatever I'm using. For power carving I cut a square slot in the top of the bench and mounted the rectangular vacuum attachment to the bottom.

[jasonmichalski]

I run a system off a leaf blower that run the dust thru and into a garbage can, and my grandfather made a lap table with a 3" tube running to pvc piping and into the intlet suction end of the leaf blower- outlet to garbage can. Garbage can has a filter in it for leaf pick up- only smoke from burning slots gets thru the bag not any dust, cuts the dust down by 80%.

Couldnt tell you where to find wood in your area besides menards,fleet farm or a store like that... or of course a lumber yard.

I'll have to try the yellow cedar on my next detail carving.

Jason I see how the carving style could be a problem with lots of different wood. You should try alaskan yellow cedar sometime!!