starting bird carving... (1 Viewer)

mark richards · Feb 8, 2008

I will start off with a shorebird , a KNOT ..it will be a smoothy, which is a bird thats just painted, only shaped like the bird .
The detail will be in the paint,not in the carving, but still a lot of fun to do..
first you need a drawing to work from. transfer the image of the bird to the wood. The wood i use is lime , you could use any tight grained wood ,dont use pine from superstores its no good for doing this. The bird is 230mm long. make sure that the grain of the wood runs the same as mine , once you have done this then you need to cut the bird out, I use a bandsaw ,but you could use a fretsaw, cut the top view first , when you cut out the top, you need to glue it back together temporarily, (hot glue) dont go mad with the glue because you have to praise it apart when its all sawed, if you cant get it apart but in micro for few seconds. Then cut side profile , hay presto out pops a bird well sort of.. more photos next post.

mark richards · Feb 8, 2008

part two

when you have sawed the bird out, you need to round it off. use a sharp knife , and file to get shape. be carefull you dont snap of the beak. if alls gone well then it should look like last photo by now, you see that i have drawn a center line all round the bird try to keep this line there at all times it helps with carving, if you remove wood from the left side then remove the same amount from the right side of the line..

Peewit · Feb 8, 2008

mark richards said:
I will start off with a shorebird , a KNOT ..it will be a smoothy, which is a bird thats just painted, only shaped like the bird .
The detail will be in the paint,not in the carving, but still a lot of fun to do..
first you need a drawing to work from. transfer the image of the bird to the wood. The wood i use is lime , you could use any tight grained wood ,dont use pine from superstores its no good for doing this. The bird is 230mm long. make sure that the grain of the wood runs the same as mine , once you have done this then you need to cut the bird out, I use a bandsaw ,but you could use a fretsaw, cut the top view first , when you cut out the top, you need to glue it back together temporarily, (hot glue) dont go mad with the glue because you have to praise it apart when its all sawed, if you cant get it apart but in micro for few seconds. Then cut side profile , hay presto out pops a bird well sort of.. more photos next post.

Hi Mark

Thank you for starting this thread. Interesting to observe.

Great to see your work, going so well

Lovely to see your work from the start, and you are explaining things very well here. It shows that people can carve things out of wood if they are so inclined. I see that you are using Lime, so is it easily accessible to buy for you?

Never tried it myself yet, but if the opportunity came along

Look forward to seeing your result, and how the Knot turn out at the end. :-O

mark richards · Feb 8, 2008

hi peewit ,yes lime is easy to buy in uk , most wood turning stores stock it , and most wood merchants do ..also seen it on ebay.

cjoakley · Feb 8, 2008

Mark - this is a wonderful lesson in carving - you're explanation is so straightforward - I think I could actually do this and I'd have never thought of trying to carve a bird.

Thanks very much for sharing both your work and technique.

Tempted to go forth and hunt me down a piece of lime wood - Aaaagh! Too much on the go already - I simply MUST resist the temptation to get sidetracked!!!

But you're making it look so easy and so much fun!

timwootton · Feb 8, 2008

Many thanks for this insight, Mark - amazing to see the bird emerge from the wood in this way - superb. I assume you have a well-equipped workshop? - bandsaw, bench clamps etc? What would you consider to be THE basic kit for starting in carving?
Looking forward eagerly to the next steps in the process. . .

Woody · Feb 8, 2008

Looking forward to seeing how this develops. It's great to get an insight into a whole new set of techniques.

Mike

mark richards · Feb 8, 2008

yes tim ,I've got a large amount of tools now , worked as a carpenter for a few good years, but when i started bird carving only had the basic tools. hand saw, chisels,sharp knifes, and most importantly a microplane ,just like a surform but round, cuts very quickly, then i bought a dremel with flex shaft for fine detail..

Collster · Feb 8, 2008

mark richards said:
when you have sawed the bird out, you need to round it off. use a sharp knife , and file to get shape. be carefull you dont snap of the beak. if alls gone well then it should look like last photo by now, you see that i have drawn a center line all round the bird try to keep this line there at all times it helps with carving, if you remove wood from the left side then remove the same amount from the right side of the line..

That didnt take you long

mark richards · Feb 8, 2008

i'm like edward scissorhands ,with a chisel..

mark richards · Feb 8, 2008

part three

check head measurement with callipers, (see the last photo in prev post) against drawing. draw the back of the bird in, and the main feather lines, you can see where i have rounded the back of the bird. and drilled for the eyes, when the eyes are drilled mark a line through the center of the holes , then put a channel ,like in photo.from the beak to the back of head .keep looking at photos for reference, draw in the cheeks and also round them off.. now its starting to look like a bird. i hope i've explained this easy enough... please ask if stuck!..

mark richards · Feb 12, 2008

part four

defined the tail feathers, made the eyes, also one coat of sanding sealer.I
make the eyes by turning wood on the end of a flexyshaft. I stick the wood on the end of a nail, and use sand paper to shape. The eyelids are made of a two part epoxy resin, or plastic wood , you could buy glass eyes. I prefer to make mine. also i use superglue to strenthen the beak,put superglue on the wood and it will soak in, it will make the beak like plastic, I've sanded the bird twice ,once with wire wool , then put water on bird to raise the grain, then sand again. there's three coats of gesso ,for a good base coat. the eyes are now painted also the beak. I use the handle thats attached to the bird to prevent handmarks when painting ..

oxblood · Feb 12, 2008

Woodcarving - I like this site

Mark,

Nice post! I just joined today and found your neat post. I am a birder, photographer of sorts and woodworker/woodturner and trying to start carving.
You have given me some good ideas. Denny

mark richards · Feb 12, 2008

thanks , oxblood.. if you want to know anything , let me know.

mark..

nickderry · Feb 12, 2008

been following this and now feel inspired again, oh well, looks like I'll have to buy some wood (or steal some out of the forest, naughty naughty)

Andrew Ellis · Feb 15, 2008

Mark , just found this thread, amazing! thanks for taking us through the proccess.
can't wait to see it finished.

starting bird carving... (1 Viewer)

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