Carving The Downy Woodpecker
No, not Woody Woodpecker. A wooden woodpecker. Here's how to carve it.
The downy woodpecker is North America’s smallest woodpecker. It is also one of our most common. It ranges over most of the United States and Canada south of the boreal forest.
I’ll carve the woodpecker from tupelo after squaring off the block on the band saw. Before using the band saw, check to make sure the saw is level and 90 degrees to the blade. Square off the block of wood and then line up the two patterns on the block, starting at the tail. You have two options when cutting out the blank—you can cut the entire profile and then reattach the cutoffs with masking tape before cutting out the top view; or you can cut the profile along each side, leaving 1/8" of wood at the midpoint, and then cut out the top view.
Read the rest of this article in Wildfowl Carving Magazine's Spring 2013 issue.