Decoy Carving With A Dull Knife
During the pandemic I have attempted to pick up quite a few hobbies. Regrettably, I must report that I was unsuccessful in almost all of them. I ordered a bagpipe starter kit, cracked open the guitar case, painted, and read a few books. Although it has taken a while, the only thing I have completed is the carving of a Bobwhite Quail.
I have always enjoyed well-made things in life. A well-made pair of boots, belt buckles by Curtis Hart, custom jewelry at Croghans, and any fine leather accessory. My wife and I have done an incredible job of seeing something we like in a magazine and finding a way to make it… far under budget from the advertised and coveted item’s listing price. Seriously, you should see our drapes! However, I don't have a leather sewing machine, nor do I possess the ability to make my own jewelry or buckles. I can paint, but have already done far too much during the past two years.
So why did I start carving? I remember reading an article from Greys Sporting Journal about two brothers who owned a barber shop. On one side of the shop, they cut hair. On the other side, they carved beautiful ducks and waterfowl birds for hunting. This was before cork, foam, and plastic birds were being used from the late 50’s to current day. They were incredibly beautiful, and I thought it would be awesome to carve a duck myself for display. How hard could it be?
As a kid, I enjoyed carving. My grandmother in Davidson, NC still displays a wooden boat I carved when I was a young boy. My late grandfather (on my mother’s side) had a knife I had been explicitly told not to touch (but of course, what do little boys do? We touch it, and of course we cut our finger.) Well twenty odd years later, I purchased a block of basswood to start a bird, and using a dull knife, what did I do? I cut my right index finger just behind the nail. For visuals… imagine Dan Akroyd impersonating Julia Child on SNL. I had, indeed, cut the dickens out of my finger and resulted in either a nerve or tendon being damaged. Thus, my carving block of basswood sat in a drawer for a few months.
Finally I bit the bullet and purchased carving gloves, knives, a sharpener, wood burner, and dremel tool. I realized that if I wanted to carve a bird, I would have to invest in proper equipment. So why did I decide to carve a quail and not a duck? Well, I assumed a smaller bird would be easier. Soon I learned that the smaller bird would require more detail. Looking through my Amazon account, I had ordered this piece of wood on February 19th of 2021, and I am writing this article on January 13, 2022, which is when I officially finished the bird.
The lesson I have learned is that although completing an art project by hand will result in making you appreciate the process and the details, owning a band saw would have helped me tremendously in getting through the big pieces of material. Another thing to point out is, you have to understand your artistic ability, or lack thereof, and don't give up. If you Google “Bobwhite Quail Carvings”, there are many images out there that look like they could just flap their wings and fly away, while others look nothing like a Bobwhite Quail. Luckily, I would say my attempt was very middle of the road. I can't describe the difficulty in making a bird look realistic, especially since it was my first time doing this with no instruction, book, and only a Youtube article to teach me. I can say, however, that when I see a hand-carved decoy from now on, I will appreciate it far more and will understand the time and effort someone has given to that piece of art.
What's next? Well, I will probably start another fun hobby or project in the coming months. I have a baby boy who will be taking up a lot of my time beginning in May, so maybe I can make something cool for him.
Final Display Location
My Bobwhite will stay here under my telivision for a while, but likely end up on a bookshelf.
