DIY Network

Hand-Carved Duck Decoy, Part 1 From "Woodsculpting" episode DWDS-104

	Is it live or is it Matus? These handcarved decoys by woosculptor Tom Matus may fool more than just mallards.
	Tom puts some of the paint details on one of his hand-carved greenhead mallard decoys.

In this episode of DIY's Woodsculpting Workshop, we meet Tom Matus who specializes in carved waterfowl decoys.

Matus has been woodsculpting for almost a quarter of a century. One of the premiere decoy carvers in the country, he holds national status in the field. In this episode, he demonstrates how to carve a mallard drake decoy. From selecting and drawing a pattern, to transferring and cutting with a band saw, to final carving details and painting secrets, Matus shares great techniques from start to finish.

Materials used in this episode:

Template diagram
Cedar blocks
Decoy template
Band saw
Drill press; Forstner bit
Air compressor; pneumatic tools
High-speed grinder and various attachments
Padded drum-sander
Hand-held drill
Draw-knife
Chisels
Decoy eye-inserts
3" decking screws
Epoxy putty
High-grade marine epoxy
Acrylic paints and brushes
Hog-bristle brush
Air-brushing equipment
Paper towels
Dust mask
Protective glasses or goggles
Gloves

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For sportsman and avid hunter Tom Matus, a lifelong interest in duck-hunting fostered a new pastime -- hand-carving lifelike duck decoys.

Tom Matus' Carved Decoys

Boise, Idaho woodsculptor Tom Matus takes his subject matter seriously. And in his case, the subject matter is waterfowl. When this nationally recognized decoy carver is not at work in his shop, he can likely be found on nearby rivers, lakes and marshes watching, studying and hunting wild ducks.

Matus grew up in Long Island, New York and developed an early appreciation for waterfowl. After going on countless duck hunts with his father, Tom grew an interest in studying and observing the native species along the East Coast. His fascination with waterfowl soon led him to try his hand at decoy carving. That first attempt at carving would ultimately lead to a lifelong passion and career in decoy carving spanning 24 years -- and still counting.

The carvings he creates are termed gunning decoys, which means that they are intended for use in actual hunting -- not simply to sit on a mantle indoors. They are designed to float realistically on the water surface and draw real ducks in close to the hunter.

Following is an overview of the techniques Tom has developed and his approach to carving decoys.

Figure A

Mallard Drake Decoy, Part 1

• Tom begins with two blocks of cedar (figure A), each 8" wide by 16" long. One block is 3" thick while the other is 2" thick. The two blocks are initially secured together by two 3" drywall screws. Two separate blocks are used so that each can be hollowed out later. This method reduces the weight and helps the decoy float better on the surface of the water. Cedar is selected because it is an extremely light and durable wood, but is soft enough to make carving very easy. The natural cedar oils also help prevent infestation of the wood by insects.
  

• Begin by selecting a decoy-template pattern. Diagrams like these are available from specialized books and on the internet. Tom's template design (figure B) was from one of his own sketches, based on field observation of ducks in the wild.

• Cut out the pattern and trace it onto the joined blocks of wood (figure C), tracing top profile and side profile onto adjacent sides. Align the side profile with the bottom edge of the cedar. Also trace the head onto a separate block.

  Figure B

  Figure C

  
  

  
  

• With the diagrams for the body traced onto the blocks for the body, Tom places two stop-cut marks as shown (figure D) to help holding the body secure as he cut the profile on the band saw. He begins cutting at the tail, and cuts forward to the rear stop-cut. Then cuts from the front, back to the forward stop-cut.

• Carefully cut out the profile using the band saw. With the top and side profile cut, the excess wood can be removed to reveal the basic body-form (figure E).

  Figure D

  Figure E

  
  

  
  

• At the drill press, drill out the hole for the eyes on the head piece.

• Using the band saw, cut out the head piece (figure F).

• Remove the wood fall-off to reveal the basic head-form (figure G).

  Figure F

  Figure G

  
  

  
  

• Tom then sets the band-saw table to 30 degrees and uses the band saw to make a series of angled cuts as he begins shaping the body of the duck (figure H). He removes wood using sequential cuts of 45, 22 and 11 degrees. The net result of these cuts serves to begin rounding the form of the bird (figure I).

• Tom opts for using power tools initially, then later using hand-tools and power grinders. The power tools enable him to rough out the initial contours more quickly.

  Figure H

  Figure I

  
  

  Figure J

  
  

• With the basic form roughed out using the band saw, Tom moves on to hand shaping the body. Using a pencil, he sketches on some guide lines to mark off the water-line, tail shape, high points for the back and primary feathers, etc. He then begins shaping and rounding the body using an old-fashioned draw-knife (figure J), carefully following his guide lines. The draw knife is used in a shaving motion, and can remove a fair amount of wood.
  

  
  

• Next, Tom begins work creating the lifelike attributes of the head. He marks a center line down the head, as well as two outer lines on the bill and curved lines on the top of the head to guide in carving the basic shape of the head and bill (figure K).

• He also marks the areas for the eye-trough, the wide section of the cheek and neck, and the lower line of the cheek. The series of lines (figure L) will serve as a guide for creating all of the contours of the head.

  Figure K

  Figure L

  
  

  
  

• Tom begins shaping the head using a high-speed cable grinder (figure M) and various attachments including cuts-alls, fluted cutters, and cone-shaped cutters.

• Once he has reached basic symmetry on the head, he switches to a padded drum sander (figure N) to provide smoothness and subtle contouring.

  Figure M

  Figure N

  
  

  Figure O

  
  

• Tom draws on guidelines for the detailing of the bill, then uses the high-speed grinder to cut in the small lines of the mouth and bill (figure O).

• The final step in creating the head is to install the pre-manufactured 10mm taxidermy eye-inserts using a two-part epoxy putty. (Both the eye inserts and epoxy are available through carving supply stores.) He moistens the surface of the putty and the wood surrounding the eye before setting the eye into the putty (figure P). He repeats the process for the other eye.
  

  A hand-carved replica of the drake wood-duck, one of North America's most beautiful birds.

  
  

RESOURCES :

Fox Chapel Publishing Co.
Publishers of
Woodcarving Illustrated magazine and numerous books on woodcarving.
1970 Broad Street
East Petersburg, PA 17520

Websites:
www.foxchapelpublishing.com

Fox Chapel Publishing, featured authors

Special DIY page at www.woodcarvingillustrated.com

Woodcarving Illustrated magazine
Website: www.woodcarvingillustrated.com

Duck Decoys: Classic Carving Projects Made Easy
By Tom Matus
Fox Chapel Publishing Company (October, 2002)
ISBN: 1565231929
Duck Decoys: Classic Carving Projects Made Easy

To order this book from Amazon.com, click here.

The Duck Blind
Decoy carving supplies.
Phone: 800-852-7352
www.theduckblind.com.

JansenArt Traditions® by DecoArt® Acrylic paint supplies.
www.decoart.com

JansenArt Traditions

GUESTS :

Tom Matus, wood sculptor; decoy carver
Boise, ID
Tom Matus bio