I think this will be a red bird when it is finished.

Prepared the wood Sat. then the pattern went on Sunday then scroll sawed him out

and today I have got this far and already changed some thoughts on what I want

or don't? When I worked for the public the customers had to be happy. So I never

had any extra time to build for me!

Wife had me to enlarge the red bird for her stained glass making so that was the

reason---- for me to do something for the house is dark and dreary when I am alone.

   First picture is after I had glued up some one inch maple and installed a backing

board, put clear packing tape on the wood, sprayed the tape with contact cement

and sawed him out. The backerboard comes off before I start sawing the bird apart? 

  I like to use Scotch Brand shipping tape for it keeps the wood ready for the next step

and I don't have to remove sticky glue here and there like Duck brand does.

   After I cut the bird out I then decided to use the big angle air grinder I normally use

when working with metal and since I use a little oil to keep the grinder in good shape,

I have to use a diaper on the exhaust so I don't get it on the wood..And if I kept my shop

in perfect order I would know where I put the exhaust hose for the grinder. But I only use

that when grinding wood with it.

  If a person gets sawdust all over his clothes that means he is getting something done

with the wood and then I have to use the air compressor on my clothes or else wife won't

let me in the house..And that reminds me I have read where guys won't use 0000 steel wool

on their projects for after they put the clear finish on they are seeing steel wool trapped under

the clear. Well duh!!!!

This story reminds me If some ask me what I think a person needs before anything else if he

wants to start woodworking I tell-um  the very first thing they should get for their wood

working shop is an air compressor and if they can't afford a compressor then take up sewing or

knitting.

    I have learned over the years. So for this property I dug a few hundred feet of trenches and buried some

pvc pipe so we have air from my shop to wife's shop and down to the dock.......And this was done before

we had a house, her shop or the dock and as I was putting up the forms for the concrete floor for my shop I

dug the ditches and all the pvc was ready for air.  And also I put a hose line on a pole on the property line

as my brother in law was moving from California and no, he did not own an air compressor

  This was not a spur of the moment brain storm for the was the fourth place we owned so I did lots of

thinking before any kind building was started.

   But for someone just fixin to build a shop it has to have a commode and a sink and air lines under the concrete. 

And while he is spending money go ahead and put in some electrical plugs out in the middle in a few places.

I have a big air compressor outside in a little shed which gives more room for me to roam around looking for

something to build. After all the pieces are sawed out I number them so by the time I'm ready to put glue on I might remember where a few pieces go..

But a person don't have a lot of time to sit there and guess what goes where so after I have sawed the pieces apart I add the same numbers on the bottom.

  Also I use a marks- so- lot and mark all the bottoms or else one can start carving the wrong side, Which has happened a few times

back yonder.

  A much faster way to lower the wood around the object is to use a band saw and slice off 1/4 to 1/2" off the top but my saw will only give me 10 inchs of clearance so the next best thing is a powerful grinder so I can hog the unwanted wood to the floor.

  And don't forget some wood is too soft for this kind of grinding.

  While I'm here, If I didn't have a sink in the shop putting all these colors on these Christmas thingies would take 10 times longer if I had to go in to the house and clean things so I could change colors. My sink goes out side to a climbing bush of some kind but the

commode goes to the septic.

I think I have few more days before the red goes on the bird!!!!

Thanks, Jess!

Definitely will be following along Patch. Love watching our Cardinals come to the feeders including the two young ones we now have. The Cardinal is our State bird.

You can't have them cause we already got them for our state bird.

1 hour ago, Smallpatch said:

You can't have them cause we already got them for our state bird.

Let's share...what do think?

Love the cardinal in my back yard every year.

I love the bird, Dad!

Hey Sherri.

 

This guy was flying so fast I couldn't make out the other colors.