What to do when you don't own a bandsaw.

[Grimstache]

I'm just getting into carving decoys and I'm trying to make a blank out of a block of basswood. I don't own a bandsaw. How can I go about cutting off the excess wood?

[Clifford_Parker]

I have used a coping saw or Japanese pull saw for blocking out large carvings.

[Dicky]

A drawknife will do a good job. Just be very aware of grain direction.

[Hooked on Carving]

When I first started carving, I used a 3/4" #3 gouge to hog out as much wood as possible. If you have a jigsaw, coping, drywall hand saw, you can even make your own with a file handle, epoxy and a narrow reciprocating saw blade. Whatever works, power tools just make the process quicker.

[Agoodknife]

Hi Grimstache,
I did not own a bandsaw for a number of years,and it can be frustrating I always suggest asking around,all you really have to do is have a friend that has a bandsaw.

Cliff has gave a good alternative as well as Dicky. It always seems one tool begets another... so your going need a good way to secure your blank too. I have never carved a decoy,but I did have the chance to video Warren M. Saunders,working off the excess with a hatchett,( ) it's on my YouTube channel below,titled "Klingspor/Catawba Carvers Woodcarvers Show". Hope this helps.
^ l l { l\l

[breezly]

I've used both coping saw and drawknife actually for the last couple of months in florida thats all i could do to keep carving cant have a bandsaw where i am (condo)

[Dan C]

I took a decoy carving class a couple of years ago, and we used either cork or a cork product to make the body of the decoy and then a basswood carved head was glued on. I think the material we used was cork that was ground up, mixed with some kind of binder, and then pressed into blocks. It may have just been some kind of dense cork material. On the completed decoy, the join between the head and the body was totally invisible.

The point is that cork is much easier to work with than wood. You can get rid of the excess cork with a knife and a rough rasp quickly and easily.

I'm not really a decoy carver, but I imagine that there are probably other decoy carvers on this forum that have used this cork material who might be able to give you some pointers on the cork option if that appeals to you.

Another hint would be to drill a lot of holes in the waste part of your block - whether it's cork or wood. It's a lot easier to carve away wood that has a bunch of holes in it. Hope that helps!

Dan C.

[Grimstache]

Thanks everyone, I bought a japanese pull saw and it works like a charm. Microplane rasps are amazing too.

[Claude]

Here's one way to get rid of the waste wood without a bandsaw. Just saw something similar to the drawing below, then use a carpenter's chisel, or one of your gouges, to break off the pieces. (Wood grain runs from character's head to feel) With a sharp saw, this should only take a few minutes.

Claude

[Donna_T]

Like others, I started with a coping saw. It worked for 2-3 years--then found a used band saw.
Donna_T