How to Carve Birds

Measure the length of the tail, back and head of a bird that you want to recreate. Knowing how long each of these measurements are will help you in reproducing a real-life quality in your carved bird. Take notice of how the feathers lie across the birds body, wings and head.

Cut a general bird shape using a band saw. Cut the wood down to the size the real-life bird would be and lay out the wings, head and tail. The cuts with the band saw are meant to be rough, but you should be able to get the feeling of a bird being there when complete.

Carve feathers using a knife. The band saw is too large of a tool for making feathers on your bird carving. Using the knife will allow you the detail you need to make your bird more lifelike.

Sand the rough edges with sandpaper. This is your opportunity to finish your carving with the detail you are looking for. Use the sandpaper to remove a cut that does not look right and to make the whole carving more authentic. Sanding the carving will also remove any rough edges from the band saw.