A friend had an antique folk art Fraternal Order of Eagles wall plaque that was missing an eagle that had broken off.  The friend wanted an eagle carved to replace the broken one so this became a project of carving a “folk eagle” using traditional carving tools.  The WOOD BEE CARVER is primarily a knife carver but will on occasion use the “real” carving tools in addition with a knife.

The original plaque was carved with the grain of the wood running horizontally which allowed for the weakest part of the eagle at the legs and tail to snap off and be lost over the period of time.  The plaque was carved out of virgin popular whose patina had turned from the avocado green to a washed out brown.  Instead of trying to find a matching piece of virgin popular to carve the replacement eagle basswood was chosen to be stained using artist oil paint to allow it to blend in the rest of the plaque.

The newly carved basswood eagle replacement had the grain running vertically allowing for strength when attached to the existing plaque.  Metal pins, three in number, were inserted in both parts where they joined together using thick molding glue to bond the two pieces together.  Once the joint had cured, the basswood legs (which had been left a little thicker) were carve to match up with the feet on the original part of the plaque.

The artist oil paint and boiled linseed oil mixture became a stain to color the eagle with a soft finish to blend in with the rest of the plaque.  Deft, a brushing lacquer, was applied to the eagle while the original part of the plaque was left with its antique patina.

This folk art project was not a restoration as much as it was a decorative way to preserve a cherished piece of the past that my friend was proud to hang on a wall in his home.

Accepting commission projects like this folk art eagle is another way for a carver to expand one’s carving horizon to stretch the learning curve of “every carving project is a learning experience.”  Every learning experience teaches us that “the more one carves the better one carves.”  Woodcarving is a “folk art” that is ever growing in the dreams and experience of every carving.  Carve your dreams and dream your carvings.