About Bob Hays
I became interested in woodcarving some twenty-three years ago at the age of forty-nine. I bought some books on ducks and carving. After some months of studying the number of feathers and ducks habits, I carved my first duck. It turned out to look more like a chicken than a duck. I thought songbirds might be easier so I carved a mockingbird. It didn't turn out much better, but with patience and practice, I got better. I just had to have the "want-to". I carve mostly with basswood using a utility knife and a Dremel tool. I make a pattern of what I want to carve and mark it out on my cut-out wood. I band saw it out and start carving. Ducks in flight take 100-150 hours to complete.