Easter Bunnies

Sometime ago we made reindeer figures, so let's make some Easter Bunnies now.

You need a 2.5" by 2.75" by 1.5" thick piece of wood; e.g maple, cherry, oak, or walnut. To get the 1.5" thickness you can glue together two 3/4" thick pieces as shown.

For tools, you'll need a bandsaw with a 1/4" or smaller blade, wood files, and sand paper. A spindle sander is very helpful if you have one.

Use the attached templates for the front and side profiles of the bunny. Print the templates, cut them out, and glue onto the front and side of the wooden block. Be sure to line up the two templates using the registration line; or line up both templates with the bottom edge of your wood piece.

Before going to the bandsaw drill a small hole thru the wood block to indicate the bunny eye.

Cut out the front profile in the sequence of cuts as indicated in the pictures. First make single cuts along each side of the bunny avoiding the three concave areas by the foot, neck, and ear. Save these main side cutoffs for the next step. Make relief cuts into the concave areas, then cut out the three concave details as well as the space between the ears and the feet.

Use the two side cutoff pieces from the previous step and tape them back in place onto your bunny with transparent tape. This will support the next cutting sequence.

Make the side profile cuts as shown in the pictures. Again, relief cuts help to clean out the concave details since your blade will not be able to make the tight turns.

Clean the edges and corners with sand paper and small files. Sand all surfaces smooth. Optionally, finish with Danish oil, polyurethane, varnish, or paint the bunny.

Make a bunch of different size bunnies by adjusting the size of the template. Start out with larger bunnies for practice and make smaller ones as you learn how to make the profile cuts. Use lighter and darker woods for variety.

Stay healthy!