WOODEN CHRISTMAS DEER

Hello my name is Aiden. I'm a DIY hobbyist and this is my instructable on how to build a wooden Christmas deer! It is very easy to build and only takes a few hours to make. And the best part is, I made it out of entirely scrap wood I found around the nature reserve and the bins of the furniture department store.

Tools you will need:

A hammer

A wood saw

A 1/2cm wide chisel

A 2cm wide chisel

A small plane(And no not the flying type!), for those who don't know, have a quick search on Google as they all look different and mine is very strange(hence no photo of it).

Fine grit and coarse sand paper (course sand paper is the rougher one)

And that really is all the tools you will need!

Materials:

Right this can vary for the size of deer you might want to make, but as I'm doing instructions for my one I won't be giving alternative measurements( that's up to you!).

Pictures of all the materials will be included.

Large wooden dowel ( I think mine is oak wood, either way try to use a hard wood dowel) total measurements 135cm by 2cm, the dowel will be cut up into 4x30cm lengths and a 1x15cm length.

Small log, about 19cm long and 8cm wide, (a softer wood can be used for easier sculpting), this will be the deers head.

Large log, about 23cm long and 12cm wide (if possible use a stiffer and harder wood), this will be the main body of the deer so try not to mess it up!

2 branches for the antlers, now this one I can't really give measurements for because... well do I really need to explain?

Optional, small decorations such as a ribbon or scarf.

OK LET'S GET BUILDING!!!!

Ok, to to make the legs you will need to cut the wooden dowel into 4, 30cm lengths and then what you have left is a 15cm dowel, on all the dowels use the coarse grit sand paper to smooth one end of each dowel to make the edges smooth.

1) Take all of the bark off the log.

2) Make the log smooth with the coarse grit sand paper then the fine grit sand paper, try not to take off too much wood.

2) Using the larger chisel and hammer, make 4 indents in a + configuration for the legs, I can't explain this with ease So I will just have to show you pictures instead, if that does not work just use your imagination.

3) Using both of the chisels now, cut out a circle following around the + for the legs of the deer, try to make these about 2cm deep and make sure all of the wood shavings/ chunks are out of the hole, if possible make the holes slightly smaller than 2cm wide for a really tight fit.

4) On the opposite Side of the deer/leg holes place one hole to allocate the dowel for the neck, this hole should be the same diameter as the last one and cut out exactly the same way you did for the legs however it might help to make it 3cm deep this time.

I'm sorry that I cannot explain it very easily as it is very hard to do so, therefore I will provide lots of pictures of what I have done to help you do the same. (:

Ok so this part takes the longest.

1) Take your small log and do not peel off the bark!!!

2) Using the small chisel carve out two holes as shown in the picture to fit the antlers. The holes can be about 2cm deep.(About 1/2cm wide)

3) Now take your wood saw and cut a chunk from the small log to make the carving easier. (See pictures)

4) Use the plain and starts to carve out the nose of the deer, do as shown in the picture or something similar.

5) Now now using the same technique as before making the holes, make a hole on the opposite side of the head underneath the holes for the antlers, this hole should be about 3cm deep.

1) Ok so first you need to grab 2 branches for the antlers, put them into the holes on the head.

2) Hammer all of the legs into the deer at whatever angle you like

3) Hammer the neck into the body, and the head onto the neck, play around with the angle of the head and neck to give it different looks.

4) Finally you can add decorations, personally I added a small red ribbon around the neck to give it a festive look.

That is it!! I HOPE YOU ENJOYED and any questions you may have, just leave in the comments (: