Moose is my Muse: Sturdy Fauxidermy Decor for Playroom

Couple of years ago I made a small wooden moose. It broke right away, and his head cracked along the neck. I tossed the remnants, but not his tiny head.

Now this head is a proud decor for playroom, or

Faux Taxidermy Tiny Oaken Moose Head

You’ll need:

some wood (2-cm thick, it’s 3/4 inch, for a 2×4 inch head) – I used oak, because I love it, but it’s hard to work with. You can go with any wood you like. Reclaimed wood will go great for this project. Mind the proportions.

a pattern
a jigsaw or a bandsaw
a drill
a head plate of desired shape
screws
a hook or a loop
your pencil

Step 1

Make your pattern. I outlined my old moose head and transferred it to the cardboard, to make it more sturdy. Remember to make cutouts for head and antlers to intercept.

I like imperfections, so I left pattern rough and uneven (yes, that’s why))). Still, you can take it (adjust it to desired size) or make your own. Just be sure to google moose pictures. You’ll be surprised with a neck.

I found great tutorial on making animal patterns here: Make-a-wooden-toy

Step 2

Transfer the shape to your material.

To make it a bit easier, use this crafthack:

Step 3

God, I wish I knew this tip on cutting curves, when I was starting this project! Well, some wood was burnt, but – live and learn. My personal best tip is – make sure your blade is sharp. See the burnt scalloped edge?

So. Get a sharp blade, drill holes where you need them, make all technical cuts you need, and carefully cut out your shapes.

Step 4 (no pic)

Sand the edges and curves nicely. That’s when you get to fix burnt edges. Wood is rather kind material, cause lots of mistakes can be fixed in one way or another.

Step 5

Assemble head and antlers. I secured them on workbench with clamps (I have a really useful cutout for such purposes), drilled a hole right through the middle of the antlers deep into head and screwed them together. If you’re not planning any hard usage, you can use glue.

Step 6

Get your head plate. Here you can go creative. Pick an oval or a classic shield shape, cover it with fabric, or paint, or decoupage it, – do whatever answers your taste and what you feel right. I chose hexagonal white plates, and decorated them with a marker.

After applying design, put moose head on a plate and make your marks for drilling. I made them on back side, to drill through the plate, and right into wooden head.

Step 7

Secure head on it’s place with some painter’s tape. Then make a simple device: take a reel of tape you just used, and stuff it loosely with some thick aluminum foil.