- 1). Start with the blocks required to carve the dummy's head. Place the four blocks for the face, the forehead, the top of the head and the back of the head, and the small block for the nose on your worktable.
- 2). Cut the wood blocks down to size according to the patterns you drew before starting. You will be gluing the blocks together so you can shape the head and carve the features. However, because you also need to work on the dummy's interior mechanism, you will need to take the blocks apart. To facilitate this process, place a piece of paper between each piece before gluing them so it's easier to take them apart without damaging the wood. Only glue the nose piece directly onto the block since it is the only piece you will not have to remove later. Once you have the rough assembled head glued together with the pieces of paper, place a piece of carbon paper on it so you can trace the features you drew on your patterns.
- 3). Carve the head using your gouges. Keep shaving large chunks of wood off the roughly assembled head until the head is the size you want it to be. Switch to the bench knife so you can carve finer details. Smooth everything off with a fine grit sandpaper.
- 4). Disassemble the head carefully with your chisel. Hollow out the inside so it can accommodate the internal head mechanism. When hollowing out the head, keep the walls of the head and face at a thickness of at least 1/2 inch to prevent puncturing through the wood and ruining your work.
- 5). Use the scroll saw to cut the dummy's jaw so it can move its mouth up and down and carve out holes for its eyes. Insert the internal head mechanism and the eyes and connect everything. The mechanism that operates the dummy's jaw works with a string that you connect to a lever in the head. The string runs through the dummy's neck, across a pulley, and is attached to the back of the lower jaw. The blinker mechanism allows the dummy to blink its eyes. You push the blinker lever on the head stick and the lever opens and closes the eyes. Glue the head back together. When you maneuver the dummy, its face will now come to life.
- 6). Paint your dummy with acrylic paint in whatever colors you want. Apply a coat of varnish. Set it aside until it dries thoroughly.
- 7). Carve the dummy's torso. The block of wood should be large enough for you to fit in your hand comfortably when you operate the dummy. The body does not require much detail since most of it will be covered with clothing. Carve a chest cavity and shoulders. Sew its clothes on and sew stuffed cloth arms and hands onto it. Finish it off by attaching a wig.
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