Free Pattern: Christmas Buck

By Judy and Dave Peterson

Unlike most of my patterns, this project comes with a lesson. I developed my original deer pattern many years ago, and it wasn’t very successful. A couple of years went by, and I signed up for a wildlife art show where my booth attracted quite a few woodworkers. One of them identified himself as a taxidermist. I asked him what was wrong with my deer pattern. He looked it over carefully, and said, “The legs are too short.” His occupation allowed him to put the problem into words! At home, I added 1/16” (2mm) to each leg above and below the knee, and my deer puzzle was successful.

This puzzle is pretty straightforward:

Attach the pattern to the blank

Cut the pieces

Sand everything smooth, round the edges slightly with a flap sander,

Finally, seal the project with clear Danish oil