How to Make a Wooden Man

Body

• 1

  Place the sanded log across two sawhorses or old stools if you don't have sawhorses. Draw a center line along the entire length of the log. Mark a point on the center line 9 inches from the top. Mark two additional points 2 inches from the center point you have just marked, one on either side.

• 2

  Use a 1-inch spade bit 6 inches long to drill a hole at each of the two outer points you have marked, angling toward the center of the log. Use a 3/4-inch chisel and a mallet to square the holes until you have two 1-inch square holes 6 inches deep.

• 3

  Mark a point on the center line of the log 9 inches down from the holes you have just made. Drill a hole at this point straight through to the other side of the log. Start the hole with the 6-inch spade bit and then switch to another bit with the same diameter but 18 inches long to finish the hole. Chisel the hole out to make a 1-inch square hole all the way through.

• 4

  Mark a point on the center line 14 inches down from the hole you have just made and a second point 1 inch down from that. Drill holes straight through to the other side of the log, angling them approximately 15 degrees toward the top. Chisel these two holes out until you have one hole 3 inches long by 2 inches wide.

Arms

• 5

  Mark the centers of the bases of three 12-inch lengths of conical timber 2.5 inches in base diameter and 1.5 inches in tip diameter. Use the shorter 1-inch spade bit to drill a hole 2 inches deep at each center point. Chisel out each hole so that you have a 1-inch square hole 2 inches deep in the center of each cone.

• 6

  Spread a thin layer of wood glue at one of the ends of two 8-inch lengths of 1-inch-by-1-inch timber, covering approximately a 2-inch section on each. Insert the glued ends into the holes you made in the cones. Use a mallet to gently hammer the pieces together firmly. Apply glue to the rest of each timber and insert these two arms into the two upper holes on the log, using a mallet to gently hammer them in until each cone touches the log. Wipe off any excess glue from the log.

• 7

  Spread a thin layer of glue on a 2-inch section on one end of a timber measuring 1 inch by 1 inch by 12 inches. Insert the glued end into the remaining cone, using a mallet to gently hammer it in. Apply glue to the rest of the timber and insert the remaining end into the middle hole on the log. Use a mallet to gently hammer it in until the cone touches the log. Wipe off any excess glue from the log.

Leg

• 8

  Mark a point 2 feet from one end of a timber measuring 4 feet by 2 inches by 3 inches. Draw a dissecting line across the 3-inch face; 1.5 inches on each side of this center line, draw a parallel line. You should have drawn a 3-inch square. Draw a line from the bottom left of the square to the top right. Cut along this line, using a handsaw and miter box.

• 9

  Flip the left-hand piece over and glue and nail it to the underside of the other piece. You should have something that resembles a leg bent at the knee.

• 10

  Apply glue to approximately 9 inches of the upper leg and insert it into the bottom hole on the log. Stand the "man" up and use a mallet to gently hammer the leg into place until the man stands up without assistance.