Reclaimed Wood Rooster Head Wall Art

Not for sale; this was a gift. Dimensions: 17.5 inches tall, 16.5 inches wide, and 1.5 inches thick. My mother-in-law has a big thing for chickens. The motif shows up all around her house and even in some of her clothes. When we found out she was moving, I decided to make something for her as a housewarming gift. So, something chicken-related was an obvious choice. And, of course, it would have to involve reclaimed wood.

The Story 

I looked on the Interwebs for pictures of chicken heads in profile. Based on a few examples, and one model in particular, I drew out a pattern for the piece and cut out those four pieces, so I could trace them onto selected pieces of wood. I used OSB (oriented strand board) for the body because the surface looks a bit like ruffled feathers. I see scraps of this material around construction sites (e.g., in dumpsters) all the time, but now when I needed one, none was available. So, I bought a 2x4-foot sheet for about $12 from The Home Depot. I used one piece of naturally reddish-toned pallet wood for the cockscomb and face/wattle. But I used Minwax Sedona Red stain to kick up the color. For the cockscomb, I was fortunate to be able to take advantage of some imperfections in the wood that gave it texture and nicely accented its verticality. I used one piece of light-toned pallet wood for the beak, and two different long pieces of light-toned pallet wood to cut four rectangle segments that would comprise the backdrop. I used woodcarving tools to create the eye and some yellow and black paint I had on hand to color that and the beak. I cut a leftover piece of 1/8-inch-thick underlayment for the backing piece. I glued the four backdrop pieces on the backing, then glued the chicken parts into place on top of that. The layering obviously gives the piece more dimension and texture. For the frame I used leftover pieces of 1.5-inch square pine lumber. I used my router to cut a groove into one long edge that would help attach it to the backing without the backing being visible from the side. I applied some dark brown stain (Minwax Jacobean), then glued and screwed and clamped the frame pieces into position. Finally, I attached two D-rings and a picture hanging wire to the back.

Related Items: Framed Wooden Christmas Trees.