Woodrow the Woodpecker

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Woodrow the Woodpecker

Animated avian ascends any wall with easy

By David Wakefield

This guy holds a special place in my heart. I have wanted to design him for about two years. Being a redheaded woodworker, he has been my “familiar” since I moved to the woods of southeastern Ohio some 35 years ago. Pileated woodpeckers need a bit of room to be comfortable, so they are pretty scarce in many parts of the country, but here in the heart of the Appalachian hardwood forest they are quite common. I see or hear one almost every day in the woods.

This toy presented many firsts for me as an animated-toy designer. He is my first and only vertical toy. He is designed to go up a wall, not across the floor. I have also never used a spring before (the spring is needed to return the head forward after the cam pushes it back, as gravity cannot do the job in a vertical position). An unforeseen side effect is a loud pecking sound as his beak hits the wall. The irony of this driving parents “up the wall” is not lost on me!

But don’t take my word for it. You can watch this fellow in action below! Complete instructions and patterns to make your own animated woodpecker toy can be found in Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts Spring 2017 (Issue 66). CLICK HERE to purchase the issue. For more articles featured in Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts Spring 2017 (Issue 66), CLICK HERE.

We discovered a slight error with the pattern. CLICK HERE to get the updated patterns for the head and spacer. Note: Only one spacer is needed.