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For the birds: Area woodcarver enjoys his 'hobby'
Wendy Bumgarner | Hickory Daily Record
Mountain View’s Bill Abernathy discusses his carved fowls during Saturday’s woodworking show at the Hickory Metro Convention Center.
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Published: November 2, 2009
HICKORY - Where most people see a chunk of wood, Bill Abernathy of Mountain View sees a delicate, graceful bird waiting to be carved out of the raw form.
Abernathy, 62, is a woodcarver. He has been crafting ducks, shorebirds and assorted wild fowl since the mid-1990s. His wife got him started in the hobby when she invited him to join her in a carving class at Catawba Valley Community College.
In the last four years, he's gotten more serious about the hobby and now takes part in shows and contests throughout the state and as far away as Ocean City, Md., and Dayton, Ohio.
The birds he carves are intricately crafted.
His ducks are built from two pieces of wood — one for the body and one for the head. Each feather is distinct and formed with a high-speed grinder or wood burner. Then the birds are painted to mimic the brilliant plumage of the birds that inspired their creation.
Abernathy sums up his inspiration succinctly. "I've always been a duck hunter and I like nature," he said.
For the last five years, Abernathy has worked at Rock Tenn in Claremont, but when he gets home from work, he goes to his basement and unwinds with some carving.
"It's just relaxing to me — I like creating things," he said.
Some of his carvings can take as long as 20 or more hours to complete and his pieces sell for anywhere from $150 to $600.
Abernathy said he typically makes 40 to 50 birds every year.
One way he stays tuned in to current trends in the woodworking world is by serving on the board of the Catawba Valley Woodcarvers.
One of the club's primary goals is to bring new carvers into the hobby and to help teach them some of the finer points of the craft, Abernathy said.
The club has about 50 members and meets at Klingspor's Woodworking Shop in Hickory the second Thursday of every month at 7 p.m.
For more information on the Catawba Valley Woodcarvers, go to www.woodworkingshop.com and click on clubs, or call 326-9663.
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