The_Woodworker_and_Woodturner_-_October_2019

PROJECT Rocking hippo with moving jaw

60 The Woodworker & Good Woodworking October 2019 http://www.getwoodworking.com

Trimming the excess
The next day, remove the clamps and begin
to shape the lower part of the jaw. It’s important
to trim the blocks down to the profile of the
side pieces as these are your guides as to the
jaw’s overall shape. I used my bandsaw to trim
off the excess here.

Carving the front of the jaw
Using an angle grinder fitted with a sanding disc,
shape the front of the jaw to a gentle curve. You
don’t need to worry about carving the inside of the
jaw as this will need to be square in order to hold
the tongue in place. Round off the outside edges
of the rest of the jaw lightly using the grinder.

FITTING THE HEAD TO THE LOWER JAW
Deciding where to put the pivot
Once you are happy that the two pieces are a
good fit, now’s the time to fit the bolts that will
act as a pivot for Henry’s jaw. I wanted his jaw
open most of the time and so when deciding
where to put the pivot, I had his jaw open on

the bench and then marked a hole as to roughly

where I thought this should be. Next, mark on

the opposite side and drill a pilot hole through

both. I used a cordless drill fitted with a 4mm

bit, which will allow for a 4mm screw.

I then took the jaw and screwed the wood

screw into various positions until I was happy

with the movement. Next, drill a pilot hole through

the sides of the jaw where the screw has made

its mark; this will allow for the bolt to run all the

way through both head and jaw.

Dry fitting the bolts & counterboring

You can now assemble the pieces and slot the bolt

in, without the nut, before trying the movement.

Once you are happy with the movement of the

jaws, remove the bolts and create a counterbore

for the head of the bolt, which will be filled at

a later date.

Next, assemble the head to the jaw fully

although you may need to remove the jaw

from the head again when it comes to fitting

the teeth in place.

THE LOWER JAW  PART 2  TONGUE

The tongue is made from a piece of scrap 3×2

redwood (photo 13). The width needs to be ripped

down to the internal width of the jaw where

the tongue will sit. For handling purposes, this

should be cut so it is slightly longer than the jaw.

Cutting out

I wanted to have a bend in my tongue as I

imagined Henry’s mouth would be open much

of the time, but this is up to the maker to decide

as it is purely optional. Draw a curve along the

length of the wood on one side and then cut on

the bandsaw. This is where having that extra

length at the end comes in handy as you can

hold the wood while keeping your hands free

of the blade.

Next, draw the curve for the tip of the tongue

and cut out on the bandsaw. In the photos you

can see that I’ve drawn the outline of the tip

before cutting the bend of the tongue, but this

was used as a guide for drawing out the bend.

Cut this out on the bandsaw, with the flat of

the tongue against the table.

Carving

Using a marking gauge, mark a centreline down

the middle of the tongue; this will be your guide

for carving the tongue (photo 14). Using a sanding

disc mounted on an angle grinder, first make the

groove in the tongue down the middle and then

round off the edges (photo 15). You can then

move on to the sanding stage before painting

it a nice pink colour. You won’t glue the tongue

into the jaw until near the end, so just put this

to one side for now.

13 The tongue is made from a piece of scrap 3× 2
redwood

19 Drilling the nostrils using a Forstner bit

mounted in a bench drill

16 The head and jaw are starting to take shape

18 How the built-up snout should look from the front

15 Using a sanding disc mounted on an angle

grinder, first make the groove in the tongue

down the middle and then round off the edges

17 The snout built up and clamped

14 Using a marking gauge, mark a centreline down

the middle of the tongue; this will be your guide for

carving the tongue