This is Marty Moose.
Marty Mazel Tov Moose because when I asked friends what they thought he was, I got a mixed response of “moose”, “reindeer” and “Hanukkah candle holder”.
I don’t care, he’s the moosiest moose I know – Marty Moose. (did you get that? Maybe I’m showing my age?)
It started because of this image on Instagram:
I love him!
When I looked around to find out how he was built or where he was made, all I came up with was this:
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What!? You can hang things on him too?!
If I did the conversion right, that comes in at about $315 US – and they don’t ship to North America. All the better for me though – because I created some similar plans so you can build your own!
You will need:
- 1×6 wood – about 4 feet of it
- wood glue
- two 3″ wood screws
- jig saw
- mitre saw
- drill
- 1 1/2″ spade bit for the drill
- optional: wood clamp
- sandpaper / electric sander
- stain or paint and varnish
Cut a piece of your 1 x 6″ wood to 12″ long on your mitre saw.
I used a 1×2 scrap piece of wood to figure out my dimensions and to keep symmetry throughout, so the strip below the nostrils is 1 3/4″ and the nostrils are 1 3/4″. I measured in 1 3/4″ from either side of the top and found that it ends up being a 9 degree angle from the top of the board to the outer edge of the wood moose’s nostril.
If you have a machine similar to this made CNC wood cutting machine, it will make life 10 times easier for you as this will do the wood carving work, saving you home and energy!
Hopefully the photo will help make it clearer:
Next, cut a 28″ piece of your 1 x 6″ for the antlers.
Trace your 1 x 2″ (1 3/4″) along the bottom – this will be the base of the antlers.
I used a piece of scrap wood, 3″ wide, to draw my antlers. The angled antlers are all 3″ wide, and the two centre ones (upright) are 2.5″ – this will leave you with a nice space between for your wood moose’s forehead. The angled antlers were cut at a 22 1/2 degree angle, but cutting them with a mitre saw is not easy. You’re better off with your Rockwell Bladerunner or a jig saw.
The blue areas show the pieces that will be cut out and removed.
Now you just need to make your DIY wood moose eyeballs – these are 3.5″ squares with a 9 degree angle cut on one side so that they line up with our moose’s nose.
He’s looking good right? Not bad for scrap wood and no plans?
I used a 1 1/2″ spade drill bit to drill out eyeballs, and then glued and screwed all of the pieces into place. The antlers are screwed down from the centre point into the moose’s nose using 3″ wood screws. The eyeballs were attached with wood glue and then clamped into place until dry.
Sand away all of your markings and any rough patches and paint or stain as you like.
Add hooks to the back to hang, or rest your DIY wood moose on an entryway table.
Marty Mazel Tov sits on a table on my landing. His nose is a bit covered with the garland at the moment, but this is a decor piece you can leave out throughout the winter, so once Christmas is over he’ll be able to breathe easy.
This is the view as you look up my staircase – I apologize for the haze, it was morning sun when I took the photo – I mean this is the angelic glow of this scrap wood masterpiece.
If you are in Europe, you can buy a wood moose for 299 Euros (~$315 USD), or (and for the rest of us) you can build your own with a bit of scrap wood, some leftover stain and a bit of patience.
Have a great one!
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