If you are wondering what you can do with those preserved turkey feet here is an idea that is easy, doesn't require any major tools and is both useful and a memorable keepsake.
The process is simple and only requires three pieces of wood. The assembly method allows for the foot to be removed should you ever find the need to modify or rework the bookend.
The pieces have to be long enough to hold the turkey foot in place so the exact sizing depends on the massiveness of the turkey you harvested and the angle in which you preserved it. If you want an easy way to preserve a turkey leg, use my DIY process here (Preserving a Turkey Foot).
The critical piece is the top. Here you can see I have used a forstener bit to bore a hold partially into the top smaller piece of wood that holds the leg down.
You can also see that I have placed a dado in the bottom section. This is not necessary but since I am not gluing this piece and only screws will be holding it in place, the dado added strength to the joint.
The rounded shapes are just my own modifications, it can be square, cut to match the turkey foot, etc.
Once you have your basic shapes and a hole bores, chiseled or hogged out for the top of the turkey foot to rest in, it is time to find the correct placement. I balanced everything together for a dry fit to find out where the top hold down piece should be glued.
Once I had a general location for everything, I marked the claw locations and put small divits in the base to hold the position.
While the glue dried, I pre-drilled pilot holes for the base and back to be screwed together. I used countersunk pan head screws normally used for pocket holes.
And that give you your finished product.
Use my idea, make it your own, improve it, perfect it.
The process is simple and only requires three pieces of wood. The assembly method allows for the foot to be removed should you ever find the need to modify or rework the bookend.
The pieces have to be long enough to hold the turkey foot in place so the exact sizing depends on the massiveness of the turkey you harvested and the angle in which you preserved it. If you want an easy way to preserve a turkey leg, use my DIY process here (Preserving a Turkey Foot).
The critical piece is the top. Here you can see I have used a forstener bit to bore a hold partially into the top smaller piece of wood that holds the leg down.
You can also see that I have placed a dado in the bottom section. This is not necessary but since I am not gluing this piece and only screws will be holding it in place, the dado added strength to the joint.
The rounded shapes are just my own modifications, it can be square, cut to match the turkey foot, etc.
Once you have your basic shapes and a hole bores, chiseled or hogged out for the top of the turkey foot to rest in, it is time to find the correct placement. I balanced everything together for a dry fit to find out where the top hold down piece should be glued.
After sanding everything up, I held everything together and glued the back sections and top hold down piece into place.
While the glue dried, I pre-drilled pilot holes for the base and back to be screwed together. I used countersunk pan head screws normally used for pocket holes.
With the top glue set and the bottom section screwed in, you can see the turkey foot stays in place without any glue or fasteners, just light down pressure from the top and the divots for the claws from the bottom.
Here I have drilled a few shallow holes and filled them with an elastic roof sealant caulk and then smeared it around. This gives the base bottom grip on the shelf to prevent it from sliding. I am sure there are more graceful methods but no one ever sees this and it works great.
Since the bookend can be disassembled, I removed the screws, sanded a bit more and then waxed the bookend with an antique mahogany furniture wax. For small projects, I prefer a tinted wax because it is fast, even and polishes back up to a shine with a little buffing.
And that give you your finished product.
Use my idea, make it your own, improve it, perfect it.
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