The WoodChuck

WoodChuck here. If you send me your mailing address, I can send you a full size template that I use. I make mine out of solid walnut, and they look great with minimal sanding.

Woodchuck here. Anybody going to the 501st convention in Vegas? I'll be there along with Spud Trooper. To save getting a lot of questions, here are the answers: NO i will not be bringing props to sell. All my stuff is sold before it is built. YES I will be doing impromtu MAGIC. YES I will be demonstrating "Instant Hypnosis" and will be asking for volunteers. If you want to stop smoking, ask me!! YES I will be wearing something that says WOODCHUCK, and YES I like a beer every now and then, just have to watch the intake vs. the old man meds I take daliy. LOL See you there! http://thepropshop.1sweethost.com/page8.html

Woodchuck here. sorry I couldn't help it. I had a request from Down Under to create this rifle from a 501st member, so I guess he goes both ways, STAR WARS, and STAR TREK. This was a challange, and a lot of fun to build. The scope pops into view with just a push of a button. Anyone know the nomenclature for this one? WoodChuck

Woodchuck here. I am a week away from starting a run of my version of the DC-17 blaster. the cost is $300 for the blaster, $100 for the sniper or anti-armor attachments. All shipping charges are additional. It is time to confirm your order by sending a $50 NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT to my pay pal: chckbowman@yahoo.com You must be ready to send the balance when the item is ready to ship. I expect this to be no NO LATER THEN NOVEMBER 1, 2009. If you cannot send payment in full at that time, please do not place an order. I have had too many cancellations due to unforseen issues. I build these by hand, one at a time, and deserve to be paid on time when the product is finished. First come-first on the list. the higher on the list, the faster your order will be shipped. Thanks for a reply, even if you are no longer interestd. Chuck

WoodChuck here. OK, here's the deal of the century. I am willing to give away any blaster of your choice, to the trooper that helps me with this quest. As many of you know, Spud Trooper TC-6026, is my son-in-law. He recently graduated from ITT Technical Institute, with Highest Honors, earning an Associate degree in computer networking. He maintained a 3.97 GPA, and was invited to become a member of the National Technical Honor Society. He also has the A+ and CNA certifications. Spud Trooper is 30 years old. He and my daughter are willing to travel to the new job location, without restrictions. I know the economy is still very bad, even if the president says otherwise. I know it's hard to find a new job, that's why I'm asking. Spud is spending a lot of time sending out resumes. He is currently employed as a service tech at a family business, but isn't using his knowledge, skills, or abilities to their fullest potential. The employer that hires him will not be disappointed. Most tech-savy individuals are nerds, but Spud is a super-nerd. I am constantly amazed as what he can do with a computer. Be the one who finds him a job, and I'll build you a custom blaster FREE. It will be one-of-a-kind, with custom features found on no other prop replica. Thanks, WoodChuck

"The New Recruit" He is running to catch up with his squad, having gotten lost in the maze of tunnels. He must be a new recruit, as his armor is still shiny. "Solo Is Mine!" Boba Fett stands guard and fires his blaster as the carbonite block containing Han Solo is loaded into Slave 1.

WoodChuck here. I am going to offer this service only to those who appreciate owning a "One and Only" piece of unique art wall sculpture. Hence the name "Uniquely Yours". This is a commisson only service. Once a retainer is received, I will create one, and only one of your projects' pattern. Once the project is completed, the pattern will be destroyed. I will sign each piece I create. The method I chose for this project is called "Intarsia". It is an art form that creates images from small pieces of wood. Each piece is individually cut, shaped, sanded, then stained or painted before being glued in place on a backboard to create the illusion of depth in a three-dimensional scene. I have received national recognition for one of my original creations by winning a FIRST PLACE prize of $4000 from BETTER HOMES & GARDENS - WOOD - MAgazine design-a-clock contest during the year 2000. I have been published several times in woodworking magazines by writing informative how-to articles for these subscrptions. One of my wooden puzzles was just recently published in Fox Chapel Publishing BEST WOODEN PUZZLES publication. Here is a sample of Intarsia. This piece was created for Craigorski, a trooper here on the forums. It contains approximately 200 pieces.

WoodChuck here. Many of you know me as the woodworker who scratch-builds prop replicas by hand from wood. Two years now I have been providing a quality product at a decent price., and have been blessed with many satisfied customers. However, from now on, I have to work on commission only, due to the high rate of order cancellations. PLEASE NOTE: A $50 deposit will be required to confirm any and all orders in the future. I have a NEW PAYPAL account. I have a new E-MAIL ADDRESS. Please PM me if you want the new information. I have been having trouble sending and receiving messages for quite awhile. Changing ISP's seems to have cured that problem. Thanks, WoodChuck

Woodchuck here. Ha Ha, made you look. !!! Sorry, I couldn't resist. This CAT-CAT is also my original design, but anyone is welcome to use the photo as a reference if you want to build one for your cats. I used a couple of 2 X10's, and some 1 by 8 poplar for the steps. the top platform is 1/2inch plywood. I covered everything with a cheap welcome mat so the cat's wouldn't slip when climbing up the steps. The pole is a cheap tension rod for a shower. I just cut it to the length I needed and then when you tighten the tension, it holds the CAT-CAT in place. You can't see the top of the pole. I had to cut a six inch diameter circle for the end of the rod to hit, so it wouldn't damage the ceiling when tightened. Enjoy, and thanks for looking. Chuck

WoodChuck here. I took these on saturday.........good times! Enjoy!! http://s343.photobucket.com/albums/o471/mesmer777/?start=20 Here's some Poison Ivy to ogle:

Good to see the progress, and it;s great therapy. the binocs are lookin' good! WoodChuck

WoodChuck here. Roger roger. If a customer wants the sniper or AA atachment, I will make them. $100 each plus shipping. I am going to start a new thread in the FOR SALE OR TRADE forum to see who wants to purchase these at this time. I have contacted everyone who expressed an interest during this build thread. It seems the econmy still sucks, and I understand if you cannot justify the cost. Thanks for all the positive feedback during the build, as this was a very complex, but fun project. Chuck

WoodChuck here. This Dc-17 is ready to lock and load!!!!! It's finished, as far as I am concerned, and ready for paint. Thanks go out to all the troopers that sent me references and answered all the questions I had about this project. Here are some photos of the finished product. I wanted a lot of detail, canon as possible, and still have it as my version as well. I made the muzzle shorter, and removed the slide from the left side as per suggestions from real RC's. LOL For the LED installation, the clear plastic tube in the front is removablde. The rear butt stock comes off by removing two screws and the entire length of the gun is hollow. The top plate with the rear site is held in place by two screws, and can be removed for LED installation underneath. A plate on the bottom of the receiver in front of the grip is removable for access for a counter installation. The plastic strip in the clip is removable. Button batteries could be installed inside the clip, but it isn't big enough to hold a regular 9V battery.

Today I built the blast shield and installed it. I also added the greebles on the top. I did modify the pistol grip, making it narrower so it would be easier to hold.

Today I built up the grip and attached it. Now you can see the SIZE of the Dee Cee from these photos:

Here are a couple more WIP photos. I'm starting to drool now, LOL

Here is the latest progress: The piece I call the Counter and Clip Section is shown. You can see theopening I left for a customer installed counter and you can also see the REM's for the clip to grap when inserted. This is another view, showing the construction of this section. Here I am starting to build up the receiver section of the body. This view shows how it all looks when joined together. Hre is a view of the front barrel section with all the greebles and such. More WIP's to follow, as I am getting to spend more time in the alternative man cave up here in the cold country.

Here are the latest photos. I am building the front barrel. The clear tubing is just a big hose, and is flexible. Customer installed Blue LED's should lite it up rather nice. These are the pieces I cut for the base of the barrel. Pieces glued in place on the base. Rear view showing pieces in place. This is the interior view of the front barrel showing the PVC, the bracing, and the rare earth magnets. This view shows the magnets installed on the base. Assembled front barrel in correct position. The rare earth magnets do a super job of keeping everything aligned. I have some greebles to add to the sides and the front, then it's on to the body of the gun itself.

Woodchuck here. I edited my last reply with BIG photos. I am still plugging away on this project. My digital camera seems to have a battery that won't recharge without the charger that I (sez the wife) left at home. I am working on the top part of the front barrel now. I have the pieces cut and glued together, and am taking Will's advice, and using rare earth magnets to hold it in place, as this part has to be removed to mount the accessories. Photos tomorrow, as I just found the charger the wife packed in HER bag. (Don't go there)................LOL

Woodchuck here. the part I will call the "Slot Box" is next. I cut the basic shape from 3/4" poplar. Then I cut the edges off to get the correct angles. And here is the Assembled unit:

WoodChuck here. Thanks go out to Thorn and his stealth extraction team. I am back in the workshop for a couple of days, then we head to the North country for a couple of months. NO WORRIES!! I have a work shop up there too, so work will continue on this project. I figured the next piece to build would be the front section that the grip mounts to. This photo shows the interior construction. I used 1/8th inch model ply for the exterior walls. Here you can see the hole for access to electronics if buyer wants to install them. Front section with fore grip installed. Next comes the box with the slots....................Stay tuned.

The saga continues...........Woodchuck, the owner of the Hole-In-The-Wall workshop, is busy building up DC-17's for a RC Squad. He is working on a new proto-type, and needs to get a working model ready for display as soon as possible. The workshop is located on a far and distant planet with two moons where all life forms are welcome. There is quite a commotion outside the workshop. A wierd spacecraft, something that looks like Cinderella's carriage crossed with a land speeder is hovering right outside the workshop. The carriage part is fancy, frilly, and trimmed in 24K gold. The land speeder part is quite efficient, and seems to almost get lost in all the glitter of the carriage. The traditional door on the carriage part swings open, revealing seats covered in red velvet. Sliding across the rear seat can be seen the form of a beautiful woman. Leaning forward to exit the carriage, her long blonde hair seems alive as it sways gracefully in the breeze. A crowd has gathered to witness this event, and all eyes follow her every move as she now stands next to the carrigae and says: "Isn't there a gentleman among you? Can't you see I am a lady in distress? She flicks open her parasol to shield her face and pouting lips from the ever-present dusty wind the planet is known for." "May I be of service, Madam?" a tall two-headed Ryklon being says in his native tongue. "Why thank you," she answers, motioning for him to approach her. "See to it that no one bothers my carriage, I'll only be a moment" she seems to blush, then walks into the workshop. An overpowering scent of lavender fills the display ares of the workshop. Woodchuck gets to the counter just as she enters. Her eyes are deep blue and very powerful. She has a heart-warming smile, and wears the finest, top named brands available. She stands there, then reaches within the top portion of her form-fitting traveling coat and removes a small item. "Kind sir, can you fix this for me?" She places the item on the counter in front of the shop owner. Woodchuck says, "Why that's what is locally known as a Beau Blaster. Local folk lore tells the story of a lady from the victorian era who used to get men to fall in love with her, or as they called them in those days, She asked them to be her "Beau". Then they turned up mutilated or dead, killed by a very precise blast from a small plasma pack. These things were banned all over the universe, haven't seen one in a long time. "Well sir, this one belonged to my poor ole papa, and he has passed, bless his soul, and I thought if you could fix it, I could sell it for a good price," she repield, batting eye lashes too long to be ignored. Woodchuck studied the item, then saw that the plasma chamber just needed to be cleaned and discharged. "I can fix it for you right away," he said, then went to the back of the workshop. Ten minutes later, it was ready. "There you go, be careful now, it's recharged and ready to fire." "Oh gracious me," she giggled, "I don't know about such things, will this be sufficient?" Several gold coins fell from her tiny purse. "Thank you, and have a good day madam." She left the shop and returned to her carriage. "Would you like to be my new beau?" she flirted with the Ryklon, motioning for him to enter her carriage, while secretly grasping the small blaster. "Ms Victovia, Lab assistant, nurse, WANTED for perofrming unnatural acts of medical research on living beings all across the galaxy." Woodchuck read the posting from his Auto-Scanner. It's a device that scans everyone who enters the workshop. "I hope she isn't looking for another "Beau", I pity his soul if she finds one..................................... I had a customer ask me to design this small blaster for his wife. She does Live Action Role Playing, and it seems Ms. Victovia is her favorite character.

I cut seperate pieces of pine for the front and rear portions of the fore grip. Then I glued each block into it's exact location on the fore grip. Now I know how a jeweler must feel cutting diamonds. Sanding the complex angles is not for the faint of heart. Here is the finished prototype fore grip.

WoodChuck here. I have begun work on the DC-17 as promised. I chose to begin with the lower front section. I don't know if it's a power pack, or just a grip, but that seemed the easiest place to start. I glued up some white pine 2 X 4 stock and then used my band saw to cut the blank to shape. Stay tuned for further reports as the work progresses. QUESTION: Should I ask for a list of names now of the troopers that may be interested in getting one of these?

WoodChuck here. I just got another request to build a DC-17 with a grenade launcher. I have been putting this off because there are several other vendors offering their versions. But, the requests keep coming to me, so I need some assistance. Does anyone have the spec's on the DC-17? Some good Hi-Res photos would be nice, and any measurements available that I could use to make sure my version is canon. Thanks for your help. Chuck