Free falconer's tool

Hood Block Maker

A parametric hood block sized for your bird: adjust it, preview it in 3D, and download a print-ready STL. Blocked (Dutch-style) hoods are wet-formed over a block like this; a full set of commercial blocks runs hundreds of dollars, and a printed one costs a few dollars of filament.

Bird

Block sizes run about 2 mm larger than the bird's measured head width; the presets add that for you. Vendor charts span roughly 35 to 66 mm plus eagle sizes.

Adjust

Block size (across the eyes)64.0 mm

The vendor size number: the widest span across the eye bulges. Changing it re-derives the other defaults.

Eye bulge height4.5 mm

Room for the eyes is what a good block buys you.

Head depth (beak to nape)116%

Head height114%

Stem length27 mm

Working room between the head and the base.

Base diameter74 mm

Wide enough to clamp or hold steady while you work.

No printer? Order it printed

The STL is modeled in millimetres, upright and ready to slice. Print services like Craftcloud compare quotes across vendors; upload the STL you just downloaded.

Make the matching hood pattern

64 mm · 111 mm tall · about 125 g printed

Printing and using the block

Print upright as modeled. PLA or PETG both work; use 3 to 4 walls and 20 to 25% infill so the block takes clamping pressure. Fine layers (0.12 to 0.16 mm) mean less sanding.
Most sizes print without supports; add them only if your slicer flags the underside of the head.
Layer lines transfer into damp leather. Sand the head smooth (220 then 400 grit) and seal it with a couple of coats of lacquer or epoxy before first use.
To block a hood: soak veg-tan leather until pliable, work it over the head form, tie or band it at the neck, and let it dry fully on the block before stitching.
The stem fits a bench vise; the base keeps it standing while the leather dries.
Commercial blocks are already plastic (machined resin and acrylic), so a well-finished print is doing the same job. Sizes here follow the vendor convention: mm across the block at the eyes.

This is a new tool and the first parametric hood block we know of. The shape follows published block sizing and photos of commercial blocks; if you make hoods and can improve it, tell us what to change. For the flat-pattern route that needs no block at all, use the Hood Pattern Maker and its step-by-step guide.