Trace a feather onto the piece of wood of your choosing. Cut the feather out with a bandsaw.
Shave off the areas around the shaft, so the shaft is slightly raised. Sketch the shape of the feather from the side on the side of the wood. Shave down the areas on top of the feather where the feather dips in.
Sand the top surface of the feather, excluding the shaft. Follow up this first pass with finer grit sandpaper to smooth out the surface.
Shave the shaft of the feather, but just enough to round the corners. Sand off any rough edges. Sketch the edges of the feather onto the wood, then remove the excess to give the feather a more lifelike shape.
Carve light lines out from the shaft across the surface of the entire feather. Shave the back of the feather down until the piece is a similar thinness to your feather.
Sand down the back of the feather to smooth out any rough edges. Remove the excess wood on both sides of the base of the feather
Apply a stain or wood treatment to finish the feather.