Sunday, May 2, 2010

Axe in Block

Late April 2010

Time to carve: 1.5 hours
Finishing: 1.5 hour

I thought about this slide ever since deciding to take Wood Badge training. The hardest part was finding the right "log" for the slide. I wanted a birch "log" but to cut a live branch I would need to wait it to dry out. Finding a branch on the ground in the woods proved to be a waste of time since anything on the ground, after falling off a tree, was too far decayed. What to do? Well a couple of years ago there was a ice storm north of here and quite a few trees came down in the woods and along the roads. Recently I was driving to one of our plants and I noticed how many birches were cut up lying on the side of the road. I stopped on the side of the road, in one such spot and fowund what I was looking for ... a seasoned piece of birch. The handle was made from a leftover piece of cherry and the axe head from "plumber's putty". This putty is amazing stuff! I am guessing it is an epoxy and dries has hard as a rock in roughly 5 minutes. During that harding time you and shape it any way you want and after it is hard it is sandable. A small V cut in the birch, some glue to fashion the axe to the birch, some craft paint on the head and this is ready for some poly. I can't wait to wear this on the first day of Wood Badge training!

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