Saturday, December 30, 2023

Slide of the Month Extra: Philmont Signpost


 


December 2023

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:  Bill Macfarlane









It's the end of 2023 and crews have come and gone back to their homes. So here's to the 2024 crews who are preparing to go on an adventure of a lifetime and the crews of 2025 whose excitement is beginning to build. I also raise a glass to the staff of Philmont who continue to facilitate dreams and experiences for so many. May the signpost help you find your path on your journey.

The base of the signpost is carved from pallet pine and the post is a wooden dowel both painted with hobby paints. The signs are made from popsicle sticks and coated with shellac. The lettering is done with waterslide paper and a couple of coats of poly finish it off. I couldn't resist adding Earth to the sign post and Tsatsawassa, NY - well why not.

Saturday, December 16, 2023

Slide of the Month Extra: Spoon

 



December 2023

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: .5 hour

Original design:  Bill Macfarlane









I was on assignment for work when I noticed a large wooden spoon hanging on the wall in the office. Everyday for a week, this kind of carving on the spoon was calling out to me. So finally I had to ask what's with the spoon? The fellow I was working with smiled and said "Sometimes you need to spoon feed people." That's all I needed to know I had to recreate that carving.

As I was traveling, I could not bring a carving knife in my carry on so off to a hobby store (Michael's or Hobby Lobby) I went. Using an X-acto knife and a piece of basswood, I spent that night carving and sanding away until I made the slide affectively known as "Spoon". When I got home, I gave the slide a couple of coats of shellac to finish it off. 

Friday, December 1, 2023

Slide of the Month: Green Bar Bill Viking


 


December 2023

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 1 hour
 
Original design:  Unknown Scout/Bill Macfarlane







Before "Slide of the Month" became a regular feature in Boys Life, there was lots of encouragement about Scouts making their own neckerchief slides. In his regular feature "Hiking with Green Bar Bill", William Hillcourt had this to say; 

        "A few years ago, while visiting the Chicago Boy Scout Camps, a Scout presented me with what has become my favorite neckerchief slide. I never got his name and I'm really sorry I didn't, because this slide is a peach. It is a wonderful piece of wood carving in the shape of a Viking Chief. It has been with me through many countries and it has never failed to arouse interest,"

This month's "Side of the Month" is dedicated to Mr. Hillcourt and that unknown Scout. 

Using the drawing from article, I've created my version of this slide from a piece of leftover basswood. After drawing out the basic design, I began cutting out the outline of the slide not really sure how I was going to finish this. Well the more I carved, the more it came together. What I ended up with was a great looking slide. I sanded the slide but left some rough areas in the slide as scars because a Viking Chief I'm sure would have some. I finished off the slide with some shellac because it gives shows off some great details painting would not.    

Saturday, November 25, 2023

Slide of the Month Extra: Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU)


 


November 2023

Time to make: 1 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design: MaxGrueter








The Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) was first craft to allow untethered astronaut space walks in 1984 during the  STS-41-B mission. On it's final mission on STS-51-A the MMU was used to capture the Palapa B2 and Westar 6 satellites and return them to the shuttle bay for return to earth for repair. Interestingly, the first planned device, the Astronaut Maneuvering Unit (AMU), was planned for Gemini/MOLE project using a rocket power propulsion. It was aboard Gemini 9A but because of difficulties during Gene Cernan's EVA the testing of the AMU was cancelled. Deke Slayton suggested in his autobiography, Deke!: U.S. Manned Space from Mercury to the Shuttle, the reason it was developed for the MOLE program was "they might have the chance to inspect somebody else's satellites". 

A very interesting 3d print to make as I needed lots of supports to successfully print it. When it was done, I first painted it with flat white Krylon fusion paint that sticks well to PLA plastic. Next I painted the visor with gold hobby paint. All the logos and stripes were done using water slide paper and I finished it off with a couple coats of poly


Saturday, November 18, 2023

Slide of the Month Extra: Philmont Lady Bull


November 2023

Time to make: 2 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:  Philmont/Bill Macfarlane




The Lady Bull patch, discontinued in the 1980's, was for female advisors who completed a trek at Philmont. Like the Black Bull, the Lady Bull was to be sown on the red wool leaders jacket. If the tail was placed over the shoulder the leader wearing the jacket had hiked the Tooth of Time or Mt Baldy.

Well I had done the Black Bull, so why not do a piece of Philmont history with the Lady Bull. Carved from pallet pine, painted with hobby paints, and sealed with a couple coats of poly. 

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Slide of the Month - Boot



November 2023

Time to make: 1.5 hours

Finishing: 1 hour
 
Originally found at boyslife.org
(No longer available)
 
Original design:  Jeff Springer











A bunch of years ago I was in Texas, it seemed like everywhere I went there were cowboy boots being advertised. Not a picture of boots but actual boots in case with the name of the store and the price. Kind of weird when standing in line at a roller coaster or at a bus stop. 

Carved from maple, it was a quick slide to make. I painted it with hobby paints and painted the star with a paint pen. A couple coats of poly finish it off.

Saturday, October 28, 2023

Slide of the Month Extra: Bagpipes


 


October 2023

Time to make: 2.5 hours

Finishing: 1 hour
 
Original design:  Bill Macfarlane










An instrument of War? Perhaps if one was to consider the ruling by the Judge in the case of James Reid. Mr. Reid was a piper at the battle of Culloden (April 16, 1746), which was the last battle of the Jacobite rising. He claimed he was not a combatant in the battle since he had not fought . The Judge ruled bagpipes were an instrument of war because Scottish armies always had pipers in battle. He was found guilty and put to death.

  In 1996 David Brooks was cited for playing an instrument in Hampstead Heath (do to an old law prohibiting it). Mr. Brooks defense was that he was not playing an instrument but instead was practicing with a weapon of war citing the 1746 ruling. While the Judge found Mr. Brooks argument humorous, he ruled that bagpipes were indeed an instrument and not a deadly weapon of war.

To my knowledge and research I may be the first to have created a neckerchief slide representing bagpipes. The body was carved from maple and the drones, blowspipe, and chanter were carved from a small dowel. The bag was made from cloth ribbon glued to the body. The drones, great and tenor,  were painted with hobby paints (as well as the blowspipe and chanter) then glued to the body. A piece of red string make up the drone cord and was glued in place. A very cool slide!


Saturday, October 14, 2023

Slide of the Month Extra: Philmont NM Slide

 



October 2023

Time to make: 2 hours

Finishing: 1 hour


Original design:  Philmont/Bill Macfarlane








An interesting design I saw out at Philmont and thought this was a natural choice for a slide.

Made from pallet wood it contains several levels with the white level as the top, blue in the middle, and the base level  (red/yellow). It painted with hobby paints and labeled with waterslide paper. A couple of coats of poly finish it off.  

Sunday, October 1, 2023

Slide of the Month - Billy Goat



October 2023

Time to make: 2.5 hours

Finishing: 1 hour
 
Boy's Life Aug. 1983 p. 63
 
Original design:  Lew Weston












The largest of the  Three Billy Goats Gruff is the influence for this slide. An old Norwegian folk tale but in the end instead of the troll, who lived under the bridge, eating the largest of the goats, he is knocked from the bridge into the stream. That is the way I learned it as a child but as I was researching the original translation I came across this;



Carved from maple the head is a simple shape. Add to the slide the ears and horns, also carved from maple, glued to the head. Painted with hobby paints and sealed with a couple coats of poly.

                    Snip, snap, snout.

Saturday, September 23, 2023

Slide of the Month Extra: Woody's Scout Sign


 


September 2023

Time to make: 2 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:  Woodys Make Your Own













The last of the Woodys patterns (that I know of), it is funny for me to make this slide as this was also the first slide I made in this journey. Looking back at that slide, I think I've made some progress.

Carved from maple I used my hand as a model and finished it off with some golden oak shellac. It seems weird to me that I've carved all the slides kits I saw at the trading post as a Scout. 

Saturday, September 16, 2023

Slide of the Month Extra: Suanhacky

 

September 2023

Time to make: 5 hours

Finishing: 1.5 hour

Original design:  Bill Macfarlane

You won't find this slide in my collection...but I thought this good opportunity to talk about my process of making a slide. 

Background: I was looking at a group I follow on Facebook called Scout Woggles which is a great place to see what other slide makers are doing. I love seeing the creativity  there and and it really inspires me. I happened upon an interesting request from one of it's members. (The picture from the post above.)

" Can anyone do a woggle based upon just the stagg and arrow, with the lodge name?"

"Maybe..." I answered as I wondered how I could make such a slide.  I see lots of problems making a slide like this with the antlers and arrow being the real week points. Oh and those bent  front legs are another place that could easily snap off. A couple of days went by thinking how to make the body with me sketching out some awful designs. What I ended up deciding on was to blow up the picture to a large enough size that I could carve while  being small enough to actually wear as a neckerchief slide.

Next I needed to find a piece of wood strong enough to keep the legs from breaking off. Looking though my wood, I found a piece and knew, from another slide I'd made, this was a very hard piece of maple. I glued the design to the block of wood and set off to the bandsaw. With the basic outline of the deer accomplished, it was time to carve. A couple of hours later, I had this


I tested the legs and they seemed to sturdy enough to move ahead some with sanding. 

The next step was to figure out what to do with the antlers and arrow. Wood was not a possibility as because of the small diameter necessary, the wood would be too brittle and if accidently bumped  would break. Maybe 3D printed as it would be easy to produce but still kind of brittle. Wire could work but how to make the different split offs and tines. Latex? Sculpey clay? Aluminum foil? My breakthrough came as I was watching a video on making wound wire jewelry. I have some thin copper wire around for electronic work and came up with a plan. Using 12 strands of the bare wire, I began twisting the wire together  until I came to the first split off. Removing 4 strands from the bundle, I twisted them to form the first split off the separated 2 wires, from the 4 strands, to twist the tines.  I repeated the last steps with the next splitoff/tines till I had formed the antlers. I trimmed off the excess wire and bent the antlers the way I thought they should look. To give the antlers some body, I used a modelers trick. I coated the antlers with super glue then sprinkled baking soda on them. The baking soda instantly cures the super glue and adds some body.


The arrow was made from some aluminum wire and  some flat aluminum scrap. Starting with the front of the arrow, I cut a slot into the aluminum wire to receive the arrow head. The arrow head was made using a sharp chisel and hammer to cut out an arrowhead from the flat aluminum scrap. I then super glued the arrow head into the shaft. I used a bit more super glue and baking power  on the arrowhead to give it a stone look.


 For the other side of the arrow, I cut the wire at the end leaving about 1/3 of the wire to accept the fletching. To make the fletching, I first wanted to make the veins of the fletching and to do this I held the flat aluminum with a pair of needle nose pliers then hit the pliers with a hammer a few times. The serration in the jaws of the needle nose pliers cut into the aluminum leaving me with the lines I wanted to represent the veins. Using the same method as the arrow head, I cut out the shape for the fletching using the sharp chisel. The fletching was then super glued to the shaft.


With all the pieces built, I drilled holes in the body to accept the antlers and arrow.


There was a bit more sanding and shaping to do before I started painting but most of the slide was painted with hobby paints. The arrow was painted with a special paint suited for metal.


After super gluing the antlers and arrow in place, I gave the slide a couple coats of Minwax Polycrylic to seal the paint (and it gives it a nice shine). 

Lettering by hand is a painstaking nightmare so like many of my projects, I use my laptop with MS word to design the decals I use on a slide.  I'll set up a bunch on a test page using different fonts in different sizes, cut them out, and hold them up to the slide to see which is best. Once I find the one I like, I delete the rest and print several of right size on a piece of water slide paper. The best way I can describe this stuff is like having your own custom decals. Once printed on my inkjet printer, I spray the decals with a couple of coats of Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic spray. When dry, I cut the decals to size, dip them in water and slip the decal from the backing onto the slide.


One last coat of the Polycrylic to seal everything together and it was ready to ship off to the Scouter who had asked.

Saturday, September 9, 2023

Slide of the Month Extra-Philmont PSR

 

September 2023

Time to make: 2 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:  Philmont / Bill Macfarlane




Back in the 1949, the United Nations road convention and the Vienna conference of 1969 came up with a method to quickly distinguish the country of origin of registered car in Europe. It became very trendy for some Americans to put the white oval on their cars to show where they had been in Europe. Later it was popular to have stickers with the local letters of the nearest airport to a person's home. Now there are white oval stickers for all kinds of things but this the only one I would want on my car.

Carved from pallet wood, letters are not an easy thing to do and have them come out uniform. Painted with hobby paints and sealed with a couple coats of poly.

Friday, September 1, 2023

Slide of the Month - Bison Skull



September 2023

Time to make: 2 hours

Boys Life "Slide of the Month"

February 1999, page 54

Original design: Carl Bailey












When I was a young man the Bison or Buffalo was on the endangered species list being hunted to almost extinction in the expansion of the American west. Thankfully, because of conservation efforts, the American and Canadian Buffalo herds are more plentiful today.


Carved from maple and painted with hobby paints, it is yet another skull in my slide collection. (What is the obsession with skulls anyway?)

Friday, August 25, 2023

Slide of the month Extra: Woody's Texas Long Horn

 



August 2023

Time to make: 2.5 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:  Woody's make your own













The Texas Long Horn is a popular theme in Scouting in America. Perhaps this is because of the steers at Philmont Scout Ranch or perhaps or perhaps it's that many find them an interesting subject to carve.

Carved from pine, the original kit came with an additional piece of wood to carve the horns. I decided to carve the horns from maple for additional strength. I also added some ears made from leather and super glued them along with the horns to the head. I painted it with hobby paints and gave the horns a black wash. The eyes are made from a two black plastic ball head pins. A couple of coats of poly finish the slide off.

Saturday, August 19, 2023

Slide of the Month Extra: Philmont 3D Map


 

August 2023

Time to make: .5 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design: dyp102 on Thingiverse

Modified by : Bill Macfarlane










I've been itching to get back to 3d printing and to do a topo map of Philmont. First I found a .slt file on Thingiverse by dyp102, and after preparing the model (slicing), it was printed using a Pursa 3d printer. Next I painted it with a flat spray paint especially made for plastic and works well with PLA plastic used on the printer. Next I used hobby paints to paint the slide using my 2022 paper map as a guide. Because the print is very thin, I wanted to mount the print on a background that would allow for a loop to be glued to the back of the slide. The background was made from pre-made thin plywood oval bought from a local hobby store. It was painted black with hobby paint and then the print was super glued to the background. I also decided to add some wording using waterslide paper. To finish the slide off, a couple of coats of poly were applied.

Saturday, August 12, 2023

Slide of the Month Extra: Scout Masters Run on Summer Edition


 


August 2023

Time to make: .5 hours

Finishing: 0 hour

Original design: Dunkin/ Bill Macfarlane











So I did a slide called Scoutmasters Run On based on some lip balm Dunkin Donuts sold a few years ago. Last fall Dunkin did it again based on their cold coffee drinks so I just couldn't resist on for these hot summer days. 

After cleaning out the lip balm, I super glued the top to the cup and a wire loop to the back. Nice and easy for a great slide.


Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Slide of the Month: Leather Slide


 


August 2023

Time to make: 2 hours

Finishing: 0 hours

Slides N' Woggles Issue 2
 
Original design:  Greg Firestone/BSA






Early when I began making slides I ran across a series of slides called Slide N' Woogles by Greg Firestone. I kind of think it was a handout for 2 or three events. The handouts contained some original Slide of the Months and some of Greg's designs in each packet.  I can seem to find the Slide N' Woogles series anymore on the web but I was lucky enough to print out the patterns before the files disappeared. If Greg Firestone is reading this, thank you for helping encouraging me. 

The design is a BSA modern design of the Scouting fleur-de-lis and I've always been frustrated as how to bring this to a slide. The other day while flipping through my library of designs I happened upon Greg Firestones Leather Slide and I knew how to use the design. I taped the design and some carbon paper to the piece of leather and traced the design onto it. Then using a soldering iron, I when over the tracing burning the image into the leather. The slide is laced in the back with hole punched into the leather.

Slide of the Month - Turtle Shell



August 2023

Time to make: 2 hours

Boys Life "Slide of the Month"

Mar. 1987, p. 58

Original design: Bill Fleming








Warm summers, cold lakes and turtles, ah the memories of youth! There is just something about the simplicity of a turtle shell and yet each was a work of art.

Carved from maple with the design made using simple v-cuts. The slide was painted using several layers of thin hobby paint to give it a feeling of depth. It's finished off with a couple coats of poly.

Saturday, July 29, 2023

Slide of the Month Extra: Philmont Scrimshaw

 



July 2023

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:  Bill Macfarlane






It's the year of the bear (2023) at Philmont, I was trying to think of a slide I could do to with a new material or different technique. Puttering around the shop I came upon a small piece of PVC pipe I was using for the Phillips Junction Commissary slide and it came to me. Something I've never seen before, in relation to Philmont was scrimshaw. (Not a large whaling community in the desert.) 

I cut the PVC pipe lengthwise and with the aid of a hot air gun began to open and flatten the piece of pipe. Next I traced a bear Silhouette onto the PVC. I used my knife to make a fine V-cut around the tracing of the bear. An image of the Tooth of Time was placed in the center of the bear and I set about carving in the lines and shaded areas of the tooth. Knowing that most inks would just run off the PVC, I scrapped the polished surface PVC for the bears fur. The ink for this project had to be something that would stick to the areas I carved so I made an ink using a black permanent marker core soaked in denatured alcohol.  Using a Q-tip, I rubbed the slide with the ink and then wiped with a clean cloth. I really like how the ink both stayed in the areas I worked in and gave the background an aged look. The final step was to use a file to shape the outside edge of the slide (and a little more ink)

Saturday, July 22, 2023

Slide of the Month Extra - Woody's Cochise


 


July 2023

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:   Woody's make your own













Cochise (or A-da-tli-chi as he was known by his people) was the leader of the Chokonen  a band within the Chiricahua Apache. An amazing war leader standing at 6 foot (rare for anyone of that era), he lead resistance to Americans and Mexicans encroaching on Apache lands from 1861 to 1872 during the Apache Wars.  I've seen a few references to the meaning of his name  - "having the quality or strength of oak", "hardwood" "wood not bending or breaking".

Made from basswood it's another of the Woody's patterns. I not fond of doing faces especially of famous people because I don't feel I pay the person the honor they deserve. Painted with hobby paints and sealed with a couple coats of poly.


Saturday, July 15, 2023

Side of the Month Extra - The Wood Spirits of Philmont


July 2023 (2022)

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 1 hour
 
Camp Covid Philmont 

Original design:  Bill Macfarlane




















It is said wood spirits bring good luck and healing. They are also known for bringing cool breezes to the forest.  Is it any wonder I was carving this a year ago as a guest of Camp Covid at Philmont.

I came across these this weekend as I was going through some stuff I had at Philmont. I remember picking up stick around the quarantine, as there was nothing else to carve, and spending time carving these sticks into weird little wood folks. It certainly helped pass the time as I waited to rejoin my crew.   

Slide of the Month Extra - Philmont Indian Writings



August 2023

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:  Philmont / Bill Macfarlane




Indian writings camp is one of the oldest camps on the ranch. To me this is one of the most fascinating camps because of the archaeological digs around the petrographs. (But then again, history is fascinating to me anyway.) At this camp there are many things that can be learned like atlatl throwing which I'd also like to try.

I tried to make this slide a few times but I've never been happy with the results of my attempts to carve the writings. In the end, I carved and painted the background then added the writings using waterslide paper. I finished it off with a couple of coats of poly

Saturday, July 1, 2023

Slide of the Month- Rattlesnake (Cub Scouts)


  July 2023

Time to make: 1 hours

Finishing: 0 hour
 
Boy's Life: March 2001, page 60
  
Original design:  Luke Fiaher


When I was out at Philmont a year ago our crew walked right my this fellow on the trail. The funny part is we all walked right by him and stopped a few feet away for a break.  (I had to tell the Ranger to move because he was about 10 inches away when I spotted the snake)



A fun one for the Cub Scouts! This is an easy slide to make because I used a piece of 12 gage solid wire, some tubing, beads, some duct tape, and super glue. I passed the wire through the tubbing and then using black duct, cut to size, wrapped the tube like a candy cane. Next I glued a large oval bead to one end of the wire leaving about 1/8 inch open at the end. Using red duct tape folded back on it self, I cut out a snake tongue and glued it to the opening I had left in the head. The eyes are smaller dark beads glued to the head. (But if I was going to do it again, I would have used googly eyes). The rattle part of the snake was done with larger pony beads added to the wire. Don't glue the last bead at this point! Once again if I was doing this slide again I might have used glow in the dark or pony beads that change color in the sun light for the rattle. Finally wrap the snake around a 3/4 inch piece of dowel or PVC pipe adjusting the head and tail to your liking. To finish the slide, trim the wire flush with the last pony bead and super glue


Saturday, June 24, 2023

Slide of the Month Extra - Woody's Mud Hen Kachina Mask


 


June 2023

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 1 hour
 
Original design:  Woody's Make-Your-Own









I've never seen this Woody's slide before and I was surprised to find this one on a list. Perhaps the "Mud Hen" Kachina mask was more popular in the western part of the US at Scout camps. But as I have been researching a Wikipedia quote struck me. "When a Hopi man places a mask upon his head and wears the appropriate costume and body paint, his personal identity is lost and the spirit of the kachina he is supposed to represent takes its place."

I carved this one from several kinds of wood. The head is carved from poplar while the tongue and horns are carved from maple. The eye stalks are wood dowel pins which have channels cut in them. I glued and pinned the horns/tongue for extra strength. The eye stalks are glued into a couple of holes I drilled into the mask. The painting is done with hobby paints and is based on the recommendations from Woody's. A couple of coats of poly finish it off.

Saturday, June 10, 2023

Slide of the Month Extra - Philmont 75th



June 2023

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:  Philmont / Bill Macfarlane








Back in 1985 Scouting in the United States was 75 years old and Philmont celebrated it with a special patch. Thinking back at this point in my adult Scouting life, I had been an Assistant Scoutmaster, Scoutmaster, and was then Assistant Post Advisor. (Man I'm old...).

Carved from pallet pine, this is a five level slide with the Scout elemblem at the top level and the background at the lowest level. Painted with hobby paints, lettered with waterslide paper, and sealed with a couple coats of poly. 

Thursday, June 1, 2023

Slide of the Month-Woodland slide


 


June 2023

Time to make: 1.5 hours

Finishing: .5 hour

Original design:  Wayne Mason






It's one of my favorite time of year as the leaves are coming out in full and it seems that overnight the leaves go from this size to full grown. 

I picked some small leaves late in May, put them between sheets of waxed paper and placed the under a heavy book. Taking a fallen dead branch, I cut a half dollar sided round about one half inch thick. When the leaves were dry (after a few days), I picked  the best one and glued it to the round. A couple of coats of poly finish it off.

Saturday, May 27, 2023

Slide of the Month extra - Woody's Paul Bunyan

 



May 2023

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 1 hour
 
Original design:  Woody's Make-Your-Own












Not that I could have done this one but what a fun slide to create! While I have done other Paul Bunyan slides I decided to make this one because...a slide with it's tongue sticking out who could resist.

Made from basswood, I reproduced the profile on the side of the wood and cut out the profile. Using a pencil I made sure to transfer the lines to the front and other side of the wood. I roughed out the slide and left it in a chip style. While the photo does not show it well, the beard was made using several various cuts. I painted it with hobby paints and sealed it with a couple coats of poly.

Saturday, May 13, 2023

Slide of the Month Extra-Philmont Clarks Fork


 May 2023

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:  Philmont / Bill Macfarlane








Clarks Fork is a living western history camp that is usually very busy as crews both beginning and ending their treks. It features horseback riding, steer roping practice, branding, great campfire program, and best of all (if you on the last day or two of your trek) the chuckwagon dinner. 

Carved from pallet pine, this was a difficult slide for me because of the angles the cowboy hat and boots don't look right to me. Painted with hobby paints and  lettered with paint pens for a rustic look. A couple of coats of poly finish it off.

Monday, May 1, 2023

Slide of the Month-Battle Drum

 
May 2023

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 1.5 hour
 
Boy's Life July 1975, page 36

Original design:  Wayne Mason








The 37th Massachusetts was a volunteer infantry unit formed in Pittsfield, MA in 1862. Known as the "Tremont Zouaves" the companies were known by their uniforms which, beside the union blue, also consisted of a long red wool sash and a red "Fez" hat. Some of the engagements the regiment were in include Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, the draft riots of New York City, and the siege of Petersburg. The emblem on this battle drum is from the 37th.

I carved this slide from some maple starting by drilling a 3/4 inch hole trough the middle of the wood. I rounded the slide and then cut in the center of the drum. Next I painted the slide with hobby paints sealed it with a couple coats of poly and applied the emblem using waterslide paper. I drilled holes for the ropes and used small metal beads for the tensioners.

Saturday, April 22, 2023

Slide of the Month Extra - Woody's Barney The Owl

 



April 2023

Time to make: 2 hours

Finishing: 1 hour
 
Original design:  Woody's Make-Your-Own













Another in the Woody's series and I not sure I ever saw this one in the trading post. Maybe this slide would not have fulfilled the carving in the round requirement at that time or perhaps they were all snapped up by others in the weeks before I got to camp. No matter there were other slides to destroy by my clumsy hand back then. 

Carved from sugar pine (like the original Woody's kits) and it was a bit of fortune that I came across a piece of this when traveling for work. A pretty straight forward slide and I didn't need to sketch this one out ahead of time as I could reproduce it just from sight. Painted with hobby paints and sealed with a couple coats of poly.

Saturday, April 8, 2023

Slide of the Month Extra- Philmont Family Adventure



April 2023

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:  Philmont / Bill Macfarlane



What a cool alternative for families wanting to experience Philmont. Lots of activities for all ages and fun to be had all year long. Some of the tents feel a little like glamping and bungalows seem far removed from backpacking tents on the trail but each to there own.

Carved from pallet pine, it's another series of levels with the campfire towards the front and the Tooth of Time at the back. Painted with hobby paints, lettered with waterslide paper, and sealed with a couple coats of poly.

Saturday, April 1, 2023

Slide of the Month- Road Signs


 


April 2023

Time to make: 1 hours

Finishing: .5 hour
 
Boy's Life June 1977, page 74

Original design:  Wayne Mason





So this is my spin on the Road Signs neckerchief slide that every adult leader should own. Come to think of it, I should also have one for the Senior Patrol Leader...Yield - ask your patrol leader.

A very quick slide to make as it has really one thing to cut. I used a think piece of hobby 1/16 inch plywood and cut it in the octagon shape. I painted it with white hobby paint. Next I printed out the red area on white water slide paper and applied it to the slide. I sealed it with a couple coats of poly.

Saturday, March 25, 2023

Side of the Month Extra - Woody's American Eagle


 


March 2023

Time to make: 3.25 hours

Finishing: 1 hour
 
Original design:  Woody's Make-Your-Own













I also tried this Woody's Slide in another summer at Scout camp with disastrous results. (Sigh) The interesting part was finding myself at the hospital for a carving accident that resulted in stitches. No it wasn't me but one of the other Scouts in our troop who cut his thigh with one of those really sharp carving knives. I was there for moral support as his Senior Patrol Leader. 

Carved from bass wood, there were parts of this slide that went quickly and the wings took time to carve. Lots of v-cuts in the wings. Painted with hobby paints and sealed with a couple coats of poly.

Saturday, March 11, 2023

Slide of the Month Extra - Philmont Cphyers Mine


 


March 2023

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:  Philmont / Bill Macfarlane









Named for Charles Cpyher, a early gold miner in the region, the camp features a tour of the Contention mine as well as other mining activities. Also, it has one of the best musical programs (called Stomp) at Philmont. Check out this play list called "Down in the Contention" from the 2021 staffers.

Carved from maple, this was a challenging slide to carve. The helmet had me grinding my teeth as I tried to not only carve the roundness of the helmet but also have the mining light attached to it also. The only part added to the slide was the pick axe and it was made using a small dowel. I used sandpaper on the handle to make it look like it was worn from use. The slide was painted with hobby paints and the lettering was done with water slide paper. A couple of coats of poly finish it off. 

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Slide of the Month -Windmill


 


March 2023

Time to make: 2.5 hours

Finishing: 1 hour
 
Boy's Life August 1976, page 44
 
Original design:  Wayne Mason







March when the wind blows so hard and cold when you are a kid sick of being inside and just trying to get a kite in the air. Yet windmills harness the wind so effortlessly not caring if it was cold or hot.  But I'm not here to tilt with giants so on with the slide...

I use a few different kinds of wood for this slide. The structure was done using a wooden dowel described by Home Depot as "Raw Wood" and there didn't seem to be any other description. The blades of the windmill were carved from maple for strength. I carved two sets of blades and joined them in the  center. I painted the base and blades with hobby paints before pinning the blades to the structure. A couple of coats of poly finish it off

Saturday, February 18, 2023

Slide of the month extra - Woody's Cosmo Crow

 



February 2023

Time to make: 2 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:  Woody's Make-Your-Own












Another in the Woody's series, I'm a bit baffled about the name "Cosmo" the Cosmic Crow. What makes the crow cosmic? Perhaps has something to do with a meaning of "the keepers of spiritual law". Or maybe as the messenger between the real world and spirit world.  But then again, it could but be from the cartoon series Fox and the Crow. (Heckle and Jeckle were cartoon magpies.)

Made from basswood, I reproduced the profile on the side and drilled a 3/4 in hole down the middle. Cutting out the profile was quick and, with the exception of the eyes, the rounding was easy to do. I sanding the slide and painted it with hobby paints. A couple coats of poly finished it off

Saturday, February 11, 2023

Slide of the Month Extra-Philmont Sawmill

 February 2023

Time to make: 1 hour

Finishing: 1 hour

                                                      Original design:  Philmont / Bill Macfarlane



Sawmill camp was originally known a a forestry/lumber camp but today it is known for a being able to shoot a  30.06  round you reloaded yourself. But did you also know there is hot showers there too.  (Thanks to a wood fired boiler!)

Quick and easy slide to make, using pallet pine, with nice lines. Painted with hobby paints and lettered with waterslide paper. A couple coats of poly finish it off.

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Slide of the Month - The Fox



February 2023

Time to make: 2 hours

Boys Life "Slide of the Month"

Feb. 1998, page 59

Original design: Jeff Springer













Ancient mystery
Somewhere deep in the woods
I know you're hiding
What is your sound?
Will we ever know?
Will always be a mystery
What do you say?"



Carved from maple and painted with hobby paints. I really like the green eyes on this one. Finished with a couple of coats of Poly and a wooden loop glued to the back

Saturday, January 21, 2023

Slide of the Month Extra - Woody's Sioux Chief



January 2023

Time to make: 52 years ( or 3 hours this time around)

Finishing: 1 hour
 
Original design:  Woody's "Make-your-own"









So it's my first (or was it the second) year at summer camp and the wonders of the trading post filled my heart with joy. There were patches, camping stuff, merit badge books and best of all materials for certain merit badges. I still have the foot stool I made in basketry! But try as I might, I could never could complete a Woody's "Make-Your-Own" neckerchief slide and this represents the first one I bought.  (Kudos to my buddy Mike Ryan who was able to make one.)




The price was 29 cents? Though I paid a dollar...


So if you can find these today they go from $20 to $50 dollars as collector items but oddly enough I went forward just using some bass wood and did my best to duplicate the side view. I really wanted to use the knife I also bought that summer (a grey plastic knife with interchangeable blades) but I'm afraid that is long gone. Anyway, using my favorite knife, I slowly cut our the profile. This is always where I make my mistakes at summer camp by trying to hurry and take to large of cuts ruining the slide. Once the profile was cut out, I took a pencil and drew out the lined across the front and other side. Next I began rounding the slide making sure to redraw the lines as needed to keep consistency. The details came next as the feathers, for example, took some time.  The one area I did not  spend time in was the face as I hate carving faces. I did a fair amount of sanding getting ready for painting with hobby paints. A couple coats of poly finished it off.