Slide of the of the Extra : Philmont Garcia Cow Camp

 

January 2024

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 1 hour
 
Original design:  Philmont/Bill Macfarlane

An odd calmness (or exhaustion)  sets in after the holidays and what better time to highlight this slide. Located on the UU Bar ranch, Garcia Cow Camp is located two miles west of Apache Springs and has wonderful cabin set in a beauty meadow. The staff, dressed in traditional garb, portray the rolls of early 20th century conservationists there to catalog wildlife and plants/flowers for there benefactor Ernest Thompson Seton. Unlike the high intensity opportunities offered at the other staff camps, Scouts who travel here will find something the are not expecting - the simple joy of relaxation. From "saunters" in nature to landscape drawings/watercolors it is a chance to be still and observe the world around them.

I decided to try something a bit different with this slide by wood burning the design. I started by doing a free hand drawing the design onto a piece of pallet pine. Next I used a wood burner to go over the lines I had drawn and add shading to the slide. I wanted the edges to have a burnt look so I when around the edges with a small hobby torch. I used water slide paper to letter the slide and a couple coats of shellac to finish it off

Slide of the Month Extra: Treebeard

 

January 2024

Time to make: 2 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:  Bill Macfarlane









“You must understand, young Hobbit, it takes a long time to say anything in Old Entish. And we never say anything unless it is worth taking a long time to say.”  As I grow older, I begin to appreciate this quote from the character Treebeard in The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien. I can also apply this to carving as to never be in a hurry to carve something. You wont be happy with the results and you miss out on the enjoyment of carving. 

I came across this piece of birch I had saved from an earlier project when the thought came to me to carve this figure.  Because I have had this for many years and the wood was completely dry, the bark was separated in places from the inner wood. If I was to begin carving, I would have had a lot of the bark breaking off. To prevent it and give me a more sturdy material, I used thin super glue in the space between bark and wood. The result was two fold with the bark absorbing the super glue and also forming a new thin layer between bark and wood. The carving from this point was a simple wood spirit design and I finished the slide with some teak oil.    

Slide of the Month-Cowboy Chaps

 
January 2024

Time to make: .5 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

 
Boy's Life September 1994, page 67

 
Original design:  Jeff Springer






Originally cowboy chaps are meant to be worn over pants to protect the wearer from the thorny chaparral bush when riding a horse.  In current times, you could find chaps being used for everything from the Rodeo to motorcycle riders.

A quick an easy slide to make! Made from a leather chair sample, I cut out the pattern from the original Side of the Month article. Next I punched holes for the slide loop and for the outside edge of the legs. Next I used some paint pens to decorate the slide. Finally I used some brown cordage to join the loop in the back and to form the fringe on the legs. Might be a good Cub Scout project.