Slide of the Month Extra - Philmont Boot Tread

September 2020

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:  Philmont / Bill Macfarlane

Days till Philmont 2022Countdown

 

Another in my Philmont concept series! While Philmont Scout Ranch is a number of things from training to special events, it is probably best known for the treks.  Strap on a backpack of all the things you'll need on the trail and head off into an adventure.  An essential for the journey, footwear in good condition and a backup pair just in case. Don't be that Scout that has to duct tape their boots back together on the trail. (Yes, I'm looking at you Mr. H)

Admittedly, this slide started out as a odd looking scrap of maple I had kicking (no pun attended) around and I was about to throw away. It looked kind of like the shape of a boot print in the mud so the idea of the boot tread slide was hatched. The tread design is loosely based on my boots with the Philmont name carved into the middle. The slide took a couple of tries to complete and there will be a follow up slide from one of the missteps. When it came to finishing, the natural look of the maple was appealing so I used a paint pen to highlight Philmont and finished the slide with a couple coats of poly.  

Slide of the Month Extra - Philmont 2020

May 2020

Time to make: 1 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design: Philmont\Bill Macfarlane

            DAYS TO PHILMONT                                                 

 2020 Cancelled            

Tonight is the night before our crews learns about our 2020 fate. If the decision to cancel July treks, for safety sake, it will be a disappointment for some and we just have to wait for next time. For others, it's heartbreak as they were in the 2018 crew (treks cancelled because of the fires). The hours and minutes till the announcement will click away so slowly as await liberation.

 A very simple slide as I just couldn't devise a good way to carve this one so this is a water slide base with some painted background to match the decal.

Update June 4th, 2020: All treks to Philmont have been cancelled for the 2020 season. 

Slide of the Month Extra - Philmont Arrowhead Zia

May 2020

Time to make: 2.5 hours

Finishing: 1.5 hours

Original design: Philmont\Bill Macfarlane

Days till PhilmontCountdown

This is another one of my favorate designs combining several of the elements (Tooths of Time, Arrowhead, and Zita) found in Philmont logos. A layered slide withe the Tooth of Time on top, then the Arrowhead followed by the Zita.  Carved from southern yellow pine, the rays of the Zita were a challenge both in crafting and in painting. The slide was painted with hobby paints and finished off with a couple coats of Poly.

Slide of the Month Extra - Tooth of Time

April 2020

Time to make: 1.5 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design: Philmont\Bill Macfarlane

Days till PhilmontCountdown

One of the most iconic symbols of Philmont, you can find the Tooth of Time as a part of quite a few of the patches and other items at Philmont. This represents not only an early patch but also the logo for the Tooth of Time Traders.

Carved from southern yellow pine, the mountain rises off the slide to give the patch a 3D effect. The slide was painted with hobby paints, lettered with water slide paper, and finished off with a couple coats of poly.

Slide of the Month Extra - National Scouting Museum

April 2020

Time to make: 1 hour

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design: Philmont\Bill Macfarlane

Days till PhilmontCountdown

So one of the things I'm looking for when I get to Philmont is getting a tour of the Scouting Museum and hope to see some of Whittlin' Jim's original works.

Carved from southern yellow pine, it is a fleur-de-lis on an arrowhead and the simplicity of the design is a clean modern look. Painted with hobby paints and waterslide lettering, the slide is finished off with a couple coats of poly.

Slide of the Month Extra - Philmont Flag

March 2020

Time to make: 2 hours

Finishing: 2 hour

Original design: Philmont\Bill Macfarlane

Days till PhilmontCountdown

Now I had not seen this flag until I went to a crew training but once I saw it I knew I had to make a slide based on the flag. I understand it not only flies over the Philmont property but in a good many councils, troops, and homes of those who have attended Philmont. 

Carved from yellow southern pine, this is a multi-level slide as once again I'm taking a 2-dimensional photo and trying to make it a bit 3-dimensional. The ribbon is the top level and the semi-circle title and Tooth of Time at the second level. the rays of the New Mexico sun logo is the third level as well as the ground at the bottom of the mountain. The bottom level is the background and the rising of the sun behind the Tooth of time. I painted the slide with hobby paints and finished it off with a couple of coats of poly. 

Slide of the Month Special - Philmont dinner bell

  

January 2020



Time to make: 3 hours



Finishing: 1 hour


Original design:  / Bill Macfarlane

Inspiration: Philmont

Days till PhilmontCountdown

So there I was happily carving a neckerchief slide when suddenly the knife slipped and grazed my plam. Although the cut was small, bright red blood shot across the table every time my heart beat and at that moment all I could think was I WANT TO GO BACK TO PHILMONT...

True story with the exception of doing the Philmont Ranger Song but I digress. As I'm getting ready for Philmont, I seen quite a few video's of the pre-dinner ritual and  one of my favorites is Andy Parrish"s video so I got the idea to do this slide. I also want to thank monkeyboysmedia on the /philmont subReddit for giving me a picture to work from!

Carved from a scrap piece of red oak, it was a challenge to carve because of the brittleness of this wood and the areas that needed to be removed around the bell. I also took some liberty when paint with the stones just to make the bell pedestal a little more interesting. The slide is painted with hobby paint and sealed with a couple coats of Poly.

Slide of the Month Extra - Philmont Siliver Dollar

January 2020

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:  Philmont / Bill Macfarlane

Days till PhilmontCountdown

Loosely based on the Silver Dollar ("P" or "Dollar" if you prefer) patch, this patch and the segments ringing the patch (NOT SHOWN HERE) were the crowning gems of Scouts attending Philmont from 1942 to 1956. There was an interesting article in the Nov/Dec 2010 issue of Scouter magazine, page 14) about this patch.

Carved from southern yellow pine, this slide is carved in layers with the P being the top level and followed by the Tooth of Time and the other layers. I painted it with hobby paints and lettered the outside ring using water slide paper. A couple coats of poly finish it off.

Slide of the Month Extra - Philmont Bull and Zia

September 2019

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:  Philmont / Bill Macfarlane

Days till PhilmontCountdown

Yes, it is a logo I saw on a bottle opener on the Tooth of Time Traders site but I thought it was so cool that I had to make it as a slide.


Made from white oak, this slide was the combination of some Philmont slides I've already done. It's painted with hobby paints and finished off with a couple of poly.

Slide of the Month Extra Extra - Philmont Gateway

November 2019

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:  Philmont / Bill Macfarlane

Days till PhilmontCountdown

The gateway is another great symbol of Philmont and one I can't wait to see. (Though I don't know if you will see my boots hanging from it.)

Carved from white oak, this is also a side with many levels. The Tooth of Time in the background and the near hills on the next level. Finishing up with the Gateway and close area on the top level. I've used craft paints for most of the slide with a green wash on the mountain.  The lettering was done with water slide paper and the slide was finished off using acrylic spray.

My only regret is not being able to create the hanging boots for the gateway. 

Slide of the Month Extra - Philmont Training Center

November 2019

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:  Philmont / Bill Macfarlane

Days till PhilmontCountdown





As Philmont backcountry is the "Scouting Paradise", the Training Center is the Shangrila of  Scouter (and Scout) training centers.  If you ever have the chance, take a course there!

Wow, what a mix of levels to this slide. Carved from pallet wood, the top (where the Scout symbol is) is slightly domed against the Zia. The yellow disk sits below the Zia and above the outside ring. The lettering was done with water slide paper and the slide was finished off using acrlic spray

As Philmont backcountry is the "Scouting Paradise", the Training Center is the Shangrila of  Scouter (and Scout) training centers.  If you ever have the chance, take a course there!

Wow, what a mix of levels to this slide. Carved from pallet wood, the top (where the Scout symbol is) is slightly domed against the Zia. The yellow disk sits below the Zia and above the outside ring. The lettering was done with water slide paper and the slide was finished off using hobby paints and acrlic spray

Slide of the Month Extra Extra- Philmont Arrowhead

September 2019

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:  Philmont / Bill Macfarlane

Days till PhilmontCountdown

One of the most recognizable symbols of Philmont is the Arrowhead with the Tooth of Time on it.  First issued in 1957, the Arrowhead patch is awarded to each participant who compleats a 7 or 12-day trek and service project. I look forward to earning this award.

Carved from white oak using reclaimed scrap wood from a broken pallet, this wood is an interesting carvable hardwood. It's softer than maple, my favorite, yet hard enough to hold fine details.   The Tooth of Time is raised off the arrowhead and the slide is painted with craft paints. The lettering is done with an inkjet printer, water slide decal paper, and clear acrylic spray finish. Once the lettering was in place, the slide is finished off with the same acrylic spray finish and a wooden neckerchief loop

Slide of the Month extra - Philmont

September 2019

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:  Philmont / Bill Macfarlane

Days till PhilmontCountdown

Yes, I'm headed to Philmont as a part of a Council Continent and I thought I would come up with a series of Philmont inspired neckerchief slides. Depending on how of these I decided to make, I may be posting more "extra" slides during the days leading up to leaving for Philmont.

So one of the most recognizable images of Philmont is the Philmont name itself and the special font used. What better place to start this series! While I'm not a fan of carving letters, this Philmont font just screamed out to use maple for this slide. Working slowly and carefully, I was able to come up with my best attempt of replicating the font. The slide is painted with hobby paints and finished with a couple of coats of poly.