Peyote Beading

Late June 2010

Time to carve: 0 hours
Beading: 4 hours
Finishing: 0 hour

 

Looking ahead to the next few patterns, I saw the Peyote Beading slide and wonderedwhat design to make. Also on my mind was the Wood Badge class I will be taking in the fall. Hmmm...just maybe I could combine the two....
I set out with graph paper and colored pencils in had to sketch out the MacLaren Tartan. After a couple of tries I had the pattern and when out to get some beads. The colors turned out to be a bit tricky since I was really limited to the beads on hand at the store. As a result I have two different dark green beads that are close enough to work. Next I built a beading loom and, while it is not what was called for in the original article, it is the method I know. Moving forward I found my eyes are not what they use to be and I had to break out my "cheaters" while stringing the beads. I completed the base of the work in one evening (see second pic)and sewed the ends together the next morning forming the slide. I really like this one and who knows maybe I make some "unofficial" shoulder loops using the same pattern.

OUCH!

Mid June 2010

Time to carve: 1.5 hours
Finishing: 1.5 hour

A funny cartoon kind of slide that was easy to make. Carved from maple, there is really nothing really hard about this slide. The arrow is a bamboo food skewer that is passed through a hole drilled in the head and glued in place. The feathers are made from some plastic from a gift card. The original slide pattern called for skunk hair to be glued to the head. Hmmmm...fresh out of skunk hair around here (and no real ambition to get some). Off to the craft store to find some fake fur and it seems the smallest amount you can buy is 1/8 of a yard of the material. I only needed 2 inch strip 1/4 inch wide to be glued to the head for some pretty good looking hair. (I have enough left over to make 200 or more of these slides.)

GOB

Mid June 2010

Time to carve: 5 hours
Finishing: 1.5 hour

GOB? What's a GOB? As it turns out, according to an online dictionary, it is slang for a sailor. (go figure) Another sailor pattern from Whittlin Jim and I set off on this slide with a big piece of maple. What struck me about this one was the size of the nose. Now I not very good with faces as a rule because the nose never looks right to me. This one was no exception I guess because it seems out of proportion to the rest of the face but that is what the pattern called for.

Gooney Bird

Early June 2010


Time to carve: 1.5 hours
Finishing: 2 hour

...and now for something completely different. An easy project with feathers. Yeah, I got to admit I had my doubts on this one but I kind of like how it turned out. Getting a wooden ball from a local craft store, I cut in in half and then cut a small angle in the top ball for the feathers. The head was carved from some scrap maple and the hardest part was fitting it to the body. Now I guess I could have flattened the body where the head would go but I decided to hollow out the head to match the curvature of the body. Whittlin Jim called for some split pea eyes but I opted for some made from a small dowel and glued to the head. I had some feathers around from a different project, when I was a WEBELO's leader, which I cut to size and super glued to the body. Painted with some craft paints and finished with a couple of coats of poly

Easter Island Stone Face

Early June 2010

Time to carve: 6.5 hours
Finishing: 1 hour

Whittlin Jim wrote how he had read "AKU-AKU,The Secert of Easter Island" while in Hawaii and was inspired. Hmmm...I thought...this the second Easter Island Stone head pattern he had done. I read on. "When I picked up a piece of Milo driftwood", Milo driftwood, where am I going to find Milo driftwood around here? Then I noticed a little note stating that Milo wood is about the same color as walnut. Hey, now that I've got (thanks to my father-in-law family farm). This would be the first project in several weeks since having a wart removed from my thumb. Carved from (really really hard) black walnut over a couple days, I spent almost as much time sharping the knife as I did carving. A lot of sanding with this and a couple of coats of poly finish it off.

N.W. Coast Totem

Mid May 2010

Time to carve: 4 hours
Finishing: 1.5 hour

When I was looking for a piece of wood for this slide, I knew it had to be a hardwood but try as I might, I didn't have a thick enough piece. Thinking about I decided, since it would be painted, I could glue a couple of pieces of maple together and with a good tight joint the side would look like one solid piece. I could rough this out a little on the band saw but most of this was carved by hand. I really have to say that this too a lot more time than I expected and necessitated many breaks to sharpen my blades. When it was done and sanded, I painted it with craft paint finishing it up with a couple of coats of poly.

Busy Beaver

Mid May 2010

Time to carve: 1.5 hours
Finishing: 1.5 hour


With the deadline for the deposit for a Wood Badge class I am going to take, I had an idea for my next slide. Now I don't know just which patrol I will be in but this slide might my critter. Carved from a solid piece of maple, this surprised me as being much easier to carve than I expected. I roughed it out with the band saw and set out with a sharp knife to round the surfaces. The hardest part of this slide was carving the head and "chewed" part of the log. Painted with craft paints, making the log look like a birch log took some time. Finished off with a couple coats of poly before adding the leather loops. Nice!