Construction of the Nentico Camping Award plaque for 2009

This year, there wasn't going to be a Nentico Camping Award plaque as the costs have risen steadily; the lodge gave out banners to be attached to troop flags instead. As we liked the plaque, Scoutmaster Joe and I made a few of our own for the Chesapeake Chapter troops who earned the award in 2009.




Joe did the brass work with a nice lettering tool.

I took a few pieces of "scrap" wood and cut them into the approximate size of the professional plaque we've received a few times. The February 2010 epic snowstorm interrupted my plans slightly.

I set up my trusty (old) Black & Decker Workmate portable bench just outside, clamped down the wood and set the plunging router to put a nice edge on the award.

Inside, I put a few coats of water-based polyurethane on the wood to give it a nice shine and cut down on fingerprints. It's possible I should have added a layer over the final product.

After cutting out a cardboard stencil to guide the patch and plate, er, placement, I glued down the former and nailed the latter. Joe Greenbeck supplied the patches from the Lodge trading post supply. Maybe next year, if we build one of these for each Troop, we'll have the supplies donated.