THE BUILDING OF OUR SMH MODEL TOWER...

	April 1, 2004 By Charles White I first saw a posting from Glen Boulier via an Internet bulletin board on Yahoo.Com, about model fire lookout towers.  Later in the week I saw that Glen had visited my personal lookout website and he had left me a nice note regarding my service log at Vetter Tower. I wrote him back via email and thanked him for the note.  I told Glen about our South Mount Hawkins project and over a few days we negotiated a price for two models that we would use for our shows and presentations. Here is the model Glen made and what we got from him is simply fantastic. Contained below are photos that Glen took at our request showing the building process of the model. At the end of the page is a picture of the artist and contact information so you can order your own favorite tower from Glen.
	First off... Glen starts by getting pictures of the South Mount Hawkins (SMH) lookout tower from this website.  He prints the pictures and posts them on the clipboard.  Then, after taking measurements that he knows from other towers, he begins construction of the window sills, floor, and roof including the extended rafters by using light balsa wood.
	Next, Glen begins painting the walls, floor, and roof. Middle right you can see the railings of the tower painted and ready to go. Glue, paints, knives and tweezers are the tools of his craft. By the hint of the TV remote control we see that Glen has found a way to multi-task and relax at the same time.  (I need to learn how to do that.)
	Now that the paint has dried, time to get the glue out and put the walls together.  Here the first two walls take shape against an angle to keep them square. Notice the square hole in the brown sheet.  That hole is where the staircase will end at the top of the tower and also where the trap door will be located.
	The walls are complete and the lookout is taking it's first form.
	With the walls up, it's time to put the windows shades/panels up and hold them in place with the extended rafters just as the real tower does.  Four audio cassette tapes are just about the right hight for the job. On the upper left of the picture is a book being held down with a large weight.  Must be light reading.
	The rafters are in place, time to paint the interior some more and time to fit the roof.  The roof is on its side and we are looking at the ceiling. The white paint is for the extended rafters and the door.  Glen is really paying close attention to the photographs.
	The paint is done and it's all nice and white. Now comes the vertical joists for the extended rafters.  Each one is cut to the proper angle and fitted and glued in place.
	Now with the cab structure almost complete, it is inverted upside down and the bottom of the floor is painted brown. Construction on the tower is next.  The first two legs are complete and painted. At the top left of the picture are several wood blocks.  What can they be for next?
	Those blocks are for the staircase that will ascend the tower. Each block must be exact or the staircase will be crooked.  Glen does small detail work and throws out pieces that are not just right.
	With all four legs complete, it is time to test mount the cab on its legs.  The tower is airborne, but there is no way for the little model people to get up the tower yet, so the staircase is being built in a hurry. The safety railings are also being finished up and a wire fence is being added to keep things from falling off the sides of the tower.
	The stairs are almost in and the model tower is coming up.
	Time to work on the interior of the tower.  At the middle left of the picture you can see that Glen has made models of the stove, map table, two cabinets, and the osborne center table. To the right is a sheet of graphics of maps, osborne maps, first aid graphics and various other items that you would find in a lookout. Glen and his wife have spent some time in fire lookouts as part of the Rental Residence program, so he has a good idea of what goes inside a working fire lookout.  This experience shows in the detail of his models.
	It is time to affix the cab to the tower with glue.  It structure is held down by the book and two heavy weights.  A testament to the structural strength of the model tower Glen has built.
	(More to come... check back later as we post photos of the interior of the tower being constructed.)
	Here is the master model builder himself holding two other remarkable models that he has built. If you contact him to build a model for you, know that it is a hand build effort as these pages attest too.  Be patient because not only does it take time for each model, there is also a "line" of customers. The wait is worth it as you can see, because these model towers are truely not just a model, but a work of art. Contact Glen Boulier at: glen.boulier@shaw.ca Thank you Glen for such a wonderful job building our model tower.

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