I have been doing some volunteer work at the Conner Prairie living history park. I am really looking forward to the opening of the park for the season, and working in period garb in the Carpenter’s shop. My volunteer time has thus far has been spent honing edge tools. In my own shop my bench planes are metal except for the new smoother that Don McConnell of Old Street Tools made for me. So, it was a learning experience when I got to work on truing up a wooden plane sole. I put a Stanley 7 upside down in a vise with the iron set very fine. Goes quicker than you might think.
I have also been helping ( not a whole lot of help, I am afraid ) with some timber framing. Working with 9×9 oak timbers that are still fairly wet. Some of them are 16 ft long. I tried to help a guy lift one on Thursday. Could not lift my end. First time in my life I have ever felt like an old guy. Thank God the feeling did not last for more than a minute. Last week I got to use this mammoth slick to pare a tenon. That slick has to be very near 4 inches wide.
My experiences at Conner Prairie may be of interest. I will report from time to time.
-- Ron in Kokomo
2 comments so far
stefang
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#1 posted 78 days ago
Getting a historic perspective sounds pretty interesting Ron. I have been working with some 3-1/2” pine and that’s seems heavy to me now. 9” square oak beams must weigh a ton!
-- Mike, American in Norway
Mauricio
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5103 posts in 1318 days
#2 posted 74 days ago
Pretty cool, sounds like a lot of fun. I wish I had the time to do something like that.
-- Mauricio - Woodstock, GA - "Confusion is the Womb of Learning, with utter conviction being it's Tomb" Prof. T.O. Nitsch
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