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I'm a Lucky, Lucky Lady

00/00/0000, 00:00 | The Village Carpenter

The EAIA meetup last weekend was held at the recently renovated Dills Tavern, originally built in 1794. The weathermen promised a warm, sunny day, but it was cloudy and frigid, which prevented me from staying for all the day's activities. I was sorry to have missed Jim Leamy's afternoon lecture on making plow planes. The ivory plow plane was one of many of his exqui

site planes that were on display.

Tailgating with vendors who were selling antique tools started early, and was followed by presentations by the man in charge of restoration —Sam McKinney—and a decendant of the family who purchased the tavern in 1800—Bob Eichelberger.

The three years it's taken to bring the tavern back to its original form included removal of many Victorian elements and additions that were added in the late 19th century. The kitchen needed to be gutted and other rooms needed major work, but as much as possible of the original architecture and flooring was salvaged. That which could not

be saved was either replaced with elements that were purchased from other period buildings or were authentically reproduced by the men who conducted the renovations. On display were a plethora of antique moulding planes that they employed during construction.

"We basically removed anything that used common nails" explained Sam, who in my opinion is part detective—because of his ability to

uncover the clues that enabled him to restore the historic building to its original state—and part visionary.

The tavern, outbuildings, and grounds are being fashioned in the same pattern as Eastfield Village, where Sam has taken classes since 1983. His vision is to replicate the original Dills Tavern setting, including distillery (ironic, since Dillsburg is currently a dry town), and to offer workshops that teach 18th c. techniques in stonework, timber framing, basket making, wool dyeing, and open hearth cooking.

But that's not the best part.

They have recently started construction of an 18th c. timber frame woodwright's shop, in which the 3 men who have so diligently reconstructed the tavern will build authentic reproduction furniture, including my favorite, PA German. Their pieces will furnish the tavern and will also be for sale.

With only a 15 minute drive to Dillsburg, I plan to conduct many drive-by droolings as the shop is being constructed, and occasionally stop to talk with the builders. One gave me his card and said to "stop by anytime." (honest!)

I will try my best to practice restraint and not make him regret having told me that....lest I be labeled the Dills Tavern Stalker.

Wesonbirt 2008 - still the perfect woodworking show.

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Sauer & Steiner

I had the good fortune to attend the Festival of the Tree again this August, and like last year - was not disappointed. The format was the same - camping on the grounds of the Westonbirt Arbouretum, large scale sculptures in a picturesque setting and very fine food prepared by “cheffie” (pictured below drying some tea-towels).

One of the most enjoyable things about traveling is the incredible people - and this year's adventure was no exception. There were many familiar faces to catch up with and just as many new ones. We were set up in the Classic Hand Tools marquee again - situated off to the side of the display area. But judging from the well worn pathways inside - we were certainly not out of sight.

There was a new demonstrator at the show this year - and for all intents and purposes - he stole the show. Steve Woodley specializes in supplying hand hewn timbers for restoration work and provided four days of inspirational demonstration.

He was supplied with 3 oak logs and over the course of the 4 days, managed to square up two of them. I found myself stopping to watch every time I walked by - with several additional deliberate trips to watch his progress. I was struck with the simplicity of the process - and the incredible skill and precision required to execute it properly. Steve taught me two very important lessons about axes. First - he taught me how to sharpen them - and yes - they should look like the backs of your plane irons. Secondly - a mediocre axe is not worth the struggle. He had at least 8 axes with him - all made by Gransfors. These are available in the UK from Classic Handtools or in North America through Lee Valley. Not only is he highly skilled - he is a fantastic guy. His brother lives less than an hour from my house and I am hoping to figure out a way to get him over to this side of the pond. I am working on it Steve.

It was great to see Jolyon Reynolds again this year - he was set up around the corner from Steve. Between the two of them - they had an amazing demonstration.

Mark Hancock and his charming wife Karen were at the show again and were a crucial part of the good natured fun and frolic in the classic handtools compound. There were only a few “safe” seconds for me to capture the above photo before Mark shifted his gouge and showered me with shavings. Typical : )

I was thrilled to see my good friend Michel Auriou again - it had been far too long since our last visit. I always enjoy Michel's insight into toolmaking, steel and business. The best piece of news was that Auriou is back in business. Hopefully some more left handed rasps will be in my future...

David Charlesworth and Pat stopped in on Saturday - it was great to see them again. They were set up beside me which gave us a chance to catch up a bit and talk shop. Here we are discussing one of Bill Carters planes (nice segue, eh?)

That same day - Bill and Sarah Carter arrived. It is always a thrill to see them. Bill had over a dozen planes with him - from wee little 1/2" boxwood smoothers, to an incredible 28-1/2" jointer. Bill was kept very busy with a steady stream of admirers and Sarah kept the three of us content with coffee and homemade cake.

If I had the money - this pair of mitre planes would have come home with me.

Another fine planemaker stopped in for a visit - Christopher Martyn. I met Christopher at last years show and was very impressed with his instrument planes. Some of his planes were featured in Fine Woodworkings 2007/2008 Tools & Shops issue.

My friend Tony stopped in to try a few planes - here he is testing out a No.4 smoother.

I also met Mike Riley and had a great visit with Phil Edwards. The Romanesque fellow is Alex Primmer - he works for Classic Handtools.

It is amazing how much changes in a year. Last year, Phil was contemplating making a few planes - and this year he had his own line of tools and was conducting a brisk business. A few days before I left for England, Phil sent me an email asking if there was anything he could bring along to help reduce my luggage. It was an extremely thoughtful offer and as it turned out - I did use many of his things over the course of the event. My deepest thanks Phil for taking good care of me during the show. I hope I can return the favour in Berea.

Mark Bennett was a new demonstrator at the show and I have to say I was quite impressed. He is a very kind, soft spoken fellow and we found ourselves discussing the finer points of plane design, our respective wood stashes (I suspect his will knock my socks off when I see it) and design in general. I thoroughly enjoyed his company. He was also a wealth of knowledge and passed on several great insights. One of the more interesting one was tree warts. I have to admit I was a little skeptical until he showed me one. He handed me a holly wart. He said they are very tight burls and cuts them into disks and uses them for inlay work. So I now have a Holly wart to add to my growing pile of timber.

Fun & games

The show was not just work - there was tremendous play as well. I sometimes feel guilty about it - and there were two instances where I found myself beautifully derailed.

The first instance was finding a small Boxwood branch sitting on the burn pile (yes, they were burning boxwood!). I have a wonderful Japanese hammer head by Masayuki that is in need of a handle. I have been referencing So's site to learn how to handle a hammer. I cannot find any Gumi - but this piece of English boxwood should be a nice substitute. Philly caught me cleaning up the piece of boxwood for the trip home.

The other derailment was Mark and I cleaning up a large piece of boxwood (with an Auriou rasp of course).

Philly and Mike Riley planting some vile shavings.

Chris Pye being majestic even when he is trying not to be. Chris was set up about 30 feet away but I was able to watch him transform a rather non-descript bit of wood into a very fanciful beast. I only wish I was able to pay closer attention - I know he has a lot to teach and I have a lot to learn.

I also had great visits with John Lloyd and Rob Cosman but did not manage to find them when I was collecting photos.

And last but certainly not least... a rather tuckered member of the International football team who was sadly defeated at the third annual “Billy Hancock Birthday showdown”. The Brits won 3/0. Mark shared a very funny comment on the last day. He was telling a few of us how surreal it was to be the keeper for the British team and seeing all these faces he recognizes from magazine head shots rushing at him. The quote went something like this... “and there was Rob Cosman - with the ball... rushing towards me. Bloody hell!”

I would also like to express my thanks to Mike Hancock, his lovely wife Mary, and their kids Alex and Billy. The Classic Handtool marquee is not the focus of Westonbirt - but it has become a very important part of it - and clearly inspires people to work with wood. Mike has done an outstanding job, and has proven that a vision of something different and a little creativity can make something very special happen. Congratulations Mike.

Money for Nothin'....

00/00/0000, 00:00 | Skiving Off

I was hit with some pretty deep thinking tonight at dinner. As Gail and I sat down at the table, Chuck Berry was emanating from the speakers in the ceiling. This caused me to start pondering. So, as the questions began to hit me, I borrowed a pen from Gail, flipped over my paper place mat, and started scribbling out my deep thoughts. Mr. Berry was followed by The Beach Boys and the Beatles (it must have been the "B" Muzak tape), and by the time the Beatles finished, there was no more room on the place mat for note taking. (Between the paper place mat and the 50s/60s music, you should have a pretty good idea of my taste in fine dining).

Nevertheless, tonight's blog entry is not about the food....it's about the questions I am pondering based upon the music from the restaurant....

His mother told him "Someday you will be a man,
And you will be the leader of a big old band."

What if Johnny B. Goode didn't really want to lead a "Big Ol' Band?" What if his real ambition was to just have a little Boy Band where the focus was more on the choreography and no one even played his own instrument? Was this a case of too much parental pressure? Was this a case of Mrs. Goode trying to live out her own failed dreams of stardom through Johnny?

If Johnny's mother had put the same attention on his education, would he have been able to read and write better?

If everybody had an ocean
Across the U.S.A.
Then everybody'd be surfin
Like Californi-a

In order for everyone in the United States to have an ocean, what would the geography of the country look like? I mean, Australia is surrounded by water, and it is still far from a place where "Everyone has an ocean." I believe the United States would have to be an extremely long, narrow island that wound around the planet a couple of times like an apple peeling for all of its hundreds of thousands of inhabitants to have the ocean access The Beach Boys are referring to.

Then, how might this alternate shape of the USA have impacted the history of the nation? Might the teams have been different in the American Civil War? Would our Manifest Destiny concept have applied to the 750,000 mile East/West dimension of the nation's helix length or to the 10 mile North/South dimension? (The answer of that question would have dramatically impacted our relationships with quite a few Indian tribes.) Why do you think the Beach Boys even brought up this idea without digging into the deeper questions it so obviously arouses?

Ya know, I also have to wonder if the Beach Boys know what the heck they are talking about with regard to Californi-a. Have they seen Death Valley? It's not exactly a surfer's paradise. Also, earlier this year it was reported that Mt. Shasta in Northern California is the one place on the planet where glaciers have been increasing in recent history. Again, I have to wonder how the growing glaciers of Mt. Shasta is a surf spot.

Help, I need Somebody
Help, Not just Anybody

Are the Fab Four really refusing to accept Help from just anyone? How can they do that? How does one randomly cry out for assistance, but then pass judgment upon the qualifications of strangers who go out of their way to provide aid?

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, hang on...Let's take a look at you. Ooooops. Sorry, Mate, I don't think you are going to be exactly what we are looking for.

You see, we want someone with a really nice smile, and your teeth are somewhat spotty, at best.

Also, look at your clothes, man. See that... you're certainly not a very smart dresser, now are you? No.....surely you can see where you just aren't up to snuff with regard to being good enough to help us, right?

I mean, we are the Beatles, ya know.

Granted, we do need help, but we can't be so low as to accept Help from just anybody, can we? Thanks for understanding, old man.

(I am Jeff Skiver, and I approved this message.)