THE MESSENGER EDITOR REPORT

2nd QUARTER 2015

JIM HARSH

 

Tom sent this earlier.

We will be having our yearly Hollister fall encampment this year in November from Thursday the 5th through Sunday the 8th. Feel free to come a day or so early. The NAF will pick up the tab for the fee charged by the ranch, so it is very important to have a head count of who is coming. I need to know no later than Nov 1st. I thank you all for your time. Wild pig hunting is allowed as well.....More details to follow. I hope to hear that you're going to make it there.

 

I attended Roy Underhill's 5 day Bench work class in his Woodwright's school located in Pittsboro, NC over the Easter Weekend. There were 10 guys in the class. (Other classes had women attend.) The guys from all over, one was actually from Raleigh, about 40 minutes away, one from Toronto, Boston, Chicago, Dayton, Charleston, SC. Class was scheduled for 9 to 5:30. most of us showed up at 8:30. First 2 days were cutting and gluing the dovetails, We all got done by the end if the second day, Roy and Bill, Roy had a co-teacher Willard Anderson, were surprised. Most classes take longer. Third day we were introduced to molding planes and made the skirt for the box, and started to cut the miters. Fourth day we completed fitting the skirt, this step took longer than I expected. We broke early to visit Peter Ross, he's been on the show, he was blacksmith at Williamsburg for 30 yrs. He showed us some work on the anvil, and made each of us a nail. He said "in the day" a nailer was expected to make close to 2000 nails a day. He was making one in about 23 seconds. He also said that if he wasn't talking, after about 30 - 40 nail, he would get faster. The last day was making a frame and panel for the lid. I got mine glued up and called it a day ( it was about 6:30), I'll finish it when it gets here.

There is a tool shop on the second floor, I got a couple of things for my tool box that I have been looking for.

It was a very good class. Roy is not quite like he is on the show but I don't think he could maintain that for 5 straight days. He got his start in hand tools when he was living on a commune north of El Rito off the grid and met a tool collector in Albuquerque.


This is how it looked at the end of class.

 

 



 
September 23 – 26, 2015 National Fur Trade Symposium
This triennial symposium returns to the Southern Plains for the first time since 1988! Focusing on Bent’s Fort and the Southern Fur Trade, the event will feature scholarly presentations, informal seminars and living history representations. For more information and to register, visit www.2015fts.org.

 

 

 

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