Round Pole Framing Workshop

Jan 21 & 22, 2017

Connecting to the land, using simple hand tools and some traditional knowledge. ..

The morning started as we went out on the land and safely “felled” a tree using a hand saw. We took off the bark with a draw knife and sawed the pole into 15″ lengths. Then, to practice using a hatchet and create a tool we would use during the workshop, the log was carved into a wooden mallet.  The mallet is an appropriately soft but strong tool for hitting the chisel and creating notches for attaching round wood poles together.  Students learned terminology, basics of structural pressures, how to “read a log”, snap a chalk reference line, score /chisel notches in mortise & tenon, lap and scribed joints and plan a small project. Co-lead by Micah Lindquist and Deanne Bednar. 

Lots of wood chips on the floor of the Red Shed …warmed by the Rocket Stove heated bench !   Check out the 5 year old using the draw shave 🙂

Michelle, Jacob, Vito & Morrell came from the South Bend, Indiana area. They want to live a sustainable lifestyle on land.  Micah Lindquist is from Clarkston, a medical computer by profession..enjoys spoon carving for fun,  and carpentry projects at Strawbale Studio.