It was a small but mighty A&S practice this past Sunday at the Washington Boulevard practice site. The day was sunny and beautiful, and there was only a faint occasional whiff of sulfur from the sewer vent.
Ishiyama brought a wooden bench he’d made, then sat on it while practicing braiding. Forveleth showed off some wire and bead jewelry, and some tablet weaving, and worked on an embroidery project. Li stopped by on the way to Archery practice, and showed off a Chinese helm and a small but mighty crossbow.
Baronial arts and sciences in the park!
It was a wonderful day to spend in the park, and so amazing to see real people again in person now that it is safe. We wore our masks and kept our distance anyway, but amazing to be together with our neighbors enjoying the day. Salve Accolens!
This is just a brief After Activity Report about the Woodworking Guild Field Trip this past Friday. Only a few of us managed to make it, but it was totally worth the trip. The main reason we went there was that Morikawa Rei mentioned that even though the price of construction lumber has gone up five-fold over the past year, woodworking lumber places like Woodcraft have not re-priced their stock. So, what looked like expensive specialty materials a year ago now looks like reasonably priced wood.
In addition to that, when Rei, Turlough Feolain, and I arrived on Friday; Woodcraft had just received a shipment of off-cuts that they were selling at a serious discount. They had a stock of rough cut cherry, maple, cypress, and oak boards, in 4/4 and 8/4 thickness for $5 and $10 each! Not very wide and most only ~3 feet long, but still.
Turlough was looking to make some tool handles, so the thick lumber was just perfect. Rei is planning to make some furniture, so being able to get more than enough furniture-grade lumber at a discount price was perfect. I bought some lumber, too, but I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do with it. I’ve been thinking of doing some turning.
Oak (top) and Cherry (bottom) 2 Inches Thick!
Anyway, they probably still have a lot of that stuff left, so if you need nice lumber at a nice price, it’s worth the drive down to Canonsburg. Thanks for suggesting the field trip, Rei! I also spoke briefly to an employee, and they have a classroom there where we might be able to have meetings or workshops.
Now it can be told! Last year after Pennsic, Baroness Hilda asked Ishiyama if he would make silk banners for the Barony to gift to the other Baronies of Æthelmearc as favors for the “7 Pearls Dinner” at this year’s Pennsic War. These banners would also need stands and support poles. The stands and poles were a perfect way to enlist the help of the Woodworking Guild.
The Seven Pearls banners and their banner stands
The stands are made from 2×4 lumber, which keeps the costs down, but creates a little bit more work. Each is made from four identical legs and four identical cross-pieces, so mass-production of pieces sped the whole project along. Once you remove the support pole, the off-center hinge pin lets the stand fold flat for travel.
There are enough extra pieces left over that if you need one of these stands for your very own, just let the guild know and we can help you put one together.
