Being the online web log for the Southwestern Pennsylvania branch of the SCA, Inc.
I called off last weekend to avoid the marathon, so we still have a bunch of light sanding followed by staining.
It will be easier to do the sanding/staining in the garage/driveway, so please meet here at 1105 Shady starting at about 1pm.
If the weather is any good next weekend, we can do the finishing at War Practice.
Turlough, Brandubh, and Ishiyama got a bunch of work done on the gate project last Sunday, but there is still plenty more to do. If we get enough of it done, we might be able to try first assembly and make sure this thing stands up! Towards that end, let’s meet at the Sunday practice (Washington Boulevard site unless it’s raining) again (April 28) and put in a few more hours. Ishiyama can’t bring the lumber until after lunchtime, so there is plenty of time in the morning for other stuff.
I know that some of you will still be at Blackstone Raids, and some of you are not able to help with woodworking, but there will be a least a few more work sessions (including probably at War Practice), and a few different kinds of work to do (including general finishing and painted lettering) so don’t worry about missing out.
For those of you who don’t follow the minutes of the business meetings, the Woodworking Guild has been granted some funds to build a new entrance gate for the Baronial encampment at Pennsic.
I have already purchased some lumber to get started, and will host the first work session this Sunday, April 21st at the Summer practice site (weather permitting).
I probably can’t get down there until after Lunch, so there is plenty of time in the morning for your other interests.
An environmentalist blog called “Earthbuddies” has been getting some attention for posting an article on the Japanese practice of daisugi, a method of cultivating cedar (“sugi“) trees to produce straight knot-free lumber that can be harvested without cutting down the tree.
The main trunk of the tree is pruned to create a platform (“dai“) that sends large shoots straight up into the air. These shoots can be harvested and turned into lumber, while leaving the platform tree to develop more shoots!
Read more about it in “Daisugi, The Ancient Bonsai Technique That Can Prevent Deforestation“.
(Featured image: Ryoan-ji 03.jpg by
Bernard Gagnon used under Creative Commons License)
This guild and its blog account have been pretty idle for the last six months, and I regret that. There have been obvious obstacles to guild activity, and the reason I have not posted much here is because I don’t want the blog to be about me and my work. There are other blogs and woodworkers to post about, though.
One of those woodworkers was Chris Hall. Chris passed away this Spring following a battle with cancer, but his spouse has been trying to keep his blog alive as a part of his legacy. This week she posted a guest post from one of Chris’s good friends and erstwhile students. This is the first part of a longer story by a woodworker in Spain who has dedicated himself to Japanese woodworking.
In particular, his interest in Japanese planes and planemakers is great to read about, and his outlook on woodworking gives me something to consider in my own work. I hope you enjoy reading along when future installments are posted.
The woodworking guild will have a shop day on Sunday, February 16th from 10am to 2pm at Ishiyama’s house. Our spring project this year is improving everybody’s Pennsic through the glory of seating. We will be researching and recreating period seating furniture that is appropriate for our personas.
The next Woodworking Guild shop day will be on Sunday, January 19th, from 10am to 2pm. This is the day after Baronial 12th Night. The shop day will be held at Ishiyama’s home (1105 Shady Avenue, 15232).
The current plan is to spend multiple shop days this spring working on projects that take longer than 4 hours. You can work on whatever you want, but the main purpose is for us to work together making things to sit upon. Chairs! Stools! Benches! Sturdy boxes! We’ll all help out with research, planning, shopping for wood, and technically tricky bits. For this first workshop, you don’t need to bring anything other than your dreams of a persona-appropriate period-looking thing.
The hope is that we can all get something done by Pennsic, and then we can all sit at the Barony meeting on something other than a folding chair, looking awesome.
The last Woodworking Guild planning meeting of 2019 is scheduled for Thursday, December 19th at 7pm in the Boulevard of the Allies Panera location. These meetings haven’t been as popular as the workshop days, so they may be discontinued next year. Please attend and help us make plans for workshops and activities for the first part of 2020.
Get some work done on those nearly-last-minute projects for the holidays, make some holiday decorations for your home, or help make some items for largess at this month’s Woodworking guild Workshop day at Ishiyama’s shop (1105 Shady Avenue, Pgh. 32) from 10am to ~2pm. This is the last workshop day for the year, and the weather is supposed to be warm-ish so take advantage.
The next planning meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 19th at 7pm in the Boulevard of the Allies Panera location. these meetings haven’t been as popular as the workshop days, so they may be discontinued next year.
The Woodworking Guild will be meeting as scheduled at the Panera in Oakland (3401 Boulevard of the Allies, Pittsburgh, PA 15213) at 7pm to discuss our plans for the next workshop day (scheduled for December 8th), the results of recent joinery and sharpening workshops, and plans for the future.
Please join us!
