OldTools Archive
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244334 | "branson@c..." <branson@c...> | 2013‑12‑23 | My bio |
Having mentioned my difficulties communicating with State Parks, it's about time I put together a bio. In 1981 I began as a living history docent at Sutter's Fort historic park. There's a carpenter shop, but in '81 it was stuffed with donations of "old" tools most of which weren't in existence in 1845, which had been recently established as the cut off date for anything used or displayed in Sutter's Fort. Another fellow and I were asked to create a formal document for "rehabilitating" the carpenter's shop, to be approved by State Parks for implementation. We produced a 200 page document, describing wood work for that time, listing the tools needed and the wood available to Sutter's carpenters. It was approved and we went to work putting the shop in order. The existing bench was no more than a display piece with a 3/4 inch thick work surface, and it was set against the back wall where there was never any light. It went away, and we built a new bench using a slab of black oak 30 inches wide by a full 4 inches thick. Topped it off with an all wood leg vise I picked up for 8 bucks, and placed it under the windows. The two of us got to buy all the tools we had listed, either antiques or modern examples of what was available in 1846. The carpenter's shop now worked as either a static display or as a fully functional shop during living history programs. All the tools were purchased as "consumables," meaning they all got to work for a living. I worked there for 17 years, and also assisted with the rehab plans for some of the other rooms and workshops in what Sutter called his "factory." In addition to the tools bought for the State, I expanded my own tool collection, personal tools that I brought with me to events. There was a 3rd generation working blacksmith at the fort as well. I got my first lessons in blacksmithing from him. He started at the age of 9, and had been trained by his father and his grandfather. It wasn't a hobby for him; it was how he made his living, and that made a real difference in how he approached his work and a difference in how I came to approach smithing. In 2001, I was contacted by a fellow who was a member of the California Historical Artillery Society. He had restored a Civil War "traveling forge" and built the battery wagon that accompanied the forge. These were used by the artificers who were the repair and fabrication workers of all light artillery batteries. He needed to identify and acquire all the tools issued to the artificers and carried in the field. We succeeded in finding or making 98% of the tools in the lists we had from Ordnance Department documents. As long as I was helping him identify and find all the tools, he recruited me into the society, and for the next ten years we reenacted the Civil War. I had the forge lit for about 15 minutes at my first event when I was asked if I could make a staple for one of the Grimsley saddles that had lost one. Sure. A half hour later, another saddle lost one of its staples, and another one was made. An hour later I was asked if I could restore one of the cannon implements to working condition, and later in the day a second one was brought to the forge for repair. We spent hours at each event doing the various repair jobs that artificers were supposed to do. If anything could be broken, the tools were there to replace, repair, or rebuild -- smithing, carpentry, or harness making. Between events, we rebuilt, repaired, or rehabilitated gun carriages and other military rolling stock. We also got the task of rebuilding and repairing a few other carriages and wagons that belonged to the group. Things fell apart with CHAS and the four artificers. In 2012, all of us resigned. Which brings me to one of my two big projects at the moment. Bob, the fellow who recruited me, wanted to continue the artificer gig. He found the plans and tool lists for the blacksmith forge and tools and the carriage maker's tools that were designed to accompany the mountain howitzer. There are four chests that contain all the tools issued, including the forge, which folds up and goes into its chest. There are four chests in all -- two for the smith, two for the carpenters. Bob passed away last summer unexpectedly, so finishing this project is all up to me at this point. I have assembled most of the carriage maker's tools as issued, but some of the smith's tools are hard to identify. There's a wrench that is driving me nuts. Double open end, one 3/4 inch, and the other 1 1/2 inch. I haven't been able to find its length or appearance. There's a bothersome "nail punch" that isn't adequately drawn -- what is the point dimensions?? Since the chest also contains a fore punch and a pritchel, I doubt that it has anything to do with horse shoes. For cannon carriages and some other things, wrought nails are specified and my current thought is that the nail punch is for making holes to accommodate these wrought nails. My other project was dropped on me by the lead ranger at Sutter's Fort, which I have recently rejoined. The plan for the cooper's shop has been shuffled around for quite a while, waiting for a number of people with Parks to sign off as approved. But the lead ranger and his superior want thing to happen there, and to have the shop functional. I've been volunteered to get things rolling and establish what tools are necessary and appropriate, as well as what processes would have been used. This just happened after the Spanish cooper video was posted here -- good thing I joined this list!!! I've got another 50 hours or so in research on coopering, which has been very educational. Since there is very little known about Sutter's cooper shop, this is going to be a rather creative project. There was a German cooper who came to Sutter in 1847, but documents show that the shop itself was already in existence. There's a great diversity among cooperage in the US, France, Germany, and Spain. so which tools should be found in Sutter's shop? And what names for those tools? I'm settling on the Spanish. I have found other videos of Spanish coopers that show a very distinctive hammer (different from the first video). The names of the tools are just out the window, so the tool list will have to depend on pictures rather than names. The winch sort of things the first video shows, that gathers the ends of the staves has at least five different names in French... No consensus there. In real life, I do woodwork. I've built and designed furniture for Sutter's Fort and also for Fort Ross. I spent several years building sets and props, primarily for opera. I've made window sash using tools not mentionable here, adzed beams for architectural projects. Built a hollow core racing mast once. With the help of a Stanley 400, a Marsh 400, and a Stanley 100, I build picture frames. I've done wagon and carriage repair and once made a Mexican carreta from scratch. My tools include some that were my grandfather's, and a very few that belonged to his father, a master carpenter. Of my hand tools, the newest are pre-war Stanley planes, and my oldest is a neolithic stone ax. Well, the *really* newest are a number of planes hand made by Viet-Namese carpenters and shipwrights and an Anglo-American felling ax, circa 1705 that was reproduced by my first blacksmith teacher. I love old and old style hand tools. Mike in Sacto ---- Msg sent via CWNet - http://www.cwnet.com/-------------------------------------------------- ----------------------">http://www.cwnet.com/----------------------------------- ------------------------------------- |
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244336 | Rstrainsr@a... | 2013‑12‑23 | Re: My bio |
Hi Mike As a part time lurker and minimal activist on this list I can only opine that you should find yourself in good company here. With a bio such as yours you will find many of the list members able to (and very willing) help you fill some of the blanks in your quest. Good to see your postings! Regards Bob in Ohio who is gearing up for family at Christmas...love it...love it love it! and wishing y'all the same emotional experience! In a message dated 12/23/2013 7:58:28 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, branson@c... writes: Having mentioned my difficulties communicating with State Parks, it's about time I put together a bio. In 1981 I began as a living history docent at Sutter's Fort historic park. There's a carpenter shop, but in '81 it was stuffed with donations of "old" tools most of which weren't in existence in 1845, which had been recently established as the cut off date for anything used or displayed in Sutter's Fort. Another fellow and I were asked to create a formal document for "rehabilitating" the carpenter's shop, to be approved by State Parks for implementation. We produced a 200 page document, describing wood work for that time, listing the tools needed and the wood available to Sutter's carpenters. It was approved and we went to work putting the shop in order. The existing bench was no more than a display piece with a 3/4 inch thick work surface, and it was set against the back wall where there was never any light. It went away, and we built a new bench using a slab of black oak 30 inches wide by a full 4 inches thick. Topped it off with an all wood leg vise I picked up for 8 bucks, and placed it under the windows. The two of us got to buy all the tools we had listed, either antiques or modern examples of what was available in 1846. The carpenter's shop now worked as either a static display or as a fully functional shop during living history programs. All the tools were purchased as "consumables," meaning they all got to work for a living. I worked there for 17 years, and also assisted with the rehab plans for some of the other rooms and workshops in what Sutter called his "factory." In addition to the tools bought for the State, I expanded my own tool collection, personal tools that I brought with me to events. There was a 3rd generation working blacksmith at the fort as well. I got my first lessons in blacksmithing from him. He started at the age of 9, and had been trained by his father and his grandfather. It wasn't a hobby for him; it was how he made his living, and that made a real difference in how he approached his work and a difference in how I came to approach smithing. In 2001, I was contacted by a fellow who was a member of the California Historical Artillery Society. He had restored a Civil War "traveling forge" and built the battery wagon that accompanied the forge. These were used by the artificers who were the repair and fabrication workers of all light artillery batteries. He needed to identify and acquire all the tools issued to the artificers and carried in the field. We succeeded in finding or making 98% of the tools in the lists we had from Ordnance Department documents. As long as I was helping him identify and find all the tools, he recruited me into the society, and for the next ten years we reenacted the Civil War. I had the forge lit for about 15 minutes at my first event when I was asked if I could make a staple for one of the Grimsley saddles that had lost one. Sure. A half hour later, another saddle lost one of its staples, and another one was made. An hour later I was asked if I could restore one of the cannon implements to working condition, and later in the day a second one was brought to the forge for repair. We spent hours at each event doing the various repair jobs that artificers were supposed to do. If anything could be broken, the tools were there to replace, repair, or rebuild -- smithing, carpentry, or harness making. Between events, we rebuilt, repaired, or rehabilitated gun carriages and other military rolling stock. We also got the task of rebuilding and repairing a few other carriages and wagons that belonged to the group. Things fell apart with CHAS and the four artificers. In 2012, all of us resigned. Which brings me to one of my two big projects at the moment. Bob, the fellow who recruited me, wanted to continue the artificer gig. He found the plans and tool lists for the blacksmith forge and tools and the carriage maker's tools that were designed to accompany the mountain howitzer. There are four chests that contain all the tools issued, including the forge, which folds up and goes into its chest. There are four chests in all -- two for the smith, two for the carpenters. Bob passed away last summer unexpectedly, so finishing this project is all up to me at this point. I have assembled most of the carriage maker's tools as issued, but some of the smith's tools are hard to identify. There's a wrench that is driving me nuts. Double open end, one 3/4 inch, and the other 1 1/2 inch. I haven't been able to find its length or appearance. There's a bothersome "nail punch" that isn't adequately drawn -- what is the point dimensions?? Since the chest also contains a fore punch and a pritchel, I doubt that it has anything to do with horse shoes. For cannon carriages and some other things, wrought nails are specified and my current thought is that the nail punch is for making holes to accommodate these wrought nails. My other project was dropped on me by the lead ranger at Sutter's Fort, which I have recently rejoined. The plan for the cooper's shop has been shuffled around for quite a while, waiting for a number of people with Parks to sign off as approved. But the lead ranger and his superior want thing to happen there, and to have the shop functional. I've been volunteered to get things rolling and establish what tools are necessary and appropriate, as well as what processes would have been used. This just happened after the Spanish cooper video was posted here -- good thing I joined this list!!! I've got another 50 hours or so in research on coopering, which has been very educational. Since there is very little known about Sutter's cooper shop, this is going to be a rather creative project. There was a German cooper who came to Sutter in 1847, but documents show that the shop itself was already in existence. There's a great diversity among cooperage in the US, France, Germany, and Spain. so which tools should be found in Sutter's shop? And what names for those tools? I'm settling on the Spanish. I have found other videos of Spanish coopers that show a very distinctive hammer (different from the first video). The names of the tools are just out the window, so the tool list will have to depend on pictures rather than names. The winch sort of things the first video shows, that gathers the ends of the staves has at least five different names in French... No consensus there. In real life, I do woodwork. I've built and designed furniture for Sutter's Fort and also for Fort Ross. I spent several years building sets and props, primarily for opera. I've made window sash using tools not mentionable here, adzed beams for architectural projects. Built a hollow core racing mast once. With the help of a Stanley 400, a Marsh 400, and a Stanley 100, I build picture frames. I've done wagon and carriage repair and once made a Mexican carreta from scratch. My tools include some that were my grandfather's, and a very few that belonged to his father, a master carpenter. Of my hand tools, the newest are pre-war Stanley planes, and my oldest is a neolithic stone ax. Well, the *really* newest are a number of planes hand made by Viet-Namese carpenters and shipwrights and an Anglo-American felling ax, circa 1705 that was reproduced by my first blacksmith teacher. I love old and old style hand tools. Mike in Sacto ---- Msg sent via CWNet - http://www.cwnet.com/-------------------------------------------------- -----">http://www.cwnet.com/---------------------------------------------------- --- ----------------- OldTools is a mailing list catering to the interests of hand tool aficionados, both collectors and users, to discuss the history, usage, value, location, availability, collectibility, and restoration of traditional handtools, especially woodworking tools. To change your subscription options: http://ruckus. law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools To read the FAQ: http://swingleydev.com/archive /faq.html OldTools archive: http://swingleydev.com/archive/">http://swingleydev.com/archive/ OldTools@r... http://ruckus. law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools |
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244338 | Wesley Groot <wesg@e...> | 2013‑12‑23 | Re: My bio |
Nice to meet you Mike. Great Galootish resume. Yeah, you'll like it here. Cheers, Wes > On Dec 23, 2013, at 6:58 AM, "branson@c..." |
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244341 | "ASRA-Eduardo De Diego" <ed@a...> | 2013‑12‑23 | RE: My bio |
Mike, If you get stuck with the Spanish ping me off-list. Either I or my Dad who was Head of Spanish Section for ICAO (UN) should be able to track it down. For the next few months I'm in San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas and I know several University-level linguists that are in my coffee clatch. They just love rooting for etymologies. They are off for holidays at the moment but will return 2nd week January. Best wishes to all for the holiday season. Ed, not in Ottawa for the next while....... |
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244342 | Paul Gardner <yoyopg@g...> | 2013‑12‑23 | Re: My bio |
A great and interesting bio post Mike. Your participation and contributions to the list are most welcome and appreciated. Paul, in SF On Mon, Dec 23, 2013 at 4:58 AM, branson@c... |
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244343 | John Ruth <johnrruth@h...> | 2013‑12‑23 | RE: My bio |
GG's Eduardo's post is an example of the type of helpful attitude that keeps me coming back to OLDTOOLS. Welcome, Mike. If you'd care to discuss what was in old-time military toolboxes, you will find a rapt audience here ! I "sort of collect" ( tm Todd Hughes) ex-military toolboxes, and posting about them here has revealed a lot of good info. I. for one, would be interested in your bibliography of researching the contents of the "Battery Wagon". John RuthIn rainy Metuchen, NJ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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244345 | "John M. Johnston" <sgt42rhr@a...> | 2013‑12‑23 | Re: My bio |
Tom Holloway of this list has done similar volunteer work and has posted great inventories from his fort, the name of which escapes me at this point. Cheers, John John M. Johnston “P.S. If you do not receive this, of course it must have been miscarried; therefore I beg you to write and let me know.” - Sir Boyle Roche, M.P. On Dec 23, 2013, at 7:58 AM, "branson@c..." |
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244346 | Roy <rp77469@c...> | 2013‑12‑23 | Re: My bio |
On Mon, 23 Dec 2013 16:49:51 -0500, you wrote: >Tom Holloway of this list has done similar volunteer work and has posted great inventories from his fort, the name of which escapes me at this point. > >Cheers, >John > >John M. Johnston Ft. Vancouver NHS http://www.nps.gov/fova/index.htm">http://www.nps.gov/fova/index.htm Nail Inventory: ht tp://www.wkfinetools.com/contrib/tHollowey/doNails/doNails-01.asp Welcome aboard. You'll want the www.wkfinetools.com">www.wkfinetools.com URL pretty soon if you don't already have it. I suggest an empty bladder and a full beverage before you sit down at the computer to browse it. Roy P. |
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