Popular Woodworking 2005-11 № 151, страница 71
of the planing stop was removed from the benches, leaving only a 2"-square wooden block, which is height adjustable by mallet blows. Planing into a single stop requires a specific approach. Holdfasts and battens can be used to stop the work from rotating, but I didn't see this done in the Hay shop. Instead I saw workmen controlling their stock under their planes, moving the stock continuously. I think it bears mentioning that the benches seemed a bit lower than usual. Getting your body over the stock might be the key to controlling it. The Hay shop challenges our notions of the basic woodshop. How much space do we really need to be productive ? How many tools ? How sophisticated must a workbench be to be useful? And can you really do good work in a shop without electricity? We've talked about getting young people interested in woodworking and reaching out to female woodworkers. Maybe tearing down some of the barriers such as the cost of woodworking equipment, the space required, the noise, the mess and the idea that woodshops are by nature nasty, dusty places, would help. The Anthony Hay shop in Williamsburg might be a recreation of a 200-year-old woodshop, but it is also a place to go for new ideas. PW Blacksmith Ken Schwarz works in the James Anderson Blacksmith Shop. BEHIND THE SCENES THERE'S A THRIVING COLONIAL ECONOMY Colonial Williamsburg is a town in Virginia authentically reconstructed to appear as it did in 1775, the dawn of the American War for Independence. Then the capital of the British colony of Virginia, Williamsburg's architecture conveys the lifestyle of the wealthier residents of the 18th century. Prim and tidy Colonial buildings with whitewashed clapboards and pretty little fences line the streets. There are boxwood gardens and authentically dressed friendly guides suitable for any picture postcard. But behind the scenery, a much less scenic aspect of Colonial life has been reconstructed. The 20 or so individual craft shops in town function within a reconstructed Colonial economy. I believe it is this economy, more than any organizational directive, that drives Williamsburg's crafts shops to produce authentically. Today, Williamsburg's craftsmen can reproduce almost every aspect of Colonial life. This hasn't always been the case. The blacksmiths at the James Anderson Blacksmith Shop for example, demonstrate their craft for their visitors. Often unbeknownst to their guests, the items they are forging may well be products required for projects or tradesmen elsewhere in the town. These items must be made to the customers' standards and schedules, just as they would have been 200 years ago. It's not good enough to make something that looks like a nail. It must function as a nail, must be capable of being driven by a hammer, and be made quickly enough to support the construction effort. In at least some instances, this has challenged preconceived notions of 18th-century trades and precipitated additional research on the subject. For modern craftsmen willing to look beyond the scenery, Williamsburg's crafts shops provide us a chance to view alternative methods and technologies. These aren't just museum spaces but real working shops staffed by real craftspeople. Williamsburg's "plain and neat" buildings may be its prime attraction, but there's a lot more to see than meets the eye. — AC Costumed "play actors" they are not. Smiths (such as Steve Mankowski, above) at the James Anderson Blacksmith Shop are hard at work. popularwoodworking.com 69 |
