Adventures of an Imperfect Man In Search of a Handmade Life
A new design for the vardo world with the folding bow-top. It has a great design as it will be light-weight yet roomy.
Excellent details so far. I can’t wait to see it in person when we can “circle the wagons”. Click the photo or the link below to see more.
A few photos of the vardo in the desert at this year’s Winter Count. Along side the usual survival skills, I also taught another simple shoe class.
Click the photo to see more uploaded images of the little vardo in action.
This ghillie shoe class was busy again and I think we had about 16 participants. It’s always more work for the students than I think it will be as many have not had much experience working and cutting leather. I think they all came out great though.
A photo of the new “porch”. I didn’t really need more sticking out in the back but it will serve as a bumper and handy surface I’m sure.
And a drying rack over the stove area. The hooks will be useful for lanterns, tools, cookware, and wet socks.
With such limited space (about 50 sq. ft.) pegs, hooks, and little storage bins tucked away in all the furniture make all the difference. Click either photo to get to the rest of the vardo photos.
H.A. sent me a couple of photos from his vardo build. These were taken back in August. It looks to be a beast of a wagon and is being towed by a unimog camper.
Check out this and other photos on his friend’s flickr page.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11894392@N04/4921649118/in/set-72157624668253269/
I finally found the shaving mirror that was perfect for the wagon. I have seen them in photos of other western wagons. Local hardware and bath stores only had very cheesy, lightweight mirrors on folding arms. After some internet searching, I found this one that had good reviews on Amazon. It is sturdy and appears to be well-built.
Below is the coffee grinder that was the fist housewarming gift for the wagon. Thanks Mick. It works well.
Finally, the step porch I have been debating over for a long time. We’ll see if it works out.
The hearth area is starting to feel more organized as shelves and hooks find their place and uses. The shelf above the stove is primarily a lantern spot with enough room to put a second next to it. Not visible from this angle is the divider in the plate holder that can either hold a cutting board or more plates. The lower right area is sized to hold olive oil bottles or tea tins.
This is a small bedside container for keeping wallet, glasses, keys or a book. I think as the wagon gets more use, there will be many more small additions like this.
A friend spotted this nice little sheep wagon in Payson, Arizona recently. It’s for sale for $6000 and appears to be in good shape. Canvas cover looks fairly new. It would be a decent cowboy camp if you had horses or burros.
Running gear looks decent from the photo.
Side boxes and steel wheels.
Large rear window and kitchen box under the bed.
Rustic, but with a lot of great potential.
After long thought and lots of head-scratching I think I figured out a decent way to hold a lantern on a shelf in the wagon. 
I found some old steel brackets and installed the shelf over the stove. This fits the newer “Blizzard” lanterns with the large tanks so I think all of my lanterns will fit.
I put a brass insert in the shelf and carved a small knob to fit. Please excuse the messy workbench. Of course, the rest of the vardo build is here: Vardo Page.
I am excited to say that I did indeed win the Grand Prize from Instructables and Popular Mechanics in the woodworking contest for my vardo/wagon. I have to admit that it is not the finest woodworking I’ve ever done, but is possibly the most complex and required the most consideration of layout, weight, and durability. Anyway, thanks to the committee and voters who made this happen. There may be some photos in an upcoming magazine issue.
(I eagerly await the tools that come as part of the prize. There are more plans afoot.)
Just returned from a 10 state 3400 mile shakedown run with the little Snail. Fortunately, about 2/3rds of the trip was work-related so not all of the expense was mine. Lots of ideas for finishing out the wagon over the winter.
Click the photo for the Vardo page.
Preindustrial Craftsmanship 