Wagon Window

~ George Crawford ~ 7 Comments

Finally getting back to the wagon with longer days and less going on.  Over the weekend I started the new window for the wagon door.  The old one was a place-holder to get it out on the road (as are the other windows).  Now I want to rebuild the whole door.

The frame being built.  It is clamped to the work table to keep it rigid and prevent it from racking out of square.

Detail of how the frames cross and interlock.  I have never made a window like this so this is what I came up with.

Holding the frames fast while the glue dries.

Flipped over and given a final sanding.

Getting a few coats of Cabot’s Spar Varnish for good measure.

Fitted with three types of glass; wavy clear, hammered clear, and red with a lot of break-up.  The widow will be fitted into a frame (pre-hung) so that it can be removed entirely for repair or replacement of the door.  More to come soon.

The rest of the Vardo build can still be found here (https://paleotool.wordpress.com/plans-projects-and-patterns/the-vardo/).

Shoe In Progress

~ George Crawford ~ Leave a comment

The upper is turned, now attaching the sole.  This is very much an experiment but so far it is coming along better than expected.  It is a style from early modern shoe construction, with a lot of similarities to the archaeological finds from the Mary Rose but with a modernized upper.  This style of construction bridges the gap between Medieval turnshoes and fully lasted ones and dates from around A.D. 1545.  Ah, the good old days.

Not a great photo perhaps but construction photos will be uploaded if and when this project is successfully completed.

Snow Goggles

~ George Crawford ~ 1 Comment

Here are some Inuit style snow goggles carved from juniper (Eastern Red Cedar).  I have made a few pair in the past but keep giving them away.  It is much more difficult to get a good fit on the face than most people imagine.  They need to fit well, be comfortable, and allow good visibility without touching the eyelashes or other moving parts around the eye.  I am currently copying another, more intricate pair from Boas’s Central Eskimo.  A truly great ethnography, full of images and very well written.Small carving projects like this are a great way to utilize scraps from the wood pile.

Winter Count 2011

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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.

Porch and Rack

~ George Crawford ~ 8 Comments

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.

Backpack

~ George Crawford ~ 20 Comments

As if the evenings weren’t busy enough.  I had the urge to create something large from leather.  This is probably my biggest project of this type to date.  It’s a bit heavy compared to lightweight nylon of modern packs but it will probably outlive me.

It took the better part of an oak tanned cow side and some harness leather for the straps.  It was a load of work for somebody as lazy as I am but an interesting puzzle to design and put together.

It can hold a long weekend’s worth of goodies or a laptop, small SLR camera bag, and field gear.

It will darken and become much softer with some neatsfoot oil.

Oiled and ready to use.