Odds and Ends

~ George Crawford ~ 3 Comments

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 Devil in the Details

~ George Crawford ~ 2 Comments

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.

Sheep Wagon

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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.

Spear Thrower

~ George Crawford ~ 2 Comments

And in some spare time, I carved a spear thrower inspired by the an Old World Upper Paleolithic design.  This one is made from seasoned shagbark hickory (carya ovata) from my old farm.  It would certainly be handy as a multi-purpose tool to a hunter-gatherer and could easily serve as a club or throwing stick for small game.  At least some of the early ones were from more durable materials such as antler or ivory.

A close-up of the hook.  The thrower was burnished with bone to create a nice finish, then coated with walnut oil for protection.

Lantern Shelf

~ George Crawford ~ 2 Comments

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.

Horn tooting

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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.)

Some new vardo pictures

~ George Crawford ~ 2 Comments

I put up a few pictures of the nearly finished vardo.  Of course, there are many little things I still plan to do and add, the basic wagon is livable now.  I hope to eventually find a smaller stove to fit as this one could easily get too hot for the space it’s in.

Also, I published my first Instructable and received some excellent feedback.  I tried to put the Vardo build in a sensible order and post it where it can be easily found for a long time.  Here’s the link to the “How to Build the Gyspy Wagon”. If you have an Instructable account, you can vote for the best woodworking project.  I would appreciate a good vote as I could use the tools being given away.