LIVE from Colonial Williamsburg

[Bob Glenn]

We're here in Colonial Williamsburg attending the eighteen century woodworking seminar, first session. This year it focuses on Thomas Jefferson's Monticello furniture and woodwork. Lots of great presenters last night and today. Roy Underhill was entertaining as usual, and didn't even cut himself once. Cory and Mack Headley and a couple apprentices are offering good demonstrations and background on the some of Jefferson's furniture.

I just had to sneak away at lunch and do a little exploring in and around the historic district. I found my way to the Prentis Store and came away poorer, lots poorer, but with a couple treasures made in the blacksmith's shop. The holdfasts will replace the ones stamped "Woodcraft" when I do eighteenth century woodworking at reenactments, and the little marking scribe and knife will fit nicely into my tool tray. I'll take my camera tomorrow and post some more pictures. Bob

[mike holden]

Oh Man, am I jealous!

Both holdfasts and marking knife are on my list to obtain, and *YOU* got them in Williamsburg!

I have got to save my pennies for next year.

Hope you are enjoying the presentations.
Mike

[Bob Glenn]

Oh Man, am I jealous!

Both holdfasts and marking knife are on my list to obtain, and *YOU* got them in Williamsburg!

I have got to save my pennies for next year.

Hope you are enjoying the presentations.
Mike

Mike, you need to save about 17200 pennies! Priceless. I look at it this way, I contribute annually to Williamsburg, so I'm just upping my contribution. The things they do and preserve cannot be replaced.

[Barry Vabeach]

Bob, thanks for the update. If you can get any pictures of the stand up desk that would be appreciated, I have no idea what it looks like and will be making a stand up desk soon so I was hoping to get some ideas.

[Bob Glenn]

Barry, I'll do better than that. If you send me your address, I'll send you the plans they provided for the desk. At least I think they provided those plans in the packet. PM me with your address. I'd take some pictures, but they told us if we took pictures they would be for personal use only. I don't know it they would object I if posted session pictures on the net.

[harry strasil]

Barry, are you referring to the one that Roy copied on his show, if so its in The Woodwrights Apprentice pg.46.

[David Gendron]

I'm also jealous! can't wait to see more of it!
Thank you Bob to take the time!

[Jamie Bacon]

Nice haul Bob! And thanks for the update. I'll be attending the second session and can't wait to get there.
I saw that little striking knife on a bench in the carpenters shop and took 4 or 5 pictures of it as I really liked the style and size of it. I am in the process of making 2 of them now. The only thing I have left is to heat treat the blade end.
Thanks again for the update. Anxiously looking forward to more. Enjoy the rest of the conference and the colonial area!

[Dave Anderson NH]

I'm in Maryland right now enroute to the second session which starts on Sunday afternoon. I can't remember, but this will be my 10th or 11th year of the conference. I hope things are going well for you Bob.

[Bob Glenn]

Well I snuck off at lunch for more adventures and discovery, only this time, I took my camera. I post the cabinet shop first.

[Bob Glenn]

Here's the coopers shop and the foundry where they make guns and rifles. The machine in rifle shop is used to cut the rifling in the barrels. I'm not a gun guy or cooper, but I know you guys are out there.

[Bob Glenn]

Just a few shots of interest

[Bob Glenn]

Honestly, if you haven't been here, you just need to come. This is my third trip to colonial Williamsburg, and it is just over the top. I can highly recommend the eighteenth century woodworking seminar each January also. No pictures from the siminar as they requested any pictures taken for private use only.

Some random shots around town.

[Bob Glenn]

A few pictures of period pieces from the Dewitt Museum and Shields Tavern.

[art san jr]

Thanks Bob. Very kind of you to take the time to post the photos and of course your comments and commentary on same.

Art.

[Leigh Betsch]

I was there last summer. Great place to visit. I also saw quite a few hand tools with a G.Wilson on them. I posted a few here also if you want to search for some more pics.

[harry strasil]

Post #11, second picture, the metal scraper hanging in front of the calipers. The Japanese tool makers still use those when making blades to finish them.

[Mark Stutz]

Thanks, Bob. It's been toooo looong since I've been to Williamsburg. I remeber as a kid, my parents could barely pry me away for the gunsmith shop. They were in the process of doing the rifleing with that machine.:cool::cool:

Mark

[Joe Cunningham]

I love how the house siding has more detail than most modern furniture. My uncle lives not more than 15 miles from there, I think I need to go for a visit. :)

[Jim Kountz]

I love Williamsburg!! I try to go a couple of times a year although I didnt get a chance last year at all. We usually do the whole tour taking in Colonial Willamsburg, Busch Gardens for the kids and the Plantations tours. CW is the best place on earth for everything 18th century in my opinion. Well worth the trip!!

[Mark Maleski]

We're here in Colonial Williamsburg attending the eighteen century woodworking seminar, first session.

I'm very envious - would love to have made it for session2 (w/ SAPFM) but family obligations and back injury made it impossible.


I found my way to the Prentis Store and came away poorer, lots poorer, but with a couple treasures made in the blacksmith's shop.

Just to be an enabler...those tools from the CW blacksmith's shop are available online (@ thebestthings). I bought the strike knife last week. It required a fair amount of work to shape the bezel and flatten the back, but is very cool.

[george wilson]

I was at the Cabin Fever Expo this weekend. There was a 1/6 scale model fully working copy of a Hardinge HLVH being auctioned off. The guy had worked on it off and on for about 25 years. A very well known machinist and model maker. Was hoping to get a chance to win it,but it went out of my price range. I felt bad for the maker,though. He sold several models that were beyond museum quality. Work that occupied much of his life. He should have gotten 10 times the price that he did. His wife is sick,and he needed the money.

I have a full size HLVH,at least. I'm not sure if I'll go to the seminar at Williamsburg on Sunday,after all the years I have already been there. It was a big effort to do the Cabin Fever Expo,as I have been really out of sorts from taking a week's regimen of amoxicillin for oral surgery.

[Bob Glenn]

George, pardon my ignorance, but what is a HLVH? BTW, I was exited the first morning at the Dewitt, I walked to up Caary, thinking he was you, and said, "George Wilson?, Bob Glenn, nice to meet you." He gave me a funny look and paused for a moment and said, No, I'm Caary, I guess George and I just look alike.

I don't have any idea what you look like, but I thought he was what you should look like. BTW, you were given credit several times during the first session for the tools you have made.

[george wilson]

Hi. No,I'm bigger and older than Karre!

An HLVH is one of the very best toolroom lathes ever made. It is a Hardinge product. Certainly the most comfortable metal lathe I've ever run. Not a real large lathe,11" swing X 20" between centers,but leaves an exceedingly smooth finish. Variable feed and speed,and very easy to slightly adjust either for the optimum cut and finish. My larger lathe is 16" X 40".

Nice to hear that my tools were mentioned!

[Leon Jester]

Thanks for posting the pix, great shot of the rifling bench.

[Bill Rusnak]

Bob, you mind letting us know what you paid for the marking knife? I've looked for those every time I've been to the Prentis Store and they're always sold out. Did they have any other styles available?

Thanks,
Bill

[Pam Niedermayer]

Post #11, second picture, the metal scraper hanging in front of the calipers. The Japanese tool makers still use those when making blades to finish them.

"Sen" is the name of that tool.

Pam

[David Gendron]

I just want to mention that the stiking knife and hold fast are available at THE BEST THINGS web site! They look terrific.

[Bob Glenn]

The marking knife was 48 dollars and needed a lot of filing to make it useable. The holdfasts were 58 dollars. They will need work also, as they won't fit into the 3/4 inch hole in my workbench. I was told they are made from 3/4 stock, however, I had to sort through the ones in the shop to find the small diameters available, but they are still too large.

[Dan O'Sullivan]

Here's the coopers shop and the foundry where they make guns and rifles. The machine in rifle shop is used to cut the rifling in the barrels. I'm not a gun guy or cooper, but I know you guys are out there.

Bob
Its hard to stay in the DeWitt gallery when there are soooooo many interesting things out there on Glouster Street. Pictures are nice.
Thanks
dan