Hello! January has arrived and with it a nice, fresh snowfall. We may be able to dust off the snowshoes at last! We are fortunate to live very near an old railroad bed, the tracks are no longer there but it is a lovely wide path shared by the community in all four seasons. We “make the loop” with our enthusiastic granddog, Porter whenever time allows. Between walks and romps, Porter occupies a comfortable space beneath the work bench, we call it his “cubicle”. When it’s time for a walk, he starts sighing piteously. And relentlessly. He’s better than a personal trainer!
It's walk time for Porter, The Shop Dog (Employee of the Year)
Rob has been oiling for the past few days, getting the ordered boxes ready to ship off to their new homes. Of course, there will be a few extras to list on Etsy! We’ll post a “heads up” on Facebook as the day approaches.
Making a Shaker Box
Last month we had left the shapers in the bands and they were drying. After the bands are dry enough, Rob fits the tops and bottoms into the bands. This requires sanding the quarter sawn pine ovals until they fit perfectly. Every top and bottom is individually fitted, no two ever fit the same. It is vital to always keep the tops and bottoms with the correct band (I know this....) during the finishing process. The tops and bottoms are then removed and run through the drum sander for final thickness. The interiors are stained, and tops and bottoms are fastened into place with copper tacks. Next month, we’ll start the finishing process!
Sanding and fitting the tops and bottoms
Securing the bottom of a #1 oval box with copper tacks
Shaker Fun Facts
While the Shaker’s Motto is “Hands to Work, Hearts to God”, they did not feel that this meant they had to work harder and were very open to innovation and modernization. In fact, Shaker communities were often among the first to get electricity in their areas. The Sabbathday Lake Shakers in New Gloucester, Maine were the first in their town to get an automobile. They were thrifty and purchased a used auto in 1909!
Fun Facts garnered from: https://shakerhistory.tripod.com/id3.html
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Sharard WilliamsKnight
January 10, 2021
Love your beautiful boxes and “Porter”, too! Thank you!