Layout continues and timber production is moving at a good pace. One load of timbers
remains in the dry kilns and should be finished in a few days. There has been a
lot of activity going on in many different shop locations and it is difficult to
show all of the work in progress, so, we have selected the pictures most representative
of the work being performed.
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An unexpected visitor to the shop is checking up on Daddy! She is making sure he
is on schedule and not goofing off. Marit Chauvin is a delight to us all and has
too many uncles who spoil her, but there are timbers to be cut and work to be done.
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Tim has moved layout to the big barn to free up much needed space in the timber
shop. He can be seen making a pass along the timber face with a power hand planer.
In the process of layout, we must ensure that each timber is perfectly square all
along its length. Slight imperfections on the timber face could change the layout
dimensions making the joinery difficult to fabricate.
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Keith, Will and Doug are working on a jig arrangement for a mortise that will be
cut on one of the timbers faces. The machine you see is a chain mortiser. It is
used to cut away the waste wood from the mortise, just as we do with Mr. Mortiser.
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Will is finishing one of the many tenons in the chapel frame. After we cut the tenon
with a power saw, we hand finish all of the surfaces. Will is using a hand plane
to achieve a smooth surface and produce the final dimension of the tenon.
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Meet Travis Horton. You've seen Travis working in the shop in other reports. Travis
is a Bachelor of Fine Arts graduate of Stephen F. Austin University and is a trained
sculptor. To Travis, working with timbers is a lot like sculpting.
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Travis is working on some of the complex joinery on Post 1B. In this image you can
see the various cuts that were made to achieve the mortise and double tenon at the
end of the post. How do we know this is Post 1B? It's marked on the end of the post.
Remember that every timber in the chapel has its own designation so we know exactly
where it belongs in the frame. You will see a lot of these markings.
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After the joinery is finished, it is coated with "end sealer" which is
similar in appearance to white glue but is actually a wax based product. Travis
is about to apply end sealer to these timbers.
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End sealer seals the end grain of the timbers. Although we dry the timbers to less
than 20% moisture content, there is still some moisture left in the core. When we
cut joinery into the end of the timber, it produces an easy path to the outside
for the remaining internal moisture, which could cause the end joinery to check
and change dimension. End sealer retards this rapid loss of moisture. Eventually,
all of the timbers will dry to an equilibrium with the surrounding environment.
The joinery for Post 4D and Post 3D are complete and the timbers are ready for final
finishing.
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Will and Richard start construction of the form used to build the long sweeping
lower arch timber. The arch timber will be a laminate of 1" boards. We will
build the laminated arch in another report.
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The form must be laid out in a precise manner to ensure the arch complies with the
construction drawings. It will take these men the better part of a day to complete
the form to the exacting measurements required.
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Meet Arvel Aldridge. Arvel is a long time friend of the shop and a well respected
timberwright in the industry. Arvel has joined the crew for a few weeks to help
out with the chapel project. Arvel is seen here cutting some of the more complex
tenons for the hammer beams.
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Arvel is finishing up his saw work and is moving the next timber into place. There
will be a more pictures of Arvel's in subsequent reports. It is a pleasure watching
this man go about his work.
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