I'm Starting an Apprenticeship
Everyday on my way to work I drive by a sign advertising the Steppingstone Museum. I have never given it much thought other than that it sounds quaint. Last month I kept seeing signs for the Medieval fair that the museum was hosting and knowing what great people watching these events create, my wife and I decided to check it out. Much to my surprise I discovered that this museum is a recreation of a late 19th century rural farm complete with Joinery, Blacksmith, and Coopery (is that a word?). So while lords and ladies bowed and curtsied and knights battled for honor and glory all around me, I was immersed in wooden planes and Victorian cast iron treadle driven table saws, scrollsaws, and lathes. It was an anachronistic nirvana!
Wade Whitlock, the master joiner on the premise introduced me to their treadle saw and I was surprised that it is not operator driven but rather required the assistance of two others to drive the “pedals” on the outfeed side of the saw. Wade explained that oftentimes, local vagrants would be hired for the day to drive the saw and were paid just enough for them to go out and get drunk that night thereby giving this saw the term “alcohol powered”. As one person pushes down on a pedal the other pedal directly across from it rises and then that person pushes down. It was quite difficult to get started and Wade explained that there was close to 600 lbs of iron underneath the table that we were toiling to get rolling. Once it got started though, you didn’t want to get in the way of those pedals if you fell off. A fellow onlooker and I tried it out while Wade went about crosscutting some Beech using a crude miter gauge. My wife took a video of it, but really all you can see is my backside as I jump up and down on an oak pedal. Really not the most flattering angle so I am choosing to leave it to your imagination…for now…
And here is where lies the exciting news oh dear readers. Posted on the wall of the shop was a call for woodworkers to volunteer with the museum. I quickly inquired with Wade and he explained that he is looking for someone to help them out as there are only two woodworkers currently working at the museum. In exchange for my time, Wade and the other master, John Weifenbach, would take me on as an apprentice and train me in the traditional woodworking ways. I could advance as fast as my skills would permit so Wade acknowledged that I might quickly advanced through the basics since I already had some hand tool experience. Regardless of what he thinks, I’m looking forward to learning the basics all over again from a 19th century perspective. So after applying formerly to the museum and some organizational emails, it is official! I will be the newest Joiner at the Steppingstone museum starting this Saturday, June 5th. Wade said he is going to start me on sharpening and see how quickly I advance from there. I guess I had better leave my Veritas MKII honing guide at home.
So if you are anywhere near the Mid Atlantic region, look up the Steppingstone museum near Havre de Grace, Maryland right at the head of the Chesapeake Bay and pay me a visit. I’ll be working weekends from 1-4 and I’m sure you will find me jumping up and down on the pedals of a treadle table saw. If you bring the beer (nod to Chris Schwarz) you can help power the beast too. In the coming weeks we will be hosting a Celtic Festival on June 12th and 13th and then a Blues Festival on June 26th and 27th. Come by for some beautiful scenery (and I don’t mean the tool collection although that helps), good food, and great music. I can’t promise I’ll be wearing a kilt so don’t get your hopes up!
Finally, I have had a few conversations with the museum staff about starting up a blog for them and I am hoping to get this started shortly where I can regale you with tales from the shop and the museum’s other trades and events. Stay tuned for more news on that soon. In the meantime check out this video posted by my local county board of tourism.
