NBSS Holiday Party 2012 + BAC Building Opening

December 17, 2012 @TheRainford Leave a comment

During the holidays there is always so much to do, so many errands to run, so many people to try and catch up with, and all of the other usual holidays stresses. Even with all the running around, one of my favorite events of the season is the North Bennet Street School Holiday party. For me it always evokes images of what I imagine a party at Old Fezziwig’s warehouse would be like.

There is always lively holiday music being played on a fiddle recently made by its owner. Lance plays a tune on his saw. Everyone brings homemade dishes. Many of us are covered in saw dust or smudges from the shop and there is a energy in the room. The annual table hockey tournament is being played to a cheering crowd.

The room is alive with students, faculty and alumni talking about their work, their passions and the year ahead.

Front of the new home to NBSS after 125+ years on North Bennet Street they are moving to a larger facility that will put the entire school back under one roof. Located right off the greenway the new building has a nice street presence.

This year (Thursday 12/13/12) was the first North Bennet Street School Holiday Party at the new building which is located at 150 North Street in Boston which is now partially occupied by the school (the rest of the departments to move in this coming year).

Side view of North Street Building. This rear corner is where Preservation Carpentry will reside.

The new building will start an exciting new chapter in the school’s history. While I am nostalgic for the original NBSS building which had a lot of unusual quirks and a TON of history in the walls, the new space is starting to take on a life of its own and as more tools make it up onto the walls and the old benches find their way to their new homes you can see a distinctly NBSS feel develop.

New workspace for the Bookbinding program

The Bookbinding program was one of the first to move into the new space. And even during the party a few dedicated folks are still toiling away at their benches as party-goers make the rounds to see what students have been up to.

DSCN7022 — Massive wooden bookbinding presses waiting to be set up

Walking the halls you can see all the tools and equipment that have seen many years of use.

Violin making department -- even during the party a few students were still working at their benches — Violin making department — even during the party a few students were still working at their benches

In the violin making department there are a few more folks finishing up their bench work. The new space is larger and more spread out.

The school also has many of the posters from the new ‘Do What You Love Every Day’ marketing campaign you can see around the city and in related trade magazines. It really captures a core tenet of the NBSS Philosophy and how skilled hand work is a very fulfilling vocation.

'Do What You Love Every Day' NBSS Ad campaign (In this poster is a friend named Nikki from Bookbinding) — ‘Do What You Love Every Day’ NBSS Ad campaign (In this poster is a friend named Nikki from Bookbinding)

You can learn more about NBSS and their efforts to bring the school ‘Under One Roof’ here on the website. There is also a powerful video clip about why this move means so much to the NBSS community and the surrounding neighborhood.

'Do What You Love Every Day' — ‘Do What You Love Every Day’

Thursday was a busy night for me in the city. After the NBSS Holiday Party I had to head over to the BAC to see the public opening of the new building they’ve renovated/re-purposed at 951 Boylston Street in Boston.

Entrance to 951 Boylston Street Boston, a new building for the BAC. The desk shown here was fabricated by NBSS students

On display in the entry way is a beautiful desk and shelving system which was fabricated by NBSS students.

The interior of this building is now a bright and modern space designed to celebrate student work, host school and community events, and provide more studio space for students.

Me, in front of an example of what will be preserved in the old building

Above I am standing in front of a section of this building which was a hot topic of discussion during the summer Historic Preservation (HP) classes at the BAC. Originally this historic masonry work was going to be concealed in the wall, but with some pushing from the HP students and faculty this architectural detail will be the subject of upcoming materials conservation work and will be incorporated into the design of the space and a creative example of work on display.

You can learn more about this new space at the BAC here.

It was a great night to be in downtown Boston and helped get me into the spirit of the holidays.
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

Historic Places, Portfolio, Preservation

Well Done Wellington

December 9, 2012 @TheRainford 3 Comments

The historic Wellington House in Waltham MA dates back to the late 1700s and has a long history which was almost lost to development. In recent years this house has seen some exterior restoration, but now things are progressing on the interior as well. This post is the tale of how the kitchen fireplace surround was documented and restored.

First some history about the house:

It was home to the Wellington Family from 1779 – 1930 when it was sold to the state and became part of the Middlesex County Hospital and was used as an office for some of the hospital administration. After the hospital closed the house stood abandon for 20+ years and the weather and neglect took a toll on the building

Interior Front Door of the Wellington House

This house is an interesting specimen of Massachusetts Architecture from the time of the revolutionary war, the local militia and the large percentage of original details that remain intact in the house, though many of them are in desperate need of preservation.

Central Stair Hall, Wellington House, Waltham MA

In 1989 the house was put on the National Historic Register of Historic Places. As a developer was looking to develop the acreage behind this historic property the city of Waltham had the foresight to ask that this house be donated back to the town along with funds to cover the restoration work. Since that time the roof was replaced, some structural stabilization was carried out and much of the exterior has been touched up, but the interior is another story. Once restored this building will eventually serve as the offices for the historical commission.

Now on to the interior of the main kitchen:

The 'Before' this was the kitchen fireplace surround as we found it — The ‘Before’ this was the kitchen fireplace surround as we found it

Above is what the kitchen looked like when I arrived at the house.

Steve O'Shaughnessy working with me on documenting what was left of this historic fabric — Steve O’Shaughnessy working with me on documenting what was left of this historic fabric

Steve O’Shaughnessy and I examined what was left and worked to document the fireplace surround, paneling, cabinets, hardware etc via photographs and site notes. Water had been infiltrating the chimney stack and was causing a lot of damage to this woodwork — along with various small animals. The paneling on the right side was bowed several inches off the wall. Sara Chase, NBSS adviser and paint analysis expert examined samples to determine the original color of the trim.

Carefully removing pins so we can disassemble the paneling

After initial documentation we carefully disassembled the paneling so the masonry could be examined and repaired and so the woodwork could also be restored.

Getting the large panel and surround down in one piece (Pictured Bill Rainford)

Getting the central panel out in a single piece was an accomplishment and while exhausted at the time we were happy that everything came out without breaking anything and it even revealed a nice surprise….

Signed and dated 1904 in beautiful cursive -- likely when the panel was put back in to cover the earlier hole made when a stove was installed — Signed and dated 1904 in beautiful cursive — likely when the panel was put back in to cover the earlier hole made when a stove was installed

Behind the large panel was a large signature in fancy cursive writing that read: “Ernest S Farr January 28th 1904” I did some digging around on the internet and found that there was an Ernest S Farr (ca 1874-1920) in Middlesex who was married to Ida Farr and had a daughter named Helen N Farr in 1895.

The masonry seeing the light of day for the first time in well over 100 years (At least since 1904, possibly since 1799)

With the paneling removed you could see the masonry work of the chimney mass. You could see the heavy wood lintel was sagging a bit, but otherwise the masonry was largely intact. You could also see the scars of installing a stove into the main chimney flue and also into the flue for the beehive oven. It appears that the work of Ernest S Far was to replace the fielded panel and cover in the stovepipe hole in the primary fireplace, which leads me to think the stovepipe in the beehive oven was the later addition. I also have to comment that Ernest did a very good job getting that panel in place without disturbing the other woodworking — when we removed the rest of the surround we could see the cut nail holes and the rest of the paneling were original to the first installation.

Martin Hickman fine tuning some hardware during installation

My friend and colleague Martin Hickman (also from NBSS) restored the woodworking that was removed. This was a laborious task that took many days to complete.

Restored paneling being re-installed (Pictured Martin Hickman)

Beyond the dissassembly, paint scraping and basic repairs , Martin also had to work to remove the large bow in the paneling caused by the water damage

Martin finishing up the final pieces of the installation

Martin’s efforts paid off well as the final product once re-installed would likely have looked very familiar to the original Wellington’s who once inhabited this house. This room will eventually be used as a conference room for the Waltham Historical Commission. If you notice the small patch above the fireplace that is an area deliberately preserving the long paint history of this woodwork and will be exposed as a reminder to the later inhabitants of the room.

The 'After' -- the restored surround, paneling and cabinets have been re-installed and are looking great. The off color patch in he middle will be preserved under glass as a reminder of the change this woodworking has seen and for future paint analysis if ever needed again in the future. — The ‘After’ — the restored surround, paneling and cabinets have been re-installed and are looking great. The off color patch in he middle will be preserved under glass as a reminder of the change this woodworking has seen and for future paint analysis if ever needed again in the future.

While there is a LOT of work that remains on the rest of the interior the Wellington House is off to a great start and I hope that the rest of the building will be restored to its earlier glory in the coming years.

You can learn more about the Wellington House and some of its history here.

Historic Places

It’s all in the details — The Zimmerman House — by Frank Lloyd Wright

November 17, 2012 @TheRainford Leave a comment

When people talk about the works of Frank Lloyd Wright (FLW) the focus is usually on his grander houses and public buildings like Falling Water or the Guggenheim, but all too often his smaller homes for middle class families were overlooked. These smaller projects often captured the needs or personalities of the families that were to live in them. They also had smaller budgets so a lot of the magic is in the details and creative use of space.

The Zimmerman house in Manchester NH is a great example of one of these smaller homes and the only FLW house in New England that is open to the public.

Decades before the Not So Big House and the modern Green Building movement, FLW and his apprentices were pushing the design ideas of doing more in less space, investing in materials and craftsmanship to build character, building for the long term and going green when possible. In order to do more with less space, a lot more effort is spent on design and attention to detail. This can be seen in the way the grain of wood plugs are lined up in the Georgia Cyprus siding which are all laid out in combinations of 10″ and 3″ spacing as are many other details in the house including the masonry and walls and how the home’s design reflected the needs of the occupants. The Zimmerman’s loved music and entertaining and the living and dining spaces were laid out to host such events with grace. The attention to detail also flowed into the furniture in the home which was also designed by FLW and company and delivered as part of the house. The living room and dining room tables were designed to interlock and make a banquet table. The large music stand could hide stools, store music and provide lighting. The mail box was designed to reflect the aesthetic of the house and is the only know extant example of a FLW designed mailbox.

In this 1600 square foot home, which seems small compared to the McMansions popping up today, the house boasts some other interesting features which seem ahead of their time given the home was built in the early 1950s: radiant heat, vaulted ceilings, adaptive use of living space, gardens and windows that blur the distinction between interior and exterior space, custom cast concrete window frames that give privacy in the front, a wide array of modern appliances for the day, site layout designed for passive solar heating, integrated car port etc.

Why is this relevant to home builders and home buyers today? In recent years the effects of human impact on the planet — whether it be global warming or increasingly limited resources and also the sputtering economy are all stark reminders that we need to build for our present enjoyment and comfort but also with an eye for the future. To accomplish this we need to respect and incorporate the lessons learned by our forefathers and embrace the technological advances of our day. I want future generations to look on the work of my generation and feel like we were faithful stewards of the resources we had and I found my visit to the Zimmerman house to be a reminder that as joiner’s and house-wrights we are part of a continuum of forward looking craftsman the spans from the distant past well into the future. This line of reasoning always brings me back to the popular quote by Ruskin:

“When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for; and let us think, as we lay stone on stone, that a time is to come when those stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of them, “See! This our father did for us.”” –John Ruskin

You can learn more about the Zimmerman House or plan a visit from the Currier’s web page for the ‘Z’ house as it is affectionately nicknamed here.

Front of the Zimmerman House — designed to maximize privacy

Only known extant Frank Lloyd Wright designed Mailbox

Rear of the Zimmerman House -- the private outdoor space — Rear of the Zimmerman House — the private outdoor space

Designed to incorporate passive solar heating -- wide overhangs and orientation relative tot he summer sun — Designed to incorporate passive solar heating — wide overhangs and orientation relative tot he summer sun

Carport -- brick and Georgia Cyprus with plugs over the screw heads — Carport — brick and Georgia Cyprus with plugs over the screw heads

Overhand behind the carport -- designed so Mrs. Zimmerman could see her gardens as she pulled into the house — Overhand behind the carport — designed so Mrs. Zimmerman could see her gardens as she pulled into the house

Note the windows off of the garden (living) room -- glass was mounted directly into the brick, concrete and ceiling -- no frames and better connection to the outside — Note the windows off of the garden (living) room — glass was mounted directly into the brick, concrete and ceiling — no frames and better connection to the outside

Another modest FLW home up the street -- could be yours if you have teh $1.8M plus what it would take to get it back up to code — Another modest FLW home up the street — could be yours if you have teh $1.8M plus what it would take to get it back up to code

Timber Framing

Highlights from the 2012 Timber Framer’s Guild Conference in Leesburg VA

October 24, 2012 @TheRainford 2 Comments

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the 2012 Timber Framer’s Guild Conference at the National Conference Center in Leesburg VA.

From meeting a lot of the top timber framer’s in the country, to great talks, joint busting and axe throwing there was a lot to take in. Below is a quick recap of some of the more memorable events from this year.

Conference T-Shirt, Wood Bookmark, Swag from the show

I was excited to meet a lot of the guys who helped to found the Timber Framer’s Guild and wrote many of the books I often reference in my work and teaching: Jack Sobon, Ted Benson, Will Beemer, and many others. It was also great to see lots of friends from the field and make new connections.

Hard, Slow Learning: We Weren't Very Good Yet, but at Least We Were Skinny -- from Ted Benson's Talk — Hard, Slow Learning: We Weren’t Very Good Yet, but at Least We Were Skinny — from Ted Benson’s Talk

Rich Friberg, my good friend and the second year instructor at the North Bennet Street School gave an interesting talk on Preservation Principles and Methods and showed off some of the great work the school is doing.

Rich Friberg Talking About Historic Preservation Topics

We also got the chance to meet Thomas C. Hubka author of “Big House, Little House, Back House, Barn: The Connected Farm Buildings of New England” and learn about his current research as well as the other projects he’s been involved with including the Timber Framed Synagogue in Europe.

I was excited to get up on stage Friday night and talk about some of the timber framing work I did with NBSS. Shown below I was discussing the new square rule barn and also the historic ~1791 two bay English Style Barn we restored at Brookwood Farm in Canton MA.

Bill Rainford (Me) talking about some work I did with NBSS at Brookwood Farm

Bill Rainford (Me) talking about some work I did with NBSS at Brookwood Farm on Friday Night

BANG — CRACK — SNAP — JOINT BUSTING! In a corner of the trade show portion of the conference during the inter-session breaks we got to see a lot of the joint busting competition. Basically you build a timber framed joint meeting some specific size specifications and it is placed into a hydraulic or pneumatic press that will apply an incredible amount of pressure to see what it would take to cause the joint to fail. This info is projected on the screen and also logged by computer sensor for research purposes. When the joint fails it often makes quite the sound.

Joint busting competition at the trade show

Some of the many and varied joints that were busted this year

Great looking joint with carved embellishments

Look out for flying axes at the AXE THROWING COMPETITION!
Outside the guild setup some targets and allowed us to practice our axe throwing before the big competition. I had never thrown an axe before, but after a quick lesson, it was a lot of fun and with a little practice we made some good shots.

Kim Catlin (NBSS Graduate) Throwing an Axe

Bill Rainford (Me) standing next to my bullseye shot

I had a great time at the show, I’m all fired up to get out in the yard and start hewing and framing some more outbuildings and I can’t wait to go back next year!

Historic Places, Preservation

What to do with 56 pounds of horsehair at Montpelier?

October 14, 2012 @TheRainford Leave a comment

On a recent visit to Washington D.C. my wife and I took a day trip out to Orange VA to see Montpelier — the rural estate of James and Dolley Madison. If you have never been to the home of the 4th U.S. President and ‘father’ of the U.S. Constitution, I highly recommend taking a day to visit especially if you are interested in modern historic preservation.

The mansion is situated on ~2700 acres and provides stunning views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and surrounding terrain.

Many people have seen Washington’s Mt. Vernon, Adam’s Peacefield, Jefferson’s Monticello over the years and depending on when and how they were preserved you can see varying degrees of ‘re-muddling’ from generations of caretakers each with their own budgets, skill sets and agendas. In more recent years Historic Preservation efforts have evolved along with related science and technology to try and adhere to more scientific methods and standards which allow for better educated decisions around reading materials, doing research etc — though there are still politics and agendas — my belief is that modern interpretations attempt to be more grounded in findings from the site and related research and more forthcoming with calling out what was done based on fact and what was carried out based on an educated guess — a trend I hope continues as new facts are learned about a site.

Many people have not seen Montpelier since the the property was a private residence for parts of the DuPont family for much of the 20th century. In 1983 the site was bequeathed to the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) which carried out a $25M major restoration effort from ~2003-2009.

Earlier entrance to the older portion of the home, note the ghost lines in the brick

After doing extensive research which called upon many experts in the field of historic preservation — from the National Parks Department, Colonial Williamsburg and private practitioners — the NTHP removed 23,739* square feet of living space from the 20th century additions made by the DuPonts. The goal was to restore the property to what it looked like at the time the Madison’s lived there.

One exterior feature that survived largely intact was Mr. Madison’s temple which sat atop the ice house which was the source of ice for Dolley’s famous ice cream.

The exterior work ranged from removing later exterior renovations to stabilizing, preserving, restoring and/or replacing exterior architectural details like the front door surrounds.

The side lights flanking the door can lower into recessed pockets to promote air flow

A close up detail of the pediment and its crisp detailing:

Other work was based on archeological and documentary evidence of the site — this was the case with the outbuildings which would have serviced the main home and was where the slaves and servants lived and worked.

Re-constructed timber frames of some of the outbuildings

The interior of the mansion also underwent extensive work, unfortunately we are not allowed to take photos inside, so if you want to see it for yourself you will have to visit.

What has me so excited about this site compared to many others is the fact that is was largely preserved — even with all the later renovations and additions the core of the house and many of its doors, windows and mantels survived on site AND the preservation and restoration work mainly happened during the last ten years with the benefit of being carried out by some of the best practitioners in the field.

The restored mansion takes on the look and feel of many of the historic buildings I often work on — you can see and smell the fresh plaster, the rooms are sparsely furnished as the Foundation is still looking to acquire some of the original furnishings — you can see active preservation projects going on at the site — it feels more alive and tangible compared to some of the similar sites which feel more dusty and tired from a constant stream of visitors.

The meticulous attention to detail in the restoration is evident throughout. On the second floor of the mansion they have a room that is partially restored and shows some of the more interesting finds from the exploration of the building — paint details on plaster and timbers, tags and branded numbering on repairs so future generations know who did what during this period, and an array of other interesting facts and figures. (Similar to the Gedney house in Salem MA)

So why would I ever need 56 pounds of horsehair at Montpelier? To mix into 90 tons of dry mix plaster* of course! That is how much plaster it took to restore the interior of the mansion. Staggering figures and interesting facts will keep your inner preservation carpenter happy as you take the tour. The foundation offers many books in the gift shop about the Madison’s and other founding fathers but below are two of my favorites as they are also used to train some of the docents. I recommend picking them up if you go there. They walk you through the history of the site and its inhabitants, documentation of the restoration and related research.

Montpelier Foundation Books on Preservation of the Site

If you are interested to learn more about the restoration of Montpelier check out the official website here. And for the gardener in your life — the history of the various gardens and landscapes can be found on this site.

If you are interested in visiting Montpelier, check out their calendar of activities on the main Montpelier website here. There are lots of events throughout the year including candle light tours, and tours going more in depth on the Madison’s, Archeology, Historic Preservation, and the life and times of inhabitants of that period in American history. I hope to see you there.

Since i am not in many pictures on this blog (I'm usually behind the camera) I figured I'd add this one into the collection — Since I’m usually behind the camera, I figured I’d add this one — “Now try to look more like a tourist”

And last but not least, since I an not in many of the pictures on this blog I figured I’d add on at least one touristy pic in front of the visitor’s center. If you make your own pilgrimage to Montpelier, let me know or better yet share your own picture in front of this sign. 🙂

* Above facts were taken from ‘James Madison’s Sovenir Book’ UPC 190001 and available from the gift shop at Montpelier.

Portfolio, Workshop Projects

Those Tools Travel In Style — Rolling Tool Cart

September 26, 2012 @TheRainford Leave a comment

Are you a busy woodworker on the go? Looking for some more hand tool luggage to go with your saw till? Then look no further than this stylish Hand Tool Cart! Its clean lines and stylish fenders will turn heads as you roll from the workshop to the trade show. But wait, there’s more…..

OK, now that we’ve chased that car salesman out of the shop we can talk about the details. I based the design on a ‘Tool Caddy’ I saw in issue 158 of Wood Magazine from 2004; though I made some modifications/additions. I scaled up the width of the chest to fit a #8 plane and panel saws. I built out a full set of drawers to hold planes and marking gauges etc. I added locking clasps on the front so it can be locked. I installed safety chains on both sides of the flip top lid — which is where I store items I use most frequently — combo square, brush, card file, scraper, scale, marking gauge etc. The lid also locks inside the protected zone covered by the main chest doors. The luggage style handle mechanism is made from copper pipe and folds out of the way when not in use. I also added heavy duty chest pulls to aid in maneuvering the chest as it can get heavy fast. I particularly like the fenders as a finishing touch. I also took care to match wood grain across the pieces. The cart is made from birch plywood, finished with 4 coats of polyurethane and 2 coats of wax. I’ve used it for several years now and it has been a great addition to the shop.

Front view of the tool cart with doors open

Front view with drawer's opened — Front view with drawer’s opened

Rear view with luggage style handle extended

Historic Places, Tool Reviews, Workshop Projects

Anarchy at the Tool Show — Classic Tool Chests

September 23, 2012 @TheRainford Leave a comment

I need to get something off my chest– literally. Ever since reading the Anarchist’s Tool Chest I’ve had Tool Chest envy. My wife and I recently moved up to NH from Boston and it seems like it has been taking a lifetime to get my shop setup and fully functional again. Teaching, work, life, smaller projects and commissions keep getting in the way. Once winter sets in and I get more ‘me’ time in the shop I plan to build my own proper tool chest — though right now hand my tools ride around in style via a mobile tool chest/cart I built as a student at NBSS — complete with curved fenders, a retractable handle, 4 drawers and a tray top (I’ll post more on that in an upcoming post).

This past week I was at the Live Free or Die tool show and auction in Nashua NH — and is part of my twice annual pilgrimage to the ultimate old hand tool show. Beyond great deals on hard to find tools, it’s also a great place to see lots of faces from NBSS, vendors I’ve been buying from for years and the one random guy who only seems to sell very ornate turned plumb bobs every year.

Below are some of the more interesting tool chests I was able to find and photograph with my camera phone (please excuse the quality of them). The wide variety of what survived was a great source of inspiration.

Tool Chest with Extensive Inlay Work and single Till inside

Remains of a large tool chest with wood and rope handle

Beautiful Tool Chest from 1849 with extensive inlay work, divided tills, half lock etc

More of that ornate tool chest. This gentleman must have loved playing cards

Chest with heavy metal reinforced corners

Large chest from the auction. Interesting box till on the lid

Some of the more pedestrian and modern tool chests -- I see some plywood — Some of the more pedestrian and modern tool chests — I see some plywood

More of the modern chests, and a treadle powerd scroll saw

You never know what you will find in a chest here -- including a human skeleton (anatomy model) — You never know what you will find in a chest here — including a human skeleton (anatomy model)

You can learn more about the Anarchist’s Tool Chest here on my friend Chris Schwarz’s blog. (Along with other great books by the Lost Art Press)

Sorry Chris — I was unable to find any slant topped chests, but I gave it a good try.

Historic Places, Masonry Techniques, Preservation, Woodworking Techniques

Turning Wood Into Stone — Rustication at Mount Vernon

September 4, 2012 @TheRainford 7 Comments

Why would someone want to turn wood into stone?

A stone building or home often conveyed a sense of lasting presence, wealth, and a connection to the many famous stone structures of antiquity that we so often try to emulate and incorporate into our architectural designs. So why not just build with stone in the first place?

The answer is usually economics — wood is a lot cheaper, easier to move and shape compared to stone — so if you could make your wooden home look like stone you’ll be keeping up with the Jones’ and not break the bank.

I just returned from a trip down to Washington D.C. where we also visited Mount Vernon — the home of George and Martha Washington with amazing views of the Potomac — and the most famous example of Feigned Rustication I am aware of.

George and Martha Washington's Home -- Mount Vernon — George and Martha Washington’s Home — Mount Vernon

What is Rustication?

Rustication is a term from the world of Masonry wherein the individual stones are squared off or beveled so as to accentuate the textured edges of each block. You can learn more about it on Wikipedia here. You can often see this feature on the lower and/or first levels of large masonry structures like banks and older stone office buildings. It provided a sense of grounding and provided a stark contrast to the smoother ashlar work on upper stories.

What is Feigned Rustication?

Feigned Rustication is the process of taking wood siding — carving/shaping it so that it looks like a series of rusticated stones, priming and painting it, and then when the paint is still wet covering it with fine sand so that the board takes on the color/shape/texture of stone.

Rustication Process as shown in stages on a sign out on the grounds of Mount Vernon. (Click to enlarge)

Here is a close up view of this technique applied to the exterior siding and trim:

While not alchemy, this technique got the job done and from a distance it’s hard to tell the building is not made from stone until you get up close — and even then you have to know what you are looking at.

The Rusitcation lets the home look like as if it is made of stone — The Rustication lets the home look like as if it is made of stone

So while George and Martha Washington were generally quite wealthy during their time, they did make decisions that weighed materials vs. appearance vs. cost much the same way we do in our own homes today and stretched the dollar as much as they could. As you can see in the picture below, for secondary buildings they only applied this technique to the fronts of the buildings — around the corner you can see the siding reverts back to a nice beaded clapboard detail. You can also see some other more common faux finishes like artificial grain applied to some doors in the home — to make them look like expensive mahogany. This was a fairly common practice and not looked down upon the way some readers may be interpreting this.

Note the transition from Rustication back to beaded claps on the side of this secondary building

Now that you’ve seen how we can transform wood into stone — were you fooled by the illusion? Are you going to work some similar alchemy on your own home’s exterior?

I highly recommend visiting Mount Vernon if you are in the Northern VA/Washington D.C. Area. You can find out more about this historic home, museum and grounds here.

In your travels if you find some other examples of Feigned Rustication, let me know here on the blog. (Another famous place with this treatment is Monticello also in Virgina)

Preservation

What did you do for summer vacation? A Decathlon in Historic Preservation?!

August 23, 2012 @TheRainford 3 Comments

Back in grade school, I enjoyed when students would get up in front of the class and talk about what they did for their summer vacation. This summer rather than taking a rest from a very recent move to New Hampshire and new job earlier in the year I decided to spend it pursuing my passion for teaching traditional craft skills.

I’ve been teaching the ‘Traditional Building’ master’s class at the Boston Architectural College (BAC) in partnership with the North Bennet Street School (NBSS). It’s a low residency master’s program in Historic Preservation wherein students come in from around the country for a very intensive hands on week in Boston and spend the rest of the semester working online. For 8 straight days the students are with me from the early morning until dinner time, they grab a quick bite to eat and spend their evenings completing the intensive portion of their other class this semester ‘Preservation Philosophy and Practice’ with Virginia ‘Ginny’ Adams.

Some highlights of the week included:

A walking tour of many historic homes and buildings in Boston including the Paul Revere House, Otis House, Gibson House and Trinity Church hosted by Steve O’Shaughnessy who is the Head of the NBSS Preservation Carpentry Department

Walking tour of historic buildings and homes in Boston

Learning about how to mix and analyze paint with historic paint expert Sara Chase who is a PC program adviser to NBSS

Learning about historic hardware and fasteners with preservation expert Robert Adam (former head of PC program at NBSS) and touring the Saugus Ironworks NHP

A private tour of the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) Boston

Historic plaster work with master plasterer Andy Ladygo — another adviser to the NBSS PC Program

Traditional woodworking (hand planes, moldings etc) and Historic Window Sash Restoration with Bill Rainford (NBSS PC Graduate and Workshop Instructor)

Historic Timber Framing with Rich Friberg — NBSS Preservation Carpentry instructor and master wood turner
Timber Framing. Photo by Zachary Ingalls

To commemorate the experience Robert Ogle, MDS Director at the BAC had the shirts below made up for the class which will be a new tradition for this program. I’m happy to report that everyone survived the week.

"I survived the HP Intensive Week @ The BAC Fall 2012" — “I survived the HP Intensive Week @ The BAC Fall 2012”

Once the intensive was over, everyone took a quick breath, headed home and have been busy with their cameras and notebooks applying some of the skills they learned to their own work and later assignments in the class ever since.

All in all it was a great way to spend a summer vacation.

Historic Places

Blowing in the Wind — Historic Weathervanes

August 3, 2012 @TheRainford Leave a comment

Oftentimes the little details of a building make all the difference — turning a non-nondescript barn into a memorable place. Did you see that barn with the flying pig on top of it? Did you see that house with the fish weathervane?

When wandering around the Freedom Trail in Boston you better keep your eye out for weather vanes. What animal sits atop Faneuil Hall? If you don’t know it you may be accused of being a British Spy as they did in revolutionary times.

Still don’t know what it was? It was a 4 foot gilded grasshopper, but don’t let anyone know I told you.

Grasshopper on top Faneuil Hall in Boston — Grasshopper on top of Faneuil Hall in Boston

In addition to telling you the direction of the wind, and giving artists a chance to show off, the weathervane can also tell us other things about the building it is perched on top of. They often differentiated public from private buildings, may hint at the status of the owners, what business may go on in the building etc.

Beyond the traditional banner or arrow weathervane, the array of sizes and styles was only limited by the imagination of the craftsmen creating them.
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In recent years these iconic pieces of our architectural landscape have been recognized as true works of folk art garnering displays at museums like the MFA in Boston, Colonial Williamsburg and the like.

But don’t let all the new found attention from the museum set fool you into believing they have a lock on the market — there are still people making their own weathervanes and exploring new possibilities. So the next time you take a walk around the block or visit a historic area keep an eye out for interesting weathervanes. If you drive up towards Freeport Maine you’ll even see several businesses that specialize in making novel new models. In your travels if you find any that are particularly notable, drop me a line via email or leave me a note on the blog.

Until then, I’ll let the wind point you in the right direction.

In the slideshow below you can see several of the interesting weathervanes on display in Colonial Williamsburg’s historic area and a few from the MFA’s collection in Boston MA.

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Rainford Restorations

Yearly Archives: 2012