After a brief review of molding profiles, terminology, and construction techniques at the restored William Briggs Tavern (pictured above), the class walked to Eastfield Village's restored, fully equipped Woodshop (pictured below), a short distance away.
There, Don demonstrated the proper use of wood planes, then turned the woodshop over to the students to experiment and learn how moldings were historically made. The shop contains several hundred wood planes from various periods of history and additional hand tools Don has collected over the years.
Everyone got a chance to practice, getting a feel for the wood and various planes, and asking numerous questions.
When everyone had tried planing wood into moldings, the class returned to the William Briggs Tavern, where Don presented a slide show illustrating the evolution of the fireplace, bake ovens, and chimneys. The class broke for lunch (bag lunches brought from school), finished the slide presentation, and then spent most of the afternoon studying brickwork, fireplaces, bake ovens and chimneys at the numerous Eastfield Village buildings.
Don announced that the 2007 schedule of summer workshops is nearly complete and brochures will soon be mailed and posted on the Eastfield Village web site. These 3-5 day hands-on, highly intensive, and immensely popular workshops are open to the public; click the Eastfield Village link above if you're interested!
