Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Be One with Your Wood / Tree Challenge



Disclaimer : Follow all State and Park guidelines when collecting wood from a National and or State Park. Different laws may apply in different areas.



Cades Cove is a broad, verdant valley surrounded by mountains and is one of the most popular destinations in the Great Smokies. It offers some of the best opportunities for wildlife viewing in the park. Large numbers of white-tailed deer are frequently seen, and sightings of black bear, coyote, ground hog, turkey, raccoon, skunk, and other animals are also possible.



An 11-mile, one-way loop road circles the cove, offering motorists the opportunity to sightsee at a leisurely pace. The valley has a rich history. For hundreds of years Cherokee Indians hunted in Cades Cove but archeologists have found no evidence of major settlements.



  The first Europeans settled in the cove sometime between 1818 and 1821. By 1830 the population of the area had already swelled to 271. Cades Cove offers the widest variety of historic buildings of any area in the national park.



   Dan Lawson's is believed to have built his home around 1856.  The property he built his cabin on originally belonged to his father-in-law, Peter Cable.  A very capable carpenter, Cable may have aided with the construction of the home, as it features some of the finest woodwork of the cabins still standing in Cades Cove.



The inside faces of the logs were hewn smooth, and the ceiling joists were dressed and beaded with a plane.  Another unique feature of the cabin was its brick chimney, as this was not a common feature of homes in Cades Cove at the time the home was built.  Lawson would later expand the cabin, adding a second story and a porch for the post office he ran in his home.



A smokehouse, granary, and corn crib would be added as additional structures on the property.  Lawson also accumulated other properties over time, at one point owning a solid strip of land from the state line on the ridge behind the house, across the center of the Cove, to the top of the mountains in front.



Be sure to check out Dominic Bender and his Tree Challenge

https://www.youtube.com/user/DominicsWoodworks

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Build Your On Tiered Display Shelf Weekend Project



I was reading the Winter/Spring issue of The Scroll Saw Woodworking Magazine and came across Tiered Display Shelf by Paul Boer. I know as soon as I seen it, I wanted to do a video on this, so I emailed Paul, and he was very Gracious,  say yes and taked to me about how it came to be in the Scroll Saw Magazine. With that, I took Paul's Idea, and crafted it into my own build. Paul's plans are great, and the pattern is in the magazine, but I wanted to try and do it, to fit my needs. Thanks to Paul for sharing your work, and allowing my to share it as well. Check it out, and hope you enjoy my interpretation of his work.