Hertzler Barn Project
George Rogers Clark Historic Park, Springfield, Ohio
July 7-21, 2007


Reports from the field by Joel McCarty

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Day 2 Report


This day started clear, and a little warmer. We met in high spirits over breakfast, and planned a day of mortising and post fabrication.

We dressed all the new timber and the new work with red end seal, in honor of Independence Day. It was a long hot day in the sun for Brian and Dane, who worked over the summers, while the rest of the crew worked under the big top, fashioning basement posts and other delights.

We have a pretty good chance of rain for tomorrow, and so are trying to make room in the tents for sills and plates so that we can all work efficiently out of the weather if need be.

All in all, an excellent and productive day. You'll never hear any of us claim to be on schedule, but the possibility does exist.


Photos by J. McCarty
Roll over any small photo for a larger view

Captions:

  1. Dane Gustafson still smiling even though he is cutting his 37th housing in the "harder than Pharaoh's Heart" Hickory summers.
  2. Project Manager Vincent Leyendecker pauses from cutting new basement posts, to gaze into the distance of our three-week stay here in Ohio.
  3. Implements of Destruction; The operating room of Don Seela and Tim DeVore, who are salvaging some of the threshing floor for a special purpose that will be revealed in a day or two.
  4. Who's working here? Volunteer Don Seela is head down chopping mortises in salvaged threshing floor while Site Boss Tim DeVore fulfills the role of Human Clamp.
  5. Brian Beals (l) and Dane Gustafson about 42.5 feet down the way of our 60 foot summer beams, under a very hot sun. The Hertzler House is in the background. We expect to set this while it's still cool on Independence Day morning.