Thursday, September 20, 2012

Shelter at the Common Ground Country Fair


Come and visit Shelter at the famous Common Ground Country Fair in beautiful Unity, Maine (map) this weekend, September 21, 22, and 23. Gates open at 9:00 am.

The Common Ground Fair is sponsored by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA). Like most county fairs, it will feature lectures, demonstrations, and all kinds of entertainment. How is it different? Of course, it features wonderful organic producers (like our friends at Hatchet Cove Farm). And to quote the MOFGA website:
If you’ve ever been to the Fair, you know — and if you haven’t been, anyone who has will tell you — it’s an event like no other, that brings together so many people from so many walks of life, all in the spirit of celebrating the rural and agricultural traditions of Maine.
Shelter will be displaying great woodworking and backwoods tools including Japanese saws, Flexcut carving tools, woodturning tools, the Tormek Sharpening system, froes, saws, and an assortment of woodworking and building books. We'll also have a great selection of composting toilets, backyard composting units, and composting tools.

Shelter will be in the "Farm and Homestead" section of the fairgrounds (map). You won't be able to miss our booth at the show, which will feature a gorgeous 8' by 8' timberframe in douglas fir. It demonstrates through tenons, trusses, wedges, and birdsmouth joints.

More information about the fair can be found on the MOFGA website. There's a lot of admission details, so be sure to plan ahead and check out the website.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Searspark Gazebo


We recently traveled to East Hampton, Connecticut to raise the Governor William A. O'Neil Performing Arts Gazebo in Sears Park, located right on Lake Pocotopaug.  Mr. O'Neil, an East Hampton native,  was a popular governor of Connecticut from 1980-1989.

The gazebo bears his name in hand carved letters with flat black relief in crisp contrast to the western red cedar timbers.  In addition to the excellent natural rot resistance provided by the cedar, all the timbers are coated with our favorite oil-Land Ark Exterior.

The structure of the building is complex-what appears to be a simple hip roof from the exterior proves to be much more interesting as you enter the building and look up. The hip rafters are actually carried by two clear-spanning, flat topped trusses, similar to what you would see flanking a railroad bridge.  The two trusses run parallel to your entrance into the building, providing a clearly defined line of sight out to the lake. It is hard to decide whether to look out and admire the view or to look up and admire the view. The building tie-downs are stainless steel threaded rods concealed inside the 10x10 posts, attached to both the post and the concrete slab with acrylic based adhesive.  The roof sheathing is a nominal 3x6 end and edge grooved plank, made from three plies of Douglas fir laminated to together, capable of spanning twelve feet. This product eliminates the need for jack rafters, resulting in a clean roof structure, consisting of only principle and hip rafters.

The architect for this project was Cheryl Newton Architect LLC (www.cnarchitect.com) from Glastonbury, CT and the general contractor was Scope Construction (www.scopeconstruction.com) from New Britain, CT.

If you find yourself in East Hampton, stop in and take a look-the gazebo is hard to miss when you walk or drive in.  Park hours are 7AM-8PM.

If you are interested in having us design and build a gazebo for you, call or stop in at our shop-we are always happy to talk structure with you.Governor William A. O'Neill Performing Arts Gazebo Searspark in East Hampton, CT