Project Recaps
1800's Farm House in Serious Need of Some Help
Sometimes an old gem has been left alone for too long, and then someone comes along and wants to treat it right. Those are good stories, and thankfully the case for this house.
The original farmhouse built in the 1800’s but had been added onto numerous times and a part of it had even been lost in a fire in the 1920s.
Numerus owners and not enough care and by the time your humble writer had been brought into consult on the house, the paint was in serious disrepair and rot was rampant on the siding. Thankfully the clients wanted to set everything right.
To bring this house back to its glory would require a complete scrap of all the layers of paint to return to the bare wood.
The reason for this extra step is because modern latex paints tend to trap moisture inside between themselves and the wood, causing siding to rot quickly. By removing all the old paint, the homeowner is able to put on a a Linseed Oil Paint that is good for an average of 8-12 years before it needs to be refinished.
The process is slow and time consuming, but the return on investment is quite high, and the finish is unparalleled.
During the scraping process, your humble writer recevied numerous comments about how the bare wood already look leagues better than the old flaking paint.
Once the scraping was complete, it was time to begin the process of repainting. Ottosson Linseed Oil Paint is one of the top brands with a time tested product.
Working with the client we were able to settle on a good color scheme that highlighted the original moulding and even some of the newer decorative rafter tails from a later renovation.
In the NewYear, work will continue as your humble writer will continue to replace and match the historic moulding as well as design and install an approriate greek-revival porch in the front corner of the home.
Such renovations as undertaken by this beloved client are often expensive and need to be spaced out over a number of years, but the value they add to the home is truly hard to beat.
Even with only half of their home repainted, my beloved clients have been quick to inform me that they have recieved numerous compliments on the new look of their home.
The compliment that is dearest to my heart, however is from one of the owners: ” I can’t get over how deep the color looks! it just draws me in every time i get home from work.”
Comments like this are what continue to ensure my dedication to quality work.
Many have encouraged your humble writer to share the story behind this Altar. While I tend to not display entire projects for the privacy of beloved clients, this piece seems to have warranted one of the few exceptions that I am willing to make due to its already public setting. As such, this page will delve into some great detail about obscure points of the project, Caveat Lector.
The Background and design
The Design
Early design work began, and the beloved client requested a gothic feel to the altar, but after some initial sketches, we decided on a design the resembles the “Tree of Life” from the Hilton of Cadboll Stone. While this was decidedly not Gothic, the Insular influence on the design and carvings created a stunning design that better fit the more intimate nature of the project.
Carvings were placed upon frame members of importance, and as budget allowed. The Gradine facade was easily the most visible part of the altar. Additionally, the the Upper Frame received some lesser engravings and carvings to continue the theme set by the Facade.
With regard to the frame, A simple three panel front divided by columns seem the most straight forward and elegant option for an altar of this size. your humble writer has a preference for gravity joinery which, given the structural constraints, seemed the most appropos.
Cherry was selected as the wood for the frame and Basswood was selected for any panel work.
The Frame
With a design and material in hand, Your humble writer set about frabricating the individual parts. The entire Altar is made of solid wood, Of particular note were the columns, that required a glue up and then were turned to a simple and lightly tapered column. Slightly tapering posts and or columns can alleviate some visual quirks that tend to appear at a distance. Any quick google search of “entasis” will reveal the general principle in fuller depth.
The Frame consists of three general structures, the podium ring, the columns, and the Upper Ring. In a timber frame these portions would correspond with the sill beams, the columns, and the ceiling framing. Joinery was kept simple. On the Podium ring, members were joined by simple half-laps that were secured with a peg that descended from the base of each post.
The columns and upper frame are secured using a joint known as a castle joint, whcihch consists of two overlapping half-laps which are pounded into the top of the column. The four portusions from on the top of the column create a certain can, if the gentle reader squints just the right way, resemble the crenelations and merlons of a castle wall from which this joint recieves its name. Rabbets were cut into the appropriate portions of the columns so that the panelling could slide in from the top after the posts had been installed.
The upper ring of the frame stands as the most carved portion of the lower frame. Tendrils of grape vines “sprout” from the columns and flank three Sanctus which were engraved in a Gothic script. Each Member is cut with a half-lapbirdle joint that is tapered to be slightly oversized. When each Rail is taped into place, the entire frame becomes rock-solid.
The Facade
The Tabernacle for this project was the original starting point of this project. This older tabernacle, which was missing its lock set, was originally made so that it would slide into a Raredos of some kind and only the front of it would be seen or accessible. Now a full raredos was by no means appropriate for an altar of this size. Instead, a small step was designed for candles and an Altar Cross to be placed upon. The facade of this step became the visual focal point with its many hidden wonders in the carving. While the carving technically falls in the category of a “low relief,” your humble writer tends to think of it as more a “sculptural” relief due to the deep recess carved behind the vine-work.
Of note in this altar are some of the unique symbols not regularly seen on many Altars in the modern area. Both the Unicorn and a phoenix adorn the facade and stand as symbols of various portions of the Life of Christ. The phoenix was seen as a symbol of the ascension of Christ and the Unicorn for the incarnation of Christ. While the gentle reader may be able to understand the correlation between the phoenix and ascension, The prevalence of the Unicorn as a symbol of the Incarnation runs through the English Church, but has become largely unheard of in the modern day.
The Phoneix and Unicorn take a certain pride of place within the facade, but a number of birds eating off the vine as well as a number of small mice are running through the entire facade. The practice of burying small details, like a mouse eating a host of bread, is a common practice that brings a certain charm and vivacity to any piece. In addition to all the animals that are carved into the facade, there are also 5 crosses that are intertwined among the facade.
A Trotițe is a Romanian term for a wooden standing Cross. They are most common by Churches, graveyards, and by the side of the road in the Old World. In most places in America, the only time one is likely to se a Troițe is when visting a Romanain Orthodox Church.
Holy Trinity Orthodox Church
New York is known for it’s not infrequent violent weather. It was during a winter windstorm that the Troițe of a local Orthodox Church was blown over, damagaing and breaking it in a few places.
The original instalation of the cross had been done in such away that the wood had slowly been rotting away for about 20 years, and numerous layers of flaking stain and finish could be seen on the original.
By slowly stripping away the old finish, your humble timberwright was able to expose the originalwhite oak finish. IN many places this required me to esentially re-carve the knotwork and intricate details of the finish to be able to get a workable surface.
Once down to bare wood, I was able to apply a Linseed oil and Pine Tar finish. This finish is commonly used in the baltic countries and is known to last upwards of 7-10 years without needing to be recoated. This particular aspect is always desireable when attempting to display detailed woodwork in an harsh outdoors.
By affixing the Cross to a new metal plate the newly installed Troițe is now safe from further rot and will serve its community for decades to come.
