Pole Production
Hard at work
With a deadline to have 35 poles shaped for steaming before the rise of the Scorpio moon on Saturday May 5th 2012, nine of us set to work with a will. Sue and Ronnie formed a formidable team on the electric planer: measuring, reducing and getting a general shape before passing each pole to the draw knife and spoke shave crew who sat merrily on their shave horses and finished off every curve and bump the electric planer couldn’t reach.
Ronnie on the production line
Thanks to Jo who came to help for the first time and Robin who set aside AS revision to lend a hand. By the end of the morning, the electric planers were confidently reduced to an 8-pole pile to finish, whilst there was a large backlog of poles waiting for hand-crafting.
Pole people
After another magnificent bring and share lunch, Sam, Jo, Tilly, Debbie, Izzy and Robin raced back down to the shave horses and by mid-afternoon the pile of finished poles was looking impressive. The electric planers were doing well too, but the hand-crafting team over took them and by 5pm were queueing up and waiting for each pole as it came off the planer production line.
Not many more to go....
At 5.30 on the dot Sam finished the last pole and a cheer was raised. 35 poles ready to steam – 32 for the frame and 3 spares (two slightly split…)
Sam on the shave horse
All through the day, work continued on the former, but we will need a couple more hours to finish this before next Sunday’s steam day.
Preparing the former
It was a triumphant day in which we felt a true sense of achievewment. Conversation drifted occassionally to the “Why are we doing this intead of buying 32 lengths of planed 2 by 1?” to “This really is very hard work.” But, we concluded that a frame that had cost us effort and sacrifice, would have a human story and many lives woven into it. Including some of Tilly’s blood! As we had our second initiatory cut (one with a saw when chopping down the ash poles and one today with a draw knife being used slightly too creatively). Neither of them serious, thank goodness.
Done
The red tent has been an easy, enjoyable, inspiring journey in many ways: willing helpers, wonderful weather, community craft days, new friends and more but it has also taken a lot of planning and technical calculation, a huge effort to fund-raise, and more than one Saturday a month given over to tough physical work.
Sunday May 13th will be our steam day when we light the camp fire, heat up the water in the old radiator fed by the header tank and steam 32 poles in the steam box for an hour before bending them over the former and leaving them for five weeks to create the perfect curve for our dome-shaped alachigh tent.
The poles are now so light to carry
If you’d like to be part of the day, do let us know: livingspirit@btintenet.co.uk. It will be another 9.30 – 5.30pm day at Green Dragon Barn – you are welcome to come to the whole day or drop in for part of it. There will be a bring and share lunch at 1pm.
Directions to Sue’s house (Green Dragon Barn):
A381, Kingsbrige Hill, out of Totnes towards Kingsbridge. Through Harbertonford and Halwell. Straight past the BP station at Totnes Cross (don’t take left turn to Dartmouth), then 50 yards on, take the second of 2 small unmarked turnings left up through a tunnel of trees. Left at the top small crossroads, and less than a mile down the road, first right to Hutcherleigh (straight on down the hill). At the bottom T-junction, turn left and Green Dragon Barn is the third on the right.
And if you get lost Sue’s number is 01548 521207.
All for one and one for all.. the red tent will rise!