The Millwright’s Apprentice

While I haven’t been able to make it back to the shop for the past two weeks, I’ve kept working on our... Read More

We’ve been overlooking some of the most important tools in our chest: chisels. Like today, chisels were an indispensable tool for 18th... Read More

Last week, those of us who work in the Millwright Shop finally got back to work on the water wheel and flume.... Read More

Today we’re going to cover some of the less-discussed tools in an 18th-century millwright’s tool chest: axes and hatchets. While they might... Read More

  We’re taking a break from tools again to discuss research. While studying mills we rely on a variety of sources of... Read More

As we build our tool collection, it needs a home. In the 18th century, that was likely in a chest of tools,... Read More

One conundrum of studying 18th-century trades is determining what they would be wearing. Clothing is just as much of a tool as... Read More

Now that we’ve moved past planes, it’s on to saws. This gets a bit tricky; in the 18th century there were multiple... Read More

I want to take a quick break from our “Tools of the Trade” series to discuss goals and research with you. The... Read More

Now that we’ve flattened our stock with the jointer plane, it’s time to smooth it to prepare it for joinery and finishing.... Read More