Working in Vermont, Land of Craftsman
Over the summer, I had an opportunity to help my friend Seth tackle a few projects that he was working on in his home state of Vermont. Part need to winnow down an overbooked work schedule, part excuse to hang out together, and part desire to visit Vermont made for a commitment wholly worthwhile. Seth and I make for fairly good bookends on the spectrum of “craftsmen community”. Here in the Deep South, communities of craftsmen appear as isolated pockets with little support. That isolation gradually fades as you head northward reaching up to New England, where you can’t toss an apple without hitting a craftsman of some sort. The Northcotts are some of the craftsmen you are liable to run into up in New England. They specialize in making wooden pegs for timber framers around the country. Visiting briefly with them and touring their workshop, I came across a map hanging in their office which serves as a fitting illustration for the current disparity between Vermont and South Carolina. One lone green pin sticking in Columbia to represent purchases I’ve made over the years, and Seth’s long lost amidst a forest of other pins. Hopefully, the coming years will see a few more pins cropping up in my neck of the woods.
Looking back, my work was as varied as my free time. Below I’ve included a handful of photos from the trip. Note, that the main timber frame project and the murphy bed were both designed and led by Seth’s friend Eric. In all, four of us worked on the timber frame, Seth, Eric, their friend Daren and myself. I had to leave before the frame was complete, so the later pictures are kindly provided by Seth. If you happen to be needing any thing built up in that neck of the woods, I highly recommend reaching out to any one of these guys.
Eric George - Timber Framer, Woodworker, Craftsman
Seth Harris - Timber Framer, Woodworker, Stone Mason, Craftsman
