Exhaustingly Good
I spent the day swinging hammers and axes and goddamn it was a fine day... I'm still sore.
Dear Good Hours,
I hope to hell I’m not bombarding you with correspondence after being quiet for so long, but for once, things are moving in the shop and I have something to write about.
First, and most important to you and me, I’m working my way at getting the shop back together. I had to empty a lot of things out to a storage unit to make the space for a big repair on my daughter’s car. A repair that ended up a complete fail. The salvage dude comes sometime next week to haul the bad memories away.
That decision made a week ago… I did have an opening this weekend to go work a massive log with my buddy Tom Latané
Just sit back and enjoy some pics from the exhausting but fulfilling day.
So - just what is all this hard work and hammering in service of beyond carpal tunnel and biceps tendinitis?
Well, and I’ll post more about this soon, but there is another combined craft class coming this spring. I’ve done a poor job of promoting it but, three instructors, Blacksmith’s Tom Latane and Paul Nyborg, and woodworker, me, Derek Olson, will be teaching a complete build of The Mastermyr Chest.
We will be using riven oak (red oak in this case) to build the chest. Students can then make the nails, hinges, and hasp arm with Paul and after that they can then forge the front locking plate and key with Tom!
To my knowledge, a class like this has never been attempted, and the Vesterheim Museum in Decorah IA has been gracious enough to take a chance on us. The classes will all be held at Tunnel Mill Craft School near Rochester MN. Lodging and meals, as I understand it, are included there.
Tunnel Mill is a magical place. I taught a Dutch Tool Chest class there with Tom before Covid and gods let me tell you…. no, lets save that for the next post or two…
A little mystery is always good.
Just know for now, there are 8 student spots. As I understood it, 6 of them are filled for the woodworking portion but…. but…. as I understand it, priority is given to someone taking all three classes in succession. The entire process is 2 weeks of craft and community infused goodness starting with me on May 13th 2024 for 3 days of sawdust, continuing with Paul hammering out nails and hinges in the heat of the forge for a few days and finishing up with the Tom and the lock work on May 24th.
I’ve spent a good amount of time and energy working at Viking age history and reenactments. I’ve seen a great amount of “Mastermyr Chests” in my time. I have seen zero. none, zip, nada, that have even tried to replicate the lock plate.
For no other reason than the lock itself, which Tom tells me a person with no forge experience and decent had eye coordination can pull off. Fuck, that all by itself gets me excited.
I’m gonna end now with a couple links and then sign off… more to come in the near future. (but go sign up goddammit!)
Info on the class from the Vesterheim is HERE.
Basic info, and more links on the Mastermyr Chest starts on Wikipedia, as it should in 2024, go look HERE.
More info on my buddy Paul Nyborg, who is teaching the hinges, latch and nails - look HERE.
More info on Tom Latane, one of the best damn blacksmith’s swinging a hammer today and the man teaching the lock plate and key part of the class - look HERE.
That’s where I leave you tonight. Ponder and consider the possibilities.
Love Derek
Ratione et Passionis