Arkwood Cottage
Recent Projects
We began the construction of our round cordwood home, Arkwood Cottage, in 1985. We moved into the partially finished building in 1990 and have continued work on it until the "official" completion in the fall of 2015. The years of raising a family, scratching out a living, and pecking away at the final form have been both a joy and a trial. Following the path of an owner-builder is truly a journey through the hinterlands of persistence. Sue and I developed a motto, "We will do whatever we have to do, it will take as long as it takes, and it is what it is." So it was one project at a time for the next 25 years. Seeking the balance between dogged determination and acceptance is the tao of the cottage.
As we approached the "it's over, stick a fork in us, we're done" point in October 2015, and during the following months, the projects continued to flow out of the shop. The last couple of years of work featured a growing connection with the curve, yes the curve. My training as a cabinet-maker lead me on a rectilinear path in thinking and practice beginning in the 1970's. After living in a round house for 20+ years,and retiring as a science educator in 2012, the curvature of the domestic world finally began to reveal itself. What can I say, sometimes the most obvious concepts are the most elusive.
 |
Above: Curved handrail on front entrance steps. Left: First lesson learned - you can design it, but do you have enough clamps to pull it together? Once the stair carriage, treads, newel posts and balusters are in place, a curved clamping jig is secured to each tread. Handrail forms at the top hold glue-laminated strips of treated pine forced into the rising curved shape of the inner radius handrail. It was a challenge to "beat the clock" on the open time for gluing. This first curvilinear project set the stage for more roundabout work. |
2013 brought the design and build of a new woodworking shop. It was out of the garage and into a better space to launch the final push on the cottage.
Working the Curve
 |
A curved wall needs a curved shelf. When the greenhouse interior finish was completed in 2014, I added a 13' long x 10" deep plant shelf. The new shop's extra space accomodated the construction of a large clamping form to bend the laminated pine strips. We now have a sunny spot for potted plants, including Sue's 2-year old lavenders which she started from seed. |
