tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.comments2021-08-08T14:15:49.993-07:00Hawkins HouseJohn Poolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01981702207515751451noreply@blogger.comBlogger220125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-57982069283037659702011-12-11T20:02:29.365-08:002011-12-11T20:02:29.365-08:00Oh, I like that lantern. Great choice. I hope you ...Oh, I like that lantern. Great choice. I hope you do a post w/ pics of your outdoor porch lanterns.AlexandraFunFithttp://funandfit.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-19685936960718266932011-09-11T19:23:33.575-07:002011-09-11T19:23:33.575-07:00Alexandra,
You ask a great many questions. Most o...Alexandra,<br /><br />You ask a great many questions. Most of them appear to be designed to elicit strange answers:<br /><br />1) If I find a musket, I shall use it to guard against people who want to come over and touch my stuff.<br /><br />2) I was randomly exploring under the floorboards because a) I'm naturally curious about what's under there; b) I need to start planning in detail how I'm going to air seal / vapor seal / insulate my attic floor as one of many steps in making my house more energy efficient.<br /><br />3) Steel stamps are generally used for marking wood with letters and/or numbers. For example, in preservation work, we stamp new wood or significant repairs in an inconspicuous location for the benefit of future house historians, so they can tell the old from not so old (even though around here, it's "all OLD", as you aptly pointed out). For example, "JDP 2011".<br /><br />There. Have I answer all your questions? If not, keep on asking, and I'll keep answering (with a few smart ass responses interjected for good measure). :-P<br /><br />~JohnJohn Poolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01981702207515751451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-25612286515705426432011-09-10T20:47:34.752-07:002011-09-10T20:47:34.752-07:00What will you do with a musket if you find one?
I ...What will you do with a musket if you find one?<br />I suspect your house is full of "odd" stuff, starting with the owner!<br />What were you doing, randomly prowling around under floorboards? I've heard of randomly wandering the streets, but never heard of this occurring under floorboards. <br />And I wonder, in all seriousness, what is a steel stamp for? ThanksAlexandraFunFithttp://funandfit.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-14868183547222043502011-08-09T07:41:01.599-07:002011-08-09T07:41:01.599-07:00Thanks very much for that valuable piece of inform...Thanks very much for that valuable piece of information, Craig! Please feel free to post additional comments here with your dendro findings, if you want to. I'll likewise be doing dendro analysis on this frame, but nothing is scheduled yet.<br /><br />The closest cataloged examples I've found so far are in Sobon's "Historic American Timber Joinery": p.11, Fig. 11 (albeit, plate and tie-beam are reversed); p.15, Figs. 25-27; and the triple bypass on p.16, Fig. 30, only this joint has a much simpler post/tie-beam connection than the triple by-pass, of course.<br /><br />Thanks again for your comment!<br />~JohnJohn Poolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01981702207515751451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-54896921065476401252011-08-09T04:00:39.270-07:002011-08-09T04:00:39.270-07:00Just wanted to let you know that we have identifie...Just wanted to let you know that we have identified this exact same joint at the Taylor-Bray Farm in Yarmouth, MA. We believe that the joint was originally used in the c. 1640 Richard Taylor house. The beam that it is attached to is painted black and white (black at the butt where it joins the post and white along its length). We are currently awaiting dendro dates from it.Craig Chartierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10994905718892021909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-14029961266271677802011-04-30T20:29:38.383-07:002011-04-30T20:29:38.383-07:00Hey cuz!
That's exactly my intent. Not sure ...Hey cuz! <br /><br />That's exactly my intent. Not sure if I'll do it using color, patterns, or wire-frame, but I do intend to show the internals of the joints when drawn together. <br /><br />Also, I just started experimenting with a library of Ruby extensions that support timber frame components, so we'll see how that goes, too...<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by!<br />- East Coast PooleJohn Poolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01981702207515751451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-63250418110113804582011-04-30T19:49:48.991-07:002011-04-30T19:49:48.991-07:00I wonder if you were to color each component, e.g....I wonder if you were to color each component, e.g. red, white, & blue, and then use X-ray to show all three intermeshed. Not quite as grand as a fireworks display, but could be intriguing.John Poolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08818725573103905547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-82374195754173553072011-04-26T11:28:33.402-07:002011-04-26T11:28:33.402-07:00Thanks so much jb, for both the opportunity and th...Thanks so much jb, for both the opportunity and the good words! Have a great week yourself!John Poolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01981702207515751451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-67606640024592574112011-04-25T09:25:03.861-07:002011-04-25T09:25:03.861-07:00John thanks so much for posting back. the honor wa...John thanks so much for posting back. the honor was ours and I know few people that could do the topic justice like you did. It was simply a fantastic article and we are proud to host it. Great week my friend. thanks for it all. ~jbjb @BuildingMoxiehttp://www.buildingmoxie.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-5097921864553418202011-04-13T13:45:18.772-07:002011-04-13T13:45:18.772-07:00Colleen ~ Thanks for visiting and commenting! To m...Colleen ~ Thanks for visiting and commenting! To me, the Orcutt & Beardsley comment basically says "we don't know for sure. It might be this one. Or maybe not". What led me to conclude "probably not" is the collective opinion of a handful of experts on what generally constituted 1st & 3rd period homes. Houses were seldom razed gratuitously back then. So much work went into building them that they were always reused somehow. I've found no evidence of a "house within a house" in my case, though. I believe my house was built whole, not converted from something else. If there was a previous house, it was most like moved elsewhere. Otherwise, we'll just have to see what results the dendrochronological dating comes up with. And it's really too bad your uncle has disdained the use of computers, because he might rather enjoy this story! :-)John Poolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01981702207515751451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-20877554077405588012011-04-13T13:15:10.236-07:002011-04-13T13:15:10.236-07:00"...built a house where now the old Hawkins h..."...built a house where now the old Hawkins house stands" this is interesting. So I would think this implies, as you have also stated, that the Hawkins House is the newer home built where the older home may have been. What if the old house was not completely razed but only partially? "The only summer beams are found in the first floor system, visible from the cellar." Maybe they only saved a very small portion of the original structure. I like this mystery! When do you think the dendrochronological studies would be done?Colleen Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06363526948849559599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-78190235274272589052011-04-11T07:20:30.358-07:002011-04-11T07:20:30.358-07:00Allison ~ No, not really that disappointed. As som...Allison ~ No, not really that disappointed. As some one with a scientific background like yourself, I really appreciate and enjoy the process of establishing new facts and building more accurate world views, rather than basking in myth and unfounded hearsay. And it will be very interesting to see what sort of results the dendrochronological analyses produce! I am really curious about that.John Poolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01981702207515751451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-45342205185085962282011-04-11T04:31:20.401-07:002011-04-11T04:31:20.401-07:00Great post, John. So, are you disappointed to find...Great post, John. So, are you disappointed to find that your home may not be as old as you'd thought?Allison A. Bailes III, PhDhttp://blog.energyvanguard.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-87652222932094179192011-02-23T08:29:24.463-08:002011-02-23T08:29:24.463-08:00Cassie ~ Helloooo back at you, cousin! Glad to hea...Cassie ~ Helloooo back at you, cousin! Glad to hear from you, and glad you got a kick out of this post. We still have snow all around, but much of it has melted at this point. I think spring is right around the corner!<br /><br />Two feet of snow? Wow! That's a lot for November! I don't know if your metal roof has snow guards just above the eaves, but sounds like you might benefit from them, if you don't. So the snow doesn't come crashing down and bury you in an avalanche!<br /><br />Hope all is well by you and Patrick and Hootie and BRD. Will stop by your blog and check out what you've guys have been up to!<br /><br />Best always, Cuz JohnJohn Poolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01981702207515751451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-36938978953118954512011-02-22T23:52:54.515-08:002011-02-22T23:52:54.515-08:00Helloooo Cousin John! It's been ages so I had ...Helloooo Cousin John! It's been ages so I had to come see you. Your snow float/scraper was ingenious and pretty funny to see in the pictures. Then when I read all your warnings I was laughing so hard I awakened Patrick! While I was up in Idaho in Nov. when we had over 2 ft of snow I was SO tempted to try to get some off the roof...I was warned by our friend Dawson to leave it alone that it would slide off our metal roof in time. It did...In huge piles that I probably would have been buried under if I'd attempted snow removal myself. Are you still snowed under back east? I'm still in Phx now, but long for the NW and the fresh,clean air. Be well! xx-cCassiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12342650928455607172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-56168900813516697422011-02-22T06:12:07.705-08:002011-02-22T06:12:07.705-08:00Resenergy ~ Thanks for commenting. Ah, high school...Resenergy ~ Thanks for commenting. Ah, high schoolers! Totally agree with you about loading up the roofs of connected structures. In my own case, the final snow build-up on my mudroom was generally within the range of what I knew the smaller roof could hold, based on past accumulations. But then, I was finished at this point. Had I more snow to remove, I would've cleared the mudroom roof before going any further. But much thanks for pointing this out. I've updated the list of caveats to include yours!John Poolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01981702207515751451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-2058224129098654072011-02-20T09:28:15.704-08:002011-02-20T09:28:15.704-08:00A very important caveat should be the potential of...A very important caveat should be the potential of overloading the shed roof below where you are initially dumping the overhead roof snow. I know of a case where a very pompous lawyer in Minnesota hired some high school kids to shovel off the snow from his office roof. Without detailed instructions, they proceeded to pile up the snow on the garage roof below which in turn collapsed onto his Corvette and Porsche. Ah justice!resenergynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-1201875611927890202011-02-04T17:54:45.039-08:002011-02-04T17:54:45.039-08:00You totally edited your comment didn't you. :-...You totally edited your comment didn't you. :-) Tsk.<br /><br />As I told you on the phone: the difference between managed and unmanaged risk is that unmanaged risk is the risk you thought you'd managed...until it bites you on the ass.<br /><br />I'm glad you're fine. But I'd rather have safe John than any amount of "Yankee ingenuity."Caffeinated Librarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14514468253472159009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-54866422217301727972011-02-02T12:49:14.738-08:002011-02-02T12:49:14.738-08:00Susan ~ That's great! Glad my tweet helped you...Susan ~ That's great! Glad my tweet helped your mom get her roof rake in a timely manner. Good luck with it, and let me know if I can be of any further help.<br /><br />Caffeinated Librarian ~ My explication of the central metaphor of my article is there to assist readers who might not possess the specialized knowledge required to make the metaphor obvious. It's no different than when each verse of an epic poem begins with a short paragraph entitled "The Argument" :-D<br /><br />And regarding your subsequent comments, I truly appreciate your concern for my safety, but my point was that the risk of electrocution is always there in the presence of electricity, and the solution is always to first turn all power off. Which is precisely what I did. It doesn't mean that such projects are necessarily to be avoided.<br /><br />Also, my laundry list of potential dangers is there for the protection of less informed readers who might attempt to replicate what I've done without considering the risks. In my case, I made it a point to eliminate all these potential risks well in advance of actually doing the work (including keeping a safe distance from the house -- hence the use of the overly long pole).<br /><br />Thanks for your comments, though..John Poolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01981702207515751451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-8315202484972848562011-02-01T20:37:04.963-08:002011-02-01T20:37:04.963-08:00I've already told you this on Twitter but I...I've already told you this on Twitter but I'll recap here:<br /><br />Any time you need a definition followed by the explanation of a metaphor BEFORE your rant, you're in trouble.<br /><br />"It wasn't quite as easy to do as I initially thought it would be." You're going to put that on your tombstone, aren't you?<br /><br />Any blog post that includes in its list of downsides for an activity "Potential for electrocution" should be a wake-up call.<br /><br />;-PCaffeinated Librarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14514468253472159009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-3349051857013436352011-02-01T20:02:35.674-08:002011-02-01T20:02:35.674-08:00Oh and btw, my mother got a roof rake yesterday fr...Oh and btw, my mother got a roof rake yesterday from Stepney Hardware thanks to you tweeting about it the other day. We were just going to go out over the weekend to find one, but your tweet made her call ahead and reserve one.<br /><br />You can expect the adoption papers in the mail. :)Susan Pnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-16254624226698092642011-02-01T19:53:07.468-08:002011-02-01T19:53:07.468-08:00That sure is a big stick you got there John!That sure is a big stick you got there John!Susan Pnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-71451845417471259142011-01-31T17:38:17.980-08:002011-01-31T17:38:17.980-08:00I love the cautions at the end! Don't try thi...I love the cautions at the end! Don't try this at home...<br /><br />Ever the engineer, cousin!juliana inmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07898360562864991188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-84849243702174020232011-01-31T09:26:30.551-08:002011-01-31T09:26:30.551-08:00Is the amount of snow on your roof an indication o...Is the amount of snow on your roof an indication of how well your insulation retro-fit is performing? (@SLSConstruction & @EnergyVanguard would be proud!) or is it just that friggin' cold in CT?<br /><br />happy times, a great solution, flawlessly and funly documented. Thanks John!jb @BuildingMoxiehttp://www.buildingmoxie.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857815839256097793.post-86351439551336491792011-01-31T09:19:13.602-08:002011-01-31T09:19:13.602-08:00John, it sounds like quite the adventure and I app...John, it sounds like quite the adventure and I applaud your ingenuity. By the way, I would have never thought about needing to de-energize the exterior lights and would have probably gotten electrocuted early on. Kudos for trying and I bet it was one heck of a workout!Amy Goodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12479584330883637843noreply@blogger.com