Joke of All Trades

As you all know, in preparation for our event last month I made a bunch of camp gear. One of those things was my first attempt at a chest! The original chest, documented as Oseberg 178, was found mostly intact at Oseberg and dates to the 9th century. It is one of a few interestingly similar "sea chest" examples we have of the era. The original was made using mortise and tenon joints, with iron hinges and an iron locking latch.    The plan from the very beginning here was to make a "practice chest" so that I know the angles and sizes I need in order to make a much more authentic chest in the future. As such, I took some liberal shortcuts on this one which allowed me to crank it out in one day and have it ready and complete for the event.  Another member of the group who was also producing camp gear suggested a 5-degree angle for the sides. His cuts looked good to me, so I did the same, making angled cuts on all upward-facing edges on both side pieces.  Rather than us...

Return of the Sun 2022 at Ravensborg was an event that will stand in memory for many years. We had prepared for a cold, rainy weekend; instead, we got 80 degree sunny weather, 40mph winds, and ground the consistency of cottage cheese. 😂 The mud, wind, and sun caught us by surprise and made camping very challenging. Thankfully, all of the tents and camp gear in our group survived, more or less! I was so busy with camp duties and so exhausted from setup (as well as dealing with an aggravated old injury) that, for the very first time in my event-going career in this community and others, I did not participate in combat. But doing so gave me more time to spend with companions and allowed me to day-drink, so I can't complain! But primarily, I want to speak about the surreal experience I had as a vendor. I made an unusually large number of items to sell and sold almost all of them; I thus spent much of the event noticing other people wearing my work. I had half a dozen people, strangers...

Upon the road to the Fort on the Hill, Many bumps hide within the dirt; But worthy is the way back home No matter the trials that lurk. My back is sore, I've packed my share, The cart is laden full; I will build my camp and sell my wares, And drink in every lull. Upon the road to the Fort on the Hill, It winds both left and right; I spend my day preparing away, And drive my cart by night. The evening pushes at my back, And daybreak calls my name; Though the years have come and passed, My home still feels the same . Upon the road to the Fort on the Hill, I will soon be in the hall; I can taste the drink and see friends afar; I can see the wooden wall. I long have waited for this day. My sword knocks at my side; My shield and byrnie dormant lay, Until as warriors we collide. Upon the road to the Fort on the Hill, Where dirt meets wooden gate, The wheels strike triumphantly, And I can hardly wait. I disembark and begin to build My new home in the grass; I arrive as though I never left...

After my last series of posts regarding the furniture of the Codex Amiatinus, I found myself on a prolonged woodwork kick. Our group still needed camp gear and my lovely fiance, who had the misfortune of a car accident when she was younger, expressed that she would like a seat with a back of some kind due to back issues; I knew the perfect chair. After using modern screws and hinges on the last project to make them collapsible, I decided on no modern fixtures at all on this one. The original find was only the back of the chair, discovered in Lund, Sweden and dated to 1000-1050AD. It lacked the whole front end, but the holes in the rear give a pretty good idea of it's construction. I based my concept on the museum reconstruction piece, but decided against the woven seat in favor of something solid. Like the original, which was found fully constructed, the back is all one solid piece-- while the original was made with trenails in this section, I preferred mine glued together. The fro...

The workshop has been busy! Between camp furniture projects, I have been hard at work on new commissions and stock for the upcoming events. Here are a few of the things I've made. Here are two Skjoldehamn hoods, based on the 10-11th century find from Norway where a complete outfit was found in the 20th century. Although there is debate regarding the origin of the clothing (there has long been speculation that the body is Sami; genetic evidence indicates the female was Norwegian, but the clothes themselves remain undetermined), the hood remains an important part of cold weather gear or rain gear for reenactors across many different standards of authenticity. These are made of heavy coating wool and lined with linen. The design is actually reversible, if desired, allowing the wearer to decide which fabric they want to show off and how much of the hand-stitched thread they want to be visible! Both hoods are sold. In addition to those, here are two pillbox hats, based on the find from....

Codex Amiatinus: Part 2 [Be sure to check out the previous post in this project for the folding table!] After completing the 6th century folding table, my attention was enraptured by this bench. Among the biggest reasons for our group's recent focus on camp gear is lack of period seating. Thus, my mission was clear! Like the table, one of the stipulations on this build was that it be practical for our needs. As such, it was made a bit narrower than the image shows for ease of transport. Additionally, it had to break down in some way. So I set the hinges up essentially the same way as the table, the hollowed out a slot in the board to be used as the cross member. Two pegs glue into each set of legs allow you do drop the board in place when setting the bench up; the pegs ensure the board fits tightly and stays securely in place, holding the legs open. Although the image shows two cross members, I decided to only do one in the interest of simplicity. These are sometimes called "w...