!!! In the quiet hours of the bootcamp grind, I found myself: Esteban's Bootcamp Experience

B.E.L. Post # 43

Sunday 11/30

Woke up this morning to a beautiful blanket of snow across the ground — a nice surprise and a peaceful way to start the day. After the usual morning blitz, I got the dehydrator fire going and then spent some time processing woody bits, both for the Fisher Price house and a batch for the shop.

Once that was sorted, I settled in with a pretty cool book and spent a little while writing postcards to family and friends. All in all, a calm, productive day with that quiet winter atmosphere in the background.

Mike Haasl wrote:I think the advantage of draw boring is that you can get a wedge in a tenon in a way that's invisible or otherwise hard to access from the back side.  A disadvantage is that they're fiddly to get right and hard to undo if you're halfway into it before figuring out your wedge is too big.

In a chair of this style, a thru mortise and tenon with a wedge might look just fine and be much easier.  Make sure the wedge orientation is perpendicular to the grain of the mortise wood.

Thanks Mike — that’s a really helpful way to frame it. I agree, the “invisible wedge” aspect of drawboring is one of the big appeals, especially when you want things locked in tight without altering the look of the piece. And yes, the fiddly nature of getting the offset just right is exactly why I hesitated on this round. Once you commit, there’s not much room to walk it back.

A through-mortise with a wedge does sound like a solid option for this style of chair, especially since it gives you that mechanical lock without the same level of precision fuss. I appreciate the reminder on wedge orientation too — perpendicular to the grain is one of those details that makes all the difference but is easy to overlook in the moment.

I might try that approach on the next build. Thanks for the insight!

Mike Haasl wrote:I think the advantage of draw boring is that you can get a wedge in a tenon in a way that's invisible or otherwise hard to access from the back side.  A disadvantage is that they're fiddly to get right and hard to undo if you're halfway into it before figuring out your wedge is too big.

In a chair of this style, a thru mortise and tenon with a wedge might look just fine and be much easier.  Make sure the wedge orientation is perpendicular to the grain of the mortise wood.

I'm not sure we are talking about the exact same process here. Although the draw boring I'm familiar with could technically be referred to as using a "wedge", it is more plainly a tapered dowel. While they do add a not insignificant amount of time to the join, it's not what I would consider 'fiddly'- the only example I've heard of one being messed up is when the tenon hole is measured away from the shoulder rather than towards. I guess if a bodger didn't have a way to place a drill bit precisely that could cause an issue, but that is a basic carpentry skill whose lack is likely to cause bigger problems elsewhere in construction. The dowel is easily matched to the exact size of the bore, is cut to the exact length at completion, and remains visible as a flush circle on the mortise.

Sorry, you're right Coydon.  I had the term Draw Boring confused with a Blind Wedged Mortise and Tenon joint.

Here's a cross section of the draw bore:


I can't even find a good picture of the blind wedged joint so it must be really fiddly.  Sorry for the confusion!

B.E.L.  Post # 44

Monday 12/1

Yesterday had one of those slow, steady rhythms that make life at Wheaton Labs feel grounding. The morning kicked off with a pair of fires — one for the classroom, one for the dehydrator — crackling to life and pushing back the lingering chill. There’s something about tending a morning fire that sets the tone for the rest of the day, like telling the place, “Alright, we’re awake now.”

From there Stephen and I, made our way to the Abbey, where the cats were already waiting with that mix of entitlement and affection they’ve perfected. Stephen fed them, gave them a few moments of attention, whike I walked the perimeter just to make sure everything was in order. Quiet morning air, just the sound of my boots and a couple of curious meows trailing from afar.

Back at basecamp, the day shifted into hands-on work. I settled into processing cardboard — the kind of task that’s simple but oddly satisfying — while Stephen wrestled with the tractor chair, giving it the mechanical TLC it desperately needed. There’s an easy pace to working side-by-side like that, each of us focused but sharing the same space and energy.

Once the chair repair came together, we moved over to the chair-building project. That’s where the real fun began. We spent the afternoon draw-boring the joints, pulling the pieces tight in that old-school, rock-solid way that just feels right. Wood, mallet taps — all those small, precise actions that slowly turn parts into something strong and lasting.

By the time we wrapped up, it felt like one of those quietly productive days — no big show, no dramatic moments — just good work, good company, and the steady satisfaction of building things that will outlast the moment.

B.E.L. Post # 36 ( corrected amount)

Tuesday 12/02

Started the morning by getting both fires lit—the dehydrator and the classroom—so everything could start warming up for the day’s projects. Once that was rolling, Stephen and I headed out to the Abbey for our usual run: feeding the cats, doing the perimeter check, and this time installing fresh batteries in the feeders and staging everything so it’ll keep running smooth for the next round of cold weather.

Back at basecamp, Stephen walked me through installing the snow chains on the tractor and gave me a solid intro on how to operate it. After that I put down sand along the stretch of driveway we shoveled earlier, hoping to give us some better footing as things start freezing and thawing again.

Processed a milk crate of aluminum cans—cutting off the ends and slicing them lengthwise so they’re ready for whatever project they’ll be used for later. After lunch we wrapped up the day by finishing up the chair project and making fire starters with beeswax and wood shavings. A good, steady, productive day at the Labs.

After the morning meeting, Stephen and I headed out to the Abbey for the usual routine—feeding the cats and doing the full fence perimeter check. Once that was done, we made a recycling run to get some odds and ends off the list.

Back at basecamp, we put in more time creating and planting additional sunchoke flags, then processed another round of cardboard and aluminum cans to keep the materials stream moving. Also split more firewood to restock the classroom and the shop, since the cold is persistent and those stoves stay hungry.

Rounding out the day was some electrical troubleshooting. If I haven’t mentioned it before, the buried electrical line running to the shop/classroom was damaged. With more careful digging and inspection, we confirmed that one of the electrical lines was fully severed. More investigation to come, but at least now we know what we’re dealing with.

A full and productive day with a bit of mystery to solve.

Catching up...Thanks for your updates Estaban

Esteban Ademovski wrote:Rounding out the day was some electrical troubleshooting. If I haven’t mentioned it before, the buried electrical line running to the shop/classroom was damaged. With more careful digging and inspection, we confirmed that one of the electrical lines was fully severed. More investigation to come, but at least now we know what we’re dealing with.

Maybe someone had a lucky escape there - I once was present just after someone put a shovel through a mains electric cable in the city of London (UK) They suffered significant burns, but I gather did survive OK. Seems like the cables could do with re-laying....deeper, in a conduit, and with a telltale ribbon above perhaps. More $$ ...