Preservation timber framer Nevan Carling will host a live demonstration of hewing on Saturday, Sept. 19 from 1-4 PM at the Jonathan Fisher House. In preparation for the repair and replacement work needed on the sills for the Fisher House, Nevan will be hewing a log, turning it from its natural form into a timber with flat surfaces, appropriate for use as a sill. Nevan will use a hand axe, the same tool that Fisher would have used to hew the original sills.
We have ample documentation of Fisher’s hewing process thanks to his daily diaries, showing how long and laborious this task was as he set out to build his house. For example, some entries from November 1810:
Nov. 13: Worked at scoring timber. Mr. N. Hinckley with me hewing….
Nov. 14: Worked at scoring. Mr. Hinckley at hewing….
Nov. 15: Rainy. Worked most of the day on model for wood house and finished it. Hewed a little.
Nov. 16: Worked upon timber. Mr. N. Hinckley and Andrew Wood with me.
Nov. 19: Worked up timber. Mr. Hinckley and Mr. H. with me.
Nov. 21: Worked upon timber. Mr. Hinckley, Mr. H, and Mr. An. Wood with me….
Nov. 22: Worked at hewing. Mr. N Hinckley with me and Mr. H. P.M. finished except [illegible] etc. Cutting the timber 3.; hauling 2.75; hewing 5.; scoring, lining, etc. 7.50 = $19.25. Boards and hauling $13.70. Nails 2.88 = $35.83 to this day. …Mr. Hinckley 4. - all but $1. for hewing 6 days.
Turning logs into usable pieces of timber took many hours and many hands in Fisher’s time! The public is invited to join us for a glimpse into this heritage trade, with the opportunity to chat with Nevan as he works and ask questions along the way.
Nevan Carling is a volunteer at the Jonathan Fisher House in Blue Hill, as well as a preservation timber framer specializing in the research and repair of historic buildings. His interests are in the social roles that the built environment played in creating and surrounding identities in the past, with a special focus in the 17th and 18th centuries. Nevan is a recent graduate of the University of York in the United Kingdom with a degree in Archaeology and Heritage Management and is pursuing his MSc degree in Timber Building Conservation at the Weald and Downland Living History Museum in Chichester, England.
Restoration of the Fisher House sills is partially funded by a grant from The 1772 Foundation in cooperation with Maine Preservation.