There's a remarkable project going on over at Penland School right now. The school has known for years that many (about 20 percent) of the logs in the iconic Craft House were damaged to the point of needing replacement. It took a decade to raise the funds for this project, and for all that time everyone kept wondering how in the world the job would be done when the time came. Now that contractor Richard Huss and crew are deep into the job, we are starting to get the answer.
And the answer is: log by log. They take out a log or two, put in some props, cut a new log to length, lay it in the space, mark it, cut notches, put it in place, refine the cuts, put it back in place, and then do it again. It helps that the building has a quite a bit of structure inside of the logs and it’s nailed together every which way. But the secret seems to be patience and the methodical application of craft.
And the answer is: log by log. They take out a log or two, put in some props, cut a new log to length, lay it in the space, mark it, cut notches, put it in place, refine the cuts, put it back in place, and then do it again. It helps that the building has a quite a bit of structure inside of the logs and it’s nailed together every which way. But the secret seems to be patience and the methodical application of craft.
