February Will Be a Busy Month

We have lots of news for February and unfortunately Janaury came and went without too many postings and yet there was plenty of news. We also had our post holiday party in late January which is an annual tradition that started way back and was formerly held at the Waterline Center at the Essex shipbuilding museum. It evolved into a party at the barn and has now stretched into the house and aboard the Pinky Maine where we stash the rum.  Harold has been really working on a number of projects that will be included in an upcoming post. In the meantime, we will find out tomorrow on Ground Hogs Day how long the winter will continue..we hope to get the Maine moving again out of the creek so we assume the groundhog will let us know how much longer we have to wait.

White Oak Logs - A Good Sign for 2010

A batch of beautiful white oak logs arrived just as the old year ended and 2010 may prove to be a promising one as these particular logs may be used to build a schooner. The delivery process is quick and efficient and soon enough Harold will be at the sawmill cutting them up into planks and storing them in the nearby drying shed. Currently, white oak is the preferred wood for boatbuilders so Harold was particularly pleased when this wood arrived. Anyone interested in learning more about Harold you can also go to his website at http://www.burnhamboatbuilding.com/.

Harold Burnham featured in December 28th Boston Globe

Harold was interviewed by the Boston Globe recently and the story appeared on the front page of the Dec. 28 issue today. The story was written by veteran Globe reporter David Filipov and is called Masters keep Antique Presses Printing, Indian Drums Beating and the gist of the story is about Massachusetts artisans who have received special grants to pursue and preserve their craft. Harold was a grant recipient in 2006. The quote Harold gave the Globe is worth reading and the overall story is great.
The link is posted here - http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/12/28/masters_keep_knowledge_of_crafts_alive_with_support_from_state/









http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/12/28/masters_keep_knowledge_of_crafts_alive_with_support_from_state/

Seasons Greetings from Burnham Boatbuilding!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Best in 2010!

Putting the canvas covers on the sloops

Getting boats covered here at Burnham Boatbuilding is an important part of the winterization process. Harold is pictured here covering the Dream and the Maria with canvas cloth.  All the boats in the yard have canvas covers which is more attractive and sounds a lot different than plastic or shrink wrap when old man winter hits.  On the bottom left, is Harold's Dad, Charles standing on the dock a few weeks ago and on the right is Harold getting the cover on.

Splitting a log for a wooden schooner

These photos are somewhat out of sequence but yesterday Harold tackled a massive white oak log that he wanted to cut and use for frame futtocks. The oak had a natural crux that is great for frame futtocks as it is so much stronger as the grain will follow the frame. It is not easy to get a log with that much curve in it from a regular sawyer. So, Harold was particularly pleased with its curved lines. It took a total of about 45 minutes to get the log on the sawmill for cutting. Harold first used his chainsaw but then use a sledgehammer and wedges for quite a while. All the while, the wood was making its own special crackling and squeaking sounds. Finally, it split and he had it on the sawmill. Thank you Eric, for some extra muscle!

Thanksgiving in the barn

We did things a little differently this Thanksgiving and had the dinner (for 35) in the barn. In the pictures you see Alden, Perry and Harold chopping potatoes which Harold boiled outside on our steam cooker. The stove belonged to Grandma. After 49 years, it was finally replaced this week but with the help of a friend we hooked it up to a propane tank and cooked its last meal outside under the bandsaw for the whole family.

Also, the barn looked great and when all the food arrived it certainly was full of beautiful, delicious dishes and a fantastic turkey. The preparation was fun and everyone in our families pitched in and helped make it all happen. It was a great day and we hope to do it again sometime. Happy Thanksgiving!