This past summer, our town rebuilt the cupola that sets atop “The Old Jailâ€. The Old Jail was built in 1818. It survived the burning of Chambersburg, by the Confederate Army, in 1864. I was fortunate enough to get a piece of an original hand hewn beam from the restoration. Out of that beam, we turned 100 pens; made a couple of presentation boxes and gavel. We had the wood approximately dated from the early 1700’s by a professor at the Pennsylvania State University’s Forestry Department.

As you can imagine, the wood was very dry and brittle, but amazingly still smelled strongly of pine when cut.

 

This particular beam had been split open for removing old square cut nails. The nails were then arranged on a display board to be placed in the Jail’s museum.

 

 

When the carpenters created these beams, each mortise and its’ corresponding tenon were marked with a “carpenter’s mark†so they could be correctly assembled at the site.

 

 

 

A carpenter’s mark can be seen on the side of the eam to the left of the peg hole. The marks were most often in Roman Numerals because they were easy to make with a chisel. It is upside down but the mark is “VIâ€. I made an inlay of this mark to help associate the finished piece to the original beam.

 

The gavel and holder

 

 

 

 

The gavel is about 11†long overall and the head is about 3†long and about 2 ½ “ in diameter. Finished with several applications of rattle can lacquer.

 

Thanks for looking!

I love that and I love the history of the old jail. That is so cool to have a piece of that and turn it into items that will remain a long time. The gavel looks so good and I love the carpenter's mark put into the display. You have a very good vision for this display and it is first class.

 

Awesome Job Lew!

That'll do just fine Lew, and the significance behind the gavel is just as wonderful as the work itself.

I want really bad to see that old mark in the beam image Lew, but I am not seeing it, I'm looking to the left of the peg hole but I see no mark, can you draw my eyes in closer with another reference?

That'll do just fine Lew, and the significance behind the gavel is just as wonderful as the work itself.

I want really bad to see that old mark in the beam image Lew, but I am not seeing it, I'm looking to the left of the peg hole but I see no mark, can you draw my eyes in closer with another reference?

 

John,

Here's the same pix, rotated 180° and an oval outline around the mark

 

Thanks so much for doing that Lew, I really wanted to see it! This is completely cool. You may have answered this before, and I think I even asked it, is this going to a specific judge?

This was really a neat adventure, and all those pens you made too!

Thanks so much for doing that Lew, I really wanted to see it! This is completely cool. You may have answered this before, and I think I even asked it, is this going to a specific judge?

This was really a neat adventure, and all those pens you made too!

 

The 100 pens and the 2 presentation boxes are in the possession of the young turner who helped get this endeavor started. He is turning over everything to the person who financed the project. I made the gavel on a lark and will give it to them. I do not know where any of the items will end up, but hopefully not in the trash.