Tenshin-en Gate at the MFA

For the discussion of matters not relevant to Study Group mailings. idle chit chat, rants and raves - whatever is on your mind or care to share about.
User avatar
Chris Hall
Site Admin
Contact:
Location: Greenfield, Massachusetts
Posts: 2385
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2010 12:46 pm

Re: Tenshin-en Gate at the MFA

Wed Jun 12, 2013 6:38 am

Good news received yesterday was that the mill in Oregon which cuts the bigger size Port Orford Cedar logs still has a couple of large logs on hand which are more or less earmarked for this project. I am probably going to fly out there in July sometime to look at the logs. Nice to know that quality material will be accessible.

POC has a strong resinous smell, almost pleasant at first but after a week of continuous exposure it becomes decidedly gross. Storing the material for the duration of the job so that it made the work environment reasonable, and didn't bother other woodworkers in my building, has been an issue to puzzle out. It is looking like I will buy or rent a 20' shipping container, which I can then insulate. I could place a dehumidifier inside it as well, and thereby keep the ambient humidity below the 49% threshold. There's a local machinery auction coming up in a couple of days with two such containers on the slate, so maybe I can get one local - and cheap.

It looks like the landlord of my shop space will be okay with me bringing a shipping container on site for an extended period, and will be okay with me modifying the floor so as to accurately support the gate during test assembly. That is fortunate, as it spares me the prospect of finding and moving to a new shop.
User avatar
Yxoc
5
5
Posts: 395
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2011 7:43 am

Re: Tenshin-en Gate at the MFA

Wed Jun 12, 2013 9:15 pm

Ahh logistics, where the real hard work happens... :lol:

Chris, I am guessing that there will be some big cross-sectional sizes in this construction - what will be the moisture content of the wood when you start cutting joinery? I imagine that getting well seasoned wood for these kinds of gigs would take a lot of forward planning (years)?

Derek
User avatar
Chris Hall
Site Admin
Contact:
Location: Greenfield, Massachusetts
Posts: 2385
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2010 12:46 pm

Re: Tenshin-en Gate at the MFA

Wed Jun 12, 2013 9:27 pm

The logs have been sitting several months at least, however I'm imagining a moisture content around 20% to start. That I will confirm when I go to inspect the logs in another month or so. Ideally I would live in Japan where the wood I might acquire was chosen years in advance, carefully selected for it's place on the mountainside, after cutting then submerged for a few months prior to drying on land, etc. But that's not the case of course. I'll have to do the best I can considering circumstances, time frame, budget. The usual in other words.

After delivery, I will be placing all the material in a local facility with a large dehumidification room, for gentle drying for about a month or so, followed by an extended period of time in their vacuum kiln, which dries larger sections very well with minimal degrade. There are going to be two very large sections for the main posts, two largish sections for the rear support posts, and I imagine at least one crossbeam will be on the chunkier side. These 5 or 6 sticks will need to spend probably a couple of months in the kiln, while the rest of the material will probably be ready to work with after 2~3 weeks I am expecting. I am also going to store the material at the shop in a shipping container which I will insulate and mount a dehumidifier in, so am optimistic that I'll be able to get the material dried adequately and evenly. If there are any boxed-heard sections involved, I will of course be kerfing them to improve drying at their cores.
User avatar
Chris Hall
Site Admin
Contact:
Location: Greenfield, Massachusetts
Posts: 2385
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2010 12:46 pm

Re: Tenshin-en Gate at the MFA

Wed Jul 10, 2013 7:43 pm

Finally heard something from the MFA today, after waiting 5 weeks. Seems that everything has been 'approved' and light is green. Now I need to wait another couple of weeks for the MFA to have a meeting internally to discuss the funding and figure out their end of thins, then there will be meetings, I expect, where I will attend and get a chance to argue for the roofed gate option as two of the gardeners are against it. I'm ready to take them on, and I think the museum is interested in the roofed gate as well, so it should go okay.

I talked to a guy in Portland Oregon last week who knew about the Port Orford Cedar logs at the mill - he described them as 'once in a lifetime' sort of logs. I might be heading out to look at them in the next 2~3 weeks.

All for now.
User avatar
Chris Hall
Site Admin
Contact:
Location: Greenfield, Massachusetts
Posts: 2385
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2010 12:46 pm

Re: Tenshin-en Gate at the MFA

Mon Jul 15, 2013 8:04 pm

MFA has a meeting scheduled for July 31st to discuss the garden and gate project, so wheels should start turning in early August - meaning meetings, and probably more meetings.
User avatar
Chris Hall
Site Admin
Contact:
Location: Greenfield, Massachusetts
Posts: 2385
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2010 12:46 pm

Re: Tenshin-en Gate at the MFA

Thu Aug 01, 2013 10:58 pm

Well, they had their meeting and the job is a 'go', but...

-they've opted to go only for a replacement of the kabukimon with minor improvements to the foundation and flashing to marginally increase durability
-the install date, due to the lateness of the museum getting its stuff together, has been moved from spring of 2014 to spring of 2015. They want the new gate to be installed fresh around the 4th week of April to coincide with a spring festival of some sort.
-they want to reuse as much material from the old gate as possible, however would prefer that there not be a long period of time without the gate in place. This is frankly an impossible condition to meet, and I suspect the amount of reclaimable material from the gate will be very modest and difficult to plan for. I'll have to talk with them further about that.

So, it is a bit of a mixed bag overall, good news and bad news, and not quite what I hoped, but still the biggest project I have been commissioned to do so far, and it IS a traditional structure at a prestigious museum, viewable by the public, and that is all good. Certain internal politics (not worth explaining in detail) at the museum led to the block on the idea of replacing the original gate with anything substantially different in form. It's seems so very hard in this country to get people/organizations to sign on for real sustainable construction and planning for the long term, and to have true respect for natural materials as precious gifts they really are. If not the MFA, who were supplied with the full budget to cover a roofed gate, then who will make something like that happen ever? I wonder....

I will now have what you would call a 'hurry up and wait' situation, and will need to find more work to fill in next year a bit. Various irons in the fire are there, so we'll see what develops. My next meeting at the MFA will take place in the 3rd week of August, meaning I'll go to Oregon to look at the logs sometime in September I imagine. Meanwhile the slow work on the Chinese wheelbarrow continues...
ka
kakashi

Re: Tenshin-en Gate at the MFA

Fri Aug 02, 2013 7:48 pm

Sorry to hear that but I'm not at all surprised.

It seems these days, everything is subject to numbers and the minimum is spent on projects. It's a false economy but I guess it looks good on the current financial paperwork and those in charge right now will be gone when it needs done again.

I would think that you'd spend more time trying to salvage/reuse parts than making new ones?
User avatar
Chris Hall
Site Admin
Contact:
Location: Greenfield, Massachusetts
Posts: 2385
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2010 12:46 pm

Re: Tenshin-en Gate at the MFA

Fri Aug 02, 2013 7:57 pm

kakashi wrote:I would think that you'd spend more time trying to salvage/reuse parts than making new ones?
Oh, absolutely. It's more expensive to salvage than cut new, there can be damage to your equipment from buried metal and stones, etc, etc. I've learned to go in with low expectations in that regard. The existing gate is so rotted now I doubt there's more than 3~5% that can be economically salvaged. I'll be talking with them about that later this month and hopefully they'll come to see my perspective and look at some other solutions. I will try to salvage some wood and re-use it, but will plan/prepare otherwise for having no salvageable material and constructing the gate entirely with new wood.

~C
ka
kakashi

Re: Tenshin-en Gate at the MFA

Sat Aug 03, 2013 4:00 pm

Wish you the best of luck with it mate and hope you document everything for us wannabe daikus.
User avatar
Yxoc
5
5
Posts: 395
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2011 7:43 am

Re: Tenshin-en Gate at the MFA

Sun Aug 04, 2013 8:40 pm

Chris,
A bit sorry to hear that the job description is being eroded somewhat.

Sounds a lot like bureaucratic process helping to advance humanity as usual .

Derek

Return to “Miscellaneous Ramblings (Off Topic)”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests