One Hot Fair

Last week was the Laporte County fair http://www.laportecountyfair.org/index, this being said I helped my mentor work at the Laporte County Fair in the Pioneer village making bowls.  I was a very interesting week for me, because of my schedule I could not make it to the fair to help my mentor until Wednesday. 
On Wednesday the temperature was in the upper 90s with a heat index in the 100s.  Regardless of this I managed to work all day and give my mentor several chances to take a breaks to cool off.  Thursday was not much better, higher temperatures, few visitors, and many breaks.
Friday we finally got our much needed break in the weather.  It was still hot and humid just not as hot.  This break in weather also meant more people, and its the people that come and see us that make it fun, of course it helps when they buy a bowl or two also.
Finally, the last and busiest day of the fair came, at most fairs closing day usually is not very busy but with the weather of the previous week Saturday was packed.  My mentor got a late start, from being exhausted from the week and had to rest for about an hour after we opened, so I manned the fort for a while.  The day went on with only a couple of slow periods when other events took the crowds attention, but overall it was a very busy and productive day.
Tearing down I got thanked a lot by the other workers in the pioneer village, that had known my mentor for many years, for being there to help my mentor out and was given an invite to continue working at the pioneer village in the following years.
All things considered I would consider this a successful week even if I did not sell many items.

About myself

Adzes

I am a stay at home dad of a 2 yr old girl.  I started hewing bowls in the fall of 2010 when I asked another bowl maker named Robert Engelhardt to teach me, which he did.  A short time later I started buying my own tools and continued making my own bowls.  I still periodically get help from my mentor, since I have yet to buy the more expensive prep tools.

Shaving Horse

I make two different styles of bowls and many different shapes and sizes.  The majority of my bowls are pre-cut  shapes and forms or blanks.  These bowls are planed down in a thickness planer and are cut out from a pattern with a band saw and hewn with a bowl adze.  However, I also make some bowls completely by hand, I call the splits.  These bowls take much more time and skill to make.  For these bowls I start by splitting a log.  Then I plane the piece of wood using a draw knife and a custom made shaving horse.  Next, I shape the ends with a hand axe.  Finally, I hew the inside of the bowl with a bowl adze.
The bowls I make are from green wood that then has to be dried.  This process can take anywhere from about a week to several months.  A number of different things can make the dry time vary, from type of wood to when it was cut to size of the bowl.  To dry my bowls I place them in a plastic bag and turn the bag every couple of days until the bowl is dry.  I then sand my bowls and place my mark and number my bowl with a wood burn, I also burn what type of wood the bowl is made out of, on the bottom of the bowl.  Next, I apply mineral oil to them and let them sit overnight.  The following day or so I apply a homemade beeswax and mineral oil balm to the bowl and am finished.