FROM ROB'S BENCH
Woodworking meets summer roads trips
Rob Brown
Blog for July 11, 2024
And just like that, we’re in the middle of summer. Kids are out of school, the air conditioning is on and the drone of lawnmowers fills the air.
What am I up to lately? I’m still catching up from an incredibly busy winter, not to mention a spring that seemed to pass me by in what felt like just a few weeks.
I’ve had so much on the go that the realization that it’s summer has just sunk in. The sad thing is I don’t have anything planned. Usually, I have a few backcountry camping trips and road trips in mind, and have already finished at least a dozen 100-kilometre bike rides by now.
As much as I’d love to get outside and enjoy the short summer we have in Canada, I also want to spend time in the shop creating. I was on a bike ride in Peterborough County in Ontario a few days ago and realized summer travel and woodworking very rarely cross paths. Sure, the obvious one would be to make a wooden bike. That would be a blast, but the practical side of me says it wouldn’t be nearly as nice as my carbon fibre bike frame, nor would it be an easy project I could quickly knock off.
Coincidence?
It was at this exact moment that I rode past Hope Mill Conservation Area, just outside of Keene. Without even realizing it, I passed by a fantastic example of travel crossed with woodworking, and it was right in my backyard. To be clear, I’ve ridden past Hope Mill dozens of times, but I didn’t purposefully head out to see it the other day.
Hope Mill is a water-powered sawmill on the edge of the Indian River. It was built in the 1870s and is still in operation today. Free guided tours and demonstrations are available every Thursday between mid-April and mid-October. You can learn more at HopeMill.ca.
I wrote an article about the mill in our October/November 2011 issue. You can read that here.
Any other ideas?
My ride the other day got me thinking about how there must be other road trips in Canada that could include at least a sprinkle of woodworking in them. Do you know of any woodworking museums in Canada? How about some fascinating examples of great woodworking in Canada? The gates in the Rideau Canal come to mind. You can read about those here.
Obviously, a trip to Lee Valley, or a visit to a local lumberyard is a lot of fun, but I don’t think the whole family is going to be happy waiting in the parking lot while you go in and spend an hour there. I’m talking about the unique sites around the country that have some sort of relationship with woodworking in general. Share your thoughts in the comments section or email me directly.
Have a great summer everyone. Hopefully it includes lots of woodworking.
Ride to the Woodworking
My mode of transportation is a bike, but the nice folks at Hope Mill will be happy to give you a free tour even if you don’t ride your bike there.
A Serene Location
This is where I rested my bike the other day while I overlooked the waters of the Indian River that power Hope Mill.
Glanmore National Historic Site , glanmore.ca , in Belleville, ON is a fabulous fully restored private home built in the 1880’s for a wealthy couple and their adopted child. The amazing architecture and stunning interior appointments house dozens of pieces of original artwork and period furniture displayed just as the original owners enjoyed it. Until the Fall there’s also dozens of vintage quilts beautifully displayed and described. Something for all members of the family to enjoy and remember. We’ll be going back for a second look this Summer!
Thanks for your concern, Jay. I always stay off the busiest roads and also do my best to stick to much quieter roads. I find the gravel roads are the best, as they have the least amount of traffic. I often ride on trails / road allowances too, which offer only ATV / motorbike traffic.
Hi Rob,
A hike in the woods looking for chunks of wood to carve a spoon or other kitchen utensil is a easy woodworking field trip.
When you said tours & museum it made me think of a forum member “washboard” that was building a line-shaft shop, I remember he gave a few forum member’s tours of his shop. That would be a fun destination and I believe he was in your neck of the woods as well.
Not to put a shadow on your biking. Please be very careful and assume that every car and truck does not see you. It has been shown many times that we MV drivers’ brains do not register you as it is looking for vehicles. Had a motorcycle riding employee who in one year had a MV pull out in front of him at an intersection. In all 3 cases he went over his handlebars and across the MV’s hood. Varying degrees of injuries. I knew more than I wanted as with our private insurer in the States they wanted to start with the lowest cost treatment and pharmaceuticals. Initially a battle between his Drs. and our insurer. Then we stepped in. Since we paid the premiums and could move toa different insurer next year we had leverage to go straight to the most complicated treatments.