The Horse Barn Wood Shop

Probably built in the 1850s, the horse barn has served as a stable, sheep barn, chicken coop and probably many other things during its lifetime. The cellar now houses a machinery shop and blacksmith forge that can be used in the winter. The main floor is now a wood shop that features flat belt driven antique tools (a 2 foot planer, a woodturning lathe, and a band saw) as well as a modern drill press, table saw and chop saw. The old hay mow has been converted to a metal shop, tinsmithing shop, and a place to work on wagon restoration.

One of the first projects we undertook at the farm was to restore the hay mow ramp which has a 40 foot span from the nearby bank to reach the hay wagon door 10 feet off the ground. The wood shop has no posts in it because the second and third floors are suspended from steel rods through timber trusses that transfer the load to the exterior walls of the building.