The reason why I refer to myself as a craftsman rather than a contractor has a lot to do with my background. As a trained engineer, I relish in tackling custom woodworking projects that require problem-solving. Restoring a historic home to its original glory is an example of a situation where custom solutions reign. The owner of the Perry Mansion in Indianapolis was committed to restoring the beautiful home’s original architectural details with updated materials. Elements that were designed at the turn of the 20^th century cannot be purchase at a local box store – everything had to be custom made. He hired woodworkers with varying skillsets and set up a woodshop in the basement of the home. I was asked to rebuild the millwork in the conservatory which had multiple arched windows. Since nothing existed that would fit, I had to engineer a way to take plain and straight pieces of new wood and bend and mill them into shapes that complement the original architecture.

I started the project by creating a plywood template of the window arches to work off from in my shop. To bend wood, you must first get it warm and moist and then set it into a jig that molds it into the correct shape. I ended up building a custom steam chamber in my shop. I started with 13 ft long HVAC piping to fit the length and width of the wood. Next, I needed to be able to fill the piping chamber with 130 – 140 degrees steam for 30 minutes. So, I reconfigured a steam-generating wallpaper stripper by rigging up hoses from one end of the machine to the ductwork to feed steam into the tube. Next came the bending process. One piece would go in the chamber, steam up, come out and then another would go in. The steamed piece went straight into a jig I custom made out of screws, boards, and clamps to ensure the bend would fit the windows. Each piece stayed in the jig for 30 minutes, then the next piece would come out of the steamer and go through the same process. There were 12 windows, so this exacting process took a long time.

The arches were only part of the window – the rest of the molding had to be rebuilt as well. While it did not have to be bent, the wood had to be custom milled to the correct size and style. This project required a lot of detail and engineering ingenuity, as well as again making up my own process to complete the work. When I was approached by the homeowner, I agreed without understanding how I would accomplish the project because it sounded like so much fun. Other woodworkers had turned the work down because they did not know how to approach it. I had the confidence that my engineering background would help me figure it out. Lots of my projects are that way – they challenge me to come up with a unique solution and I always do. This skillset is what homeowners need from a custom woodworker -– creating something they can’t get elsewhere.

Another part of the project was to recreate the original columns in an alcove. Significant water damage had left few clues about the original architectural details in this space, so I had to take clues from the rest of the home. The columns sat upon intricate base molding with a lot of angles, which made fitting the new columns quite challenging. Ensuring the new pieces flowed well with the existing pieces required hours of tedious measuring, drawing and specialty cuts, as well as lots of math. What usually takes a few hours took 2 ½ days to ensure the exacting detail my client expected.

Restoring a historic home to its original style – or even blending new elements in while honoring the old – takes patience, vision and creativity. As with this project, it often means taking more time to build the tools you need than it takes to complete the project itself. Creating something that does not exist requires craftsmanship first, building second. If you are considering restoring a historic home, reach out to me. Send me an email or give me a call at (317) 679-5890.