Appalachian settlers in the early 19th century built their houses with the only material available: wood harvested from their own land. This was often white oak for the foundation and first floor, lighter weight chestnut for the upper floors, and an assortment of red oak, maple, or poplar if that was what was on the property. Close to 200 years later, many of these buildings are still standing and have aged depending on how well they were built and maintained. The structures that survive have the wisdom of those original craftsmen built into them and are a testament to their architectural skill. In the inset photo at the top of the page, you see the wooden peg corner construction from the first 1840s cabin that Nicholas and Michelle worked with.

Assessment and planning: Each deconstruction project begins with an on-site assessment with the property owner to see the quantity, quality, type, and value of material on offer, along with the overall condition of the structure. “If it can be saved, that is always your first choice” says Nicholas. If saving isn’t possible and the material is optimal for furniture making, a detailed project management process begins: define the scope of work; create a schedule; calculate cost projections of time, labor, and equipment. Determining how the building was constructed is important, as the disassembly procedure is most often construction in reverse, or “backwards building.” Even with accumulated experience it can be easy to underestimate how long a project will take, as no two projects are the same.

Logistics: The equipment list can include a telescoping material handler, trailer, and tractor, all the way down to hand tools, wedges, and mallets. Rain exposure will negatively affect the old wood, so short-term and long-term storage must be procured. Is it down a back road and up a mountain? Usually it is. Careful planning is required to get all needed equipment onsite and in position.

Disassembly: Prior to disassembly, everything in the interior is removed, including cabinets, walls, furniture and anything left behind by the last residents. Everything old and original is saved. Reverse construction then begins with breaking the roof seal, then removal of the tins, decking, rafters, joists, and top plate. This sequence makes for slower progress but is essential for preserving the quality and condition of material. In terms of weight and size, the greatest challenge are the top plates and first floor joists, which can run the full length of the cabin and weigh many hundreds of pounds.

Sorting: Most of the material is designated for a specific build and is stacked and stickered according to a cut list. Material is then sorted by color, age, grain pattern, and presence of nail holes, saw marks, or other characteristics. Certain parts lend themselves to certain projects. Tongue-and-groove flooring can be easily made into solid wood cabinets, wide boards can be used for case construction or flooring, and hewn beams are popular as mantels.

Denailing: A single nail can compromise an expensive saw blade. Before milling, any metal is identified by eye, magnet, and metal detector. Each piece is removed, taking care not to leave tool marks.

Milling: Because the supply of wood is finite, the Slatons carefully control the milling process with their own sawmill. Beams and logs are sawn to a cut list that maximizes the amount of wood recovered and gets the best cut out of each piece. Milled material moves to the shop where the parts are dimensioned and joined with hand tools or by machining. The overarching principle is to maintain the wood’s character as much as possible.

Final destination: The old and original has made its way into projects, often in people’s homes as cabinets, furniture, floors and ceilings, but also as smaller commissioned pieces. Wood cycles through the space as it’s used in projects. All the fixtures, cabinetry, trim, flooring, rafters, tin are saved. The Slatons keep 1,800 square feet in dry storage as inventory and a private collection allowing them to have access to the best.

Is it worth it? The entire process is weeks of hard, dangerous, dirty work. Each time the Slatons finish a deconstruction they swear they will never do another one. When asked why they continue to consider new projects, Nicholas’ first response is to say “It’s all about the wood. It is a special experience working with wood of this age, size, and quality. It is rare and we are lucky.” When pressed to be more specific, Nicholas replies, “It’s about keeping the local history alive for those who care about it.” In the end, the clients are the lucky ones. They own a part of the Appalachian story with a very special character and cachet. The buildings may be gone, but their heritage lives on in the craftmanship from Phoenix Mountain Arts.

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Download the Scarf Joint Jig Drawing.

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The jig’s aluminum indexing key is width-adjustable for stock ranging from 1/8 in. to 3/4 in. wide. The distance from the indexing key to the blade determines the spacing of your grid, and that’s easy to adjust in small increments with the jig’s ergonomic knobs. Simply make your cut, push the key into the kerf you’ve just made, and then make the next cut.

The jig’s fence is made of MDF with a smooth melamine coating, and the micro-adjuster is glass-filled nylon. Rockler’s Cross Lap Jig (item 56372) is available now and is priced at $34.99.

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Bosch CoolPack 2.0 technology advances the lifetime of the battery as well, delivering up to 135 percent longer life versus conventional batteries without CoolPack. Heat is the enemy of any battery, and this design ensures heat dissipation is maximized, thanks to a housing that completely encases each cell. The high-density polyethylene material and the proprietary design combine to pull heat away from the cells for better dissipation and about 20 percent faster cooling, Bosch reports. In addition, the battery is designed without space gaps, which ensures any heat produced by the cells is not stored in the interior. Optimized cell connectors made of copper versus copper-coated galvanized steel offer lower resistance for increased power output over a longer period of time.

Bosch CORE18V batteries provide 100 percent compatibility with all 18-volt Bosch lithium-ion tools and chargers. Bosch is also developing high-power tools to take full advantage of CORE battery technology.

The new Bosch GBA18V40 CORE18V 4.0 Ah battery is available now and sells for $99.

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Rob Johnstone: I would surface the slab first, then install the butterfly key. In truth, it likely is not critical to do it in that order, but my preference is to surface, then machine. Good luck!

Tim Inman: Functionally, I don’t think it really matters whether you put the butterfly in before or after surfacing. What does matter is that this wood is showing you it is full of internal stresses and is moving! Why? Wood that thick takes forever to dry and equalize all the way to the core. If this is an important project, you might consider taking out a small core drilling near the center of the wood which, if measured quickly, can tell you the equilibrium moisture content (EMC) at the center of the piece. You must be ready to test that core immediately, though! I would use an electronic moisture meter to do the test. There are other ways, but not for here. Once you know the EMC, the core can then be replaced and bonded with epoxy almost invisibly. A little art from your brush and box of pigments, and nobody (but you) would be the wiser – except you will be much wiser, and you will know what you are working with.

If the EMC is “normal” in the center as well as the outside, then I would trust the butterfly to be strong enough to hold. If not, then nothing short of steel will ever hold. Even then, the steel will hold, but the wood will just crack someplace near the butterfly and away you go again. So, put the fix in whenever you feel led, but don’t feel confident in your repair unless you know EMC is the same inside and out.

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– David Wesselhoft
Lancaster, PA

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“Thank you for distilling and sharing some of ‘the best days’!” – Jayme Johnson

“With prose like that, you need help, and not with writing. I’m sure you know of what I speak. I hope you find a specialist soon.  He’ll probably recommend fishing or some other outdoor activity, just to clear the air.” – R.L. Hoyle

“Aw, come on, Rob! Try my un-air conditioned shop in Gainesville, Florida. I can understand your lament. I used to live in the Midwest and the summers were just as bad. I loved October up there but not the snow. Keep up the good work. I enjoy your magazine and eZine.” – Ed

“Not in my shop!  My basement is cooler than upstairs. aTemp here outside was 107 real feel yesterday.Had some workers over trimming trees. I am 76 and could not do what they did or do what you did. Thank god for A/C.” – Phil zoeller

We also heard a fellow reader’s suggestion to last issue’s questioner who needed to repair or replace the centerboard for his wooden sailboat. – Editor

 “I’d like to offer some advice to Barney Heller on ‘repairing’ his centerboard. I think you are wasting your time with plywood. I would suggest you find a nice piece of oak or maple. A discarded dining room table leaf is a great source. Make the board out of a nice strong wood and give it few coats of marine varnish. Even if you hit some rocks, you’ll stand a better chance of minimizing damage.” – Ron Jelinek

And we heard from the thwarted sailor himself, who gave us an update on the boat’s condition. – Editor

“Thank you for the suggestions on the centerboard. I went with replace. It is amazing how expensive a 4/4 piece of mahogany can be when it is 20 inches wide. Yes, I know I could have glued up several strips and done it for at least one quarter of the price, but the piece was at a nearby shop, so I bit the bullet. The final product turned out pretty good. And, yes, it was pretty easy to do. Now 40-plus-year old ‘Chilly Willie’ has a new, one-piece centerboard! Great advice!” – Barney Heller

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