Video: Assembling a Steady Rest

Here's a brief video of the Spar Shop crew assembling a steady rest on a large cant that will become a new mast for the schooner Zodiac.

Zodiac Mast: Giving It a Steady Rest

The Spar Shop crew spent today placing the cant (pre-shaped log) into devices called "steady rests," which will hold the log that will become the schooner Zodiac's new mast as it's turned in the Shop's tracer lathe. The cant is about 117 feet long and 24 inches on a side and weighs upward of 10,000 pounds. Top: Volunteer Kevin Barton, left, and lathe operator Matt Bale  prepare the cant for turning. Middle: Barton guides the lower half of the steady rest into place on to a set of rollers. Bottom: Barton makes adjustments to the top half of the steady rest, which is in place. The Spar Shop hopes to start actual turning on the lathe next week.

Zodiac mast project: The cant is ready

We've just finished milling the 127-foot cant for the new Zodiac mast at the Spar Shop. It's the long, thin, tan-colored object in the foreground of the above photo. A "cant" is a log that's been roughly shaped for turning in a lathe. In this case, the 24-inch by 24-inch cant will be mounted in the Spar Shop's tracer lathe early next week, and we'll start shaping it by mid-week. We expect the total process to take about 14 working days, give or take a day or two. If you include some time off for holidays, we're hoping to finish the turning early in the new year, barring any unforeseen difficulties. We'll keep you informed.

An Unusual Donation of Local History

The Historical Seaport took delivery this week of an unusual piece of local history. Ellen Marsaw of Olympia, Wash., gave us an enormous safe that's labeled "Auditor & Recorder, Lewis County, Washington Territory." That means the safe--which once belonged to Ellen's father--goes back to the days before Washington became a state in 1889. It was most likely made between 1870 and 1888 by the MacNeale & Urban Company of Cincinnati. It's hard to tell from the images, but the decorative brushwork is beautiful, and we're looking at ways to restore it. If you have any suggestions, email Les Bolton at les@historicalseaport.org.

Fan Photos: Beautiful Sky at Long Beach

Mary Anne Kendall sent us these elegant photos of Lady Washington taken last Saturday at Long Beach. "We thoroughly enjoyed our sail aboard the Lady Washington," she writes. "The captain and crew were all professional and fun!"

If you have a photo to share, send it to photos@historicalseaport.org.

Logs for New Zodiac Mast, Boom Delivered

Yesterday, the Historical Seaport's Spar Shop took delivery of logs to be turned into a new mast and boom for the schooner Zodiac, which lost its mast in September while sailing near Lummi Island in Puget Sound. The logs came from private property on the Oregon Coast. The logs are 123 feet long, and we believe they will be the largest single pieces of wood ever turned on a lathe in North America.

Upper photo: The logs are pulled into the front gate at Historical Seaport headquarters. Lower photo: The first log is moved into the main building, where it will be prepared for loading on the lathe.

Read our news release.