Shopsmith Forums

Just came across this, looks interesting.

http://handworks.co/

Looks very interesting...Alas middle of May brings Lawn and Garden season in Wisconsin and there aren't enough hours in the week during that season.

The Amana Colonies is an unbelievable place to go even when there is not something special happening. I can spend (and have) hours just standing and watching them build furniture.

If you are planning to go, take some money. Even if you don't buy tools, or crafts, or hardware you'll still need money for food and wine. Most of the restaurants serve "family style" and I guarantee that you can not empty the serving plates unless you tell they "no more, please".

I wish I could go.

When the show is over, take a drive into Cedar Rapids and visit the Quaker Oats facility and then go to the old part of town for more to eat.

On the way out of town, stop at the Rockwell Collins facility and tell them you know me. If you do that, they'll help you get the rest of the way out of town the quickest way possible.

Dusty it sounds like you've spent some time in those parts.

burkhome wrote:Looks very interesting...Alas middle of May...there aren't enough hours in the week during that season.

Not only that it's Memorial Day weekend, the official kickoff to summer in the midwest. Might make the trip to Amana anyway.

dusty wrote:The Amana Colonies is an unbelievable place to go even when there is not something special happening. I can spend (and have) hours just standing and watching them build furniture.

If you are planning to go, take some money. Even if you don't buy tools, or crafts, or hardware you'll still need money for food and wine. Most of the restaurants serve "family style" and I guarantee that you can not empty the serving plates unless you tell they "no more, please".

I wish I could go.

When the show is over, take a drive into Cedar Rapids and visit the Quaker Oats facility and then go to the old part of town for more to eat.

On the way out of town, stop at the Rockwell Collins facility and tell them you know me. If you do that, they'll help you get the rest of the way out of town the quickest way possible.

You'll know when you are in Cedar Rapids - you can't miss the sweet smell in the air. I always thought Quaker Oats smell liked honey-baked ham. Glad I didn't live there when it smelled like the meat processor. The city was hit pretty hard by the flooding a few years ago. Dusty- my wife's grandpa was an engineer at Rockwell Collins on I believe aviation equipment.

My favorite place to eat in the colonies was the Ronenberg. Good meat and potatoes meals with plenty of gravy. A neat place to visit around holidays.

The Amanas are an amazing place. The wife and I went down and spent a weekend down there awhile ago. Had a great time tooling around. I didn't get to see any furniture being made, wish I could have. But the next time down, I am hoping that we will get to see some things being made.

We parked in one spot, and wandered and wandered. you can do quite a bit of wine tasting wandering around. And the food! As Dusty said, family style. Going with just two of us, i barely made it out to the car.

We have been talking about doing another trip down there. Maybe will have to look at that weekend.

Nathan

tomsalwasser wrote:Dusty it sounds like you've spent some time in those parts.

I did. I managed a production qualification test program when I worked for Rockwell. Some of the production was done there. We also had project meetings there on a regularly scheduled basis. Yes, I gained a lot of weight there. Weight that was never lost.

In their better years my in-laws took fairly regular weekend trips to the Amana Colonies. One weekend maybe 20 years ago they invited us along and showed us around. We took many tours including a furniture factory. My in-laws purchased a dining room set and a hutch, beautifully built and finished, delivered later that year. They still have it and I always spend time studying the craftsmanship when we visit them. I do remember that the finishing department was a completely separate division from the woodworking department, a specialty so important that it was left to full time professional wood finishers. Knowing this I don't feel so bad that I struggle with finishing. We sampled a lot of sweet fruit wines, which are a specialty there as a remnant of the old colony days. I do recall seeing a farm hand's daily food ration from the old days posted somewhere. A tankard of wine was served with a massive breakfast. Wine was food to the colonists.

I suppose we have the Amana colonies to thank for your woodworking hobby today Dusty?

No, I developed my passion for wood working while I was in high school. My first and probably greatest life decision was made back then. I had been offered an apprenticeship with an elderly furniture maker from the old country.

I turned it down because there was no money in the offer. Just free room and board and an education as a furniture maker. I went in the Air Force instead - for the education.

What a fool I was.

I later learned from my parents that it had been his intention to retire from the business in a few years and to leave his entire shop and business to his apprentice.