Monastic delights
This was my real delight and surprise on my recent monastery visit in Russia: a fully-equipped woodworking workshop. Set up a few years back before most of the monastery decamped southwards.
Pretty much as it was when the previous carpenter left a year or two back, under a layer of fine wood dust, including some complex window frames he had not quite finished.
Most of the heavy machinery was of Soviet vintage, with a couple of old DDR machines and a Chinese band saw (but no blades in sight), and a pretty impressive lathe. The circular saw purred, unlike the ones in Belgium which screech. Everything seemed very much more solid than here: made, I suspect, for much rougher and heavier use. What scared me was a total lack of protective devices on the planing tables and on the spindle moulders, the more so as the nearest hospital is 2 hours away.
There were of hand power tools a-plenty. Most were western (and often handyman rather than profession quality), though with a very solid Russian mechanical hand planer, which I would like to buy if they still make them. Hand tools proper were rare - chisels all with plastic handles or simply a solid piece of metal (!!), and a different model handplane from the customary Stanley type, which I want to investigate more closely.
With all this I fixed one staircase and three doors.
But there is still lot's to do. 10 days' work to complete existing jobs, three months at least to put in the remaining windows and doors. I think they want me back, but I told them I have to fit in any return visit with other promises.
In particular there is the church in the village of Karachan near Borisoglebsk where I was last year. There is masses of work to do there, and of course no money. It’s an attractive church, but far too big for the village, and the pastoral situation is, in my view, a mess, as so often in Russian villages, where facilities are poor and the pay is miserable). I want to have a frank talk with the local bishop, whom I know, before committing further.
Pretty much as it was when the previous carpenter left a year or two back, under a layer of fine wood dust, including some complex window frames he had not quite finished.
Most of the heavy machinery was of Soviet vintage, with a couple of old DDR machines and a Chinese band saw (but no blades in sight), and a pretty impressive lathe. The circular saw purred, unlike the ones in Belgium which screech. Everything seemed very much more solid than here: made, I suspect, for much rougher and heavier use. What scared me was a total lack of protective devices on the planing tables and on the spindle moulders, the more so as the nearest hospital is 2 hours away.
There were of hand power tools a-plenty. Most were western (and often handyman rather than profession quality), though with a very solid Russian mechanical hand planer, which I would like to buy if they still make them. Hand tools proper were rare - chisels all with plastic handles or simply a solid piece of metal (!!), and a different model handplane from the customary Stanley type, which I want to investigate more closely.
With all this I fixed one staircase and three doors.
But there is still lot's to do. 10 days' work to complete existing jobs, three months at least to put in the remaining windows and doors. I think they want me back, but I told them I have to fit in any return visit with other promises.
In particular there is the church in the village of Karachan near Borisoglebsk where I was last year. There is masses of work to do there, and of course no money. It’s an attractive church, but far too big for the village, and the pastoral situation is, in my view, a mess, as so often in Russian villages, where facilities are poor and the pay is miserable). I want to have a frank talk with the local bishop, whom I know, before committing further.