Today’s team, headed by Cathy Allchin, is heading out to stage wood for our upcoming teams.

The lumber on top is donated white cedar, custom cut and milled by volunteer Steve Redding. It is due to be used for the siding and doors as we recreate the lighthouse’s external basement entry. The remaining wood will be used in a number of ways including forms for foundation work, rebuilding the stairs and building the frame for the cover. It was purchased through the DNR Partnership Match program where the DNR provides funds for project materials which we match with volunteer hours.

Thank you Jim and Cathy.

 

On her return from picking up the team, Board Member Kathy Sanders reports “Picked up this amazing team of guys yesterday! What a productive week! Top coated the masonry in the tower, installed a new basement door, put on the remaining 1867 lighthouse shutters, put windows in the skeletal tower in place, painted, replaced the tire on the lawn tractor, did some tuckpointing on the brick, put the new mattresses in place and so much more. They also made assessments of areas for improvements and have several creative ideas for us to do in the future. These volunteers make all the difference! Thank you Marty Rosalik, Mark Lee, Tom McBride, Jim Greenwell, and Ben Eichorst!”

Some of their other projects included installing additional Lexan inserts in the 1867 lantern room, reconfiguring a bunk bed to make it more useful for our mostly older volunteers, repairing a wagon, and lubricating the lawn mower. Hard-working folks, with a diversity of skills.

Marty’s report today includes showing the “adjustments” needed to get the replicated top sash to fit within the grooves and between the stops. We fortunately have a table saw and good carpenters available to “skinny” them up as required.

Just moments ago, the guys reported in that all the sash has been dry fitted…the stops as well…they have exactly enough 1/4″ – 20 screws to finish the job (good thing we put in what we thought were extras!)

Final paint on both the sash and window openings is next, sash locks, then final install.

This project has had unusual complexity with its mix of wood and metal components, missing sash, badly damaged sash (see below), and difficulties removing and sizing hardware.

It’s extended over 7 summers (the first sash came out in 2017). Something over 25 people have contributed some piece to it, either hands on work or helping transport components. Particularly significant contributions have come from Doug Noren, Carl Johnson, Mark Schumaker, Marty Rosalik and Tom McBride, the latter of whose efforts are helping bring this project to completion this year.

Marty & Ben reported in on their skeletal tower window install. “We have good news and bad news.” We’d expected the window installs to be one of the tougher projects we’ve done…but it’s proving to have even further complications. The tower was originally built in a salt water location in 1905, then disassembled, transported and reassembled in Michigan in 1933-34. The window sash we could save was in rough shape. It made making accurate recreations difficult. The wood windows are held in with metal stops which makes them unforgiving. Everything has to come up two stories by ladder, then up spiral stairs. The good news is that they are moving forward getting the outer stops out, using a grinder & wire brush to clean up the metal and have identified the modifications needed to get the top sash to fit properly. Here’s what these will look like when installed. A fine, but likely frustrating, day’s work!

Meanwhile, Jim and Ben reported they had gotten the basement external door installed. We now have a functional door unlike what we started with below: