March 2007 MDMC Newsletter

Metro Detroit Metalworking Club

March, 2007

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Well, we didn’t get to have our meeting last month. Emil and John Lee were wise enough to suggest cancelling the meeting and then getting the word out. The college was closed even we wanted to brave the roads. The club is for fun and we don’t need to take unnecessary risks.

Are you wondering why there is a picture of a lighthouse here? It’s a Michigan lighthouse and it is explained in a very nice request by email I received last week, which I have printed in it’s entirety to the right. How about it guys, can you help or know someone who can?

Hello my name is Matthew Orr. I’m a 15-year-old Life Scout in Boy Scout Troop 4 in Ann Arbor Michigan . Troop 4 has been assisting the Great Lakes Lighthouse Association (GLLKA) in the restoration of St. Helena Light Station in the Straits of Mackinac since 1987. Recently, the Troop completed the reconstruction of the boathouse at the light station. Last year a fellow scout constructed tracks going from the boathouse down to the water. GLLKA has purchased a station boat for the boathouse. The boat is currently in Ann Arbor being restored. My Eagle Scout project is to construct a boat car to allow the station boat to be taken down to the lake for launching. We will be following historical plans so that the lighthouse will appear as it did in the late 1800’s. The boat car is required to hold the restored station boat on the rails that were constructed last year. In addition to transporting the station boat, the boat car will allow it to be on display in the boathouse. For historical accuracy the boat car needs to be built how it would have been in the 1870’s. That obviously means that the boat could not be welded but rather riveted or bolted together.

This brings me to the Metro Detroit Metalworking Club, I was wondering if anyone would be interested in helping me construct the boat cart. One possibility is that they could fabricate the hardware for riveting or bolting the frame together; he might be interested in actually doing the riveting. I would be very interested in coming and watching the process and maybe even doing some myself. It seems that the purpose and construction techniques are appropriate work that your club does. The project helps a historic Michigan lighthouse restoration effort and helps me learn about historical metal working techniques. I have started to raise funds for the project. An article will appear shortly in the spring GLLKA newsletter, The Beacon. We have some initial ideas gleaned from historic documents of similar carts. I would very much appreciate starting up a discussion to determine if this is a project that the Metro Detroit Metalworking Club would be interested in. I have some funding, but after the purchase of materials I am not sure how much will be left. My contact information is:

Above are more pictures taken from Matt’s project plan. I will bring the full text of his plan to the meetings. If you can help, please contact Matt