Workshop Level: 1 & 2. Up to 16 participants with Certified Instructors Brian Post and TJ Mora. Open to everyone. $360.
Saturday and Sunday June 24 & 25, 2017
The Stone Trust is excited to announce a new set of workshops in Springfield, VT. With our Dummerston, VT facility at capacity, and more demand than we can handle, this is a fantastic new site to learn dry stone walling. Learn the art and craft of Dry Stone Walling on Historic Vermont Field Walls.
The Site and Stone:
Set on a 200 acre property of field and forest, this is a fantastic location to learn the craft of dry stone walling. The property includes active farm fields, actively managed forestland, trails, a beaver pond and wetland, and even a waterfall. There are fantastic views in nearly every direction. A truly beautiful Vermont landscape. Actively farmed for over 200 years this property is near the heart of the historic village of Eureka (now gone), which was the first village within the town of Springfield. The site features 1000’s of feet of historic dry stone wall that will begin to be repaired in workshops.
The stone used for the walls is what was gathered right out of the fields. It is a mixture of the local metamorphic ledge along other types brought in by the glaciers long ago. There is a nice mix of shapes from round to irregular with occasional flat ones as well. It is very typical of the stone found throughout much of New England. This workshop will be based in the real world. How to work with the stone you have in the best way possible is a primary focus.
Workshop Format:
This dry stone walling workshop will teach how to go about building a dry stone wall. It is intended to be taken as a stand alone workshop or can be paired with the site preparation workshop happening the day before.
The workshop will run from 8:30 – 4:30 each day, with a break for lunch at noon. The instructors will use a variety of visual teaching aids, discussion, and hands-on demonstrations.
In this workshop participants will learn how build a traditional dry stone wall in a real world, field wall, setting. Learning how to make the best use of the available stone will be a key part of this workshop. Participants will be guided through setting foundation stones, working with guide strings, building the first lift, placing through stones, building the 2nd lift, and and setting cope stones.
Each participant will have their own area of wall to work on from start to finish with instructors actively helping along the way. Workshop participants typically each build about 35 sq ft in a fun supportive environment. Some stone shaping will be done as a part of this workshop, but the emphasis will be on building with the stones you have.
Workshop Levels:
This is a Level 1 & 2 workshop. Level 1 is suitable for everyone and no experience is required and there are no prerequisites. Participants at level 1 will be working on a straight section of wall. Level 2 is for those who have taken one or more walling workshops before, or are experienced stone workers. Level 2 participants in this workshop will be at a section that includes building a wall end (cheek end).
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Check out the Friday Site Preparation Workshop that this workshop is paired with. June 23.
Sign up for both to get 3 days of amazing dry stone wall education!
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Licensed Landscape Architects can receive 7.5 LA CES credit hours for attending the site prep workshop day and and 15 credit hours for the two day walling workshop. Take both for 22.5 credit hours, almost 2 years worth in 3 days! These workshops make a great break from the office and you will come away with an incredible knowledge base about dry stone walls that can be applied directly to your projects!
Learning objectives for this workshop:
- How to build a stone wall using a mix of typical field stone
- How to use guide strings for an even finish
- How to build build efficiently
- Know how to build all parts of a standard wall
- Know the basic rules of walling
- Know how to assess good and bad walls
- How to do some basic shaping of stones
About The Instructors:
BRIAN POST owns and operates https://thestonetrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/may-14-test-group-photo-1.jpg Landscape Architecture, a design build firm specializing in dry stone construction, in Springfield VT. Brian is the only certified waller who is also a Licensed Landscape Architect. Having knowledge from both the design world and the walling world gives Brian unique insights when teaching. Brian is one of six DSWA-GB certified Master Craftsmen (Level IV) in the USA, and is also a Certified instructor. Brian is also the Executive Director of The Stone Trust.
TJ MORA is the proprietor of Mora Stone in South Londonderry VT. With over 10 years of experiance, including with public works jobs, TJ is a skilled instructor with a wealth of knowledge. TJ holds Intermediate Certification (Level II) from the DSWA-GB, and is also a certified instructor.
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