Freegfff Wells page 6


1862 cont.)
12 July Need to have the chair backs planed. Took them to Albany but the man's machine did
not do the work,, so took them to Velie's Bedstead Factory to see ifthey could do them.
Mr. Velie not there /leftthem, but he could not do them either, so brought them back.
18 July Worked nearly all day planing chair backs and it proves to be quite hard work for the
old man's lame hand and arm.
19 July Yesterday and today we have planed 200 chair backs. Have now moved broom handle
shop into old Meeting House.
25 July Took chair back material to washhouse and in afternoon steam bent over 300 pieces
before supper.
28 July Went to milland worked up the chair post material but were short.
30 July Went into woods and found a small tree struck by lightning. 'The stuff was handsome. "
Brought It home, cut itto length/ split itand now have enough to make 86 chairs,
although have enough backs and rounds for 100 chairs,
5 Aug Cornered posts so they are ready to turn.
11 Aug Got allchair posts thru lathe forfirst time/after having to make repairs to equipment
and saw a taper to posts first.Then had to make repairs to lathe.
30 Aug Finally began to turn posts forsecond time and finished the short ones.
2 Sept Finished turning long posts.
5 Sept Started turning pommels on long posts.
11 Sept Finished turning pommels --. about 170 in a l l .
12 Sept Turned about half of frontposts.
13 Sept Finished turning posts. Thomas has been shingling the frontroof of the timber house 0
17 Sept Repaired wheel barrows No. 1 and 2 and Thomas strung 600 broom handles.
23 Sept Finished broom handles on hand -- about 2600.
30 Sept Made coal bin for thisshop. Made sort of a box for gageing and mortising chair posts in.
4 Oct "Thomas is taken from shop togo through a round ofdoctoring with the rest of the boys
for the itch which they appear to have. "
8 Oct Dressed off chair backs and smoothed a few posts and undertook to'mortice some but had
bad luck and had to repair the machinery.
11 Oct Bored one ready for putting together.
12 Oct Got my firstchair together today and finished it off.
24-25 Went to West Troy with ox team and brought home cioads of broken slate and put itunder
Oct the eaves of the Meeting House so there was "now something much better than sand for
the water from the eaves to drop on. " Put slate 14" from wall and in bed 2'9" wide.
Thomas had been helpkg gather winter apples and then schoo! started on Nov. 3 so
Freeglft was working alone in his shop/ mostly doing chores such as cleaning clocks.
I Nov Began to work on chairs again and got one together.
4 Nov Got 3 together and finished them off.
5 Nov In afternoon took chair backs out of the racks and piled them away in a box. Rheumatism
In his right arm bothering him.
10 Nov 'Worked what 1 was able for chairs/ finishingoff backs/ sandpapering posts/ etc."
II Nov Moeticed 10 chair posts.
15 Nov Drove 5 chairs together and they are finished except leveling the bottoms of the posts.
Did some work on chairs each day; also worked at broom handles.
24 Dec Bored and drove togher 20 chairs/ plus 10 already done/ makes 30 that are done except
levelling bottoms of chair posts.
29 Dec Acquired a "morning glory stove" for his shop. (Warmed the shop very well and was
stillholding a fire and keeping shop warm the next morning.)