Nautical Research Journal 3


Figure 1. Logs from the old pear tree. All images courtesy of the author.


An armed colonial schooner By Alex Bellinger


T e pear tree was already old when we bought the house a long time ago. For many years it gave us white blossoms in spring, a little shade in summer, and if we could beat the squirrels to them, maybe a peck or so of Bosc pears in the fall. One August the leaves turned brown and fell off . T is went on for a few years, with no pears, and eventually no leaves at all. Clearly the tree had run its course. Aſt er a few years of no activity, a neighbor came over with her chainsaw, and we brought the poor old tree down. One winter, while putting one of the logs in the woodstove, it seemed like a poor end to an old friend. I saved some of the better logs (Figure 1), ran these through a bandsaw and ripped them further down on the table saw, still uncertain what would come of this. (Figure 2)


I had asked Rob Napier about trying to use the wood, and typically for Rob, his answers were contradictory; no, the


wood would be too erratic and damaged to be of much use, but yes, I would learn a great deal from the experiment. Also typical of Rob, he was right with both answers. T e wood was limited because of disease, insect damage, and years of strain, and oſt en failed at a critical point. And I did indeed learn quite a bit.


Figure 2. Sections from band saw, ready to rip.


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