THE CARPENTERS

 Apprentices and Masters

 

The Carpenters

A settled-down plowman from time immemorial looked with irony at the craftsman who had ceased to make a living from the land. Land—the cornerstone—does not forgive the infidelity of a weak master. It allowed them to walk on it with proud dignity only to the true masters; only they could have a clear conscience, and the only true experts of their trade, zealots of skill, did not suffer because they forsake the land.
 The other rumour is that they simply are "zimogors" (winter residents), which is not an honourable word in the carpenter's luggage.

 A child has not had time to learn how to walk but extends his hand to his father's hammer. Yes, and he strives to hammer a nail. A peasant must be a carpenter. We have no right to ask, what is more important: the plow or the axe? Carpentry comes to us together with agriculture from ancient times. Before plowing the land, it was necessary to cut down the forest. The same axe could be used as a weapon during raids of nomads. Once the houses had been built simultaneously with forest plots, plots were stubbed.
    People laughed at men who did not know how to do carpentry and women who had difficulty spinning and were unable to weave, embroider, or weave lace. 

Remember: "Our Dunya spun not thinner than a log ..." Regardless of whether there is talent, all people wanted to obtain the skill of trades. And they acquired the trade to the extent of their abilities. One could cut the end of the logs for many types of connections and knew everything, another one knew only half of it, and the third only learned how to cut the most straightforward way. The fourth one had no skills but still wanted to know because of the shame. And he was able at least to sharpen pegs. It's not so hot, but it's better than nothing. So it was like this in any trade.
   The world of carpentry is vast and diverse. The teenager began to comprehend it by making the axe handle. To make an axe handle meant to pass the first exam. Grandfather, father, or elder brother handed the boy his axe and dry birch dice from stocks of kindles. Not from the first time this axe handle turned out right: it sometimes took a lot of birch dice to spoil. There were only a few cases when a guy did not make the grade and did not deserve to be commanded by a senior. Next, the axe handle must be installed and correctly set up so that the axe would not fall off and be polished with the glass splinter. After that, the axe is sharpened on a whetstone.
    Each consequent operation demanded wit, skill, and patience by itself. So, life in childhood and adolescence requires future carpenters' patience and consistency. It is impossible to sharpen the axe until it is fastened on the handle, although it is unbearable to wait! You can not throw the hay that has not yet dried or knead cakes that have not yet risen. Typically, the ability is passed from the older to the younger in the family. However, it deepened and developed in the working team.
 "What are the eyes for," - said Anfisa Ivanovna. In the first season of working with the team, a teenager grasped one or two ways to cut the log corner; he studied how to work for the shoals and got his own tools. Asking for a tool, especially an axe, was considered mauvais ton. People would lend it reluctantly and not out of greediness. For a carpenter, the axe was like a continuation of his hands; you get used to it and make the axe handle according to your own tests. A good carpenter would not work with somebody's axe. The carpenter tool set included the axe, the transverse saw (could be one for two), a drawing knife, a hacksaw, a chisel, the drill for drilling wood, and the plane.
     The planer and the hammer were optional for the carpenter. All this is for woodworking. But the carpenter could only do with the iron ruler, which is marked what must be removed from the log so that it is closely interlocked with the others. A string with a sinker and firebrand (a burnt piece of wood with a handle) served to mark a long, straight line on a log or board. The level was also needed, but not everyone could afford it. An expensive piece... The folding yard (later called meter) is also helpful for a good carpenter. All other accessories carpenters made themselves during work (e.g., crowbar, plumb lines, wedges, etc.).
    The head contractor, the intermediary between the carpenter and the customer, would assemble the work gang in advance. Many peasants out of poverty had to take an advance to pay the tax, and then, like it or not, if the time came, you had to go away for work. So, the working gang picked the most skilled in the craft and everyday affairs guy. After finishing the job, the carpenters went home. But some would drink away the money; it is a shame to go home broke. Or they got involved with a girl lured to a foreign land. Then, they would stay for the winter to suffer grief. Hence the contemptuous nickname "zimogors" (winter sufferer).
    Houses were rough-cut with the community's help. The peasants gradually completed windows, stairs, floors, and ceilings during breaks from the fieldwork. Finally, a bathhouse, a barn, a potato pit, and a well or nursery were built without special help from neighbours.
    Of course, the most essential thing in carpentry is to learn how to cut corners. If the building is rectangular, then, of course, it will be at the right angle. Obtuse angles were cut less frequently. An obtuse angle is required for certain types of bell towers, the wooden altar of the temple, and the erection of six-sided domes.
    The easiest way to connect the logs is by cutting grooves; plain "cow" or "bowl" connections are more complex. Next, the carpenter learned to hack "in the paw" and "in the hook." "In the paw" means the ends of logs were flush with the conjugate row; they are not exposed to the outside. You can climb up like the ladder on the corner and cut down "in the cow," while the angle of cutting down "in the paw" is perfectly smooth, without protrusions. An angle cut up "in the hook" is considered the best in insulation and rigidity. Unfortunately, few carpenters know how to hack "in the hook." Even worse, there is a ridiculous fashion to not cut the corner; logs, or the boards, are stacked back to back like bricks. How long will stand such a construction, how it will keep warmth is better not to ask. Stacked on each other logs connected with pins or put on "the coxes" with the usual moss liner. Threshing floors, haylofts, and sheds were built without moss.
    Even of the same kind, trees are all different, and so are people. One is spiral-grained, another straight-grained, with dense wood, the other flabby, not to mention the straightness or the thickness. Clearly, a carpenter's skill began with a "sense of the tree." For a man who does not feel the tree's character, it is better not to sit on the corner (not to do carpentry). But the matter is that all adult men had to do carpentry! Do you feel the tree or not? Does the axe obey you or does not obey? Anyway, you had to do carpentry. It's a shame not to be a carpenter. Yes, and the need will make you do it out of necessity.
     That's why carpenters were all different—bad, mediocre, and excellent… And they are numerous. But every one in his life tried to be better than he was. The art of carpentry is based on this attitude.
Interestingly, carpentry never had professional secrets; it was considered the public domain: conceive and derive as far as the mind and talent allow. However, the pride and dignity of the masters have always lived up to their art and are supported by widespread rumours. A good carpenter, of course, has always had exuberant strength. But even without the considerable strength, he still could be a good carpenter.
 The saying "Have the strength, no need the mind to apply" was born in the carpentry world in a mockery of sheer stupidity and zeal. Nevertheless, the strength was respected, too. But not on a par with the talent and skill, just but by itself… Real carpenters were frugal on brute force. They were deliberate. They didn't work without mittens. The logs were rolled rather than dragged. They have not spared time to sharpen axes. Carpenters were treated with the meat soup, even amid haymaking.