Learning the Window as a Whole
We must also understand the 100-year-old window as it exists today. Still, it begins with an intimate knowledge of the parts, a study of how they work together and how they endure—that’s Window Craft in a nutshell.
Intro to Window Craft is a study of the window as a whole, as it relates to the building, how the parts relate to one another, how to bring those parts back to the optimal state of relating to one another, and then ensuring that they continue to endure.
In order to understand the window as a whole, we have to take it apart and put it back together. We have to look at it as it relates to the building, and then we have to look at all the parts as they relate to one another. We have to tangibly grasp how all the parts work together, as well as the circumstances that have accumulated over time that cause windows to stop operating, begin to fail and deteriorate.
We have to understand all this in order to be able to adequately manipulate the parts into obedience and cooperation with one another.
None of this happens in a vacuum. We can’t understand a window apart from the context within which it operates. Therefore, we need a live platform to operate from—to investigate, to learn and to study. We have to have a context. That context can be—actually, must be—an actual building with actual artifacts.
This is the surprisingly difficult part of both creating and facilitating the training, because there is no such thing as a perfect platform across all scenarios.
One-hundred-year-old houses are full of surprises—and the leader must show up equipped, ready to handle anything. The facilitator must be equipped, prepared to handle chaos and uncertainty on the fly.
There’s no such thing as the perfect platform, but that in itself is somewhat perfect—because a lack of perfect platforms is precisely what Window Craft demonstrates - that actual capacity and proper setup can prepare for and overcome any hurdle. An imperfect platform illustrates adaptability to handle uncertainty.
We open a window and a sill might be bad. That’s okay—Window Craft can handle that. A sash might be bad. That’s okay. Window Craft can handle that.
One thing Intro to Window Craft teaches is how to set up for and execute a window restoration project with the minimum of hurdles to overcome. It places the activities and operations in their optimal order so that work and progress can proceed as unhindered as possible.
For this reason, Intro to Window Craft is a vital part of the Artisan Army Apprenticeship. It sets up the apprentice to succeed in future window endeavors. It helps the apprentice to learn that there really are only three things to be done on an existing window:
Intro to Window Craft simplifies everything.
One thing it cannot give you, though, is a sash when it is missing or compromised beyond usefulness.
And that’s why Intro to Window Craft and Intro to Sash Making are offered side by side.
So Intro to Window Craft is the basics of the window as it exists, and how to revive it and bring its parts back together in a way that cooperates with one another. Intro to Sash Making shows how to make the parts.
They are taught separately so the apprentice can clearly see all the moving parts and how they interact with one another and understand how they can be blended together into one larger, master sequence.
Once the apprentice has seen the bigger picture, it is time to then begin to study in depth—the individual parts and processes and how they flow together.
Join us for the next edition of Intro to Window Craft in Uvalde, Texas October 31-November 4, in association with WindowFest and the WindowLypics.
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