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Spar Shop at the Historical Seaport

Listing #842   Listed on: 03/17/2009




WOODWEB Content Editor, Ted Cushman, Interviewed Spar Shop's Site Manager Kent Wall in April 2009. You can listen to the three audio interviews by clicking on the respective links below.

  • Listen to "On the Spar Shop" audio interview
  • Listen to the "Tracer Lathe" audio interview
  • Listen to "Working With Hundred-Foot Sticks" audio interview

    The Spar Shop

    Continue Reading about Spar Shop at the Historical Seaport

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    The Spar Shop and Tracer Lathe

    Spar Shop 01

    Spar Shop 02

    Zodiac Main Mast

    Zodiac Cant Being Turned 01

    Zodiac Cant Being Turned 02

    Spar Shop 03

    Spar Shop 04

    Tracer Lathe 01

    Tracer Lathe 02

    Tracer Lathe 03

    Tracer Lathe 04

    Tracer Lathe 05

    Tracer Lathe 06

    Tracer Lathe 07

    Tracer Lathe 08

    Tracer Lathe 09

    Tracer Lathe 10

    Spar Shop 05

    Spar Shop 06

    Spar Shop 07

    Spar Shop 08

    Spar Shop 09

    Spar Shop 10

    Spar Shop 11

    Spar Shop 12

    Spar Shop 13

    Spar Shop 14

    Spar Shop 15

    Spar Shop 16

    Spar Shop 17

    Spar Shop 18

    Spar Shop 19

    Spar Shop 20

    Spar Shop 21

    Spar Shop 22

    Spar Shop 23

    Spar Shop 24

    Spar Shop 25

    Spar Shop 27

    Spar Shop 26

    Spar Shop 28

    Spar Shop 29

    Spar Shop 30
    Company Name:   Spar Shop at the Historical Seaport
    Contact Name:   Scott Rubey
    Location:   Aberdeen, WA  98520
    Year Founded:   1986
    Sq. Footage:   15,000
    Employees:   30
    Gross Sales:   N/A
    Website:   www.thesparshop.org

    Product Specialties:
        Architectural Millwork - Custom Millwork
        Architectural Millwork - General
        Architectural Millwork - Lathe Turning
        Architectural Millwork - Stairs and Balustrades
        Architectural Millwork - Stock Manufacturer
        Boat Building - Boat Repairs
        Boat Building - General
        Woodworking - General

    Shop Equipment:
        Other - Tracer Lathe
        Other - LucasMill 30HP



    Viewer Comments:

    Posted By: a.j.     [03/18/2009]
    Hello, Was wondering how do you like the lucas mill? Can you also tell where i could purchase one in the U.S? I did not see any U.S distruibtors in the U.S on there web site. Thanks A.J


    Posted By: Dave S     [03/20/2009]
    I always assumed there were crazy woodworkers that would turn spars and masts, and you guys are doing it. Really an eye-opener. Thanks for posting and expanding my awareness of what constitutes skill in professional woodwork.


    Posted By: Coleman Mackie     [12/09/2009]
    Dear Spar Shop,
    I have read your site and see that you deal with long Fur trees. I run a company in Tallahassee Florida that recovers heart pine a cypress from the rivers. Some of the pines we find are of 50+ in length and are quite straight. If you have any interest in any trees please see our website. www.northfloridanativewoods.com. Sounds like you all have a interesting operation going on. Good luck and hope we can help.
    Coleman Mackie
    North Florida Native Woods




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    Company Description Continued
    In Aberdeen, Washington, where the Chehalis River flows into Grays Harbor on the Pacific coast, Kent Wall runs what is absolutely a one-of-a-kind woodshop. Using the largest tracer lathe in North America, a 122-foot behemoth built and modified over many decades by various big-timber craftsmen, Wall fashions tree trunks as long as 122 feet long and as fat as 40 inches in diameter into masts and spars for tall ships and wooden yachts.

    Follow the links below and listen as Kent talks about Aberdeen's non-profit Historical Seaport, the Spar Shop, working on Hollywood feature films, operating his unique lathe, and working hundred-foot trees with 1/4-inch precision.

    On the Spar Shop:
    "It started in 2001 on the first Pirates of the Caribbean, when Disney called us and they wanted us to do some spars for the Black Pearl."
    Listen to "On the Spar Shop" audio interview

    On the tracer lathe:
    "There is no company in the world that makes these, that I know of."
    Listen to the "Tracer Lathe" audio interview

    On working with hundred-foot sticks:
    "When you're looking at an old-growth piece of wood that is a hundred feet long that is worth $100,000, you kind of say, 'I don't want to mess up on this one.'"
    Listen to "Working With Hundred-Foot Sticks" audio interview
    The Spar Shop at the Historical Seaport specializes in turning masts, spars, booms, and gaffs for large modern sailboats and sailing ships. We are a leading supplier of these custom-made materials for boat builders and repair facilities. Using North America's largest tracer lathe, which can handle logs up to 40 inches in diameter and 122 feet in length, we can turn large wooden columns for premium houses and commercial buildings.

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    The editors, writers, and staff at WOODWEB try to promote safe practices. What is safe for one woodworker under certain conditions may not be safe for others in different circumstances. Readers should undertake the use of materials and methods discussed at WOODWEB after considerate evaluation, and at their own risk.