The Freemasons at Operative Lodge #308 met for their stated
meeting Monday evening, March 11, and were treated to an informative
presentation by Brother Ben Mayer, a visitor from Acanthus Lodge. Brother Ben
is a working stone carver and he brought some of his working tools as well as
his work with him. A few pictures are below.
Brother Ben’s talk included explanations of both traditional
and modern tools used by masons. The several common gavels and hammers he had
are still used today, but the pneumatic chisel, which operates at over 3000
cycles per minute, has replaced much of the manual work. Even a modern
pneumatic chisel requires a considerable degree of skill; Brother Ben spoke of
how he must both listen to the tone of the sound produced from chiseling as
well as be attentive to the feel of the tool as it moves lest the work be
ruined.
Thank you Brother Ben Mayer for your interesting and
enlightening presentation!
