DIY Network

Blog Cabin: Cabin Roof Construction Despite delays, the Blog Cabin team does successfully raise the roof. And while they're waiting, there's time to create a unique crowning accessory. From "Blog Cabin" episode DBLG-102

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The "regal rooster" weathervane

Crowing from the Rooftop

While waiting for the metal roof panels to arrive, host Amy Devers had an opportunity to get lesson in blacksmithing, as well as metal-work of a more modern variety, as blacksmith Mike Rose and metal artist Preston Farabow, founder of Aespyre Custom Metal, collaborated to create a "regal rooster" weathervane to crown the top (eventually) of the cabin's metal roof.

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	Preston Farabow shows Amy the finer points of welding.
	Amy admires the rooster weathervane.

Hurry up and wait — and while you're at it, go forge a rooster!

DIY's bloggers expressed their preference for rustic charm when it came to decorating and accessorizing this cabin in the Smoky Mountain foothills, and the Blog Cabin team obliged. When it came to the roof, a traditional weathervane of distinctive design was envisioned as a crowning detail. The motif selected was the classic rooster, as seen atop country homes and barns of the past.

But rather than go out and buy a modern replica, the team opted to create one that was custom designed and completely unique. To do that they enlisted the help of two local craftsmen of divergent but related backgrounds — blacksmith Mike Rose and metal artist Preston Farabow.

And since there was some time to kill on the roofing phase of the Blog Cabin, host Amy Devers picked up some firsthand knowledge about metal work, both old and new.

	Blacksmith Mike Rose
	Preston Farabow, metal artist and founder of Aespyre Custom Metal

Mike Rose specializes in using traditional tools not unlike those used in blacksmithing a century ago. The work he did on our rooster was performed using hammer, tongs, anvil, and portable forge with a hand-cranked blower — like the forges used in the field by horse-cavalry blacksmiths.

To forge metal, it needs to be heated to 1500 degrees Fahrenheit. Mike demonstrated the technique as he fashioned the metal bracket that would fasten the weathervane to the roof, and as he joined separate pieces together using a traditional forge weld. Timing and speed are both critical when joining two sections of heated metal to form a single piece.

Preston's approach, and his arsenal of tools, are bit more contemporary. He uses acetylene torches, a gas-fired forge that simply "switches" on, and he cuts creations of his own design out of sheet steel using a plasma cutter. The plasma cutter uses gas in combination with electricity to generate sufficient heat to cut through steel.

I love my job, you know. It was nice to build something that kind of blends old and new. All told, I think we pulled it off.
— Preston Farabow

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RESOURCES :

Special resources for DIY's Blog Cabin 100 series

Baird and Wilson Sheetmetal (cabin roof)
www.bairdandwilson.com

Aespyre Custom Metal
www.aespyre.com

Rolling Rock Building Stone Inc.
www.rollrock.com

Heat & Glo Fireplaces
www.hearthnhome.com

Peachtree Doors and Windows
www.peachtreedoor.com

InsulTechnology
www.insultechnology.com

Lumber Liquidators
www.lumberliquidators.com

Wildwood Cabinets Luxury Handcrafted Cabinetry
www.wildwoodcabinets.com

Mountain Sage Gallery
www.mountainsagegallery.com

Stonecraft Inc.
www.stonecraftusa.com

Crossville Ceramics
www.crossvilleinc.com

Nuheat Industries Ltd.
www.nuheat.com

Kohler
www.kohler.com

Cobble Systems Inc.
www.cobblesystems.com/index.html

Rolling Rock Building Stone
www.rollrock.com

Hampton Bay
www.hamptonbay.com

Sets-Systems (tankless water heater)
www.sets-systems.com

GUESTS :

Preston Farabow
Aespyre Custom Metal
www.aespyre.com