![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Tc0t8CgyXiI/TMi297WjyVI/AAAAAAAAFHs/35-Y5t77kzs/s200/Jack.jpg)
This was the first year we attended and it was worth every penny (and not just because Turkey Hill was handing out free ice cream).
During the two-day event, various 19th-century reenactors showed what life was like in a small country village.
![](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Tc0t8CgyXiI/TMi2-UVGnXI/AAAAAAAAFH0/A4hk1ezinig/s200/Bucket.jpg)
It didn't take long for me to spot a woodworker—Jack Stone, the cooper.
Jack learned to make buckets and piggins using traditional methods from the John C. Campbell Folk School. Since then, he's been making coopered items
![](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Tc0t8CgyXiI/TMi2-y00UbI/AAAAAAAAFH8/sJXa65-8XBk/s200/Bucket+Lid.jpg)
His butter carriers, which are lidded buckets (photos 2 and 3), have an interesting locking mechanism where one end of the handle is slid into a mortise, and the other end is locked in place with a pin.
![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Tc0t8CgyXiI/TMi3JKTVaBI/AAAAAAAAFIE/YLwreCodxuQ/s200/Cooper.page2.jpg)
Jack makes hoops from white oak or metal with brass rivets, and
![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Tc0t8CgyXiI/TMi3JQ28fBI/AAAAAAAAFIM/tMJrj_5WRDc/s200/Cooper.page1.jpg)
Check out the other photos to see Jack's unique ways to rout the groove for bottoms and shave the staves to final width. And check out his website to see a short video about his wooden hoops.