Bandsaw Bar
A massive ship's bandsaw from 1850 - 2.5 tons of cast iron and steel, once used by ship builders and then as a workhorse inside The Shop. When his three sons approached us to transform The Shop into a family retreat, this industrial relic presented both challenge and opportunity. Too significant to remove, too beautiful to ignore.
The bandsaw became the bar. Its original function - cutting wood with precision - evolved into a new purpose: gathering place for conversation and cocktails. We preserved every element of the machine's character while adapting it for contemporary use. The great wheels remain, the belt drives stay intact, the industrial bones visible and celebrated. A custom bar top of striped wood spans the machine's width, bottles and glasses arranged where sawdust once flew.
The transformation required structural engineering - ensuring the floor could bear the weight, reinforcing where necessary, stabilizing the machine in its new fixed position. But the aesthetic choices were intuitive: leave the patina, honor the tool marks, let the oxidation tell its story. New interventions - lighting, the bar surface, subtle refinements - distinguish themselves through material honesty rather than trying to match century-old iron.
Now the bandsaw anchors The Shop's main space. Guests mix drinks where boatbuilders once cut oak and mahogany. The machine's imposing presence reminds everyone that this building was workspace before it became retreat - that craft and labor and the patient work of hands gave this structure its bones. The bar doesn't hide that history. It celebrates it.
Project Type:
Custom Furniture Fabrication
Year Built:
2018
Location:
Menemsha, MA
Photography:
Erin Pellegrino
Preserving Purpose
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The bandsaw wasn't sourced - it came with the building. A 2.5-ton ship's bandsaw from 1850, used for decades to cut components for wooden sailboats. When his sons inherited The Shop, removing the machine was never considered. Too historically significant, too integral to the building's story, too beautiful in its industrial mass. The question became: how do we honor this relic while giving it new purpose?
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Structural engineering came first - verifying the floor could support 2.5 tons in perpetuity, reinforcing joists where needed, stabilizing the bandsaw in its permanent position. Then the careful work of preservation: cleaning without erasing patina, removing only what was unstable, leaving tool marks and oxidation intact. The custom bar top spans the machine's width - striped hardwood that references boatbuilding traditions without mimicking them. New electrical for subtle lighting, shelving integrated into the machine's frame, every intervention distinguishing itself through material honesty rather than false historicism.
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What once cut oak and mahogany for sailboats now serves cocktails and conversation. The bandsaw anchors The Shop's main living space, a constant reminder that this was workspace before retreat. Its presence establishes the room's character - industrial, authentic, rooted in craft and labor. Guests gather around the machine, bottles arranged where sawdust once accumulated, mixing drinks in a space that honors rather than conceals its working past. The bar doesn't apologize for the building's history. It celebrates it.
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The bandsaw has already endured 175 years. Proper stabilization and thoughtful maintenance ensure it will last centuries more. The cast iron and steel require minimal intervention - occasional cleaning, monitoring for structural issues, protecting the mechanism from moisture. The bar top will age and gain character, developing the patina that comes from daily use. This isn't preservation in amber - it's adaptive reuse that keeps the machine relevant, ensuring future generations understand The Shop's origins through direct engagement with its most significant artifact.
