The Middle Ages woodworkers would be shocked to learn that their techniques are being applied to the reconstruction of Notre Dame Cathedral today, assuming time travel was possible. The construction of the renowned religious complex in Paris, France began in 1163, more than 800 years ago. Most of it was finished by 1345. The roof and its spire sustained significant damage in April 2019 due to a fire. To assemble the new roof, modern woodworkers are using hand tools just way Middle Ages laborers did. They now have a fresh understanding for the woodworking techniques that date back to the thirteenth century. According to one of the woodworkers, Peter Henrikson, “it’s a little mind-bending sometimes.
Rebuilding the roof with hand tools was a decision, especially considering that power tools could have completed the task faster. The objective is to preserve the centuries-old craft of handcrafted woodworking and to honor the abilities of the cathedral’s constructors. Jean-Louis Georgelin states, “We want to restore this cathedral as it was built in the Middle Ages.” The man in charge of the reconstruction is a former general from the French army. “It is a means of paying tribute to the (handiwork) of all the individuals who constructed all of France’s remarkable monuments.”
In order to expedite the reconstruction process, workers are also utilizing computer designs and other contemporary technologies with the aim of reopening the cathedral by December 2024. To help ensure that the intricate drawings of woodworkers’ hand-made wood pieces fit together precisely, computers were employed in the drawing process. “To think about how they [the old workers] did this with what they had, the tools and technology that they had at the time,” Henrikson observed, is something worth considering. In May, the roof rebuilding reached a significant milestone. At a workshop in the western French region of the Loire Valley, large portions of the new timber frame were assembled and raised.
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