Woodland Dolmens

It was excavator ballet at Hogpen Hill Farms this week. I had four machines at my disposal for the assembly of stone structures. Under Edward Tufte’s direction, the polite march of table tops created during previous sessions evolved into a stagger of dolmens. The new pieces, inspired by ancient lithic structures, progressed south along a wooded ridge-line in combinations of two, three and four stones.

The legs were set with half their mass below grade for stability. Tops rested in triangular constellations on the high points of three legs. When only two legs were used, the top of one leg was broad enough to cradle the top stone. By having the smallest contact area possible, a six-ton boulder appears to hover above the ground.

Brian Post joined me in choosing and setting stones. John F. and Tom W. kept everything moving smoothly with the big machines. Together, we raised more than a dozen structures, and we did it safely which is the ultimate measure of successful work. 

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