The Craftsman Blog

The Craftsman Blog I'm a historic preservationist & blogger. I help folks understand & restore their old homes so they can enjoy their history & character more every day.

(Scott Sidler) Restorer of old buildings, fixer of broken things, preserver of history and teacher of you!

05/05/2026

Soooooo I did a thing!
Ever since I launched my window restoration course you guys have been asking me to do a course on building a historic window. Today is the day!
I'm incredibly excited to launch this course so you can learn exactly how to build every part of a historic wood window! Videos show every step and you get a calculator that tells you precisely what size each piece should be.
There is nothing like this class on the internet today!!
If you buy before May 27th we are giving a ton of bonus goodies worth thousands of $$$ as well. After that date the bonuses are gone so don't miss these super valuable bonuses while they still last!

https://heritagesupply.com/product/window-building-mastery-course/

04/30/2026

A couple times a year, drywood termites swarm, leaving their colonies and looking to start a new colony.
And when that happens, the best thing you can do is turn the lights off at your house at night. They are drawn to the lights and looking for a piece of bare wood to start to a new colony in.

We actually keep these lights on our fence line on to draw the termites away from the main house. Be on the lookout because it’s that time of the year again!

04/24/2026

I thought you were better than this ! Telling people that if their hardware doesn’t work they should throw away their windows and buy new clad windows?!? Let’s break this down:
1. That window needs about 15 mins of hardware adjustment to fit perfectly. That’s it!
2. Clad windows are maintenance free?? You must mean you don’t have to paint them because they rot within just a few years of being installed? That’s more accurate.
3. Double pane efficiency? They already have a storm window installed on that window so do they really need to pay thousands of dollars to get that third pane of glass?

Even you guys have gone from “let me show you how to fix your old house” to “when you find something old just replace it”.
I’m so incredibly disappointed.😔

Today I’m launching five new products. I am not taking questions.I hand-forged a caulk gun. It has a walnut grip. It com...
04/01/2026

Today I’m launching five new products. I am not taking questions.
I hand-forged a caulk gun. It has a walnut grip. It comes in a presentation case like a dueling pistol. It’s loaded with a tube of All-Purpose Surrender Compound. For when you’ve tried everything else and just need it to stop. The blacksmith I was working with quit. Twice. I finished it myself.

I built a brass Victorian instrument that detects load-bearing walls using absolutely no science whatsoever. The dial goes from PROBABLY FINE to OH NO. There’s a Gut Feeling Calibration k**b. It is the most accurate tool I’ve ever made and I will not be explaining that.

I made a leather field kit for identifying which layer of white paint is the historically accurate white paint. We tested it in 200 homes across 11 states. Nobody found the answer. A woman in Savannah made it to Layer 23 before she had to be escorted from the property. I consider that a success.

I commissioned a carnival wheel you spin every Saturday morning to find out how your house plans to ruin you that week. There is a “Quiet Weekend” wedge. It is the smallest one. No one has ever landed on it. I’m starting to think I shouldn’t have included it.

And yes. The screw box. Dovetailed walnut. Burgundy velvet. Brass pedestal for the one screw you’ve been saving since 2014. It has a serial number. Est. 1923. Because if you’re going to hoard a worthless fastener for the rest of your life it should at least have provenance.

I will not be elaborating further.
Link in bio.

historicpreservation weshipregret

03/06/2026

For those that constantly ask me why I don’t like chemical stripping…

Can’t wait to fix this window!
02/18/2026

Can’t wait to fix this window!

For all you weirdos like me who love an old house Happy Valentines Day!
02/13/2026

For all you weirdos like me who love an old house Happy Valentines Day!

FAILURE ALERT! This is what happens when you use the wrong glazing putty on windows and don’t paint the putty. Ugly mild...
02/02/2026

FAILURE ALERT! This is what happens when you use the wrong glazing putty on windows and don’t paint the putty. Ugly mildew!
That’s why we worked with to develop Austin’s Glazier’s Putty that is mildew resistant. Use cheap stuff get cheap results. Use the right stuff get the right results.

Old wisdom for old houses.
01/14/2026

Old wisdom for old houses.

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