Internship Summary

 

Company:

William Davenport

Turtlerock Masonry Heat

30 Strong St. #1
Burlington, VT 05401
(802) 793 9910

 

Description:

I interned with William Davenport, a masonry design/builder in Burlington. He builds masonry stoves, which are the most efficient way to heat with cordwood, and commercial scale masonry bake ovens. His expertise in the area of masonry stoves and bake ovens is probably among the highest nationally, certainly regionally. He has served as President of the Masonry Heaters Association, a national guild.

            Working with William was fun and informative. He’s an easy guy to get along with and very knowledgable about his craft. My work was interesting although not highly technical- cutting and laying bricks, thinking about sizing and dimensions, a small amount of engineering (leaving room for contraction/expansion, considering thrust, etc). Much of the learning happens through informal conversation- working side-by-side with William, I got the chance to ask many questions.

            I should be clear about one thing- I’m not sure that William is looking for more interns. I specifically sought him out because I have masonry experience and I knew of his work… and he was very generous with his time. But I don’t get the impression that he’s looking for interns.

 

Jeremiah Church

May 5, 2010