One of the hazards of working a fire lookout is Lightening storms. Situated atop view points, along ridge tops and at high elevations, the lookout station is in the "line of fire" of Lightening storms. When a lightening "bust" hits a lookout building the structure generally survives. However, for the safety of the station occupants, it's generally accepted that an insulated stool is "de'rigor" for a lightening storm. Pictured above are two lookouts stools at Red Top Lookout. You can see that traditionally, lightening stools are simply made bases with glass insulating legs. These insulators, and the threaded posts were once common on light poles, but have since gone out of use and are now collectors items (antiques??). Here is a photo of Red Top Lookout to illustrate the exposed nature of lookouts.
Lookout insulator stools generally had to be large enough to stand on for the duration of the storm, small enough to set out of the way, and sturdy enough to support the shivering lookout. I used my stool at Jumpoff as an outside stool (on the cat walk) a work bench, and a place for visitors to sit. One year I constructed a guitar on Jumpoff and the lightening stool served well as a work bench.
Knowing I wanted to replace the Lightening stool for Jumpoff Lookout, I've been on the lookout (???) for some time for the original (style) glass insulators. I finally located an "un-junk shop" in Lostine, Oregon that had a few in the window. Run by
Dave Cherry (Box 56, Lostine, OR 97857/
Phone: 541-569-2278)
This is truly one of the best shops I've ever been in for used tools of high quality. The number of old axe heads that Dave has on display (with prices) is almost infinite. Other old tools of all sorts extend back into a large ware house. Dave's wares are clean, organized, and with fair prices. I think I paid $6 apeace for the insulator and threaded post. Thanks Dave!!
My memory of the Jumpoff lightening stool is that it was a bit more sturdy than the ones remaining on Red Top. I sketched it from memory and then set to cutting out the parts. To Stay with historic materials, I limited myself to 2x4s and fir or pine decking lumber. Here is the first cut:
I side-glued two pieces of for the stool top, one piece of Pine and one piece of fir to commemorate the Douglas Fir and Ponderosa pine that surrounds the Jumpoff Lookout Those four little (oak) blocks are to overlap the joints and offer more support for the legs.
Here is an insulator and a threaded post. The post will be a leg and the glass insulator will screw on for insulation You can adjust the level of the stool by adjusting the threaded insulator a bit.
and the parts laid out for glueing
Once glued up I set to finding a drill press to make sure the legs holes were drilled nice and straight. I located one in the shop of Berry Gallant, former lookout at Miner's Ridge, just west of Bumping Lake. Betty started out the 1943 fire season at Raven Roost Lookout (not gone), but she did such a good job that they transferred her (with a pack string) to Miners ridge for the remainder of the summer. Betty grew up at Goose Prairie, where she attended the one room school.
and here, a bottom view, all glued together with the insulators screwed on. One important feature that I remember from Jumpoff was the little handle/slot in the stool top. The stool is a bit clumsy, but this handle allows you to grab it, position it, or move it. No paint on the bottom, as per the historical model.
a close up of the legs
and the finished stool
Naturally, insulated stools were made at the supporting Ranger Station wood shop so no two were probably alike, but this is about as good of a copy of the old Jumpoff Stool as is possible. Even the left over paint ("go to the paint shed and bring back some brown paint"). I will donate this stool to the Naches Ranger Station as soon as we get a program underway to return the lookout to some sort of use. If you are interested in Jumpoff Lookout, read back in this blog a ways and there is a "write up" on it as well as instructions for "getting there".
I hope this helps you build a new stool for YOUR lookout. If you have any pictures of other lookout stools, send them to me and I'll edit them into this post.
