Craftsman Shares His Knowledge

Craftsman Shares His Knowledge Dave Engel has been building and restoring old wagons, coaches and other horse-drawn vehicles for the past 45 years. Over the past 10 years, he’s shared his knowledge through more than 530 videos. They cover everything from blacksmithing to steam-bending wood to surrey upholstery and a seemingly endless variety of vehicles. His goal is simply to pass on what he’s learned about wheelwright and wainwright crafts. “I did my first video as part of an agreement when building 20 Mule Team Borax wagons,” says Engel. “It was required in the agreement to validate the building process.” After posting his video to YouTube, Engel reviewed similar videos related to building, repairing and restoring horse-drawn equipment. He found individual videos, but nothing dedicated to the trade in a businesslike manner. He turned his camera back on and hasn’t stopped since. His dedication to creating and expanding his self-described library has only grown over time. “I’ve had a number of friends in the trade, who I looked up to and held in high regard, who’ve died recently,” says Engel. “When they did, everything they knew is now gone.” What Engel knows, what he’s done and how he did it will live on. It’s in part a response to a pet peeve of his with many others in the trade. “It’s sad to say that the community of builders of horse-drawn vehicles isn’t very open,” he says. “Many tend to be very tight-fisted with what they know and hold it close.” Engel is also motivated by the fact that there are limited resources available to those wanting to enter the trade. “I’ve seen plans from the Smithsonian and others, but there was no way I could’ve built the vehicles with their intricacies without knowing what I do,” he says. “My goal with the videos is to share the entire process, the mechanics of how each step works and why.” The process has paid off for many viewers, according to Engel. “I get emails from people who describe wanting to build their own wheels or are researching a buggy or wagon,” he says. “They tell me that after watching my video, they know how to do it.” Semi-retired, he no longer builds new vehicles; however, he continues to restore some that interest him, such as two Yellowstone National Park passenger coaches. He also entertains a growing number of visitors each year wanting to meet the man behind the videos. Engel has a new place to entertain his visitors. He recently opened a store in the town where he’s had his shop for over 40 years. “We’ll have local and Montana-made crafts and an ice cream store. It’ll be decorated as I wish with old tools and other horse-drawn vehicle memorabilia,” says Engel. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Engel’s Coach Shop, 105 S. Main St., P.O. Box 247, Joliet, Mont. 59041 (ph 406-962-3573; dave@engelscoachshop.com; www.engelscoachshop.com).

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