tools (70)

Cruising With Godfrey/56\′ Wooden Sailboat

September 26, 2014 at 3:03 am

Victoria, BC – Today we went out to a secluded harbor and visited Godfrey’s friend Cos. Cos is deeply into building, his current project a 58′ long wooden sailboat. It’s a galleass type sailboat, this one based on a 1926 design for a Danish North Sea vessel. Show below is the keel,  9″ thick, 17″ deep, and 44′-4″ long, cut from one Douglas Fir. Also a couple of tools I like, one new, one old. The Prazi beam cutter attaches to circular saw and allows you to cut curves and odd shapes easily. Cos and I are on the same page when it comes to little planes. This the same model that I use more than any other plane, but this one was an antique, burnished by many carpenters’ palms…

See: https://www.godfreysart.com

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News From The Mother Earth News Fair in Pennsylvania Last Weekend

September 15, 2014 at 6:29 pm

Air travel bonanza: I got 3 seats, so am sitting by the window, watching the sunrise illuminate the wings of this (United) A320 on my way home from Pittsburgh. A few things about flying:

1. I’ve lightened up and will never check a bag in again. I keep my Osprey roll-on slim enough to avoid cram-job in overhead bin.

2. I pay about $30 for preferred boarding, which lessens the cattle car routine.

3. I really like United these days. They’ve got a lot of things (including website) together; flight crews are friendly and helpful.

I wandered the Fair yesterday and found lots of useful tools and info, talked to a lot of people, many of whom knew (and had utilized) our building books.

Garden Tools A vendor was selling Italian garden tools; I bought a mattock, a machete (way different from Collins machetes), and a pair of fine pruning shears. https://www.growerstools.com/

Wood Stove with Oven I’ve been looking for a wood stove with visible fire window + an oven, and found one, which I’m pretty sure I’ll order: “The Vermont Bun Baker,” a high quality stove built in Australia, and encased in soapstone: https://www.vermontwoodstove.com

Read More …

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Tuesday Morning Fish Fry

September 9, 2014 at 5:45 pm

Blog Posts I just did 2 posts for our new blog — they’ll be up within a week — https://www.theshelterblog.com/, as I transition to a different blogging mode. Not as much stuff as this (although I can’t resist blabbing now and then). More material on building, the home arts, gardening, farming. Especially building.

I feel like I have a lot to communicate with builders after all these years of non-academic study of carpentry and other methods of construction.

Back in the saddle with this new blog.

Coming off 5 years of building domes, I set about to learn the most practical methods of building homes, small buildings, and barns. It can be so simple.

Sample future posts:

•Drawings of 5 tiny homes (including every stick of wood in framing (from Shelter)

•Barns of my acquaintance

•Timber Framing

•Master Builders of the Middle Ages

•Architecture: architects need to know that the definition of architecture is “…the art and science of building.” Building.

•Dwell magazine: occasional comments on this paragon of soulless living

•Rad Rigs: More tiny homes on wheels

I’m really excited to be shifting to this mode. I have something like 70,000 photos, both film and digital, to draw from.

Today’s New York Times has a terrific science section, including a stunning photo of the moon by the Lunar Orbiter V, and an article about a combo robot/man diving suit that will be used to explore a Roman ship believed to have sunk in the 1st century BC, and which carried “…the Antikythera Mechanism, a mechanical device for predicting celestial movement.”

Serena was just superb on Saturday. Power and grace. Beautiful.

Surfing Without Catching Waves Went out on my 10′ Haut Surftek board the other day, too many surfers for me, just got a couple of krappy rides in the foam. Then a few days later could not get out through 6′ surf with my surf mat BUT as I get older I settle for just being in the ocean AND I’m gonna get waves — going to Kauai in November with surf mat and fins.

Over & Out I’m leaving tomorrow for Pittsburgh, then to Seven Springs, PA to do a presentation Friday,  Sept 12 at the Mother Earth News Fair. Anyone know if Pittsburgh is worth exploring?

Photo: grapes at Louie’s

I've Got You Under My Skin by Diana Krall on Grooveshark

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The Shelter Blog (theshelterblog.com) is Alive!

June 16, 2014 at 4:00 pm

Rick Gordon has built it and we’ve been tinkering with it for a few months, and finally it feels ready to go. Whereas my blog is all over the place, The Shelter Blog will focus on homes, building, carpentry, gardening, farming, foraging, fishing, homesteading and the home arts. Check it out here:

https://www.theshelterblog.com

Note: it’s theshelterblog.com, not shelterblog.com. You need the article the.

I’m really excited by this. It’s as important — maybe in the long run more so — than one of our books. We have no competition here, since we have feedback from our 40 years publishing books on the subject of shelter. Plus we can share brand-new incoming photos and stories rather than wait years to get same into a book. It’ll be complimentary to our books.

We guarantee at least one new post per day, hope to get multiple posts daily as we get rolling.

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On Not Buying Everything From Amazon

April 4, 2014 at 8:27 pm

I buy a lot of stuff from them. Books, batteries, Bose earphones, travel alarm, anchovies…it’s a brilliant operation  — quick, simple, low-cost. But lately I’ve been backing off a bit. Yesterday I went into Builder’s Booksource in Berkeley and bought 2 books — Cracks in the Asphalt – Community Gardens in San Francisco, and Steal Like an Artist, which George, the owner showed me, plus 2 copies of Dwell Magazine (which I think sucks — going to write something about them soon).

   I read a while back about people finding books in bookstores and ordering from Amazon on their phones right then. Hold up here! Is low cost the only criteria? How about supporting the bookstores so they can stay open and you can go in and browse and talk to book-loving personnel?

   I’ve switched to ordering all my photo equipment from BH PhotoVideo in New York. To find an item like a Canon battery charger with fold-out (rather than cord) prongs, I talked to someone at BH, who directed me to the item I wanted right away. One time a guy there turned me onto a nice little card reader that he used himself. Their prices are about as good as Amazon. If you’re into photography and in Manhattan, go there — huge place — like 50 sales people at the digital counter — (take a number like for sandwiches at Whole Foods).

  Thirdly, I’ve been buying tools lately at Jackson Hardware, an employee-owned super tool and hardware store in San Rafael, Calif. Yesterday I bought a Makita model 4350T jigsaw, and it cost me $25 more than at Amazon. But the sales guy walked me through Makitas, Bosch’s, Dewalts and how to work the controls on the Makita for 4 different cutting actions. I ended up buying this top of the line one for $199. (At my age, it’ll last me for the –ulp! — rest of my life.)

   There’s a prevalent argument for buying everything from Amazon because they’re cheaper. I’m sayin that the almighty lowest cost ain’t all there is to it.

Mony Mony by Tommy James & The Shondells on Grooveshark

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Robot That Builds Metal Sculptures

February 27, 2014 at 1:51 pm

“Although the world of 3D printing is hurtling through milestones at the moment, to a large extent the technology still remains in its infancy. If you thought it was all Etsy jewellery and plastic toys, though, think again. Joris Laarman has created a free-standing 3D printing robot that creates beautiful metal sculptures with the graceful brush strokes of an artist.”

Click on Gizmodo here.

From Ed Styles

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