YouTube - Does Biochar Deliver Carbon-Negative Energy?

(May 19, 2010) Johannes Lehmann, Associate Professor of soil biogeochemistry at Cornell University, discusses the characteristics of naturally occurring terra preta including its agricultural and carbon sequestering benefits and then turns to considering the factors involved with implementation industrial biochar systems for large-scale carbon sequestration and energy provision.

Homemade Safety - Handles, Push Sticks, Push Boards, and Push Blocks

We recently needed some better safety items (Push Sticks, Push Boards, and Push Blocks) for use around woodworking equipment (Saw, Jointers, and Planers).  We used a "comfortable" meat saw handle to make one handle pattern template and a standard D-shaped handle pattern template for another. Here are the results, 13 items:

Homemade Push Sticks, Push Boards, and Push Blocks (parts of old mouse pads work great for grabbing wood) - Larger Image


Pattern handle template in back saved for future applications! - Larger Image


Meat saw handle ("comfortable") used for making pattern template. - Larger Image

Dead tree, live edge | OregonLive.com

When an old walnut tree right outside The Joinery's building on Southeast Woodstock needed to come down, the master craftsmen at the nearly 30-year-old furniture-making business got to grinning. Founder Marc Gaudin got to thinking: Why don't we harvest that tree and make something beautiful from it? And so they did, turning the tree into a bed and two tables.

View full sizeTHE JOINERY

A lot of debris was coming off the tree, and a portion of it was dying, says shop foreman Gary Michael about the western walnut right outside the back door of The Joinery. They hired Bruno Tree Care to take the old tree down. It was the first time The Joinery has ever sourced its wood literally from its backyard. No one knows the tree's exact age, but Michael guesses it to be at least 60 years old.

View full sizeTHE JOINERY

The tree came down 2 1/2 years ago. It took the crew from Bruno a day to get it limbed, sawn and loaded on a flatbed for its trip to the Bruno mill. Michael estimates the tree turned into about 700 board feet of wood. Showroom manager Rosy Boyer says that more and more, customers are asking for walnut. Last year, she says, The Joinery did about 6 percent of its business in walnut; now it's doing about 25 percent. Boyer thinks there are a couple of reasons for the increase. First, The Joinery simply has more walnut furniture on its showroom floor, and people are struck by its character. Second, she's seeing a trend to darker woods in all things from flooring to furniture.

View full sizeTHE JOINERY

After the log's been sawn, it is put back in its original sequence, Michael explains. It is the most convenient way to stack, for one, he says. Freshly cut wood has a tendency to sag and warp. Stacked like this, it supports itself better. Also, says Boyer, some people want to buy sequenced boards. Michael explains that when you place an order that takes more than one board, you want to be able to piece the grain together -- especially in walnut, with its innate variation of grain.

View full sizeThe Oregonian

Michael says it's always fun to see the wood. "Every one's different so it's kind of like opening a Christmas present. ... There could be two trees next to each other and they'll be completely different."

View full sizeThe Oregonian

The tree became a bed, a coffee table and an end table. Gaudin explains that the unfinished edge -- a nod to the original tree -- is called a live edge. The bed retails for $2,630; the coffee table for $1,800; and the end table is $1,500.

RSOE EDIS - Emergency and Disaster Information Service

These real-time visualizations on a world map are both terrifying and fascinating. The various icons on the map illustrate natural disasters and accidents – everything including floods, earthquakes, forest fires, volcanoes, airplane accidents, terror attacks, etc. – that are happening in various parts of the world right now.

You can click an icon image to get detailed information and the exact co-ordinates (latitude, longitude) where that emergency situation is happening. The data is sourced from several certified organizations and internet press publications containing pre-defined keywords.

Prodigious talent! - Randi Boni

Every once in a while, we have the pleasure of observing someone with prodigious talent. Here is one such person. . .

http://www.abundance-acres.com/

Thanks to Ray Klossing for the picture sharing email... Monte

Hines Farm Winter Woodworking Activity

Winter is a good time to spend time in a heated shop! (Larger Image)


Homemade Wood Screw Vice Clamps Completed January 18, 2011 (Larger Image)


Homemade Drill Press Oak Table and Fence Completed January 14, 2011


17 Inch Diameter Homemade Oak Table, Completed January 14, 20011


Homemade Band Saw Circle Cutting Jig, Completed January 11, 2011 (Larger Image)


Duplicated Spindles for Homemade Woodworking Projects, Completed January 9, 2011


Mini Max T 134 Copy Lathe Completing Spindle on January 9, 2011 (Larger Image)


Homemade RESAW FENCE for 18" Band Saw Completed December 28, 2010. Allows re-sawing up to 12" wide boards


First Dovetail Box made December 19, 2010


Keller Dovetail Jig in Homemade Vise

Sunday Workshop

Julio Alonso Díaz, has elevated the task of making wooden hinges for boxes to a new level.

Surely more names as hinges, is an element that gives a different touch to our creations different from those of metal, in my opinion for their beauty, originality and craftsmanship involved.

Long used a simple model for a wooden box I made and I decided to show other examples as I work in this section.

As in all assemblages of wood are a thousand variations and a thousand ways to achieve the result

Before continuing I want to write this entry was inspired by my good friend but unfortunately in the distance Alberto Navas, of sandal woods. Do not miss the opportunity to visit your site because you will obtain the reward of learning the finest woodworking techniques to a great master in the guild.

A different example

The first step I, after preparing the wood that you desire, make the mechanism, it is marked on both sides of the piece, the exact center of the gage to make the pivot pin hole of the drill. It gives me the first step because if not perfect everything that comes behind, ill stay.

Make a hole completely perpendicular is not as easy as it sounds, so check with square besides the bit is aligned, we incorporated a guide to ensure your address

Should practice a couple of holes, separated by 1 / 2 "approximately, not less. And check out the other end of the timber has left the bit centered in the gage mark, if so should not repeat the process, leaving the distance warned of the wrong hole

This is the template to cut out parts of the hinge to the exact length of the hollow stem. The distance should be equal all the way around the axis, so as not to trip over his business. But this year I have left over to account for shaping concave sides later, instead of leaving them straight

Enter a metal barrel diameter hole, and supporting it against the stops, short with the miter saw in my case, but obviously we can use another mountain.

Then it is good as always check the cut, as you see there is a small deviation which was to be corrected with a brush heads

Now I like to shade with pencil rounded shape that will have the knuckles, to guide me when they form. A good idea is to do this with a metal washer

Continuing with cut knuckles. I used the portable router, rather than the table saw (of which I am not provided), coupled to a multi-purpose table and I have had to make a few adjustments and guides, other experience in the workshop Sunday

The knuckles are made as a fish-tail assembly, which we will not go into detail to explain, understand images that speak

To put the pieces interspersed taquito use a plywood (which had at hand) that I've put a screw, so I can adjust the distance with calipers

In this model, if you look, I've left knuckles larger external than internal

Marry as a fish-tail assembly, but should not be too tight, just looking for aesthetics and balance

And we round off the heads, using a guide and a disk sander (in my limited corner, a sanding disc in the drill)

The back remains straight to act as a brake

The closer are the parts I find most attractive

I have to cut a tenon with a chisel little to enable them to make all the way

In this model I wanted to highlight an articulation with the protagonist improvisation. In the piece that would subject the lid of a box, I dashed to my will, in the piece that would go subject to the back of the box Are only way to avoid overloading the head resulting extravagant appearance

With short blade

To give relief to the parts I used a grinder with two different disks

Recessed wood by creating uneven strokes anticipate

Finally we just need to add a pin to attach the hinge to order what we need. Leave a protruding part to cut pieces with a chisel studs mimicking a

Insert the shaft in this exercise use you for everything, and the joint is ready

Other ways to make the joints:

The knuckles can cut with a milling cutters but in this case must be extremely cautious in giving the measure the width of the wood to use, or possess a rod which can incorporate all necessary records to the knuckles in a single pass. I with only two albums I have to give back to the room to cut the total and matching holes in the blades

Another model is the one I dedicated to a quadrant.

Would select a table with a thickness slightly greater than the diameter of a round cutter songs and labrariamos testa. Notice that the bottom edge of the cutter is slightly raised above the table to create that little notch on the knuckles

Now we turn the table in this position to round out the entire knuckle

At this point it would cut the wood right at the height that has made cutting the strawberries, but I have anticipated and have cut knuckles

And then I lowered the table. I have done with a brush because of my masochism by the hand tool is ideally suited and very comfortable doing the same router

We divide the knuckles as it suits us, I have done as you see because I have ruined some

Now we can put together the parties of this joint and make the axle-bore. As you see in the image, in this model is easy to find the exact spot to drill. The same cutter has given us his court indicators

Insert the pin ....

Hinge set to become quadrant

I hope you liked this article and who decides to include the union in your future projects, and do not forget to show me.