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Jun 27
Love1

The Art of Natural Building

By Book Reviews, Resources

art of natural building bookAs the temperature rises, so do our activity levels. Summertime can be hysterically busy as we juggle all of the projects and work commitments that we’ve taken on. This year is no exception. We’re at the brink of several exciting things here… but I digress. I know I’m being vague, but I’ll have more to say about all of that soon.

During our downtime at home, the newly released The Art of Natural Building has been inspiring lots of conversation. This new book release is a much improved second edition to the original published way back in 2001. The 2015 edition is a major and well-organized overhaul, containing a diverse spread of essays and articles about natural building materials and techniques, building history, best practices, and personal stories.

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Jun 16
Love1

Permaculture Film Recommendation: INHABIT

By Homesteading
ben-falk-permaculture-farm

Scything grass on a hillside — a beautiful scene in the film INHABIT

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to view a rather poignant and inspiring recent film, INHABIT. INHABIT is a documentary detailing the permaculture model as it has been explored and practiced by a number of farmers and food producers across the US, in a variety of settings and climates. The strength of the film lies in the excellent portrayal of diverse individuals using permaculture design principles to guide their work in a variety of locations, creating more resilient food growing systems, a healthier relationship with the land, and stronger communities in the process.

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Jun 11
Love1

Off-Grid Straw Bale Cabin Photo Update

By Straw Bale Building, Earthbag Building
Post and Beam Frame

Looking into the house from the porch side

Here’s some of the latest photos from the off-grid straw bale cabin site that we’ve been busying ourselves with these past few weeks. The earthbag stemwall is basically complete, other than the finishing details. Yep, there’s always something else even when you think you’re ready to move ahead. But things are shaping up nevertheless. Check it out…
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Jun 02
Love1

The Magic of Japanese Plastering

By Lime Plaster, Resources, Clay Plaster, Traditional Building
Japanese Plastering

Traditional Japanese interior with natural plaster finish

Today, I present you with two websites that shed a bright light on the magic of traditional building and natural plasters of Japan. Japan has a long history of the use of natural clay and lime plasters in construction. Thankfully, there still exists a wealth of knowledge of these traditional finishes, and skilled craftspeople are keeping the practices and recipes alive.

Kyle Holzhueter is an American-born builder, consultant, researcher and educator specializing in natural building techniques, including straw bale building and clay and lime plasters. He has taken up full-time residence in Japan, where he’s been formally trained in traditional plastering. His websites are a treasure trove with some incredible building documentation, including the recipes, mixing, and application of some of the most interesting and refined natural plasters I have ever seen.

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May 24
Love1

Why We’re Building an Earthbag Stemwall

By Earthbag Building, Foundation, Straw Bale Building
Earthbag Stemwall

The earthbag stemwall goes in at the off-grid straw bale cabin site

To be really honest here, foundations are the least exciting part of any natural building project for me.  Most of the fun stuff like timber framing, building with straw bales, applying clay plaster, or building with cob represents the “glory” of the natural building world. Foundations don’t have the same sex appeal, for lack of a better phrase. However, a good foundation is one of the most important parts of a home.

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May 16
Love1

How to Remove Rust From Old Tools

By Hand Tools
Remove Rust From Tools

These Sandflex grit blocks are handy for bringing rusty tools back to life

If you’ve read my “Essential Timber Framing Tools” article, you might be digging through an old relative’s garage or planning a trip to the flea market in search of some antique goodies to build up your tool kit. It’s easy to look past some potential winners based strictly on appearances…. you know what I mean. Rust. Rust is the perpetual enemy of steel tools, now and forever. But don’t despair. Just because a tool is rusty, doesn’t mean it’s beyond repair. I know it’s hard to look past it sometimes, but all it takes is some time and you can turn an old tool right around.

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May 04
Love0

A Man Apart: Inside the World of Bill Coperthwaite

By Book Reviews, Homesteading, Design
Bill Coperthwaite

Coperthwaite striking an iconic pose in his canoe

Bill Coperthwaite is an icon among the likes of the Nearings and Harlan and Anna Hubbard, an individual known for his simple living ethos, yurt design and construction, advocacy of craft and creativity, and his 50 year journey living on a remote homestead on the Maine coast. He lived without a telephone, without road access, without many of the physical things we often deem “necessities” in this era, yet he was a highly influential teacher and role model until his untimely death in 2013 at the age of 83.

In A Man Apart, husband and wife Peter Forbes and Helen Whybrow document their two decade relationship with Coperthwaite in his later life, sharing a powerful portrait of a man difficult to categorize. It’s part tribute, part biography, part memoir, and full of meaningful insights and lessons for all of us about what it means to live your life according to your values.

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Apr 29
Love0

New Year of Mud Newsletter! Sign Up for Special Workshop Offer

By Uncategorized

NewsChanging the newsletter service for The Year of Mud has been on my agenda for months. The past two weeks, I finally took the time to hunker down and make the switch from Feedblitz to Sendy. What that means for you is… no more ads embedded in emails, the signup process is much easier, and if I’ve got everything figured properly, the new email template should be easily viewable on your tablet, phone, or whatever crazy technology you do your newsletter reading on. I’m happy with how the first couple of newsletters have turned out. It’s actually a little more work for me, but this latest edition of the newsletter is so much more improved that it’s worth the extra effort.

To celebrate, I’d like to make a special offer to readers. In next week’s newsletter, I’ll include this special w0rkshop offer for subscribers to the list. If you want to be privy to that, please consider signing up!

See that signup form in the right column? All you need to do is fill it out and hit send. Super simple. I also have a dedicated page where you can sign up for the newsletter. You will be automatically added to the list. Why don’t you join in? Thanks for reading, as always.

 

Apr 27
Love0
japanese timber log saw

Essential Timber Framing Tools

By Hand Tools, Timber Framing
Timber framing tools

This list should help you get started down the path of timber framing with hand tools

Like any craft, the world of timber framing comes with its own unique set of tools. And if you’re new to this type of work, it’s important to have the right timber framing tools in your kit. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to cost a small fortune to equip yourself with the basics. Of course, once you get deeper into this kind of stuff, you’ll always find something else you think you probably need. But for a solid starter kit, you can get by with a relatively small handful.

I’ve narrowed down a list of essential timber framing tools, highlighting both inexpensive options for folks starting out, and more expensive choices for someone who may continue with this line of work.
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