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Dec 02
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R.I.P. Bill Coperthwaite

By Design
Bill Coperthwaite

Bill Coperthwaite, age 83, died November 26, 2013

Sad news — Bill Coperthwaite, a modern role model for folks striving to live simpler, more handmade, more just lives, died in a car crash on an icy road earlier last week. Bill was best known for his work in promoting the building of yurts and living simply. But that is something of an understatement.

“It’s the best way I know,” Coperthwaite said in a 2003 interview, describing his lifestyle on a 400-acre tract with waterfront along the serene harbor. “Each of us tries to live in the best way we know how. I want to contribute to the problems of the world as little as possible. I really believe we must find simpler ways to live or society will collapse.”

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Nov 29
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Celebrate BUY NOTHING Day

By Photos, Woodworking
Russian Spoon Carving

Family carving spoons in Russia, early 1900s

Today is Buy Nothing Day. Why don’t you celebrate and Make Something instead? Follow the example of these Russian folks around the year 1900, for example. Their spoon carving operation is a family business, and their wares are brought into the bustling town in huge, brimming baskets. I love these great photos. It’s sad that you would never see something like this today.

One can hope, though. Click ahead to see more sweet spoon carving photos from early 20th century Russia.

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Nov 26
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A Heavy Duty Homemade Door

By Carpentry, Strawtron, Doors & Windows
Two Custom, Homemade Doors

Two custom doors in the second story of the timber frame house

The second story of our timber frame & straw bale house has shorter than standard wall heights. It is definitely standing height, but the beams (or top plates, more specifically) that support the rafters are at head height, and another curved tie beam is similarly placed. We have two door locations upstairs, one to access the north storage loft above the porch, and a second for the walk-out balcony on the west, so we were faced with having to size and build our own homemade doors from scratch. Since I have never built a DIY door before, I was fairly intimidated, but the process wasn’t that bad once I got started. What I came up with were some super heavy duty, insulated doors made with tongue and groove boards, complete with some burly strap hinges to support the weight.

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Nov 24
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Swedish Carving Techniques Book Now For Sale

By Woodworking, Resources
Wille Sundqvist, Carver & Author of Swedish Carving Techniques

Wille Sundqvist working away

Here’s just a quick update on the Taunton Press reprint of Wille Sundqvist’s Swedish Carving Techniques — it’s now for sale through their website. Ragweed Forge also has copies for sale for slightly less than MSRP — check it here.

As a side note, I love the above picture of Wille Sundqvist at work — the man is now in his upper 80s, but it doesn’t look like he’s stopping anytime soon.

Finally, a great quote from Bill Coperthwaite, another great individual worth mentioning at a later date: “I want to live in a world where people are intoxicated with the joy of making things.”

Nov 21
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Swedish Carving Techniques Book to be Reprinted!

By Resources, Woodworking
Swedish Carving Techniques Book: Wille Sundqvist

This praised spoon carving book is finally due for a reprint

One of the most highly praised and sought after spoon and bowl carving books in recent times is Wille Sundqvist’s Swedish Carving Techniques. I am terribly excited to have found out that the book is due to be reprinted, and will be available for sale from Taunton Press in mid-December of this year. A mere few weeks away, really. The book’s going rate for even a used copy is typically upwards of $120. I believe the new reprint will cost between $30-35, which is greatly appreciated.

UPDATE: The book is now for sale directly through the publisher, in limited quantities. At $24.95, it’s a steal!

Needless to say, I am extremely excited about this bit of news, as I have been searching the internet for a copy for a reasonable sum for months.

Nov 19
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Hand Forging Axes in 1960s America: A Short Film

By Resources, Video, Hand Tools
Forging an Axe By Hand

Forging axes by hand in America in the 60s

I recently enjoyed watching this insightful video about making and forging axes in Oakland, Maine in 1965 at the Emerson Stevens shop. This particular shop was the last surviving company to produce axes in an area once known for forging and blade-making. To watch these individuals work and to witness the process is a real treat, yet the film is permeated with a certain sadness as the filmmaker realizes that we are watching something that is soon to wither away into history.

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Nov 17
Love1
how to build a diy wooden spiral staircase

Our Work is Done: Building The Roundwood Spiral Staircase

By Strawtron, Carpentry, Timber Framing

how to build a diy wooden spiral staircase

At last, I’m here to report that April and I finished building our wooden spiral staircase.  Over the course of five days, literally up to the day before we left Dancing Rabbit, we installed the risers and treads. The spiral staircase design came from our dearest Tom Cundiff, who instructed us on the layout over the phone and in person during our last Timber Frame Workshop. It took us a while to fully grasp the layout and the flow of things, but once we understood the principles, it went fairly smoothly. Well, the actual building was extremely physically taxing, but I digress.

And so this is our attempt at a DIY wooden spiral staircase. Here’s how we built it.

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Nov 13
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Nearly Completing the Spiral

By Timber Framing, Strawtron, Carpentry
Building a Sprial Staircase

Mortising into the dark of evening

The roundwood spiral staircase that we have been feverishly building for the last five days is about 98% complete. As we simultaneously pack for our trip to Berea, there are mounds of wood chips on the floor of the house, oiled slabs of elm causing the house to smell like a citrus grove, and aching backs howling for a good rubbing.

It’s been an intense project, but the results are stunning. I’ll reveal the full staircase soon, but for now, here’s another glimpse of what we’ve been doing. I can hardly believe it’s come together.

Nov 10
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Our Last (and Greatest) Task

By Carpentry, Timber Framing, Strawtron
Roundwood Sprial Staircase - First 2 Steps

First two steps installed… starting from the top, and working down

We have decided to take on our last and greatest task literally days before we leave Dancing Rabbit for Berea, Kentucky. In these final few days before we move, we are building a spiral staircase in our timber frame house. It is a rather foolish thing to do, but important, too.

We have literally 3 or so days left to try to finish the beast. And it is a beast, let me tell you. Drilling and chiseling 11 mortises in a roundwood post, making an equal number of stair risers with tenons, sawing/planing/gouging/oiling the 3″ elm slab steps… not to mention, having the wrap our puny minds around the layout has been quite the ordeal, to say the least. We are finally in the swing of things now that we have the layout firmly established, but the physical side of the work is still very intense.

Here are a few photos of what we are doing up until the literal minute we leave. Sometimes I wonder about these decisions we make…

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Nov 06
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Earthen Floors Book Due Spring 2014

By Resources, Earthen Floor, Media

Earthen Floors Book

Exciting news on the natural building book front — Earthen Floors, a book all about installing and living with earth-based floor systems, is due out April 1, 2014. Written by two very experienced natural builders, Sukita Reay Crimmel and James Thomson, the book is the first of its kind dedicated solely to the art of making inexpensive, durable, and beautiful floors made mostly of sand, clay, and fiber. There are a host of books that touch upon the topic of floors, but few that delve very deeply into the nitty gritty details. This will be a welcome addition to the natural building library.

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