Occasionally, there is rest for the weary
I happened to look at my archives page and realized that The Year of Mud is now five years old. It’s been quite a trip thus far. There’s been much to learn along the way. The blog had fairly humble beginnings, and perhaps a bit naive, too, now that I look back on some of what I had written.
There has definitely been an evolution of sorts over time, in my thinking and writing, and through what I have been trying to achieve here.
Amazing timber frame and reciprocal roof
Wow. This is gorgeous. I like catching wind of different reciprocal roof designs, and this one is mighty impressive. Designed and built by Fire Tower Engineered Timber, this reciprocal roof is part of an Episcopal Church construction on Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota. The dimensions are… massive. Read below for details.
An Amish-made hand crank KitchenAid mixer
I just have to share this, since I’m a big fan of non-electric and hand crank kitchen tools and equipment. We came across this hand crank KitchenAid mixer on a recent trip to Kentucky. Check out that cadillac. This is a customized KitchenAid, modified by the Amish — the electric guts have been removed and replaced.
I love that you can adjust the speed by simply shortening or lengthening the handle. Very slick and simple. This thing is definitely out of my own price range ($400+, yikes), but dang if it isn’t neat. I’m assuming you can make butter in it really nicely, too — much better than a small antique butter churn because the KitchenAid sits so rock solidly on your countertop.
Anyway, there ya have it. Dream on, off-grid folks.
Don’t overdo it now…
A few weeks ago, I visited with Christina Ott of Barefoot Builder in Woodbury, TN. It was a lot of fun, and it’s always really rewarding to have good, meaningful exchange with folks who are on the same trajectory as your own. Anyway, a topic came up which I have since been thinking about a bit, and I have a question I would love to pose to everyone out there who does very physical work as a part of their livelihoods.
How do we take care of ourselves and our bodies?
Mora Spoon Knives for sale
UPDATE: Sold! Thank you!
Okay, I normally do not post items for sale here, but why not. Are you interested? Post a comment or contact me and the first one gets them! Read ahead for more.
I’m a sucker for cutting tenons. Maybe because it provides me with a great excuse to swing an axe. Maybe because once I get into the groove, I feel a great sense of accomplishment when I’m able to cut and clean up a tenon swiftly. Cutting a tenon — by hand — is a great skill to learn and practice, and I want to make the argument that it can be done by hand rather quickly, too. After cutting tenon after tenon, I got to the point of being able to do the bulk of the work with a saw and axe. I skipped the chisel altogether at some point. Here’s my process for cutting tenons by hand, perhaps my favorite “grunt work” of timber framing. Actually, I like it so much I wish I had an excuse to cut some right now…
Understanding layout — the most important part of timber framing
I’m going to be very honest here — I will not be making any in-depth attempt to describe timber frame joinery layout here on this blog as part of my documentation for building our timber frame and straw bale house. I don’t feel fully qualified, and besides, you can find some pretty good documentation elsewhere. Personally, I’m in the camp of really needing to see and do layout to actually understand it. Reading about it, and having someone describe it to me makes my brain slowly turn off. Call me visual.
However, I can say a few things about the two systems we employed when building our timber frame. They are Square Rule and Scribe Rule layout. They are two singular approaches to achieving the same basic effect — making two different pieces of wood relate to each other, and join in a logical way.
Now that my Windsor chair is done, I have bonus time to work on extracurricular woodworking and carving projects at Greg’s. Right now I’m in the midst of a Peter Galbert-style sawhorse with ratcheting head. Oh boy, this is a treat. But more on that later, since I have nothing to show just yet.
Above is a spoon I carved a few weeks back. It’s one of a handful I carved in the last month, and my favorite spoon so far. I have plans to continue making more, and my new shaving horse will be extremely useful once I get back home to continue the carving work.
Well, I’ve got a good excuse to post more Hobbit house pictures from The Hobbit set, so I’m going to go ahead and do it. They’re just so pretty to look at… I just love all the little details. Anyway, reader Jamie Morgan messaged me with some information after visiting the location in New Zealand. Read ahead for more pictures — and yes, the new sets have real building elements (and not just gross foam).
Finished Windsor chair with milk paint and oil finish
Wow, I can finally claim that the Windsor chair I have been working on is… 100% done. In fact, I’m sitting on it as I type this. What a great feeling! (For my rear end, and my morale!)
Here’s a few photos of the final milk paint job. I’m really digging the bayberry green color.
Hi there, I’m Ziggy. In 2008, I launched The Year of Mud while building my first natural home. This blog is a collection of personal stories and experiences building with clay, straw, and wood over the past 15+ years. A few of the things that get me fired up are natural plasters, timber framing, & Japanese architecture. Since 2012, we’ve been hosting Natural Building Workshops so you can learn essential skills to build your own natural home.
