April puts the first bale into place in our new home
It’s on! Here’s April putting in the very first straw bale into our new house. The Straw Bale Workshop crew is doing great, and we’re knee deep in building… people are having a good time, despite the high heat. More to come!
Our newly erected compound roof frame!
Progress is sweet. I have never worked so hard in my life. Physically, and mentally, even.
It is sheer exhaustion, but looking up at the timber frame in the morning light seems to make it all worth while. Getting compliments from friends and neighbors, and smiles from strangers coming into the village must mean we are doing something right, too.
Getting these compound roof rafters installed on the timber frame was a highlight.
More later.
The Year of Mud's Straw Bale Workshop is soon approaching!
Only two short weeks remain until our Straw Bale Workshop begins! From July 22 – August 2, we will be hosting our last natural building workshop of the year, a 10 day course dedicated to straw bale house construction. Come and learn all the ins and outs of working with straw bales and natural plasters at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage in Missouri!
A few more participant spaces still remain — apply now if you want to get in on our last natural building workshop of the year. It’s not too late.
p.s. This weekend, a local farmer brought us 300 straw bales from his property, seven miles away. How cool is it that our walls were grown in a field less than 10 miles away?
Lovely Millers Falls Boring Machine Bits from Jim Bode
There are a wealth of interesting antique woodworking hand tools out there in the world, and thankfully Jim Bode has a great online shop devoted to preserving and reselling some of these beautiful items. I recently received 3 lovely drill bits for our Millers Falls boring machine, a 2″, 1 1/2″, and a unique 1″ bit, all lovingly sharpened and cleaned, and a sheer pleasure to use for the first time. Wow!
Check it out — here is a photo slideshow of our recent Timber Framing Workshop, from the beginning of the class, all the way to our awesome farewell party! What a blast.
Thank you Timber Frame Workshop participants!
Yesterday was the end of our fantastic two week Timber Framing Workshop. I’m very sad that it is over, and extremely grateful for the fantastic progress we made, and the quality of work we produced. Wow. We did everything from square rule layout, to lofting and daisy wheel layout and scribing, to hand hewing, working with roundwood, hand raising 18′ tall posts and beams, and so much more. We used Japanese hand saws, planes, chisels and mallets, boring machines, broad axes, and more with a group of students with minimal hand tool experience. It is incredible what we were able to achieve.
I cannot express how much enjoyment I was continually experiencing during the course, and how satisfied I am now to have been able to host such a wonderful workshop, with wonderful folks involved.
Thanks April, Tom, Chris, Lauren, Kyle, Dan, Will, Carl, Jacob, Kiera, Alex, Shand, and Micah!
(Expect more updates about what we learned, and what we built in the next couple of weeks.)
Chiseling a mortise in the afternoon sun
Things are going quite well during our Timber Framing Workshop. I’ll have a lot more to say when I have the time to write, but here’s a few photos in the meantime!
Our first timber frame bent raising
It’s happening… the timber frame is become more and more of a reality. More later.
Here’s a quick little video of one of our favorite tricks we’ve learned during the Timber Frame Workshop: the so-called “French snap”. After you saw the tenon shoulder one on side of your piece, flip the timber and saw the end cut down to that same shoulder cut depth. Once you’ve got your cuts, you can snap the material off by striking it with a heavy mallet. It works with straight grain and eliminates extra sawing and splitting. It’s very satisfying!
Starting today, we are offering a special discount on the 10 day Straw Bale Workshop at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage. Apply today and save $150 off the regular tuition!
If you’ve ever been interested in learning about straw bale construction and getting some solid experience working with natural building materials and techniques, now is your best chance.
Come experience The Year of Mud’s Straw Bale Workshop in a pioneering ecovillage community here in northeast Missouri! It’s going to be a great time. The course runs from July 22 – August 2. Spots are limited — reserve yours today!
p.s.: Contact me with any questions you may have.
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.
