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Beautifully shot

Watch this atmospheric short doc, following a sustainable logging crew in Switzerland

» In Holz (In the Woods) 13 min

Snow, sweat, testosterone and the sound of chainsaws. Every four years, over a period of three months in winter, wood is being cut in a steep mountain high above Lake Ägeri and prepared for log rafting. Neither economic change nor technology has been able to replace this traditional and sustainable craft in Switzerland.

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This is beautiful.

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(Introducing new members of Judson Beaumont’s Straight Line Family! | Straight Line Designs Inc.から)

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Added to my bucket list located at the Dolní Morava resort in the Czech Republic:)

Sky Walk Franek Architects

The Trail Among The Clouds is a conceptual building, and it offers visitors an intense sensation of walking in the clouds and an experience of a space above the landscape. There are various attractions including a slide, nets and nests in the building for those who seek adventure or entertainment. The entrance building is of a slightly oval shape much like a rowboat. Its construction is made of glued wooden beams set into a wooden grid supported by columns. The architectural approach was for the building to blend with it’s unique surrounding rather then to disturb it. This was the reason for using wood for the major part of the construction, and making the rails and mounts as subtle as possible.

Images via text via Franek Architects

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This is incredible!

It may be hard to believe, but this incredibly lifelike lobster is entirely made of boxwood. Hand-carved and fully articulated, it’s the painstaking work of 25-year-old Japanese sculptor Ryosuke Ohtake and an awesome example of form of uniquely Japanese sculpture known as jizai okimono.

“The craft involves carving realistic animals whose bodies and limbs are all animated through joints just like the real living thing. Some common subjects are birds, fishes, snakes and insects. It’s a craft that originated in the late-Edo period (late 1700s) when metalsmiths and armor makers, faced with a decline in demand for armor, found themselves with plenty of time on their hands. But ever since it’s modest beginnings, the lobster, with its numerous joints and undulating back, has been considered to be the most difficult and challenging subject.”

What’s perhaps even more unbelievable about this amazing creature is that it was Ohtake’s very first jizai okimono piece. It was shown as part of a wooden sculpture exhibition which took place at Tokyu Department Store in Tokyo this past April.

Click here to watch a brief video to get a closer look at this truly astonishing wooden crustacean, how it was made, and how realistically every single part of its beautifully articulated body moves.

Then visit Ryosuke Ohtake’s Facebook page to check out more of his amazing sculptures.

[via Colossal]

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Hehe

Alittle wood humor #wood #woodworking #woodwork #woodshop (at Portland, Oregon)

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Check out the custom basket weave flooring in the entryway to this gorgeous Alaskan home. The flooring and stairs were made from our reclaimed wormy chestnut. via Instagram http://bit.ly/1HYw2W6

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PROJECT [Cupola Shutters]

Last steps of the shutters! We decided that it would be easier and more efficient to paint the louvers and other parts before assembly.  Just imagine trying to get your paint brush in between all those louvers and have it come out looking good.  For the curved part we made one set of louvers by scribing it's radius and length.  Then we just used that set as a template for all the others.  Assembly took quite a few tries before we perfected the method - lots of patience and teamwork.  The key for us was when we realized that we needed to start on the one end and work our way toward the curve, this allowed us to only have to guide and watch a few louvers at a time instead of all of them at the same time.  Next time I make a shutter I will have so many better ideas about it.

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Wood pirates!

“It was an unlikely crime scene: a steep trail used by bears leading to a still, ancient redwood grove. There, a rare old-growth coast redwood had been brutally hacked about 15 times by poachers, a chain saw massacre that had exposed the tree’s deep red heartwood.

The thieves who butchered this and other 1,000-year-old arboreal giants were after the burls, gnarly protrusions on the trees that are prized for their intricately patterned wood. Although timber theft has long plagued public lands, a recent spate of burl poaching, with 18 known cases in the last year, has forced park officials to close an eight-mile drive through old-growth forests, the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway, at night to deter criminals. More closings are expected.

While some burls are small and barnacle-like — perfect for souvenir salt-and-pepper shakers — others weigh hundreds of pounds and can fetch hundreds or thousands of dollars per slab.

The poachers, known locally as the “midnight burlers,” are motivated by a sluggish local economy and expensive methamphetamine habits, park officials say, and they have been targeting ever-bigger burls and using increasingly brazen tactics. Last year, a redwood estimated to be 400 years old was felled by thieves who wanted access to a 500-pound burl 60 feet up. It was the first time an entire tree was cut down for a burl…

Old-growth coast redwoods are among the earth’s most tenacious organisms, some living 2,000 years or more. Removing a burl cuts into a tree’s living cambium layer, which can weaken it and make it vulnerable to insects and disease.”

Poachers Attack Beloved Elders of California, Its Redwoods

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In the local newspaper, small-time famous.

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PROJECT [Cupola Restoration]

The scaffolding crew finished installing our platform to work from at the Cupola height.  We call it our "nest".  The first step was to scrape the loose paint off so we could see if there were any surprises underneath.  We have discovered quite a few wood repairs and some architectural details that have fallen off.  We are also using consolidant to firm up some of the wood that has gotten soft from exposure to the elements.  The first week was  very busy with scraping and wood repairs.  But, we were happy to put on the first coat of primer on the south side on Monday. 

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I don't think I can think of any hand tools that are missing.  Impressed!

The Chart of Hand Tools

Here’s a great gift for your workspace or to hang on the wall while dreaming of building something…

View Post

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PROJECT [Jig for Shutter Louvers]

With four shutters to make that means we need to cut about 500 slots for the louvers.  So, we definitely needed to make a jig for the most efficient and repeatable way to do this.  There are probably a couple methods to make a jig for this.  I decided that using a sled and spacing board would be the easiest jig to make.  The sled allows the router to move back and forth just enough to cut a 1-3/4" long slot.  It also allows the router to move in the correct angle for the slot.  Then for the repetition, there is a dowel inserted to the bottom of the sled that sits in the space in between each spacer block.  That is what will make the slots equally spaced all the way up the stile. 

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Agreed.

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PROJECT [shutter reproduction]

We've been working hard on our reproduction shutters for the Eliot School this week.  We have most of the basic frame put together today.  The curve was the hardest part so far.  But with a little tip from our instructor we were on the right path by making a template to use with a router table.

We still had some trouble when we realized that on a curve you will always hit a spot where the router cutter head is cutting in the same direction as your wood grain, thus causing a big bite.  We quickly solved it by just flipping the piece upside down to make sure the grain was always running in the right direction.  If you can't flip your template upside down because it's not symmetrical them you can just us a top bearing stright bit as well. 

Next challenge will be to cut the slot for the individual louvers to slide into.  We have already designed a jig so I'll be posting pictures soon.

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Modern meets rustic meets functional.  Can't complain.

This wooden desk with all its elegant hidden drawers inside, is the creation of Simon Schacht for his master craftsman diploma. Photos by Wolfgang Pulfer.