Would You Live in a Shipping Container? Adam Kalkin isn't the only architect to make homes out of shipping containers. A handful of architects, including Jennifer Siegal and Lot-Ek, began using them ten years ago as a gritty reaction against the tidy white surfaces of modernism. But nobody has employed shipping containers more inventively than Kalkin, a New Jersey architect and artist who has used them to design luxurious homes, museum additions, and refugee housing. In architectural circles, Kalkin is regarded as something of an oddball. His talk this week was tied to the publication of Quik Build: Adam Kalkin's ABC of Container Architecture ($49.95), which shows 32 of his projects in all their odd ingenuity, including Bunny Lane, a home he built for himself with a 19th century clapboard cottage inside an industrial hanger, and the Push Button House, a furnished room that unfolds from a container with hydraulic walls. For all his artsy provocations, Kalkin's strategy makes some practical sense.
Knowledge Base at WoodWeb About the Knowledge Base WOODWEB's Knowledge Base functions as an online, wood industry library. It grows continuously, and currently contains over 10,000 articles, including contributions from wood-industry magazines and experts, and the best discussions from our Interactive Forums. How to Use the Knowledge Base There are two ways to access articles in the Knowledge Base: browsing and searching. Browsing allows you to use the Knowledge Base as if it were a library, divided into specific areas of interest. Searching allows you to locate articles based on the specific words or phrases contained in the article. Enter search terms and click 'go' To locate articles on a particular topic, enter a word or phrase related to the topic (for example: to locate articles describing the hardness and strength of wood, enter "wood properties"). To locate articles by a specific author, enter the author's name (enter "Wengert" to locate articles written by Professor Gene Wengert, for example).
How to Build a Pergola - DIY Building a Pergola Here's a structure that won't provide shelter from wind or rain, and is only marginally better when it comes to the midday sun. So, why build it? Because in the absence of walls and a roof, it defines an outdoor space without constraining it. Our pergola fits on an 8-ft. square, but it's easy to modify it to suit your site. Model designed in Alibre Design Xpress. Download a larger animated PDF of this project with a printable step-by-step guide (Requires Adobe Reader). Installing the Posts The posts are composed of pressure-treated 4 x 4 cores that are sheathed with 1 x cedar. Lay out the post positions and mark the screw locations [1]. We used 1/4-in. Hold each post plumb and drive nails through the anchors into the wood [3]. Attaching the Support Beams Cut the four 2 x 6 cedar support beams to length, use a template to mark the curved notches at the ends and cut the notches with a jigsaw. Then secure each end with four 3-in. Then, make the curved end cuts [7].
What to Do Right Now if the Hard Times Have Begun and You are Not Prepared by Robert Wayne Atkins What to Do Right Now if the Hard Times Have Begun and You are Not Prepared Copyright © June 1, 2011 by Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E. All Rights Reserved. Click Here for a Microsoft WORD printer friendly copy of this article. Preface The following information is the last chapter in my 500 page book "How to Survive and Thrive During Hard Times." Introduction There are two possible scenarios for the beginning of hard times:Scenario One: You have some money and many of the local stores are still open for business.Scenario Two: You don't have any money, or you do have some money but the stores are all closed. The most likely scenario will probably be the second one above. Hard times are inevitable. the trigger event,the severity of the hard times, andthe duration of the hard times. Is a worldwide famine in your future? The above is just one example of a worst case breakdown in society. Water: Keep the water flowing in their faucets. That's enough "worst case doom-and-gloom."
Rustic Log Furniture Gallery Colorado grown. Colorado crafted. Custom Log Furniture, Fixtures, and Decor Each piece of furniture that comes out of the San Juan Carpentry shop was crafted using a hands-on approach that is rarely seen in the log furniture industry. The process begins by hand-selecting and harvesting usable, standing-dead aspen and pine logs from Colorado forests. When a piece of furniture is crafted, we sift through our inventory to find logs and lumber that will contribute to the piece under construction in a very specific way. The pieces you see in the pictures are samples of what our premium-craft furniture looks like. San Juan Carpentry builds pieces for wholesale as well as consumer direct custom pieces. If you have any questions or would like a free estimate, please Contact Us.
How to Finish Drywall: 18 Steps to Smooth Joints There are few home improvement tasks greeted with more dread than finishing drywall. If you're like most people, you hope that you've already done your last finishing job. Unfortunately, if you enjoy working on your home, you are bound to be confronted by this task again. So it's worth your while to check out the tips and techniques we discuss here. Before You Begin The selection of tools we show here are not the only ones that work. Your selection of compound is just as important as your selection of tools. You also have a choice when it comes to joint tape, between paper tape and self-sticking fiberglass mesh tape. One last tip: If you buy your taping compound in 5-gal. pails, which is what we did, be sure to buy an opening tool. What You'll Need Tools: 5-, 8- and 10-in. flexible drywall-taping knives, joint compound pan, bucket-opening tool, electric drill, mixing paddle, respirator Getting Started There are probably as many approaches to the finishing process as there are finishers.
Camping Knots for Wilderness Survival By Filip Tkaczyk Knowing how to tie good camping knots is an invaluable skill in wilderness survival situations. Its also a great asset when having fun in the outdoors. There are a wealth of different knots out there that you can learn to tie. Square Knot Also called a reef knot, this knot is useful for tying bandages, packages and joining shorter pieces of rope together. To begin, lay the ends of the ropes parallel and then pick up a rope in each hand. Now tie an overhand knot as you would for tying your shoe laces by putting the right end under and over the left rope end. Then tie another overhand knot, this time putting the left end under and over the right rope. Completed Square Knot Clove Hitch Like all hitches, this camping knot ties a rope to an object. To begin, bring the rope end over and under the post. Now, bring the rope end around a third time, and tuck it under the center of the X. Tighten by pulling the end and the main line apart. Bowline Related Courses:
Build Furniture Without a Shop It doesn’t take much.When you get started in woodworking there are many paths to follow, forks in the road, dead-ends and shortcuts. It’s a journey that our forebears would make with the help of a living, breathing guide: a master, a grandfather, a shop teacher. Inexpensive home-center tools and materials can be used to build pieces that are surprisingly sophisticated. All it takes is a little ingenuity and some decent designs. Sadly, the guides are fewer in number today. So they buy more tools and machines. I want you to know something important that doesn’t get said much: There is another way to begin building furniture. I’m not talking about building junk, either. To build nice furniture you need three things: A handful of decent tools that you won’t outgrow, some help getting started and some realistic projects to build. This story is an introduction to our “I Can Do That” column, which we have featured on our web site and in the magazine since June 2006.
Backpacks Infographic: How to Find the Right Backpack - REI Need a break from the daily multitasking merry-go-round? Trade in your digital devices for boots and backpacks—they're your ticket to off-the-grid adventures and the wonders of the backcountry! With the right pack and a little preparation, you can head out for a day hike or a through-hike and say "CUL8R" to the daily grind. Add this infographic to your website by copying the code below: <p><a href=" src=" alt="Backpacks Infographic: How to Find the Right Backpack for You" title="Backpacks Infographic: How to Find the Right Backpack for You" /></a><br /><br />Check out REI's <a href=" next time you head outdoors!
WANTED: The JakPak, a Jacket That Converts Into a Tent As a regular reader of FastCompany.com, you know that we keep sharp about developments in hobotech: From hobo-conventions for techies to rolling hobo shelters. So it's with great excitement that we bring you the JakPak, a jacket that converts into a tent. Previously, we'd only seen student concepts of this sort of idea. It's loaded with features, suited to three seasons of camping (spring, summer, and fall). Granted, the confined space might take some getting used to, but this is pretty genius for overnight hikes where packing tent poles and the like seems excessive.