The Otic Oasis
Getting screws to hold in end grain
Because wood is relatively weak perpendicular to its grain, screws don't hold that well when screwed into the end grain. This firstly because the thread has a harder time cutting into the grain fro the side, and also because what it does grab shears out more easily, as the shear is cross-grain. Wood screws do, however, hold extremely well in cross grain. So the trick to making screws really hold in the end of a piece of wood is to give them a bit of cross-grained wood to bite into. The easiest way to do this is to put a hardwood plug into the wood, 5/8" or 3/4" in diameter. The illustration at left shows how far the screw would penetrate, if it was actually in the wood. This approach is much cheaper, and probably stronger, than using some specialized fastener using a machine screw and some sort of specialized nut to insert in a hole. I use this apporach for screwing bed rail clips into the ends of bed rails for my bed frame and my daybed, where good hold is very important.
Flexible Stream • Digital Wood Joints
Wood Joints are fascinating! They embellish old furniture and wood constructions of ancient Japanese temples alike. Everytime we come across them, we are filled with admiration: Admiration for the skill of the master craftsman, as their creator, but also admiration for the balance between function and beauty, which turns the furniture or temple into a work of art. With the onset of industrialisation, the traditional wood joints have been banned more and more to the background. As computer-controlled wood processing machines move into the cabinet-makers' workshops, the way two pieces of wood are joined together in a construction needs to be reconsidered. The result of this research are 50 digital wood joints, divided into frame joints, board joints and carcass joints. We are looking forward for the submission of your modifications and pictures of implementation. Arto from Finland has done some Davetone Mixcubes:
Hexayurt Project - incredibly cheap shelter for those in need
Metal fabrication
Metal fabrication is the building of metal structures by cutting, bending, and assembling processes: Fabrication comprises or overlaps with various metalworking specialties: Fabrication shops and machine shops have overlapping capabilities, but fabrication shops generally concentrate on metal preparation and assembly as described above. By comparison, machine shops also cut metal, but they are more concerned with the machining of parts on machine tools. [edit] Metal fabrication is a value added process that involves the construction of machines and structures from various raw materials. Fabrication shops are employed by contractors, OEMs and VARs. Raw materials[edit] Standard raw materials used by metal fabricators are; Cutting and burning[edit] The raw material has to be cut to size. Special band saws designed for cutting metal have hardened blades and a feed mechanism for even cutting. Burn tables are CNC cutting torches, usually natural gas powered. Forming[edit] Machining[edit]
Urbio - Get Started
Facit Homes
10 Air Purifying Plants For Homes & Offices
Even in huge, busy cities, outdoor air is cleaner and preferable to indoor air. Why is that? One reason is that trees and plants are constantly cleaning the air outside. This suggests that the eco-minded homeowner or office dweller should go out and buy some plants – but which ones? The Areca Palm (Images via Plant Directions, EnvicoGarden) NASA Purifying Score: 8.5 The top air purifying plant as ranked by NASA’s study is the Areca palm tree. The Lady Palm (Images via Livick’s Palms, TyTy) Neck and neck with the Areca palm tree for NASA’s top-ranked air purifying plant is the Lady palm (or Rhapis excelsa.) The Bamboo Palm (Images via Blue Moon Candles, Plant Importers) NASA Purifying Score: 8.4 Just a notch below the top 2 air purifying palms is the Bamboo palm (or Chamaedorea seifrizii.) The Rubber Plant (Image via HowStuffWorks, Great House Plants) NASA Purifying Score: 8.0 Fourth on NASA’s scoring is the rubber plant (or Ficus robusta.) The Dracaena NASA Purifying Score: 7.8 English Ivy
Global Village Construction Set by Marcin Jakubowski
Open Source Ecology is a network of farmers, engineers, and supporters building the Global Village Construction Set - a modular, DIY, low-cost, open source, high-performance platform that allows for the easy fabrication of the 50 different industrial machines that it takes to build a small, sustainable civilization with modern comforts. The aim of the GVCS is to lower the barriers to entry into farming, building, and manufacturing. Its a life-size lego set that can create entire economies, whether in rural Missouri, where the project was founded, or in the developing world. So Far we’ve prototyped 8 of the 50 Machines and we’ve been expanding rapidly. Please watch these videos if you are new to the project: What Makes the Global Village Construction Set so special? Why should I help fund this project? This toolkit will establish a new high benchmark of efficiency for green, low-cost housing construction - making natural building FAST and CHEAP, rather than SLOW and EXPENSIVE. Absolutely!
Flatpack Smackdown: KitKat Vs. D. E. Sellers
JWT New Zealand Fast Company shows us an advertising campaign from New Zealand where Kit Kat asks: "In the Kiwi summer of 2010, large crowds gathered at outdoor events and concerts. But how could we capture the imagination of this captive audience, give them a break from the ordinary and bring the iconic Kit Kat brand to life?" They answer by offering a free flatpack Kit Kat chair. D. Designer D. I am looking forward to seeing Sellers' new eDesk at ICFF. The eDesk is a designer's approach to helping the developing world attain education. More at D. More D.
Lilac - Affordable strawbale housing community in Bramley. Leeds
