A blog about tools, remodeling, woodworking, real estate and craftmanship.
A blog
that seeks to explore buildings,
livingry,
and the world of our homes.
Check each of the Archives. There are excellent links on each page.
The Knock-Down Drag-Out bed is a 46” (h) x 86” (w) x 98” (l) queen-sized bed frame designed for the college student, young professional, or anyone who plans on moving a couple times in the next few years. The bed breaks down easily and can be reassembled with nothing more than a screwdriver. After you put it together, simply throw a mattress in the frame. productDose
Falling on your ass on a snow-filled, icy sidewalk is simply insult added to the injury of being cold in the first place. Save yourself the trouble with the Yaktrax Walker, which is essentially a thick rubber band, equipped with steel coils, that fits over the sole of your shoe. The Yaktrax Walker creates traction while you walk on ice, preventing slippage and keeping you on your feet. via productdose
There are a few reasons we really like Demobags, only one of them being the memory of frustrating time spent re-picking up the contents of a broken plastic trash bag. Demobags are made for heavy loads, designed to withstand the weight of bricks, metal, liquids, random rubble—whatever you need to trash, these 25″ x 40″, 110 lb/38 gallon-capacity bags hold it all. The bags are made of poly-woven (ten strands per square centimeter) plastic polypropylene fiber, which—impressively—is biodegradable. via productDose
Aimed at a whole generation of music listeners who use iPods more regularly than stereo equipment, the Sonance iPort allows for simple interface between your iPod and your home audio system. Simply install the iPort into the wall, route your power and audio (and video if you have a video iPod) to the wallplate, and you’re ready to go. The cradle works with any iPod dock connector, and upgraded versions allow for remote control, two-way communication from audio/video control devices, and an added balancing module for either audio or video.
A handsome way to keep your fire in your fireplace, this Fire Screen consists of individual panes of leaded glass. Framed with iron, the glass panes together make up a three-panel screen that stands 48.75″ x 33.75″.
Do you regularly find yourself in need of a pen that’s nowhere in sight? Carrying a pen around in you shirt pocket like a professor isn’t the only option, especially if there’s no real incentive to remind yourself to put it in your pocket every morning. You’re better off associating the pen with something you never forget—like your wallet. This Silver Wallet Pen is a retractable writing utensil that actually fits comfortably inside your wallet. Makes sense, right? via productDose
Why can't this be adapted to control transparency?
You’ve got a tiny apartment, and friends and family are always dropping in from out of town to stay with you. Hideaway beds take up more closet space than you have to offer, inflatable beds get holes, and futons are too ugly to live with. Enter the Fu-Chest. A stand-alone piece that wraps Murphy bed and futon sensibilities into a single unit, the Fu-Chest appears to double as a chest when not being used as a bed. It comes in six styles, none of which are terribly stylish, but its passable visual design is a small price to pay for its space-saving functionality.
Anything that attempts to combat the irritation of handling a handful of screws or nails, dropping them as fast as you collect them, is all right with us. This Magnetic Wristband features a “super strong” 2 1/4″ x 1 1/4″ magnetic surface designed to keep it all at hand so you won’t drop it. Reasonably ingenious. via productDose
What California Solar is offering is the innovation of collecting solar power, storing it, and using it as you need. Working with Infloor Heating Systems, California Solar is able to build systems in which stored solar power is used to heat ceramic, tile, wood, vinyl and carpeted floors—not to mention swimming pools—through radiant tubing within the floor that sends heat underneath the surface to warm it. The pic above is the tubing on the bottom side of a tile. The tile on the table below it was on display, and we could actually feel the heat flowing through it, heating the whole tile evenly, which in turn heats the whole room with rising hydronic radiant heat that is super efficient and cost effective. Better for you, and better for the environment. via productDose
This pop-art inspired Kisses! urinal
is one target men won't miss.
The urinal is engineered to European standards.
Two variants are available: a top- and a wall-inlet.
699 euros (with U.S. orders available), bathroom-mania.com
[ via Daily Candy via everythingANDnothing
Building owners could soon have control of the airwaves thanks to a new type of paint which is able to block radio signals such as those used by mobile phones.
Using the wizardry of nanotechnology it is now possible to lock out unwanted mobile phone signals on demand.
Ductal, one of Lafarge's newest concrete products. Unlike regular concrete, which is brittle and can rupture suddenly under a heavy load, Ductal can bend. "It will deflect and show signs of cracking before it fails," says Perry. "You can see in advance that you've got a problem." Ductal is five times as strong as regular concrete. That extra oomph comes from the addition of small fibers dispersed throughout the matrix. These fibers, made of either steel or polymer, reinforce the concrete and eliminate the need for reinforcing steel bars, or rebar.
Another enormous toll on the environment comes from the carbon dioxide—one of the main global warming gases—released during cement production. Heating limestone and clay at high temperatures requires burning a substantial amount of fossil fuel. Also, carbon dioxide is released from a chemical reaction that occurs when the limestone and clays are combined.
The production of a ton of Portland cement—the most common type—releases about a ton of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, says Meyer. The cement industry contributes 7 percent of the global human production of carbon dioxide, he adds.
http://www.landuse.org/
Cortexa Technology announced the immediate availability of Cortexa Pocket Touch Software, the company’s latest software release that allows convenient access and control of the Cortexa Home Automation System through a Pocket PC. Cortexa Pocket Touch enables the homeowner to have yet another fully functional, cost-effective access point that is easy-to-use on one of the world’s most popular hand-held devices.
“Now, with Cortexa Pocket Touch, accessing and controlling your home is as easy as the touch of a button on your Pocket PC,” says Billy Martin, CEO, Cortexa Technology. “Cortexa continues to deliver useful and pragmatic functionality to our customers.”
Homeowners now have an additional access point to their home automation system utilizing tools they already own. Many other manufacturers would insist on installing an in wall
touch screen that could cost thousands of dollars.
More at MobilitySite
NEC Article 680
The Art of Project Management (O'Reilly)
In Scott Berkun's bestselling book, the Art of Project Management, you'll learn from a former Microsoft team leader how to plan, manage and lead projects. This fun and entertaining account of hard lessons learned over a decade of work in the software industry can help you in your current work, and on future projects to come. Written for software developers and anyone leading teams or projects.
Believe it or not, in the middle 1920's only 40% of a log was converted into primary product of manufacture (lumber, for example). In addition, 23% of the log of 70 years ago ended up as sawdust!
Today in the mid-1990's a typical circular sawmill converts 50% of the log into primary product with band mill conversionat about 57%.
Saw Kerf average 21% for the circular sawmill and as low as 12% for high production band mills.
Obviously, saw mill efficiencies have increased since the 1920s but there is still much room for improvement. In addition, trends such as environmental constraints on timber harvesting, smaller logs from the forest, and an incresed demand for wood products makes it imperative that we improve sawmill efficiencies.
The good news is that technologies currently exist that can enable 70% or more conversion efficiencies at US sawmills. Forest Service article.
The US annual cut of timber for lumber products is equivalent to approximately 240 million trees. However, if our sawmills operated at a 70% recovery efficiency, we could get our annual harvest of lumber from 171 million trees. Thus, we could save the equivalent of 69 million trees annully if our recovery effiency improved from 50% to 70% in our primary processing industry.
In addition, these same 69 million trees, if permitted to grow in the forest, would continue to absorb about 900,000 tons of carbon dioxide and produce about 650,000 tons of oxygen each year.
Matsushita Electric Works Ltd. has developed a THIN LED LIGHT fixture that the company claims is as bright as a 60-watt incandescent light bulb.
It can last for up to 40,000 hours -- 24 times as long as a bulb.
And consumes just one third the power.
Amazing new material quadruples in size when water is added. Then it releases it gradually over days and weeks as needed by your plants. This innovative new polymer was developed in Scotland.
When dry, each Water Slice® is only 2.25" x 0.6". But it swells to 4.5" x 1" when water has been fully absorbed.
Useful for summer plantings in containers and hanging baskets. Can be re–used. When filled with water, Water Slice can be lifted out and placed in a hanging basket without dripping. Material holds air as well as water, promoting healthy root development.
Beam me up to cutting heaven.
From the website:
Just aim the pinpoint laser and follow the line.
No marking, no crooked cuts.
8.5" x 3.5" x 1".
The National Cattlemen's Beef Assn. (NCBA) testified today that the Environmental Protection Agency has little scientific basis to change its air quality standards on "coarse particulate matter" -- commonly known as dust.
The leading water quality problem in many watersheds is sediment and turbidity coming from stormwater runoff. Because construction sites can be a significant source of these pollutants, the Soil Science Department has an active program in erosion and sediment control research and education for the construction industry. MORE
The National Research Council of Canada launched the National Construction Codes in a new "objective-based" format. Ten years in production, the Codes are unique in the world.
Many rely on backup electric generators for emergency power when the electricity goes out. If you have one, or are considering purchasing a backup generator, Safe Electricity wants you to know and take proper safety steps before operating an electric generator in your home or business.
Cleaning away the dust makes sense.
But does it?
In the mid-1990s, before the EPA came out with its advice to be skeptical, the agency and the National Air Duct Cleaners Association teamed up on a research program aimed at determining how indoor air quality is affected by duct cleaning.
In 1997, the EPA released a 16-page handout based on that research.
It was pretty damning.
"Duct cleaning has never been shown to actually prevent health problems," the report said.
"Neither do studies conclusively demonstrate that particle (e.g., dust) levels in homes increase because of dirty air ducts or go down after cleaning. This is because much of the dirt in air ducts adheres to duct surfaces and does not necessarily enter the living space."
The report went on to say that duct cleaning could be useful if there is visible mold inside ducts, but only if they are metal or other solid material, and only if the cleaning is done properly.
Ducts with interior insulation can't be adequately cleaned and must be replaced if they become moldy.
At the time, the EPA noted that the duct-cleaning industry was still in its infancy.
Go to http://www.epa.gov/ and type "duct cleaning" into the search box.
From that page, you will find a link to advice about sealing gaps in ducts.
via bookofjoe
