Tag: wood

First Tongue and Groove Joint in Wood

First tongue and groove joint in wood, a long time coming, and a series of steps. Photo 4 by Don Tai

First tongue and groove joint in wood, a long time coming, and a series of steps. Photo 4 by Don Tai

I watch the Woodsmith Shop on OTA TV, and am always amazed at their accuracy and precision. It is not just that they have all the fancy tools, but also that they have tuned their skills to get accurate results. In the reality of my world and my skill I can only approximate their level of expertise. This is my first tongue and groove joint in wood, the result of a long series of steps that took discipline and thinking. As I have no money I have to make do with what I have, which is fine. This is life.

Scarf Joint for Wood: Elegance and Strength

Scarf joint with a wedge, in wood.

Scarf joint with a wedge, in wood.

I have seen this joint in old wooden barns and houses in Britain on TV, and always wondered how and why it was done. Was it difficult to do? A random youtube video showed me how. While I do not build houses, from an engineering viewpoint it is educational to understand why it is so strong. No sources state the origins of this joint.

The scarf joint is elegant and also strong. The joint can be planed down flush. There is a lot of long grain glue surface area.

The Allure of Imperfection: Wabi Sabi

I have heard about wabi-sabi before but have not grasped the meaning. This article grasps the concepts.

Originating in Taoism during China’s Song dynasty (960-1279) before being passed onto Zen Buddhism, wabi-sabi was originally seen as an austere, restrained form of appreciation. Today it encapsulates a more relaxed acceptance of transience, nature and melancholy, favouring the imperfect and incomplete in everything, from architecture to pottery to flower arranging.

Wabi, which roughly means ‘the elegant beauty of humble simplicity’, and sabi, which means ‘the passing of time and subsequent deterioration’, were combined to form a sense unique to Japan and pivotal to Japanese culture. But just as Buddhist monks believed that words were the enemy of understanding, this description can only scratch the surface of the topic.

侘寂

pinyin: chà jì Japanese: 侘と寂 わびとさび

Tight Dadoes using A Very Simple Jig

Very simple jig to cut tight dadoes: just a rectangular piece of wood and a metal screw. Photo 1 by Don Tai

Very simple jig to cut tight dadoes: just a rectangular piece of wood and a metal screw. Photo 1 by Don Tai

Obsessive, I sometimes am, but for getting tight dadoes it is crucial. Without tight dadoes joints are not as strong. I do not have nor cannot justify a dado set, so need to use my single blade. I was going to build a 2 part kerfmaker, when I found this very simple kerfmaker design that uses a single piece of rectangular wood and a screw. Well, I just had to try it. It works exceedingly well, resulting in tight dado joints.

Tempo Baritone Ukelele: Toronto, Canada

Tempo baritone ukelele, unknown origin or date, Toronto, Canada. Photo 1 by Don Tai

Tempo baritone ukelele, unknown origin or date, Toronto, Canada. Photo 1 by Don Tai

This Tempo baritone ukelele came to me very broken, with the back ripped off the sides, both top and bottom, and discarded. I had to do a somewhat significant glue-up in order to stabilize the neck and get the action back to normalcy.

Ice Storm Toronto, Dec 22 2013: Reflections

Saw it coming, I did, through my incessant weather forecast watching here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Warned, we were, by the sages of climate. Still we really did not know the gravity of the situation, nor that we were to lose power for 18 hours. As we are always prepared, this matters little, because we know where everything necessary is located and we have done this before. It is worthwhile reflecting on what worked and what needs improvement, so that the next one, an inevitable event, really, will be that much more fulfilling.

Disposal of Construction Garbage in Toronto

Inside a Solid Waste drop-in Depot, Toronto, Canada. Garbage everywhere.

Inside a Solid Waste drop-in Depot, Toronto, Canada. Garbage everywhere.

Not all garbage is disposed of in the same matter. Here in Toronto, Canada we have fairly strict rules of garbage disposal. There are organics, recyclables and yard waste, all with their special pickup schedules. And then there the pickup for “the rest”, that that is destined for land fill, tilled down and buried into some hill, whereabouts unknown. Old shingles from my recent shingling task needed to be disposed of, so off to the Toronto Solid Waste Drop-off Depot I went.

Firewood and Chinese People in Toronto

Tree branches cut by a Mainland Chinese neighbour. These cannot easily fit into my fireplace. Toronto, Canada

Tree branches cut by a Mainland Chinese neighbour. These cannot easily fit into my fireplace. Toronto, Canada

Random events pummel our life on a regular basis. This is also true here in Toronto, Canada. My fireplace is used somewhat frequently during the colder months, so I am always on the hunt for firewood. We have many Mainland Chinese people here in Scarborough that throw out burnable wood, mostly from trees on their property. It is an odd experience to me to see cut up tree branches from these Chinese houses, as most of the wood is not able to easily fit in my fireplace. This is markedly different from firewood left curbside of Canadian houses. I postulate that those Mainland Chinese that migrate to Canada are intellectuals and university graduates, and that they have no experience in making a fire or preparing wood to be burned in a fireplace or stove. Canada only welcomes educated and affluent Mainland Chinese to our shores. Maybe wood cutting should also be part of the entry criteria.