Last summer was a hot one. No trips abroad so the focus was on building a pergola for our summer place.
Hand jointed pergola
An interpretation of Chris Salomone’s modern credenza
For my birthday, my wife gave time away from the kids to spend at the communal shop and build something. I really enjoyed the design that Chris Salomone had in his youtube channel. However, it was slightly too big for my needs so I modified it quite a bit. Here’s a montage of the build with some explanations here and there.
Excessive solar power -bot
We installed additional solar panels on our roof. After the installation, we’ve been following about the dynamics of the production and it is already clear, that during the day, we are selling excessive energy back to the network with a really bad deal. It would be much nicer (and economic) to use that energy ourselves.
So I started to look into ways to inform our apartment complex’s residents when we are producing electricity in excess. Enter a excessive solar power slack -bot
Looking how to mill Finnish birch using an Alaskan mill
I’m sitting in the board of directors for a company selling woodworking tools – Sahanpuru. One of their coolest products is the Alaskan mill, a chainsaw accessory that allows you to mill your own lumber. So I decided to mill Finnish birch using an Alaskan mill.
Trying to be a cheapskate, I was thinking should I mill my own lumber to my tree house project. So I bought a mill from Sahanpuru and decided to give it a try.
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Building a tree house with a focus on the well-being of the tree
My son wanted me to build a suspension bridge to our summer cottage. I liked the thought and decided first to build some platforms. Building a tree house is a topic with a lot of articles on the web. I’m trying to focus on a design that works in relatively medium sized trees and considers the well being of the tree itself.
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Electronics for the hydroponics
It’s been quite a long summer, and I’ve being both doing and thinking. I’ll start writing the results down slowly. To begin with I’ll do a quick update on installing a short cycle timer to my ebb and flow hydroponic system and thus automating diy hydroponics. Continue reading “Electronics for the hydroponics”
Hanging ebb and flow hydroponics from rain gutters
My friend was describing a plan he had to build a hanging garden from surplus rain gutters. I thought the idea was great and decided to build my own hanging ebb and flow hydroponics.
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Making a valet box out of leftover oak
Amidst all meaty stuff, I’ve also gotten into woodworking. After building the small side table, I had some white oak left and an urge to build a humidor, i.e. a wooden box that that is good looking and has a well sealing lid. However, I doubted my skills, so I lowered my ambition level and decided that I’d be making a valet box to hold my shoe shines.
In search of perfection – the grill
This is the first phase of creating a fully adjustable charcoal grill made of concrete, bricks and steel that is continuously fed with new embers. This is the ideation and planning post before actually doing it. I call it the elevator grill.
Wabi sabi – a more sustainable way of life
I’ve noticed, that my enjoyment of crafts have changed my view on life. I previously always wanted everything to be in pristine condition and didn’t hesitate to replace stuff. Now with age, and with the spare time to fix stuff, I’ve learned to enjoy things, that I’ve fixed instead of replaced. This acceptance of transience and imperfections is called Wabi-sabi.
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