Another "Why Wood" - moment

  A couple of seasons ago I helped a friend make two large planters that sit on either side of his garage doors and feature bougainvillea in the summer months.  It was not a big project and didn't cost much money to do but the result are solid, unique and attractive planters. Built according to his wife's careful, and correctly drawn design.  Certainly there were cheaper planters available from store that sell extruded plastic stuff, but wood is better. 

  About eight days ago we in the Great Lakes Region experienced prolonged heavy winds, 35 - 40 mph with gusts to 60 - 70 mph. (100 kph).  The havoc wreaked was significant and one of the victims of the winds was a wooden planter. The planter was blown about and broken as you can see in the picture below.

    Had this been a plastic or an injection moulded fibre resin thing it may well have been battered to pieces, then embarrassingly blown all over the neighbourhood.  Since it was stout, and wood one corner's collapse was the only real damage.  AND, the damage can be repaired with a bit of 2 by 2 and four self taping wood screws.

  

   I don't really know how I would get along without self taping screws.  It seems I am just too lazy to pre drill holes all the time as I know I should.  I don't suppose that self taping screws are as useful a convenience as instant coffee but... they are pretty close.

  The holiday's are coming quickly, I am working on a couple of projects that will be gifts, you can hear about them next year.

 cheers,
ianw

Why Wood, again.

  In this "modern" world I am always struck by how often the movies turn to Mozart, Bach, Wagner or Beethoven for their important mood setting music.  In the same way that those cultural icons are hard wired into our ascetic view of the world, wood is still a popular and attractive building material. 

  Twice in the last two weeks I was in buildings that made a feature of wood.  This building even has Cape Cod style wood shingles on its exterior. 

faux post and beam

  The most recent example of wood in form and function was on the New York State Through Way at the Ontario Stop, not far from Buffalo.  The coffee/bathroom stop was very inviting and comfortable.  I liked that, it said to me that the folks that got the contract for the highway lay-by actually had some taste and some interest in making their space inviting for people. Since they have no competition the building could have been an eye burning poured concrete monstrosity but it isn't is is wood and it is nice.

  These pictures are the ceiling in the lobby of the resort in the Caribbean where Eva, our Grandchildren and  I spent a week, two weeks ago. Each end of the lobby featured large stained glass windows and the wood was the darker stained colour. (the light coloured wood is just an over exposed shot, even a digital camera can be fooled).

   In the Caribbean much of the building construction seems to be painted poured concrete, which is efficient and effective. Wood can be efficient, effective and beautiful.

High Stool

A very  long time ago I sat on this stool at the dinner table in my Grandparents house once I got too big for a High Chair but not big enough for a "grown ups" chair.  When I was finished with it my brother sat on it.  When my Grand father sold the house and contents and went into a nursing home the stool ended up at my parents house, where my Mother painted it.                                            

       

         



    Once it ended up in my house the stool began to live a hard life in my workshop, but there was never any question of getting rid of it.

    Now Kieran is to big for a high chair and not big enough for a "grown up" chair.  It is time to strip the chair and give it the custom paint job that he has requested.  He would like blue with a boat on it, the mouse went nicely with my Mother's cat themed art.

    I always thought that the stool had been purchased for ME.  I discovered that even though my Grama and Grampa thought ( wisely, for old people are all wise aren't we) the sun rose and set on my their golden haired grandson that the stool is actually even old than me.  My Mom says that the stool came from either my Grama's Mom's house or from my Great Father's house, so the stool is easily 60+ years old.

  When I decided to strip the many layers of paint off the stool I turned to my heat gun and scrapping tools of various types.

  The result:

      All the pieces are stripped and ready to be sanded smooth before painting.  I will assemble the stool and then lay on royal blue stray paint.  There were several layers of paint and each of the colours had been laid on thick.  There are many years of wear and tear and a gallon or so of paint trying to cover it up.

    I used my heat gun in the garage with the door open so that the fumes that were coming off the paint was blown away while I worked.   Now a little bit of sanding a and a dab of wood filler and the stool will be as good as new and ready for my children's, children's children to sit on.  I cause you can't guess, that's Why Wood.

Another Why Wood

http://www.berlin-flyer.com/

Check out this site for the Berlin Flyer, Berlin is in the United States, and wooden toys last for a very long time.

the bessey flooring kit

wood beams

Why wood, I asked and answered a couple of months  ago.  Well here is another reason  why.  These beams are holding up the floors above in a mill that was built in 1877.  Now it is a very very nice little coffee shop in St. George. (where the movie star truck is hiding)  
Other than stone,  nothing lasts like good wood.