Most recent fragment:
A recent recount of Iowa caucus totals shows that Al Gore may have won.
Thu, 19 Jan 2012 07:21:10 -0800
Toolsday: Level
I'd say that the most common household handyman tasks I do are things like putting up a shelf, hanging a picture, or putting together ome furniture. I'm sure you can figure out a way to use a level for the third one, and the first two are obvious.
Small Box Level
This is my favorite level right now. Sharon has a "torpedo level" which is very handy, and I also have a "pocket level" which is a little easier to carry around, but this one is handy all around. A "beam level" is usually longer, which makes it less convenient to store, carry around, and use. This one iss exactly 12 inches long, which makes it a good reference object. The body is ABS plastic, so it has proved to be durable.
This level is super handy for putting up shelves and pictures. Its big flat base helps it stand up on its own. The boxing around the edges makes it easy to clamp to things, which will make it handy if I ever get around to that fence project I want to do. The ruler isn't super accurate, but it's useful for when you're up on a stepstool and don't want to be juggling multiple tools.
The only down side to this particular model is that it's difficult to hang on a pegboard. I managed to figure out how to use a really big hook to go through one of the available holes, but I'm always worried about cracking the tube in that hole.
This particular model should only cost you five bucks or so, and it's really worth having.
2012.01.31 at 12:00am EST
Storage Area of Loneliness
Disregard
Some empty, dilapidated storage shelves in a disregarded and unfinished corner of the office. I should ask if I can move my desk in here.
2012.01.30 at 12:00am EST
Toolsday: Height Gauge
As an added bonus to this review, I am not cutting and pasting any content, so we will see how many times I can actually type the words "height gauge" correctly.
I can hear you now. "That piece of plastic and short ruler cost $15?" I know; I know, but this this is so useful you will thank yourself for getting one. More accurate ones and fancy digital ones are also available in case $15 isn't quite enough..
Trend Height Gauge
There are two main ways to use this device. The first is prongs down to measure the height of a table saw blade or router bit. The second is prongs up to measure the depth of a hole, slot, or mortise. It can also be used horizontally the measure the distance between, say, a router table fence and the opposite side of a router bit. I have also used it as an impromptu marking gauge when my two combination squares were already holding important numbers.
The ruler passes through the body of the gauge, and the little toggle switch you can see there locks the ruler in place. A bevel you can't see in this photo makes it really easy to read measurements off of the ruler. The ruler is the same length as the prongs, so when you set it upright with the little "feet" on a saw or router table, the amount of ruler above the body is equal to the gap below the ruler.
The hole you see in one of the legs is a modification I made to the tool. Without it, it's difficult to hang the tool on a hook. Why this hole is not part of the design is totally beyond me.
2012.01.24 at 12:00am EST
Teleconference of Loneliness
Emptiness
An empty conference room teleconferenced to an empty conference room. This would make a pretty good art installation.
2012.01.23 at 3:30pm EST
Two More Banners
After I made the household banner, I realized that since one of the members of the household was being knighted in the near future, I should make a banner for him as a gift.
Banner of Sir Thomas Byron of Haverford
After that, it was time to tackle the difficult one, a banner for the head of our household.
Banner of Sir Maghnus an Chnoic na n'Iora
Yes, painting that repeating pattern (called "vair") by hand was a pain, but I figured it was easier to just do it than to figure out some clever way of avoiding that work by doing some other kind of work.
These are both about 15 inches wide and about 5 feet long. Sir Byron's is painted on blue wool, and Sir Maghnus' is painted on white linen. Both used Jacquard "Neopaque" acrylic fabric paint.
2012.01.19 at 12:00am EST
Toolsday: Yotsume Kiri
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Hida Tool and Hardware in Berkeley, California. I had viewed their website online a few times, and since we were going to be in the area I definitely thought it was worth a special side trip. I didn't think I was ready to buy a Japanese plane or chisel yet, but one tool I really wanted to acquire was a Japanese gimlet (hand drill) called a giri or kiri. This one is yotsume kiri or "four-sided gimlet".
Yotsume Kiri Overview
To use this kiri, you hold it with the tip where you want a hole, and the body completely vertical. You put your hands together on either side of the handle, and move them bck and forth in opposition to rotate the handle. The tapered square tip pushes the wood fibers apart, and the corners of the square cut the fibers off until there is a tapered round hole. This hole is good for receiving tapered wooden pegs for fastening, which is why I got this kind. Here is a close-up of the tip.
Yotsume Kiri Tip
I also picked up a pair of thread scissors, a bottle of camelia oil for oiling tools, and a book by Toshio Odate about Japanese tools. It was totally worth the trip. I love the way this store is set up, and I thought that their prices were slightly better than elsewhere. Since they focus on workmans tools and not exquisite jewels, I think that when I am ready to spend more money I will buy my planes and chisels from Hida Tool.
2012.01.17 at 12:00am EST
Pleurisy
I always thought "pleurisy" was one of those archaic medical terms that referred to something that was not actually a thing, like, "the vapors" or "catarrh". It turns out pleurisy is actually a real thing, and I actually have it, though it's a term for a condition and not a particular disease. Pleurisy describes a general inflammation of the pleural lining around the lungs. In my case, it made it painful to breathe. It can be caused by any number of things, but in my case it is most likely the result of a viral infection.
The doctor prescribed an anti-inflammatory, and told me I could stop taking it as soon as I felt better. I started feeling better within 24 hours of course, because I take medication pretty rarely. I took the medicine for another day just to be safe, but didn't take it yesterday. Today, my lungs started hurting again. Dang. I think I'm going to take it for the rest of this week.
2012.01.16 at 11:30am EST
Last Braids of 2011
I've been braiding a bit lately to round out the year, and here they all are.
Silky Hira Nami
This braid was actually made using silk yarn I measured out but then decided not to you for braid 154. The original concept for that braid didn't have any black, but I decided it was necessary.
Thin Baronial Sageo Cord
A 9-strand true shige uchi braid, this braid was also done with 24 plies of polyester embroidery thread per strand, in the traidtional fashion. That wasn't really enough, I think it came out too narrow. I'll use more next time.
Silk Western Medallion Cord
Now, in lace weight silk yarn, 24 plies per strand is plenty. This might have been an over-reaction, but it's a nice length. It's in SCA West Kingdom colors, and might be a medallion cord. The next three braids are also medallion cord lengths, and in West Kingdom colors, but they are made with four plies of #10 cotton crochet thread per strand. I figured I might need some presents for Westies in the near future, so these would be nice to have on hand.
Creative Kumihimo 8N
Creative Kumihimo 8C
9-Strand Shige Uchi
The first two were done as more practice in those under-practiced braids from the Creative Kumihimo project. I love the way the color pattern came out in the 8C braid.
I had a very productive 2011 braidwise. Braid 100 was the first braid of the year, and I did a couple dozen braids for the armor project. That's more than a braid a week! Many of these braids are relatively short, but still, sometimes I was completing a braid a day for several days ech week.
Have a good new year!
2011.12.31 at 12:00am EDT
Music Review 2011
What did I listen to in 2011? Not a whole lot, actually. I didn't purchase, or listen to, a whole lot of music in 2011. Especially I didn't get anything brand new or groundbreaking. All of these things are new albums from old favorites. Slow year, I guess, or maybe I am just getting old.
Mogwai, Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will
This album, combined with their tour coming to town and us going to the show, is a big part of 2011 for me. This is a strong album, and this band seems to keep getting stronger. There's a bit of retro-progressive influence on some of it, and some hard scratchy stuff, and some real earworms.
Elbow, Build A Rocket Boys
Reportedly, their previous album which I liked so much was their foray into trying to be more commercially appealing, and this album was their attempt to get back to their artistic center. While I approve of that in general, I have to say that I found their previous album more appealing to me. This is nice, and I listened to it a bunch, but very little of it sank in in the way "Seldom Seen Kid" did.
R.E.M., Collapse Into Now
I bought this? Wow. I think maybe I've listened to it a couple of times. I hear the band has decided to call it quits. Maybe it's about time. I think each of them has established a strong career individually now, and that's good.
Zombi, Escape Velocity
Again, here's an album I like that I listened to a bunch, but just didn't set me on fire like some of their previous stuff. I wish they'd play Pittsburgh (or anywhere) again.
They Might Be Giants, Join Us
Liked it; didn't fall in love with any of it; didn't even go see them when they played town. Fact is, their kids albums have more inventive songwriting these days, and catchier tunes. I'll buy their new stuff until the world ends, but their older stuff gets my feet dancing and my lips singing almost involuntarily, and nothing on here caught me the same way.
Sigur Ros, Inni
This is a live album compiled from a concert tour, so in a way it is sort of a "greatest hits" album, not that they have had this many commercial hits. The film they made of the tour is a great thing to see if it comes to your town. One edition of the album (2 CDs!) also comes with it on DVD. This is a good intro to the band if you have ignored my recommendation so far.
2011.12.30 at 10:00am EDT
Another Shogi Stool
I wanted to make another one, and gifting season was coming up, so guess what Sharon got as a present?
A Shogi Stool
This one is made of slightly nicer wood, oak instead of poplar. I also did a better job sewing the seat. I cut more of the joinery by hand, but I also started with narrower wood for the legs so that I wouldn't have to do as much rip cutting. The wood was a quarter inch wider than the dowels, though, so I had to taper each laeg slightly. This introduced some interesting profiles for the brass, but it looks OK, mostly.
Shogi Detail
2011.12.29 at 10:00pm EDT
"This blogging business. LJs and what-not. Over-rated, if you ask me. Silly stuff. Nothing in it."
All text and graphics copyright © 2012 Elliott C. Evans except where otherwise noted.
