Elevator? Very eco for treehouse!

Building a treehouse is green, espcially, the one built by Ethan Schlussler.

He utilizes sheets of metal reclaimed from an old barn as roofing material and wood from the trees in the area it is built on.  The treehouse is held in place by friction of five large cable clamps tightly encircled around the tree, so no nails, bolts or screws were knocked into the tree to secure it in place, 28 foot above the ground.

So, how does he gets up there?  See for yourself.



That's a bicycle powered tree house elevator you are looking at!

He modified his mom's old bicycle with used parts and old scrap materials but to ensure that it works safely, new pulleys and cable were added.

Source:
http://www.gizmag.com/human-powered-bicycle-elevator/29102/

A kitchen island for free? Pallet possible.

Looking to get yourself an island for your kitchen?  Before you head off to the shops to find one, check this eco and rustic looking island out and see if you can try making it yourself.



Yes, you saw it right.  Spanish designers, Alessandra Samson and Paco Serinelli from Anatomica Design, had figured out how to built their very own Paletina out of wooden pallets.

So, how many pieces of reclaimed wooden pallet would you need to give that a go?  Here are the numbers:

6 pallets 120 x 80cm (47 x 31.5 inch)
3 pallets American type 100 x 120cm (39.5 x 47 inch)
1 pallet 60 x 80cm (23.6 x 31.5 inch)
1 pallet American type from 130 x 110 cm (51 x 43 inch)
1 pallet 100 x 80 cm (39.5 x 31.5 inch)

To complete the look and make it functional, you will also need:

1 laminated glass sheet
1 stove top
1 oven
1 kitchen sink

While it is cool and environmental friendly to use reclaimed wooden pallet, remember to pop by GreenUpgrader for some hints on how to tell if your collection of pallet is safe for upcycling.

I picked all this up from Gizmag.

Wood you be inspired?

Watch this video and see if you wood be inspired to create your own furniture.



Need more ideas? Then pop by Johan Bicycle Centre in Kajang to pick up some other designs using the same principal.

 

That old tree's dead. Now what?

I could not provide you a picture of the head with flowing beard created out of a wooden stump and roots, that I wrote about, but this should give you some ideas of what you can do with wood from trees.

Driftwood Art

view presentation (tags: driftwood horse hobbies crafts)

Veneers? Can make you an artist.

Veneers are often glued onto the surfaces of doors, tops and panels for cabinets or parquet floors. This is to give the product a better finish, especially when plywood or inferior timbers are used to form its carcass. So, you can easily find veneers cutoffs in woodworking or carpentry shops, work sites or factories.

While you can make money with leftover wood product by creating mulch out of them, don't waste these veneers if you can get them.

Check out this book, "Decorative Straw Craft: Swiss Straw Work, Embroidery and Marquetry" by Barbara Fitch which I came across in the National Library.



When I look at the photos of marquetry creations, it reminded me of a handcrafted picture of a village scene that I bought when I visited St Paul's Hill in Malacca years ago. Marquetry is actually created out of cut strips of wood veneer, in different shades of colour, glued side by side to form a design.

And this is part of what Swiss Straw Work is about. I see a possibility of using drinking straws from packet drinks in this creation.



If you can find this book, you will read in one of its pages that the author allows photocopies to be made of her instructions if your intention is to use them to help others in some manner.

So, are you interested in making us of leftover veneers? If you cannot find the book, following are some websites you can go to:

Marquetry Organization on how it is done

Library at Leeds Marquetry

Art Marquetry

Techniques posted on Marquetry Society

American Marquetry Society Beginners Guide

So, are there people in the business of recycling wood to produce veneers? Onlyone Products Inc managed to patent and produce Tennâge, the thinnest flexible veneer sheet, out of remnants from wood processing. A handbag or briefcase made out of natural recycled wood veneer sheets; how does that sound to you? At Onlyone, you will be able to pick up more ideas on how veneers can be used.

And while we are still talking about wood waste, check out this hand crafted basket. It is made up of tree barks and strips of rattans.



This is made in China.

Money from wood waste

Are you in an industry where you can get your hands on waste from wood streams? These can be used wooden pallets, saw mill waste or debris from land-clearing. You can make money by creating mulch out of these waste collection.

Don't know how? Amerimulch, a company selling colorant and equipment for producing mulch has a write up on the processes. If you think this is feasible, then check out their profitability chartsto see how much you can expect to make out of this mulching business.

Don't forget that there are also other ways to make money out of abandoned wood, especially if they are old solid hardwood. I have covered that in my earlier posting, "Something Old? Before you chuck, check this out".