sweething asked:


We have a wood ****** that comes every day to the same spot on the side of our house and has pecked a significant hole. The house is siding with a few wood trim boarding. No where else, just the one spot. What can we do besides covering only the wood with metal flashing. Chemicals? Deterant? trap?

cleaning wood

anonymous asked:


going to be a wood carver and not just a whittler, you’ll need to select a number of tools. There’s just no way around it. So what are the right tools for wood carving?

Tools for Sharpening. Before the carving tools, it seems appropriate that tools for sharpening them should come first. After all, if they aren’t sharp, what’s the use? You’ll drive yourself mad.

At the very minimum, you should have a sharpening stone and a strop. The sharpening stone is used to get your edges to sharpness. Many sharpening stones come in different shapes and in different sizes. Some are very accommodating to the typically short blade lengths of wood carving blade edges. There are diamond coated slipstones that work very well to sharpen an edge. Some sharpening stones can even be found on a key chain or as small as a credit card. So very convenient.

A well-sharpened edge will have a burr and micro-bits of metal still clinging to it. A strop can easily remove all of these. This is very important in wood carving. Anything added to the edge will only slow your progress. You’ve got to get everything off. If you prefer, you could use a honing compound or a honing board to smooth out your edges.

If you’re really serious about becoming a wood carver, it is highly recommended that you learn how to sharpen and strop a knife. Once you’ve learned that, you’ll also be able to sharpen most other carving edges. When it comes to wood carving, you always want smooth sharp edges. They determine your efficiency. When you can achieve them, you’ll be worlds ahead of the rest. No kidding.

Tools for Shaping. Each type of carving tool that is meant to shape wood has a specific function. At the very minimum, you should have carving knives, wood chisels, wood gouges, wood rasps and rifflers, a mallet and maybe even a power drill.

?Carving knives. This is your most basic of all carving tools and there are many kinds. There are straight-edged knives, skewed knives, bent knives, chip knives, detail knives, special pocket knives modified for carving and folding knives with lockable blades. And these aren’t all of them. There are even micro-knives or micro-tool kits, if you’d like.

It’s a matter of functionality. Each edge is target specific. When you’ve learned what each type of knife can do, and you’ve considered the carving project ahead of you, then you’ll know which knives are best for that job. The best knives used for one specific task may not be the same knives that are best for another. That’s why you’ve got choices.

?Wood chisels. Chisels can be found with a bevel on only one side of the edge or they can be found with a double-sided beveled edge. The head may be slanted or square in shape. They may even be bent forward or backward. You’ll have quite a selection.

?Wood gouges. You’ll find yourself using these tools all the time in wood carving. There are many shapes and sizes. Some are very short and stout while others extend for a few inches with an extended blade edge. You’ll probably end up with several kinds. That’s not a problem. Surely, you’ll use each one at some time or another.

?Wood Rasps or Riffler files. It’s easy to get confused when you’re shopping around for these tools. Not all merchants agree. Really. Some stores call it a rasp, others will call it a riffler. And yet another will call it a rasp riffler. How to know, how to know. Well, the majority of merchants appear to agree that a rasp is a very coarse, straight file. The tool itself may be thick and rectangular like a sharpening file but don’t be surprised to find those that are slender with a curving head, looking just like a riffler.

Rifflers, on the other hand, are usually slender with a curved head. Many times these curved heads can be found on both ends of the riffler. You can even find kits that offer you different shaped heads and at different sizes.

?Mallets. These little hammers are invaluable in the right circumstance. They are a must for chip carving, relief carving and intaglio carving. (What am I saying?) Mallets are a must for all wood carving. You may need just a few millimeters off of here and no more, maybe add a little notch there, an indent over here, maybe create a shadow. It really is such a valuable tool.

?Power tools. There are some pretty nice power tools for wood carving. There are power drills, rotor saw burrs, power chisels and mini grinders. You can even find power carving kits. There’s even a wood carver’s kit that offers its own selection of power grinders.

These tools are quite extraordinary in how much time and labor they can save wood carvers. Many consider them only for life-size or extremely large carvings. It’s all up to the carver. Hey, how about a carving created entirely by power tools? (… Wonder how big that’d be.)

Tools for Sanding and Smoothing. When all the wood carving and shaping is done, you’ll want to sand and smooth all surfaces. This is an important step that precedes any painting or varnishing. In doing so, you’ll remove any remains from any previous finishing process and you’ll also prepare the wood to bond with any non-penetrating chemicals. Sanding can be done using sand paper, sanding clothes or sanding sticks.

?Sanding is often accomplished using sand paper. There are many grades, from very, very coarse to very, very fine. There’s quite a selection. Something very similar to this is the defuzzing pad. It does as it sounds. It removes all fuzz still clinging to the wood surface.

?There are sanding clothes that come in a roll and are available in varying grit sizes. Sections may be cut from the roll and rolled or folded as you wish. Best thing is, you don’t have to worry about it cracking or falling apart on you.

?Sanding sticks may also be found in varying grit sizes. You can also find sanding stick kits or sanding detail kits that can remove glue or minute remains of your finishing products. Mini-belt sanding sticks or sanding belts may be used for large sanding jobs.

Wood carving is an amazing craft to develop. You could use just a handful of tools and work with small projects. Or you could use a bunch of tools, including power tools, to work on really large projects. Either way, it’s very relaxing, oftentimes exhilarating and extremely satisfying. Have fun!



wood floors

Amy McNulty asked:


Any livestock sales or feeing operation such as farms, ranches, and AFOs knows that keeping livestock comfortable, clean, and well-fed with not only enough hay or straw but the best nutritional quality hay or straw, is the way to generate higher quality livestock. So higher quality hay, straw, and wood shavings equals higher quality livestock, which equals more profits and a more successful business!

Many sales and feeding operations produce their own hay, straw, or wood shavings. Tim Cross, a Professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Tennessee, points out in his report “Should I Buy Hay?” that sometimes you can save more money by producing your own hay, straw, and wood shavings. However, his data indicates that it’s a fine line between saving money with self-production of hay, straw, and woods shavings and self-production being more expensive than the purchase price when you take into consideration the amount of livestock and land you have.

The labor and machinery costs involved in producing your own hay, straw, and wood shavings also easily contribute to the overall high cost of self-production. More often than not, it really is just cheaper and easier for you to buy hay, straw, and wood shavings in bulk and turn your attentions to the more practical needs of your livestock operation.

Shipping all of that hay, straw, or wood shavings to your operation definitely seems like it would cost too much. You’re probably also worried that you won’t get quality material if you can’t “try before you buy.” If you’re worried about cost or quality, just find a certified hay, straw, or wood shavings distributor like Aden Brook Farms at www.adenbrookfarms.com to take all of those stresses off of your hands!

The Aden Brook Farms Web site motto is “quality, consistency, and reliability.” One of the most impressive features of AdenBrookFarms.com is how it makes shopping for hay, straw, and wood shavings an easy, few minutes’ endeavor—as easy as buying anything from any store online!

AdenBrookFarms.com lets you browse through all kinds of hay, straw, and wood shavings, including bedding, Obecs, Western hay, wheat, Timothy hay, mulch, wood pellets, alfalfa and more. All hay, straw, and wood shavings products on AdenBrookFarms.com have pictures of a sample of the product, weight and/or by-the-barrel ordering information, and suggestions for what kind of hay, straw, or wood shaving product would be best for bedding, feeding, or other uses.

Not sure you want to buy 20 tons of hay based on a picture? Well, how many online stores let you “try before you buy”? AdenBrookFarms.com does! Ask about small samples delivered to your door via UPS before you commit to a large wholesale order.

You even get to decide whether you want to unload the hay, straw, and/or wood shavings and save yourself a little money on delivery. If you have the adequate labor to spare, this could be a great way to assure yourself that buying hay, straw, or woods shavings rather than making them yourself is a financially sound decision. Then again, you could continue to concentrate on the more important aspects of your livestock operation and let Aden Brook Farms deliver and unload your order!

The fact that AdenBrookFarms.com is so committed to quality is easily seen in their admission that sometimes, amidst tons and tons of hay, straw, and wood shavings, moldy or dusty products are bound to appear. AdenBrookFarms.com guarantees that if you receive hay, straw, or wood shavings product in anything “less than we explained it to be,” or you don’t get exactly what you ordered, they’ll see to it that the corrections are made or an agreement between you is reached so that you’re always satisfied!

When a site like AdenBrookFarms.com pretty much guarantees that they’ll take all of your worries about hay, straw, and wood shavings on their shoulders, why would you stress yourself a minute longer? Turn your attention to more important things on your farm, ranch, or AFO and cross one major worry off of your list!



wood plan

jktropics43 asked:

Tribute Slideshow to Natalie Wood. The song is Venus by Frankie Avalon. This property is condemmed. miracle on 34th street. fashion hot. 60s. west side story Ghost of Mrs Muir James Dean Story

hard wood floors

Tina N asked:


I bought some drift wood at the lps the other day and I’ve been soaking it for days now. It’s still floating. Did I just buy the wrong kind? I know some types never get water logged and will always float. It didn’t say what kind it was but could it be cedar? It kinda smells like cedar- but just faintly? Anyway, how long do you usually have to soak drift wood before it becomes water logged and will sink?

woodwork

freakzila asked:


I have an ESP EX 260 electric guitar. It has a agathis body and all I hear about on the internet is how awful it sounds. Personally I love my guitar and I think it sounds amazing. So is it true that the type of wood doesn’t really matter or am I an idiot?

wood 8

David Fishman asked:


A wood stove is a device, which is normally used in the kitchens for the heating of food, keeping it warm and making it palatable. Some antique wooden stoves can be used for the purpose of heating and cooking even today. Wood stoves are used for household cooking needs as well as for heating purposes.

One of the purposes of a wood burning stove was to enclose the fire so to generate more heat and make the heating more efficient. A wood stove is often used for heating rooms or cooking food.

They are made up of cast iron and other strong metals and are sturdy enough to handle the amount of heat generated. A stove uses other sources of fuel to burn and make heat, many use wood or pellets. Wood stoves are also used to heat homes apart from their cooking function. Some come with glass panes that can handle the heat but adds a nice touch when you see the flame.

It is important to know what types of fuel your particular type of burning stove can use and what cannot be used safely. When purchasing a pellet stove or a wood burning stove, there are many factors to consider before making the purchase. There are a few things to think about before purchasing and installing a wood burning stove in your home. After calculating the installation space understanding how to keep all the combustible items safe you need to hook up the chimney so the smoke is directed to the outside.

Want something different than carrying in wood, cutting wood and storing it, then try out the new pellet stoves, you can store the pellet easily, there is no cutting, no mess, but it gives you the feel of a wood burning stove. When looking at wood stoves and pellet stoves the pellet stoves are a little more expensive but the plus side is that they come ready to use, they are cleaner and easier to use. This is 20% less efficient than wood pellet or corn stoves. Pellet stoves are very easy to use, you don’t need to cut wood all you need to do is open the bag of pellets and poor them in, the auger will move the pellets as needed to be burned. Pellet stoves have a mechanical part that feeds the fire when needed; you do not have to go near the hot flame. You can get the pellets anywhere today, most of the major hardware stores carry the easily to carry bags. Stove are cheaper and you can use them with a cheaper fuel source such as pellets, firewood or any other type of materials.

Antique wood stoves are collector’s items that are very valuable to some people. There are many different types of antique wood stoves available. Today you can find the stoves in local household stores, furniture stores and many stores that sell antiques.

Some of the older wood stoves are considered antiques, and many people use these pieces as decoration purposes only. Many antique pieces from the past are available for sale today in different antique shops and on the Internet.



wood carving

VOLVO440 asked:

North Sea Jazz performance 1997

wood floor cleaner

ferraryman asked:


Some makers use both types of construction in building custom furniture and custom cabinets. Now lets look at these two options and their strong and weak points.

Solid wood furniture, this means all exposed parts are made of the same species of all natural wood, with no other materials included, such as plywood or particle board.

Advantages of Solid Wood:

Practical. The durability of solid wood furniture is high on the list. Scratches, dings, dents, water marks, stains can all be repaired. Obviously, the worse the damage the more expensive, but it is certainly easier and less expensive than veneer furniture.

Disadvantages of Solid Wood:

Split. When exposed to extreme atmospheric conditions, solid wood furniture will expand or contract, and may split along the grain of the wood. Some makers use a “floating case system” in which table and case-piece surfaces are attached using a bracket method or elongated holes for screws to slide. This enables furniture to respond to environmental changes without damage. As a rule, though, avoid exposing pieces to strong sunlight or direct heat sources.

Good quality veneer furniture will have a solid core and the legs, posts, doors or drawer fronts will be straight-grain solid wood.

Advantages of Veneer:

Beautiful. The best, most interesting logs are cut into veneer. This is largely an economic decision–sellers and veneer makers can make more money from a high quality log sliced into veneer than they can from sawing it into boards. And certain cuts, such as burls, are structurally unsound in ‘the solid’. These beautiful woods can rarely be utilized unless they’re sliced into veneer

Environmentally kind. Saw timber is typically sawn into 1″ thick boards. The saw cuts a kerf between boards 1/4″ thick that winds up as sawdust. Veneer is not cut from the log but sliced with a knife (like lunch meat) into 1/32″ leaves or sheets. That produces 32 veneer surfaces for every 1 that is gotten from a board and with no wood wasted as sawdust another 8 sheets where the saw blade would have gone. That’s 40 surfaces of wood veneer for every 1 of solid wood. 

Creates new design possibilities. Since veneer is so thin and is glued to a stable

Stable. Since veneer is glued to a stable substrate it produces surfaces not prone to warp or splitting or seasonal movement.

Substrates. Plywood and medium density fiberboard, the substrates used for some furniture, are made from low quality trees. This means a market is provided the landowner for these trees. This leads to better forests over time since the trees remaining grow better and faster with less competition for resources. Its like weeding your garden only a lot bigger.

Disadvantages Veneer:

Thin. This is more of a problem for the builder than the buyer. Sand-through in preparation for finishing is ‘touching the third rail’ of woodworking. Such pieces are almost impossible to repair and frequently involve ‘re-design’ (as in cutting off the sanded through area) or making a speculative, difficult repair which can be difficult to hide. Once the piece is completed thickness of the veneer is of no concern.

We at Berkshire Furniture believe that there are good in both kinds. It all depends on who is the manufacturer and how it is built. When buying your piece of furniture, always ask if it is real wood veneers or laminated imitation of wood. If the surface of table top or any wood case top looks Perfect and unreal, then it is most probably not a wood veneer. Pores, scuffs and wood knots can be easily found even on wood veneers if the veneer comes from wood. These pores, nicks and scuffs are the signature of nature and proves to the buyer that yes, this is a slice of real wood that is veneered over this top.



engineered wood

Terry Edwards asked:


Creating a warm, relaxing, yet elegant home decor is the goal of nearly every homeowner. Arguably, one of the biggest ways to improve your home’s interior is with wood window blinds. These blinds instantly create a welcoming message to your family and guests as well. The biggest problem for many is the cost of wood blinds, but thankfully there is a solution to this with faux wood blinds. Here is what you need to know about this inexpensive alternative.

Of course, you can always utilize curtains, drapes or even plastic blinds over your windows, but there is something very special about the look of wood blinds. They come available in all types of styles and sizes. For those hard to fit windows you can even have custom wood blinds made. If your budget is tight then faux wood blinds can be used instead.

Faux wood blinds are actually made out of wood materials in addition to vinyl or a combination of both. Their appearance is so life-like that it can be extremely difficult for most people to actually see the difference with these types of blinds.

Why use faux wood blinds?

Naturally, the biggest reason for using faux wood blinds is the reduced cost involved. You will typically save up to 50% off the cost of real wood blinds with faux counterparts. This is substantial depending on the number of windows in your home.

Another big reason has nothing to with cost, but with your home’s location. Do you live in an area that is subject to extremely high humidity year round? Or are you looking for blinds that will stand up to the humidity in a bathroom? Well, wood blinds are very susceptible to moisture and can warp or swell quite easily. This is where faux wood blinds make for a perfect alternative.

You can find faux wood window blinds at home stores as well as home improvement centers such as Lowes and Home Depot. Another great place to search out these blinds is right online. There are many websites that specialize in all types of blinds and window coverings.

Once you purchase your blinds you can easily install them yourself in most all cases. All the necessary hardware and instructions are included with your blinds.

So, if you are looking for blinds that closely resemble wood, but come at a lower cost, faux wood blinds may be just what you are looking for.



cedar wood