007 RIP Handsome, 3 Power Tools You Should Own and Hipster Compost

...mpted by a recent comment on the blog we review an old post on three power tools every urban homesteader should own: drill, circular saw and jigsaw. Lastly, we expand on a recent post about composting brew waste, coffee grounds, juice pulp and coconut husks. In other words, “hipster compost.” During the discussion we answer a reader concern about black solider flies in compost. For more info on soldier flies (they are beneficial in compost but can...

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Saturday Tweets: Figs, Cordless Tools and Dancing Sunflowers

Convert old cordless tools to Lithium power https://t.co/s5lS8Mzj5h — Root Simple (@rootsimple) August 13, 2016 Love the Fig https://t.co/sFTxWLgAoS via @newyorker — Root Simple (@rootsimple) August 12, 2016 This app aims to gamify biology and let amateurs discover new species. https://t.co/KidGZ0NRIo #STEM pic.twitter.com/r8ezFYqMeD — SRS @ UCSD (@SallyRideSci) August 13, 2016 Watch a sunflower dance in the sun: Now scientists know how it’s done...

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On the History and Uses of the Router

...st inspired me to increase my familiarity with my router. Of all the power tools in my small shop, the router is probably the one that most needs a jig. It’s also, perhaps, one of the more difficult tools to learn how to use. There are subtleties of feed direction, handling and bit choice that aren’t covered in the short manuals they come with. Around our humble bungalow, I’ve launched a home remodeling holy war on malfunctioning drawers and bad I...

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Misadventures in Laser Cutting

...weeks to cut by hand. Getting the right balance of concept, materials and tools is, of course, one of the central struggles in making art. Printing on Wood After completing my print block I had some extra time in the lab so I thought I’d see what it looks like to simply etch in wood. First I tried an image of our cat Buck, one on birch plywood and the other on a scrap of quarter sawn white oak. With some more tweaking in illustrator I probably co...

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