Ideas on How to Build a Composting Toilet

© R. Mark Sink

Ideas on How to Build a Composting Toilet 

By R. Mark Sink

In these times, having an alternative emergency toilet is not a bad idea, especially with the ever increasing unstable nature of both the planned obsolescence of building methods, and our uncertain future brought on by our normalcy biases that everything is just fine.

Wood How To presents the idea of a stand-alone portable unit capable of receiving a standard 5 gallon bucket along with a standard toilet seat from Kohler© (sells for $20). The factory seat has a self-closing mechanism and is easy to clean.

Composting requires various mediums where some can be purchased locally. A mixture of saw dust (60%), and peat moss (40%), provides a good starting medium that can be transferred for additional mediums. There is mention of hemp stalks also as another medium, although, there might be a plethora of possible mediums available to further the processes and make use in soil restoration.

To learn more about composting this type of material, watch this video. Although you may use this methodology inside your bucket to some extent making the transfers into your own composting area that you have created more frequent. A consideration for additional compost material such as chicken manure can be combined for the ultimate garden soil once organisms have reduced the compost into a suitable growing medium.

© R. Mark Sink

Building Your Compost Toilet

In the U.S. a 5 gallon bucket (18.9 liters) range in height from 14" (35.5cm) up to 15" (38.1cm), be sure and check the height of your bucket so that it will fit into the cabinet you build. This particular cabinet is 19 inches tall. (48.26cm) The seat is slightly higher yet, so a consideration for use can be tested, and also consider who will be using the compost toilet when needed.

In my project, and leading up to this idea, I had experienced some plumbing issues, and found that having the off-the-grid unit around the house would be a major benefit. It would also get me thinking more about soil restoration and building instead of the never-ending mowing the yard which burns and wastes energy.

Unfortunately, our world is designed around wasting energy instead of utilizing the yard for much more productive means.

Underneath the factory seat there are ridge plates surrounding the oval shape that are intended to rest upon the bowl ring of standard toilets. Make sure you cut your hole in the cabinet top in parallel range of these ridges, about 1 1/2 inches (3.81cm) larger in diameter than the actual factory hole in the seat. You may want to also check the actual brand of seat you purchase for your unit. Drill two holes where the seat fastens in the back which seem to be a standard 5 1/5 on center to center (13.97cm).

Arrange the seat so that the bucket underneath can be slide into place easily with the seat not to far from the front edge, to make the seat easier to access. You may also want to allow for the lid to be on the bucket when installed or removed.

© R. Mark Sink

This cabinet is 20 1/2 inches deep (52.07cm), 19 1/2 inches wide (49.53cm), and also has a back that stands at 29" (73.66cm) tall. Legs were added along with the scrap material (this means it was extra, or left over from other work) used mostly of (1/2 inch (1.27cm) cherry plywood, solid cherry, and solid mahogany scappings.

The back was added because the seat is a bit delicate in that regard, the seat could be damaged by swinging back to far or by accident, so a back was created as support. To make use of the compost toilet, one certainly does not need to build a throne, these materials also could be just about anything that is workable to get the job done.

Assuming that our systems are not outdated in the middle of horrible economic burdens now present and covered over by the media, being prepared for the unexpected has its values, especially with all the uncertainties abound, such as electric failure, which drives the water pump to allow flushing to occur.

The power in Florida goes out several times each year like clockwork, and this is expected to continue. There is also the issue of water availability that with a little research, one immediately learns that our water supplies are in serious trouble in the days ahead, as these sources are continually being degraded.

REFERENCES:

The Humanure Handbook: A Guide to Composting Human Manure, Third Edition

Prepper's Long-Term Survival Guide: Food, Shelter, Security, Off-the-Grid Power and More Life-Saving Strategies for Self-Sufficient Living

The End of Growth: Adapting to Our New Economic Reality

Are We to Blame for Climate Change?

image

Are We to Blame for Climate Change?

Editor's note: The push for global warming consensus attains category quickly in our society, either you're a fracking, drill baby drill nut, or your one of those environmental nuts. The truthful consensus shows that what is occurring climatically is a change in our solar system of which affects all planets. With this knowledge, we assume that climate change is out of our control.

This more obvious assumption comes from the observations we've made inside our galaxy, and especially that of solar activity. However, this does not remove our responsibilities to the type of exposures we encounter which have been out of our control by force, such as GMOs that infest and then spread in our environment. We may assume that the things we are exposed to are controlled by us, but when we consider our energy consumption and practices, we immediately conclude we are at risk. The collision between population and exposure is more or less controlled by corporations and banks, not us.

If we learn to control this association ourselves (such as boycotts, etc.), then we may thwart the notions of Agenda 21 more accurately and efficiently. The Federal Reserve has already attempted this through bailouts, however, in doing so, it is a crime where this avenue of control is given to banks and select corporations.

We may learn that control is the primary objective in all of this rhetoric, and the fact that we may not be in control will not be accepted and this reveals those that wish to control are exposed, part of the architypical construct that is being addressed.

Underneath this is security and we can see the attempts to secure mostly profits and to ensure corporations are not allowed to fail when this is the proper and natural process of healing and learning that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde actually exist.

So, I present the following case file for study which addresses Agenda 21 remembering the complexities that surround interpretation and the rampart geoengineering which in fact converts population to dollars as CO2 smart cities. Please leave your comments below. 



Publisher Info: 

 This is the public section of A21 Counterstrike, Chapter 1

Counterstrike: http://www.suspicious0bservers.org/a2...

Original music by NEMES1S
http://www.suspicious0bservers.org/shop/ [Get NEMES1S Music!]
http://www.soundclick.com/nemes1s

Background:
How to Watch the Sun: Spaceweather 101 - http://youtu.be/ld5ecZuHECA
The REAL Climate Changer: http://youtu.be/_yy3YJBOw_o
Ice Age Soon? http://youtu.be/UuYTcnN7TQk
Energy from Space 2.0: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15b-jx...

1762 Monograph Series Records - The Five Architectural Orders

1762 Monograph Series Records - The Five Architectural Orders

The following are the original scans done from records saved from the original publishing (at that time about 1987) which were converted into a PDF file. These are records of William Pain's original work recorded in 1762 for the Tuscan (Etruscan), Corinthian, Ionic (Attic), Compofite (Composite), and Dorick (Doric) orders.

This file post is being updated...

1762 Monograph Series Records

References:

• Etruscan civilization
• Corinthian order
• Ionic order
• Composite order
• Doric order

How to Grow Broccoli in Your Back Yard

© R. Mark Sink

How to Grow Broccoli in Your Back Yard

By R. Mark Sink

You probably think growing your own food is silly, but in fact, this is called "human function," and represents our ability to prove a form of custom that is derived from our mother earth, something we as humans are here to perform. I live around the 28th parallel, and if you want to grow food here, we being in late January, or early February. I've been eating broccoli for months by chopping off the blooming heads, and watching the plants put out new heads almost immediately following the pruning.

Broccoli is a wonderful organic food to add to other nutritional benefits in your daily meals. Whether you attempt growing from seed or not, your growing plants will need some nursing until they reach 8 to 10 inches in height. Broccoli requires a good portion of sun exposure during each day, a bit more than 4 to 5 hours, in which less sun will decrease the ability of the plant to produce. I had tried several different spots, and found that two of my plants excelled over all others, of course, next year, these spots are now going to be used again for the same plants after reworking to soil.

There are many different types of soil that can be either purchased, or collected and combined. I usually keep all my food scraps and continuously bury them in the garden spot somewhere. Creating compost in Florida is not recommended because of the intense moisture and flying insects, compost is very difficult to maintain. For this reason, burying compost type material is preferred, and then working the soil.

© R. Mark Sink

If you plan to buy your soil, you can easily find organic and compost enhanced varieties that work just fine, and by using bricks, or some type of fencing, you can build up the soil on top of the sandy base that predominates Florida.

After placing your plants in the ground, gently sprinkle water on them twice a day as though it were rain, as you are enticing the plants to realize a perfect environment. After they reach the above specified height, you'll need to start watering them more heavily each day in order to keep the leaves from loosing their water content, and beginning to droop, thus loosing efficiency.

Here is it May 11th, and I am still eating broccoli that was planted in January. This saves money that would be given away to Big Ag who thinks we must continuously forgo our ability to live sustainably without constant expenditures.

This is from the three plants in which did very well, although I have moved another one hoping it will do well over the next month or so, we'll see. Broccoli has recently been found to suppress tumor growth, among the many benefits offered from natural food.

The best tip I can provide is to use at least 6 inches of good organic soil, carefully place the plants at least 12 inches apart if possible, water them regularly, and then, walk out to the garden with a pair of scissors.

How difficult is that? You may want to ask yourself a simple question. Why do you give your hard earned money to Big Ag when it is not necessary? You will likely improve your health and cut back on the monopolization and production of genetically modified foods, and mass produce requiring your tax dollars as its secret funding.

Hmmm, looks like I have some cauliflower about ready. Enjoy your Saturday.

Should You Be Building Fixed Cabinets or Better Yet, Building Furniture?

Condominium project
using plywood base material
mirrors will be attached to walls
© R. Mark Sink

Should You Be Building Fixed Cabinets or Better Yet, Building Furniture?

By R. Mark Sink

Many woodworking manufacturers provide warranties with their cabinets, however, those warranties are void if the controlled environment is not maintained. In other words, material such as that of composites which already use large amounts of chemicals in their manufacturing processes, are more subject to dimensional alterations, and if allowed to remain in an uncontrolled environment.

This is the same for wood products that are strictly original wood in relation to their moisture content. Movement occurs when material begins to bow, or twist in nature. Plywood[1] in 4 foot by 8 foot sheets will also, depending on the nature of the material and the environment, begin to bow as the moisture begins to evaporate out from the material, similarly as material beckons to retract in size. Warping greater than 1/4 inch in 8 feet should not be used. Although suppliers who purchase material across the U.S. will have those material delivered often on trucks with exposed beds to the environment. These materials must be stacked flat and remain in that state strapped if possible. However, this does not ensure the material will maintain its integrity. Often, when straps are removed, the truth is quickly revealed, and the stresses allowed.

Built in controlled
environment
© R. Mark Sink

Manufactures can only maintain a warranty if the environment is also maintained rightly so, environmental conditions vary widely over the U.S. and in places such as Florida which is both fairly dry in the winter causing material to rapidly retract, and extremely moist a major portion of the year causing expansion. Crossing over these changes in an exposed environment is not recommended.

A cabinet maker in Florida who builds cabinets outdoors, and later plans to install them inside a controlled environment must do so within a short window of time, say no more than 30 days while building the cabinets inside a controlled environment increases the chances that the material will acclimate to a condition that maintains the integrity of the construction. Cabinets can be built perfectly square, and later if the environment is not controlled, said cabinets may not even resemble original construction and abruptly change in nature.

Generally, the rapid manufacturing nature of the material used is a detriment to relying on its integrity. Having built cabinets for many years, and having done so in an extreme environment, this has always been a challenge, and requires the ability to work in a similar environment to the type of conditions that Florida homes maintain, that of constant reduction in temperature, and a fairly stable environment.

This certainly beckons the question of quality conditions over a longer span of time in relation to the nature of the material used, and how that has changed. The assumption that layering was stronger than solid wood began in the 19th Century, and has carried forward. This misconception is rather about the idea of the plane, as it would seem, to make trees flat adds to their susceptibility to environmental impact. By structurally altering the idea, a sales tool is created. Originally, cabinets were made using joinery of material that was made in a manner where its integrity was most usable, and often made into rough planks which then can be planned smooth for use.

It may have also been thought that by using these new-fangled materials that it was less of a burden on the sustainibility of trees and their natural production, however, this is adding massive amounts of chemicals to not only our homes, but to the overall environment. This requires even more chemicals to maintain the homes from termites who love plywood and prefer this layering theology. Some prevention can be maintained using plywood material by completely encapsulating the material with various sealers which create a boundary from the environment. although, if these sealers are placed over material that has not had time to acclimate to an environment that will remain within a window of exposure, the likelihood of movement is increased.

Standard practice is to bring plywood material into a controlled environment while cutting, and maintaining storage of new cabinets within this same type of environment where installation will occur.

America's Idea of Fixed Value

In the home market of America, it is assumed that homes are valued (appraised) on their true nature, but I would recommend some critical thinking is required. When cabinetry is thought attached to a home, it is also thought to increase its value, however, this may be more illusion. An example would be the fact that storage is the actual function, and that this storage is also part of the perception of value that is created. Again, value is made subjective for the same reasons as dimensional alterations are going from one environment to the next.

The idea of the wardrobe transforms
to becomes the entertainment center
© R. Mark Sink

The fixing of value is moving, and we generally may not realize these simple truths. Real value is determined by a community that nurtures sustainability as the necessary storage. All other types of storage are aesthetic which transform value in an area where none exists. It is literally just a "sense of perception," alone that may drive decision making.

Our abilities to enjoy art around us are clouded by the creations which alter perception and often remove our ability to think clearly about our real environment, and our earth conscious demeanor.

The idea of storage may have begun with the concept of the wardrobe[2], which in essence is both carrying ideas of the clothes closet, and the cabinet itself, which originally was a stand-alone product, not necessarily attached to a home or wall, but completely capable of integration.

Capable of integration does not necessarily make it so, but it does prove analogical to the "sense of perception," mentioned above. And, it would now seem to be far from aesthetic, rather critical to remain in art form, such as euthenics, where it is perceived that control of the environment is maintainable.

Our living conditions are certainly critical, and today exposure to unnatural contamination, reduction in the inertial frame of survival to fair and balanced human function, and the continued use of force that pervades the consumption of more and more goods that are fixed by illusion, does not maintain a sustainable environment. We are promoting the idea that an alternative environment can be created without integration with our mother earth.

Historically, goods were formed by reverting the wardrobe into a commode[3] described in the 18th Century. This is taking the idea of the wardrobe and building a base for it, which in itself allows easier movement of the commodity. It is thought that the relationship between the base and the above section is called "common." This may have more to do with permeation and mutation which rests upon the minister.

The idea of the commode is still workable today and highly recommended as this is basically furniture that can remain attached to the owner rather than the fabrication of permission and the mocking of horticulture that has generally resulted in unsuitability.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plywood#History

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wardrobe

[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commode

Contact Randy for ideas on how to build your own furniture or have unique and challenging problems solved in relation to your projects.

What Corporate Hegemonic Forces Aren't Telling You About the Black Friday Psyop

© unknown

What Corporate Hegemonic Forces Aren't Telling You About the Black Friday Psyop 
By R. Mark Sink

The Black Friday media psyop is based on the fact that you must believe it and that the best deals to be found can only be obtained from the big box discounter, yet this is a complete farce, and there are many examples that provide a basis of understanding that defies this logic that we must spend at these locations.

The fight between Wal-Mart and those who make it happen for an elite few to wallow in is obvious enough of the truer nature that exists, one that directs a large portion of the exchange into the hands of a small family of super wealthy who disregard those who have made it possible.

But the market has drastically changed. Did you really notice? The government did.

We now live in a world of material abundance, and the Internet has opened up a way for everyday people to obtain goods peer to peer in ways that most have not taken notice. There are also the pawn shops and trading places that are often local that now bulge at the seams with household goods. Flea markets and garage sales are exploding!

At Craigslist for example, there is now enough furniture for sale locally to decorate any small city and the prices are literally on the ground. Here, you will often be buying directly from your neighbors, not a corporation. You may also find many other products that your neighbors have to offer, or you could be creative and even barter goods if you see something you'd like and would be willing to offer up something of your own. People have always liked looking at each others stuff.

This very notion is made to serve as the illusion that you really want the stuff that is offered to you by a corporation who has considered profit more important that anything else, and is using the awful media as a methodology to fool you into spending the money you just made to impress those who are consumed by the illusion.

All that gadgetry isn't really want you want, what you want has been manipulated by the exposure to the media. What you may find in reality is that what you want and what you want to give is rather more about a relationship that exists that one does not often see.

Buying these material things new is how you lose. Those days are rapidly changing and the type of products that will be available. Robots will soon be making the things they want you to buy so that you and your neighbors will be insulted at the highest level as though human ingenuity is only worthy if all that is human is removed and profits are maximized excluding what is actually sustainable.

I used to buy new tools at the big stores but finally realized the pawn shops are FULL of the best tools on the market. This is what people are not telling you. Growth is now simply printing money and we all truly know this will not last. So, one can begin to see how the market is changing. All those people who are camped out at the stores are also those who depend on their media, such as television which programs their thoughts.

Once they let go of the programming, they soon realize all they have is each other, and the pain of reality begins to set in, and the terrible conditions that have been wrought.

There are however two things I recommend that everyone purchase or barter that would be considered new, or better yet, fresh.

They are knowledge and food. If either of these are packaged per se, they are only available if you get them from an approved source that is considered hegemonic, then it is likely that the true quality that you are obtaining is not what you think it is.

If you're food must be packaged and labeled in a way that you must be a chemist to understand what is in it, then it is probably not food at all, but some type of substance designed to twinkle in your conscious while leaving behind a trail of deceit that greatly affects your overall health. If the company you work for makes weapons as an example, did you really think this was a life-giving paradigm? We see now that the weapons are also part of the methodology of profit.

If you work for Wal-Mart, are you really in the fight to survive, or are you entrapped in complicity and looking for a way out?

If the only knowledge you obtain is from the media, and the only learning one has considered has come from the usual sources of programming, then you can bet that one is camped out just to prove to oneself that the programming has been successful, and that somehow the illusion of matter is sustained.

The knowledge we obtain from each other, such as in the Internet, has much greater value in our relationships that are the truer desire of mankind, and from those we have learned to trust. Inside here is the new media, a place of meditation and contemplation with others, not ourselves and the impulses made to rot at the fabric of life.

How to Avoid Florida Black Widows and Wasp Stings

 How to Avoid Florida Black Widows and Wasp Stings - R. Mark Sink

If you live in the midst of Florida and have a back yard, you are most likely going to have many spiders. Most of these varieties are harmless unless noticeably vivid in color. However, I've begun to see a different variety that is not vivid black, but a chameleon color that is hard to see.

From Red Orbit Reference Library

The Brown Widow (Latrodectus geometricus), also known as the Brown Button Spider, Geometric Button Spider, or Gray Widow, is a species of arachnid that is related to the famous Black Widow Spider. The Brown Widow is found in the northern and southern United States. States include Florida, Alabama, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. It is also found in some regions in Japan, Australia, South Africa and Cyprus. The origins of the species is unknown as it was independently discovered in both Africa and the Americas. They are commonly found in buildings.

The color of the Brown Widow can range from tan to dark brown or even black, though its generally lighter in color than the Black Widow. Some shades of gray have also been recorded in this species. There is an “hourglass” marking on the underside of the abdomen. This hourglass is orange or yellow in color. There is also a black and white geometric pattern on the upper side of the abdomen. The pattern is not always visible, especially as the spider darkens in color over time.

An easy way to find a Brown Widow is by searching for the easily identifiable egg sac. The egg sacs resemble sandspur (having pointy projections all over that resemble small spikes). The eggs hatch in about 20 days.

The neurotoxic venom of this species has been reported as being more potent than that of the Black Widow, but is usually confined to the bite area and surrounding tissue. Other sources believe the toxin is less venomous. Either way, people that have been bitten describe the experience as quite painful. Extreme care should be taken when playing or working in areas that this species are abundant.

Photo Copyright and Credit

An easy way to recognize their presence is their eggs that resemble a brown sack-looking spiked apparatus that is approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter. If you see the eggs, you can guarantee the mother is near. They gather at all locations approximately 1 to 2 feet off the ground in and around anything that accommodates a hub of protection. 

I have many ladders that are often stored outside so killing black widows has become a past time as these locations are guaranteed infestations. If you spray your yard with pesticides, you will reduce their presence while also exposing your family to neurotoxins.

Today, I killed a rather large brown widow by using a stick to draw her out which she then immediately created a silk escape line approaching the ground where she then was destroyed. Any type of ledge or inside corner, underneath patio furniture, and in the approximate height zone is capable infestation. I've killed hundreds while living in Florida, mostly black, and it is recommended to become aware of the practice of ensuring your interaction with the stuff we accumulate has not become their home.

From Florida Wasps

Avoiding black widows may seem scary, actually I've never been bit by one. That is not the case for the wasp, as understanding how to avoid them is quite different in nature. They most often require higher ground clearance to build their nests automatically out of your normal view. They also have range factor, if you are within their range and disturb them, an attack is announced to the entire crew. They fly similar to F-15s to acquire their target and can sting you many times.

The paper wasps is more common where I live which is central Florida. If the wasps don't look as wimpy as these, be sure and increase your range. These require a range of approximately 10 feet, so a stick 10 feet long can be used to remove the nest attachment. There is no reason to kill the wasps as they only care about the nest. Once the nest is removed, they will wander around and eventually build another nest, and sometimes in the same location.

For the more scary looking variety, use a 16 foot stick as this is out of range, although you do want to retreat once your attempt is completed just as assurance they cannot set you as a target. The paper wasps range is rather small, but a minimum of 10 feet is recommended with the additional retreat upon displacing unwanted nests.

Nests can be difficult to spot and wasps love to hide under areas you would not expect. Their nesting is broader than the spider and also can be close to the ground unexpectedly. Their sting is quite painful depending on the location. Anywhere on the hands or arms is critical, the back and neck not so much, and the face of course critical.

I use a Melaleuca oil bath immediately on all stings and repeat applications. Some more natural methods of treatments are available from Natural News.

How to Build A Woodworking Bench

© R. Mark Sink
(Completed bench)

How to Build A Woodworking Bench - R. Mark Sink

When it comes to wood benches to build, here is one that is extremely simple and functional. It is the same workbench plan I have used for years but this one is improved in a way where you can build it easier.

Dimension: 14 1/4 Inches Wide (3 1/2" X 4 plus spacing) X 23 7/8 Inches Long X 24 Inches Tall (Note: If boards are only 3 1/4 inches wide, adjust overall width to 13 1/4 inches wide and adjust horizontal cuts.)

This is a really fun project and you can make the cuts with a jigsaw, but a circular saw or electric miter saw is recommended. All your cuts are square cuts except for the bottom of the legs which are simple cuts to make. I use screws so a battery powered drill makes this project a real breeze. You can also nail this bench using #6 finish nails or box nails. You need to pre-drill the holes if possible.

This project takes four 1X4 pine 8' long or 32 feet. You'll need some 1 1/4 inch coarse thread drywall screws. One small box is enough. Glue is recommended to ensure the workbench doesn't loosen up over many years of use.

Step 1: Here's Your Cut Sheet

© R. Mark Sink
(Step 2, two sections)

Legs: 4 @ 23 1/4 inches long
Horizontals: 4 @ 22 1/4 inches long
Horizontals (ends): 4 @ 12 3/4 inches long
(shown in photo right attached to the two legs using a framing square)
Top: 4 @ 23 7/8 inches long

This will leave 48 inches of stock incase you need to re-cut a piece you cut the wrong length. One tool you really need is a framing square. This makes your job simple and critical to ensure your workbench is square itself. The horizontals are glued to the legs and 1 1/4 inch screws are used. Each end horizontal is held back from the edge 3/4 inches. I use a drill bit that has a beveled collar but it's not necessary. Drill a pilot hole 3/4 way into your material. Only drill the piece laying on top or your screws may not hold well.

I attach the top longer horizontal piece with the workbench laying on its top. I place two screws into the horizontal piece directly into the adjacent horizontal end piece. I also place one screw through the leg from the end into the long horizontal piece in the middle of the board.

© R. Mark Sink
(Step 3, begin building standing structure)

Then add the rest of your horizontal pieces by screwing them into your end horizontals. It is highly recommended that you check your workbench with a framing square as you are constructing the parts. Often, you will discover that one piece may be slightly too long or short. You have a bit of extra and could make an adjustment to improve your bench. As soon as you have inserted all the screws, stand your workbench up and make sure it is sitting firmly on a flat surface. I use plenty of glue on all the joints and especially the top.

When you lay your top pieces on, the ends may not line up perfectly across the narrow end. This is ok. You can draw a straight line and trim it slightly. The lengths of the tops pieces should be slightly longer than the outside length measurement of your existing bench you just constructed.

© R. Mark Sink
(Two pieces make handle)

© R. Mark Sink
(Install 4 top pieces)

This allows for a simple trimming or sanding because it is much easier to construct a rectangle that is is more a parallelogram than a perfect 3 dimension rectangle. I commonly use long pipe clamps to force parts back to square using cross clamping techniques. By allowing your top pieces to overlay your sides slightly, you build your workbench more like a real table and allow some of imperfections. I usually sand the edges flush and then hit them with the Porter Cable Sander.

This design allows for you to lay your 4 top pieces and the spacing between each piece will allow you to install them without worrying about the 4 pieces being too wide. Mark your screw line 1 1/8 inches back from the edge and insert two screws in each board at the end. Keep all your screws about 3/8 inches from edge of the board.

Your horizontal ends required you to drill your pilot hole 3/8 inches from the end of the board also. This centers your screw into the 3/4 inch material you are screwing into.

© R. Mark Sink
(Handle layout)

I add a handle in the middle by cutting the two center boards. Simply use a compass, draw a perpendicular line 1 3/4 inches back at the center (11 15/16"), and draw an elliptical curve on each piece. This is the most comfortable handle and doesn't require special sanding requirements such as inside corners. This requires a jigsaw. If you don't have one and would like a handle, notch this area out with a chisel or other cutting tool.

Make your handle at least 4 inches long from long point measurement.

I add a lower shelf in my workbench to throw stuff while I'm working with the bench. You only need for smaller pieces of scrap to nail or screw in the inside lower banding.

© R. Mark Sink
(Lower inside shelf)

(See below right) Here I have ripped 1 inch wide strips from the left over 1X4 pine, glued and nailed to the inside flush with the bottom edge of the horizontals. Then, I cut a piece of 1/4 Birch plywood 12 3/4 inches wide X 20 3/4 inches long. Any piece of material up to 3/4 inches think will work fine. It's nice to keep your workbench lightweight because you will be moving it around a lot.

Surprisingly, these workbenches last forever if you keep them dry. If you leave them outside, they can rot out in just a year or two. Store your workbench out of the rain! This is critical to its life.

Copyright 2005© Randy Sink
Revised 2012

Wood How To: Standing Desk Reader

© R. Mark Sink

Wood How To: Standing Desk Reader by R. Mark Sink

The more or less famous idea of the standing desk is rooted in the notion of reading, from the Latin lectus, meaning "lectern," which comes from the root of law and defined as a "reading desk." The substance of the reading desk is also addressed in the English language and defined as a "wooden platform," meaning "pulpit," from the Latin pulpitum, leaving the notion of softness as with spruce, aspen, or pine, used in paper making. All these encompass the idea of an elevated platform in which our world's readers suffice as necessary.

The standing desk reader in which I have built was designed to replace an older 30 minute creation from the past which had been used many years. Specifically, I wanted to address the tilting function and allow for the top to swing up to a much steeper angle so that the standing desk reader would also serve as a table reader which would easily allow someone who is sitting in a chair to capability use the standing reader near the office computer desk. This is great because if you are studying the dictionary or possibly the constitution, you can easily flip the pages next to you while also capably typing on a keyboard without being uncomfortable in the process.

© R. Mark Sink

Here at right you can see the standing desk reader can be used for any type of book or magazine display which would accompany any type of research one might be in progress of doing. In this particular design, the height of the reader is 34 inches from the floor. The back edge is 38 inches which equates to an 18 degree cut for use as a reader while one is standing. The depth and width are 12 and 19 inches respectively. With that said, the plinths were added to the legs to increase stability. One may increase stability further by closing in the back side which in effect adds more weight and design capability. One shelf is at the height of 7 inches and the second at 25 inches.

In construction, the design is the same as that of the standing desk design kit that was previously built. The legs are 3/4 inch material in Honduras mahogany. These are scraps left from previous projects. These are ripped at 2 inches wide and two pieces are glued together to make the legs while the shelves are butted up to the outside piece, and the inside vertical pieces are set between the shelves. This provides the strength necessary for the table to be structurally sound, and hold square.

These are built on a flat work table same as the floor, another type of standing desk. If you intend to build one similar to this one, remember that carpeting affects stability and children should be made aware this type of furniture may tip over if bumped into. With this piece, the back side was finished the same as front basically as the table will be used in a manner that leaves it exposed.

It could also be noted that if you decide to build one, you could use solid material to do so, although you would have to join up the top piece as this is 14 1/4 inches wide by 20 1/4 inches long with a 3/8 inch thick piece of mahogany glued to the edge. The front piece was made wider and rounded down to the surface at each side. This allowed for the stop to be at exactly 90 degrees.

© R. Mark Sink

You can make up the bridge pieces any size you desire which sit at the top of each side. I again used scrap pieces I found laying around but left a space at the back edge where another piece of wood could be attached underneath the back edge. (see photo left) Here, a light was attached to the table which has a long adjustable arm.

You'll also notice that the board that is stored inside the top is now flush with the back edge. This is the third position which works off to one side and is optional. The entire standing desk reader is mahogany and stained the traditional color of intense dark red.

One thing that stands out about these designs is the amount of material needed is lessened by creating the lectern or leg notion but you will find out of your geometry is working when you begin to construct the parts into a standing unit. The most critical area of construction is divided into two parts. The first part is joining the legs with the bottom shelf and tying the bridge at the top. I divide this up, squaring the legs with the bottom shelf (without the added pieces inside on the legs above) by adding the top back piece in and squaring up the whole unit to set dry overnight. The next day with the unit standing square, all the additional pieces are added to add more strength to the squaring done the day before. By the time these pieces are finally in place, the piece has become a stable and square unit. If this process is not handled well, your standing desk will likely not sit well or actually be out of square. To prevent these failures, use a framing square extensively making sure that when pieces dry, they are also square and 90 degrees as appropriate.

© R. Mark Sink

I'd really like to build more of these of various designs based on some of these concepts of reduced material although when we start getting into fabrications of various compounds the weight drastically increases. This standing desk reader easily weighs less than 50 pounds and these designs offer the reader ways to address their ability to activate their desires.

If you would like me to build a standing desk reader, lectern or pulpit design, please contact me at avatarone(at)fastmail.us. We can create the standing desk as you had imagined it for your space through any elaboration possible.

Be sure and check out  the standing desk design kit as this serves as another example of this power of communion. Both these designs used a top that is adjustable in some manner. With this particular design, two brass hinges are on each side under the front edge which allows the top to swing to a vertical position and books or other items can be stored inside the top.

To remove the bottom shelf would require the piece be made horizontally more square to account for the stability. This piece weighs just enough to become fairly stable while only addressing 12 inches of depth. Again, contact me for your preferences and we can determine cost and find a shipper if necessary.

Avatar Creations Focus Update

Avatar Creations Focus Update - R. Mark Sink

I'm adding a couple of topics and building an array for information selection down the road to help readers navigate this blog and enjoy visiting.

updating..

Thinking Outside the Box: Chair Seat

Thinking Outside the Box: Chair Seat - R. Mark Sink

Building a chair seat is quite simple and provides a place for safekeeping items out of sight while also standing 18 inches high which equals the standard chair seat height. You have four fairly equal sides and a bottom filler. The four legs are joined from eight pieces in this case cut at a 45 degree angle. Four small pieces are filled under the base so that the legs appear as engaging the box.

The lid has a extra layer on the bottom which inlays the top opening. (See left) A flat horizontal border is applied to the top edge revealed upon the legs. Between the legs, additional trim can be added.

Here is one that I have made that is distressed with an enamel base coat (electric pink mix) with enamel forest green blended on the outside. I don't recommend these types of paints but have paints that I am trying to use up as versus wasting them. Be careful working with oil base paints as the fumes are horrible.

Add this to your storage ideas. I seem to build a lot of these so I will be sure and post a picture of the next one. Having stored various material for smaller projects, this is a way to utilize mother nature in a respectable way versus what normally is thrown away. The legs are cut offs from beaded material shown at left up close. Warning: If kept dry and glue is used in construction chair seat may last a lifetime.

Prototype: Beautiful Mahogany Standing Desk

© R. Mark Sink

Here is the Craiglist link to the Standing Desk that was built as part of a project to sell the design here at Avatar Creations.

If you live in the Tampa Bay area and can pick up the desk, then you need to hurry and respond to the ad in order to accommodate the first come first served rule.

Having just built this I am already starting to miss it. It's just one of those things that goes with the business.

To learn more about the Standing Desk Design kit, go here.

Ethics in American Business

© R. Mark Sink

Ethics in American Business - R. Mark Sink

Finding ways to confiscate funds from customers has never been anything that would help a small or large business succeed. I can certainly vouch for this truth having worked inside the homes of many if not all of my customers at one point or another while they were gone running errands or were at their jobs.

I remember the first client I ever had in which I worked in and around his home for nearly a year while he was gone nearly every single day of that time. Some of my customers would leave $100 dollar bills laying around the house. The ability to trust someone in this regard is worth much more than the money itself. I once had a client seemingly and purposefully leave $100 bills in my working path at their home, as though they were attempting to test me.

I've never really had the time or the desire for thievery with any of my clients, rather I was much more concerned that what they were paying for was the best possible product at the fairest price, and by doing this, they would have a reason to tell others about me, in which they did. That was literally how my business was built and no advertising was ever paid for, it was the wrong avenue.

Many so-called contractors who obtain licensees that force a system test find that the requirements have absolutely nothing to do with ethics, rather, a mirage of the system benefits. I remember first taking this test and finding that I was seemingly on an alien planet, as what I was being asked to learn had nothing to do with what I was providing to others. As a sole proprietor, I was seen as an outcast, someone who according to government thinking installed flooring, and something I rarely provided.

Homes are so poorly built in Florida, generally, woodworking and its artistic nature were mostly absent except for those who have specialized their services in those areas and have learned the in's and out's of product choice and feasibility. General contractors rarely have these skills and have long taken advantage of those who do as a methodology of confiscation. This confiscation of life is provided by the system who also have nothing to do with choice or feasibility. Although within this realm of deceit, building codes do offer preventative degradation for structural matters but this generally applies to the advocacy of developments that offer little in the way of community.

These system dysfunctions actually help to prevent the building of social relationships, and it is these relationships that have been the heart of small business and services that offer real value. In most cases, older communities remain the source for much of this type of thinking, while newer developed fenced communities offer little albeit their perceived wealth that is directed into a form of security that is assuming that neighborhood.

True security comes from the building of communities rather than fencing them in and reduces criminal activity without the illusion of securitization that has plagued natural living. In older communities these notions are already apparent and people who live in them are more likely to help each other out in times of need which is the basis of a strong economy of people working together instead of against each other in a dog eat dog world of illusive benefits.

Many of the developments around the Tampa Bay area are beginning to dry up and filled with vacant homes and these communities will likely continue to be bad investments as home prices continue to fall and investors keep losing money. Working in these types of developments has never been conducive to generating word of mouth advertising as in these types of communities people seldom associate with their neighbors as they do in older ones such as Hyde Park.

If you expect to offer genuine services and to have people talk about you with others, you'll need to focus on those communities that are not as developed over the last ten to twenty years as they have been. These over developments with bigger homes that people are tantalized to acquire for their tastes of living in America, have never really offered sensible living over the long-term as we can now testify to. They are often restrictive living and requiring those who purchase them to live within those requirements and to spend their money at specified corporate hegemonies.

This is never really what people wanted in the first place, but are enticed into believing that community living is not what it is intended to be, and one that actually has people living in it that know each other and care about their community as a whole and those who live in it. And of course, it is these older style communities that often hold their values when expensive and overpriced subdivisions have become barren of life.

The developers are clever and we can now also attest to the fact that security is more associated with the ways in which banking and market leverage have wrought criminal activity into the heart of American communities with fences surrounding them for the illusion of racial integrity as thief is the security.

We can now see that security is the last ditch effort to steal the heart out of American living and community as per the laws that are specifically directed away from serious crime and onto those who are mostly helpless.