Micro-Expedition, Session 1

Shellbend Folding Boat

I will be simultaneously publishing new content on my Micro-Expedition course on my new CCA weblog, which you can follow by clicking here.

I’m excited to be teaching the Atelier Studio for CCA’s Furniture Program this semester. Russell Baldon invited me to be this year’s Wornick Visiting Professor, and I’ve designed a course I’m calling Micro-Expedition. The class has a total of 7 students, most of whom are Furniture majors, and we meet on Mondays from 9-3 in the ‘benchroom’ at CCA‘s San Francisco campus.

The first day we made introductions and looked at charts, maps, books and boat plans related to my proposed, semester-length project. In brief, the students and I will collaboratively design a water-borne expedition for the end of the semester, and design and build the craft most appropriate to the requirements of the chosen waterway, given the constraints of time, space and budget. buy stromectol in canada We have just 14 weeks to make the boats, so I was pleased that the group quickly and unanimously chose a body of water (to remain a secret for now) and agreed to approach the boat-building as a kind of production crew, with small teams assigned tasks related to making all of the components.

We’ve begun to explore two major boat types, a sailboard and a folding dinghy, with the class split into two research teams relatedly. beoutq sports We have plans for an early ‘buckboard’, a 12′ sailing surfboat that evolved into the classic sunfish. One approach will be to modify the hull to function more like a stand-up paddleboard (SUP) and alter the sail for hands-free, downwind conditions. Another approach is to combine features from several ‘folding dinghy’ plans available for free online. can you give rabbits ivermectin I printed two of these that originally appeared in ‘Popular Mechanics’ in the 1960’s. I asked the students to develop their own ideas for these basic hull types over the week to present to the class. heb ivermectin We will analyze these as a group and decide which features should be incorporated into the project, making all attempts to keep the craft as simple to build and safe to handle as possible. ????? ???

After the first class I walked from CCA to see if it was possible to access the Bay by foot. I was surprised and delighted to find a boat launch off of 3rd street, less than a mile from the school. If time allows, we will use this to test a few boat types to get a feel for how they handle before beginning construction in earnest. As part our adventure, I’m requiring the students to document the process and keep an archive on these pages. ???? ????? ????? I will be making running commentary throughout the semester, but each week will feature a different student author. Stay tuned!

boat ramp sf

public dock near CCA’s San Francisco campus

Scouting Doran

doran surf

the southern stretch of Doran Beach, looking southeast towards Tomales Bluff

Whenever I go to the beach, at least a few times a week, I habitually count the number of birds flying in formation, usually pelicans, who often fly in sets of 9 through 15. I’m not sure what I’m looking for, but am always pleased to find a prime number; somehow this seems to make them less vulnerable.

pelicans flying

brown pelicans flying northwest over the breakers at Doran Beach

At low tides it’s an easy hike through a rocky crevasse to the southern stretch of coast, normally cut off by the tidal surge. This stretch is more exposed to the southwest and shows early signs of a shift in the direction of current. If the swell continues its shift south, as it appears, there should be a tiny break closer to the accessible beach further out the cape in a few weeks, a one or two foot wave perfect for a trial run of the experimental, solid wood longboard I’ve been slowly shaping in anticipation.


Silvertone Revival

silvertone

My trusty Sears Silvertone is shaped like an old school surfboard
Backwash

I’ve been winding down after a hard day’s work by trying out new riffs on old guitars. Thinking a lot about surf and surf music lately, I’ve swapped out my familiar, acoustic mini-Martin for a 1962 Sears Silvertone I’ve owned since 1981. I taught myself how to play on this guitar, which I bought from its original owner, who modified it by adding Humbucker pickups and Gretsch machine heads. ivermectin for humans dosage for covid I learned to play by transposing Appalachian banjo tunes I knew by heart, which sound great on the reedy, trebly pitch of the Silvertone, especially when tuned a step or two high. ivermectin prospero children

the holidays

I last played the Silvertone in the mid-1980’s with The Holidays


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Fairy Godmother of Surf

scott and donald

Donald Fortescue is my Fairy Godmother of Surf

Over Labor Day weekend our good pals Sandra Kelch and Donald Fortescue stayed at our new wowhaus retreat. Sandra has been working over the summer with Ene and our friend Kathleen Monroe on renovating the interior, and it’s been fun to share the compound with friends and family as the ‘cottage’ is readied for the public.

Donald and I continued our ongoing conversation about woodcraft and surf culture. what is the dosage of ivermectin for a 55 pound dog I unerringly defer to his wise counsel as my designated ‘Fairy Godmother of Surf’. Though somewhat new to the sport himself, Donald is a wealth of knowledge and has volunteered everything from surf-related reading to advice on wetsuits, links to articles and videos about shaping wooden surfboards, and real-time critique of my shaping. buy stromectol in uk   He’s even kept me abreast of recent sitings of the formidable Great White! Thanks Donald!

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Chopping Wood

chopping wood

I need to cut and chop at least two cords of firewood a year for our primary heat.

As part of my commitment to A Year in Surf, I’ve been doing something everyday to prepare myself mentally and physically. Last night after a day driving to and from a marathon of faculty meetings at CCA‘s San Francisco campus, I took some time to stretch and try the handful of yoga postures I know. This morning we walked the beach and I dove under a few tiny waves in my dry suit. coronavirus treatment ivermectin Mostly, I’ve been chopping wood, loading it into our garden cart and hauling it to the woodshed to stack. is it okay to worm month old goats with ivermectin It’s a total body workout. Plus, splitting wood with an axe requires the right mix of focus and relaxation. I need to be forceful and decisive, qualities I know will help getting up on my board in the cold surf.

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Shaping the Olo

shaping tools

I use all of may favorite hand tools to shape my first surfboard.

These late summer evenings I’ve been enjoying dropping into a state of loose focus as I shape my first surfboard from a slab of air-dried cottonwood. An aroma reminiscent of farm animals wafts up as my plane curls ribbons of excelsior. I tested this wood’s properties many years ago when I carved the seat of my prototype Captain’s Chair, a send-off on the traditional Windsor. The grain tears easily and has a fibrous, papery quality, but it is very stable, dense and tough to split. Plus it has a low ‘specific gravity’ (0.38) which means it floats well. I’m especially enjoying returning to the simple hand tools that got me started experimenting with furniture making in my twenties- a jigsaw, an assortment of spokeshaves and drawknives, various hand planes, scoops and gouges.

When shaping, I’m thinking about wave dynamics and the performance of a hull when static and when under rapid acceleration and how water will propel forces upon the board from all directions. I’m mindful to leave enough material for adequate buoyancy, but am carving concavities to mimic the way I round my shoulders when body-surfing, my arms pinned to my sides like steering rails, my feet digging in for balance. I hope to have my first surfboard ready to launch when the south swell returns to Doran.

doran now

The south swell returns to Doran after the first storms of autumn


Wowhaus Projects Update

ene and scott

Ene and me reflected in Anish Kapoor’s ‘Bean’ sculpture, Chicago, earlier this summer

Before I launch full bore into documenting A Year in Surf I wanted to update current wowhaus projects. I will maintain a running log of projects as they accumulate, but will soon shift the focus of deepcraft to my active pursuit of surfing. I think you’ll agree that surf culture is in many ways a unifying theme to the thrust of past and present wowhaus projects, which increasingly focus on watershed ecology, structural invention and making beautiful things and places.

fish mosaic

Our fish sculptures (‘Abundance‘) are coming to life as they are skinned with tile

watershed wax1

Our wax ‘Stepping Stones’ are ready to be cast in bronze for our Oakland Watershed Marker Project

oakland creek1

We’ve selected sites to install our ‘Stepping Stones’ relief sculptures, drawing attention to Oakland’s many hidden creeks comprising a complex, urban watershed

rosenfield table1Conference Table for the managing offices of  ‘Marin County Mart’ (photo taken when the conference room was under construction)

I recently designed this conference table for the offices of Jim Rosenfield, owner of Marin Country Mart. The design developed collaboratively from concept sketches by Jim, with proportional and color consultation from Greg Turpan, who has been instrumental in defining the look and feel of the innovative shopping center. The table is 10 feet long and 34″ wide with 4 x 4 legs in solid Claro walnut. The top is lightweight for its size, being a hollow ‘torsion box’ with a honeycomb core of 1/4″ plywood making an internal grid of 3″ squares. To make a seamless surface on all six sides, the top is skinned with full length panels of MDF, with ‘folded miter’ corners. ????? ???? ??? ????? The top is finished on all sides with six layers of catalyzed urethane, hand-polished to a high gloss. ????? ???? ?????? I borrowed from hollow surfboard construction when conceiving the table. ???? ?????? I’ve enjoyed working with Jim and Greg on the project and am honored to contribute to Marin Country Mart, which is fast becoming a major Bay Area icon.

Meanwhile, I’m nearing completion of a residential interior I’ve designed and built in Marin County, and permits are in place and construction is underway on an ‘Observation Tower’ I recently designed for a rural property in Sonoma County. Photos to follow soon!

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