Earth day 2017

What are Earth day mission

Building the world’s largest environmental movement

earth day

Earth Day Network’s mission is to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Growing out of the first Earth Day, Earth Day Network is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 50,000 partners in nearly 200 countries to build environmental democracy. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world. We work through a combination of education, public policy, and consumer campaigns.

The first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, activated 20 million Americans from all walks of life and is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement. The passage of the landmark Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and many other groundbreaking environmental laws soon followed. Twenty years later, Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage.

 On that particular date Kaltimber will offer gift card to our instagram contest winners. Invitation sent by e-mail on 21th, stay in touch!

Moisture, inside sources.

moisture and hardwood flooring

Properly controlling the moisture levels in your home allows you to reduce the possibility of serious complications that can occur with hardwood flooring. Steam, leaky pipes, faulty appliances, breathing and ventilation errors are five common inside sources of moisture.

Steam: Steam comes in many forms. Showering, running the dishwasher and mopping all emit moisture into the air. Washing dishes by hand when you leave the hot water running emits moisture into the air. Letting anything simmer all day on a stove top contributes to the moisture levels as well. Dryer vents that are clogged or are not properly hooked up will let steam back into the house or will pump moisture directly into a crawl space or basement. When moisture is placed into the air of your home, it travels naturally into each room through natural air movements or with the help of centralized air or heating units.

Leaky pipes: Common sources of leaky pipes include bathroom fixtures, pipes under the kitchen sink, a dripping toilet and pipes that run through the walls or under the house. A cracked or broken pipe can let several gallons of water run within or underneath your home. Pipes that are exposed to temperature changes that cause dripping condensation can potentially also cause problems.

Faulty Appliances: Appliances such as freezers, refrigerators with ice makers and air conditioning units may produce condensation. This condensation can slowly drip in unseen areas by the homeowner.

Breathing: Breathing also emits moisture back into the air. Therefore if you have suddenly large gatherings of people in your home such as family gatherings or for entertainment events, more moisture than normal can be absorbed into the floor.

Ventilation Errors: Rooms that are closed off in the home for long periods of time can store moisture in the air that may have been seeping into the home from other areas. Closing off a room is commonly done to conserve heat in unused areas of the home or in situations where you’re only at a home for short period of times such as when you visit a vacation property. This can cause a musty smell. If hardwood flooring exists in these rooms then some of this excess moisture will be absorbed into the flooring. 

 

Buying new Ulin should be heavily fined, here is why.

Ulin ironwood

Eusideroxylon zwageri is a rare timber tree native to the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines region. It is known colloquially in English as Bornean ironwood, billian, or ulin. It is a slow growing tree with an average 0.5 centimeters per year.

The decline of this species which was first noted in 1955. Browne (1955) stated: “Our surviving supplies of Ulin are by no means very large and undoubtedly dwindling.” Population reduction has been noted in the following regions: Kalimantan, Sumatra, Sabah, Sarawak, and the Philippines. IUCN has categorized it Vulnerable A1cd and A2cd. CITES listed II Bi (unsustainable level of exploitation from the wild for international trade). Regeneration in logged-over forests is limited.
The species is threatened by over-exploitation, predominantly by illegal migrant loggers. Current demand for the timber is fueled for its esteem among Chinese as a coffin wood (as it is resistant to insect and rot). Included in list of vanishing timber species of the Philippines and considered almost extinct in Sabah. In Java and Sumatra it exists solely in National Parks. Currently the situation is assessed as a serious depletion of stands. The species is only planted on a small scale because the supply of seeds and seedlings is inadequate. The world-famous IPB Bogor Agricultural Institute (Insitut Pertanian Bogor) is currently breeding a generation of plants more hardy than the wild harvested seeds.

Ulin is an endangered species and buying new Ulin (as you can often find even here in Bali!) or so called “reclaim Ulin” without any prove of its sustainability and how it was replaced is participating in the depleting of Indonesia’s forest and bringing Ulin always closer to extinction.

 

Some extracts from wikipedia.

Teak vs Teak

Teak Grades

Teak wood is available in three different quality grades which play the key role in outdoor performance and durability of the furniture. It is therefore highly important to know what is the difference between teak grades and how to distinguish between the highest quality teak and inferior timber.

Grade A Teak

Grade A teak is the highest quality teak wood. It refers to timber that is taken from the very centre of the log (heartwood) of a fully mature tree. Grade A teak can be recognised by a uniform, golden brown colour, close grains and glossy surface that feels oily to touch. It is high in teak natural oils which play the key role in teak outstanding resistance to outdoor elements by protecting it from unfavourable weather elements and repelling insects. Unfortunately, it makes up only about a fifth to one quarter of the log and as a result, it has a high price.

Grade B Teak

Grade B teak refers to timber from the outer heartwood section, making up about one fourth to one third of the log. In comparison to grade A teak, grade B teak has a lighter colour, uneven grain and less shine. It contains only traces of teak natural oils and as a result, it is unable to withstand the exposure to the outdoor extremes without protective treatments. But even then, it doesn’t last even close as long as furniture made from the highest quality teak.

Grade C Teak

Grade C teak is an inferior quality teak wood. It refers to timber from the outer sections of a mature log (sapwood) and logs of immature trees. Grade C teak contains virtually no teak natural protective oils, has a very uneven colour and is easily damaged because it is very soft. Furniture that is made from grade C teak is even considered unsuitable for indoor use due to its softness that makes it highly susceptible to damage. Although it is taken from the very same tree species, grade C teak has no similarity to the highest quality teak neither in regard to outdoor performance, beauty or durability. Grade C teak garden furniture is relatively inexpensive but it has a very short lifespan even if it is treated with protective coating or periodically oiled.

Important!

Please note that grade B and C teak garden furniture is sometimes chemically treated to make it look as if it would be made from the highest quality timber. It can be recognised by a darker colour but most people can’t really see the difference between the two, unless seen next to each other. If you are after the highest quality teak garden furniture, you are recommended to buy from reputable manufacturers who offer an extensive guarantee on their products.

 

Read it, plant it, enjoy it!

The Mainichi newspaper is one of the dailies most sold in Japan with its 5.5 million of prints sold per day. It is also a group that takes very seriously the issue on the protection of the environment. As a result, it seeks by all means to promote the ecological behavior, such as his newspaper which can be planted in a pot after reading.

 Paper that can give a beautiful flower, it's an idea that may seem to us original, but which is already in vogue in the Japan. With the Mainichi newspaper, one can plant it and have a flower! Simply put crumbs of the paper in Earth and moisten it.

These "magical" papers are made of recycled paper with a mix of seeds of flowers and herbs. These papers are part of the "Green Newspaper" initiative, which was initiated by the Japanese advertising agency, Dentsu. The idea has been so successful that the Japanese have adopted it. This, even though the country of the sun rising is known by its large consumer society.

 The goal of the "Green Newspaper" is not only ecological, but also to develop a new communication strategy with a product that respects the environment and that protects it from the most beautiful ways.

 

Protect your tropical wood deck from weather

Why seal my wood?

As you can see on the picture, nature can have a disastrous effect on your exterior wood. The natural effects of the sun and water will cause graying, fading, mildew, cupping, splintering, cracking and warping.

This is why it is necessary to seal your exterior wood. Properly sealing the wood will prevent water from seeping into cracks which causes cracking, cupping, bowing, and splintering. The UV protectors in our seal greatly reduce the effects of the sun, such as cracking, drying, and graying.

Wood is also, in many ways, a living, breathing thing. Wood expands and contracts when it is cold or hot. Wood needs to breathe and it also needs to be protected properly from the elements.

When should I have my deck sealed?

Anytime of the year is a good time to have your wood protected. You can ask us for advice.

Should I seal the wood myself?

Sealing your own deck may seem easy enough, but many times homeowners create irreversible damage to their deck. Not pressure washing properly, using a corrosive chemical on your deck, or using the wrong sealant can be disastrous, and your deck can NEVER be repaired 100%. Considering the fact that most sealants only last 6 months to a year, you are the stuck with the predicament of what to do then. Do you have to strip it all off using strong chemicals? Or should you recoat over existing faded seal, which will not give your deck a uniform look? Or you could wind up paying a professional a much higher fee to repair the damage. The best solution is to have it done properly the first time. For that also feel free to ask us and we’ll be pleased to assist and guide you.

Passion has no handicap for this wood working lover.

Feet are made for walking, and hands are made for holding. The addition of an opposable thumb on our hands offers human beings the ability to handle just about any object with ease. But that dexterity doesn’t exist in the foot.

That is, unless you’re Sentayehu Tishale. The 43-year-old woodworker who hales from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia lost his arms to polio during childhood. The limitations imposed upon him by debilitating illness propelled him into a life of begging on the streets of the Ethiopian capitol, until the love of a woman turned him around. According to the Huffington Post, Tishale’s spouse urged him to develop his mind and his artisanal skills. He taught himself to read and set out to develop his skills as a woodworker.

Today Tishale can be found building a variety of small projects for clients, including stools and even chests of drawers.

 

Passion has no handicap

Passion has no handicap

Rare wood spotted

kaltimber tropical wood

In woodworking hewing is the process of converting a log from its rounded natural form into lumber (timber) with more or less flat surfaces using primarily an axe. It is an ancient method still used occasionally to square up beams for timber framing.

 

Definitions

Hew is a general term meaning to strike or blow with a tool such as an axe or sword; to chop or gash, and is used in warfare, stone and wood cutting, and coal and salt mining in this sense. Hewing wood is to shape the wood with a sharp instrument such as an axe, specifically flattening one or more sides of a log.

 

 Methods

As an ancient method of timber conversion, different methods of each step in hewing have developed in history.

 

Prepare log

After a tree is selected and felled, hewing can take place where the log landed or be skidded or twitched out of the woods to a work site. The log is placed across two other smaller logs near the ground or up on trestles about waist height; stabilized either by notching the support logs, or using a "timber dog" (also called a log dog, a long bar of iron with a tooth on either end that jams into the logs and prevents movement). The hewer measures and locates the timber within the log on both ends and marks lines along the length of a log, usually with a chalk line.

 

Scoring

The next step is to chop notches every foot or two, almost as deep as the marked line using a chopping or scoring axe, called scoring.

At least three methods are used in scoring:

1) Standing on the log and swinging an axe to chop the score

2) In Germany a method of two carpenters standing on the ground with the log on trestles and swinging downward to slice the scores

3) A chainsaw is used to notch the log, the sections created by the notching are then split off using a felling axe.

 

Joggling or juggling

The pieces of wood between the notches are knocked off with an axe, this process called juggling or joggling. This results in a rough surface pared down just shy of the marked line. Scoring and juggling remove a fair amount of wood, make hewing easier and prevent long shreds of wood being torn off.

 

Hewing

Hewing is the last step in this whole process, which is also collectively referred to as hewing. Hewing is done on the logs sides with a broadaxe. Hewing occurs from the bottom of the stem upwards towards what was the top of the standing tree, reducing the tendency of the broken fibers to migrate inwards towards the eventual beam.

 

Further smoothing can then be done using a hand plane, drawknife, yariganna (an ancient Japanese cutting tool) or any other established or improvised means.

Modern uses

Although still used in niche modern building, salvaged hand-hewn beams are now commonly recycled as architectural details popular in new construction and renovation of homes. They are also popular as decor in commercial and restaurant spaces.

Even in Kaltimber we rarely come upon axe hewn Ulin (Kalimantan's ironwood) boards or lumber such as our picture above. It makes extra exclusive and high standing decking, flooring or architectural beams.

 

 

Source: Wikipedia – Kaltimber documentation

 

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