No Tech Magazine

Avoid News

2013-05-03T01:43:18+02:00

"News misleads, is irrelevant, has no explanatory power, is toxic, increases cognitive errors, inhibits thinking, works like a drug, wastes time, makes us passive and kills creativity." Read more: Avoid News (pdf). Via Metafilter and The Guardian.

The Making of a Foot Powered Treadle Lathe

2013-04-22T22:12:54+02:00

"Hi everybody my name is Chris. I choose my woodworking projects based on whatever happens to inspire me".

In this video, Chris builds a foot powered treadle lathe. Great project, great video.

Via Old Engineering.

Previously:

Victorian Nanotech

2013-04-22T21:34:08+02:00

"I didn’t know much about watches until my aunt died and I inherited an astonishingly beautiful pocket watch from her. Looking online, I found it was made in Switzerland around 1800. It didn’t run, and when I opened the case I thought some small worm had got trapped inside. On closer inspection it wasn’t a worm but the tiniest chain I had ever seen, a perfect microscopic bicycle chain with links smaller than half a millimetre."

Artist and maker Tim Hunkin repairs Victorian watches. On the picture: a 1908 Waltham pocket watch, Tim Hunkin.

Solar Wood Drying Kiln

2013-04-22T13:39:08+02:00

"Lumber is usually dried to a specific moisture content prior to further manufacturing or use. While lumber can be air-dried, the humidity in most localities prevents the lumber from reaching the moisture content required for the stability needed for interior use. The kiln discussed is designed to be inexpensive to construct and be simple to operate."

"The solar kiln described was designed, constructed, and tested at Virginia Tech. This design is based on 25 years of research and development on the solar drying of lumber in the United States and foreign countries. Drawings for two versions of this kiln are available; one for 800-1,000 bd ft and the other for 1,500-2,000 board feet of lumber. Both kilns will dry a load of lumber in approximately one month of moderately sunny weather at its location in Blacksburg, VA."

"Drying lumber can be a complex process where accelerating drying without having quality loss often requires extensive knowledge and experience. The design of the Virginia Tech solar kiln is such that extensive knowledge, experience and control are not required. The size of the collector keeps the kiln from over-heating and causing checking and splitting of the wood. The kiln is simple to construct and utilizes a passive solar collector, four insulated walls and an insulated floor. The roof is made of clear, greenhouse rated, corrugated polyethylene."

Virginia Tech Solar Kiln. Via Build It Solar.

The Limits of Animal Powered Transport: Table Top Wool Wagons

2013-04-11T15:35:26+02:00

The Table Top Wool Wagon is among the largest animal-drawn road vehicles ever built. It was a unique Australian invention, built to transport wool from sheep farms to train stations and harbours.

As many as forty bullocks, or thirty horses, pulled the vehicles over distances of up to 1600 km.

Table Top Wool Wagons (also known as "jinkers" or "ships of the desert") appeared at the end of the nineteenth century and remained in use until the 1920s, when they were replaced by trucks.

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The Vehicle

The Table Top Wool Wagon evolved from a somewhat smaller vehicle that appeared in the 1870s and carried a load of between 5 and 6 tonnes of both wool and wheat. The larger versions, especially designed for wool, appeared in the 1890s when road conditions improved. They reached their zenith in the 1910s. Below is a picture of a medium sized wagon (5 m long, 2 m wide) with a removable hay frame.

The Table Top Wool Wagon was up to 8.5 m long and 2.5 m wide, and its wheels were up to 2.5 m in diameter and 20 cm wide. The wagon had no sides, hence its name, but the platform curved upwards by 5 cm at the front and rear. This caused the bales of wool to lean towards the middle and steady the load. The vehicles had a loading capacity of 10 to 15 tonnes, with record loads of over 17 tonnes.

The Engine

Such heavy loads required large teams of draught animals, especially on muddy roads. Four horses were needed just to move the vehicle around when it was empty. When fully loaded, up to forty bullocks or thirty horses could be yoked to the front, and donkeys and camels were also used. Drivers did not sit on their wagon loads, but led the way on horseback or by walking, and the vehicle was steered by the lead-horses.

Road and weather conditions usually determined whether horse teams or bullock teams were used. When roads were either very rough, or did not exist at all, bullocks were of much greater use than horses.

The driver was often accompanied by his wife and family who rode in a horse-drawn wagonette that the women drove. A cattle dog completed the gang.

The Routes

Many wagons were driven from Ilfacombre to Rockhampton, a journey of almost 800 km. The trip took three months -- longer when it rained, and only half as long to return with empty carts. Ilfacombre had the largest wool scouring plant in Queensland, with most of the wool from that area being washed there.

Washed wool was a lot lighter, so you could put a lot more washed and dried wool into a bale and ship it more cheaply. Other destinations of the Table Top Wool Wagons were Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth, with travel distances of up to 1600 km.

The Challenges

There are records of wagons taking two years to complete a journey to the coastal markets. All too often, a wagon would tip over, particularly after rain. The only remedy was to unload, upright the wagon, and wait for the road to dry.

Hills presented another challenge. The most common form of slowing the descent involved chaining a felled log to the back of the wagon. To cope with steep hills, some wagons had their wheels 'spragged' -- that is, they thrust a sapling between the spokes of each pair of wheels so that it jammed against the wagon floor.

Table Top Wool Wagons disappeared in the 1920s, when they were replaced by trucks and the gradually extending railways.

Edited by Deva Lee.

Sources and more information:

"Progression of a table top wool waggon", Scale model horse drawn vehicle forum.
"Technology in Australia 1788 - 1988", Compiled by Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, 1988
"Wheat wagon at Narromine railway station, NSW", the Powerhouse Museum.
"Wool wagons bogged on the Mossgiel-Ivanhoe road", NSW
"The Boer in war and peace", Arthur M. Mann, 1900
"The teams of the Blacksoil Plains", Douglas Harris, 1977
"Wool, wagons and clipper ships: transport, trade and travel in Australia 1830s to 1880s", Allen & Unwin, 2008
"The horse and buggy days", H. McGregor, 1981
"Outback in Australia", W.K. Harris, 1913
"Early Road Transport", Kenton T. Cameron, 1953
"Bennet's patent table-top wool waggon", The Sydney Mail, April 25, 1906
"Romance of Australia's 1926-27 wool clip", The Mail, 14 august 1926
"Wool drays and the curious case of the missing bodies", the Powerhouse Museum. (A bizarre example of early Photoshopping).
"Progression of a model", Scale model horse drawn vehicle forum

Ride Your Bike Faster or With Less Effort Using a Partial Fairing

2013-04-03T16:32:02+02:00

The rolling friction of the tyres is the main resistance acting on a bicycle at speeds below 10 km/h (6 mph). At higher speeds, air resistance becomes far more important. It accounts for more than 80 percent of the total force acting to slow the vehicle at a speed of 35 km/h (22 mph). At this speed, it would take a power output of 345 watts just to overcome air drag when riding an upright commuting bike (on a level road in calm conditions). Riding a velomobile (a recumbent cycle with a fairing) can lower air resistance dramatically, reducing power to overcome drag to about 30 watts at a speed of 35 km/h.

However, velomobiles are expensive. A much cheaper option is the use of a partial fairing. These wind screens, made of shatter resistant polycarbonate plastic, are mounted at the handlebars. A partial fairing is placed so that the rider is able to see over it, not through it. Apart from reducing air resistance, it is also an effective shield against bugs, rain, cold air, and road debris.

Partial fairings are available for different types of upright bicycles, and for recumbents. They weigh between 600 grams and 1.5 kg, depending on the model, including mounts. These accessoiries, which can often be seen on motorcycles, are relatively unknown to cyclists, mainly because they are outlawed in conventional bicycle racing.

When used in combination with a road bike in touring position (with the hands on the handlebar), a partial fairing brings the power required to overcome air resistance at 35 km/h down to 157 watts. This compares to 220 watts for an unfaired road bike in touring position, and to 176 watts for an unfaired road bike in (a much less comfortable) crouched position and wearing tight clothing. A partial fairing on a road bike thus offers a similar advantage to that of an unfaired recumbent (148 watts). With a headwind, the advantage of improved aerodynamics becomes even larger. One disadvantage of fairings is their sensitivity for crosswinds gusts. It takes some practice to get used to them.

The numbers above were taken from "Bicycling Science" (third edition), by David Gordon Wilson, pp 188. The result for the partial fairing concerns an older model, so it might be an underestimation. Picture: a small partial fairing by Zzipper.

Archimedean Energy Storage

2013-03-29T13:16:40+01:00

"Forget batteries with complex chemistries or precision-tuned flywheels. A growing number of energy storage start-ups are promoting the idea that the most economical, most expedient ways to store power revolve around harnessing the four elements of the ancient world: earth, air, water and fire."

Fences, Gates and Bridges

2013-03-29T03:20:52+01:00

"It is authoritatively stated that the building and maintenance of the farm fences in the United States have cost more than the construction of the farm buildings. Be this as it may, while large numbers of works have been written upon rural architecture we believe this is the first publication specially devoted to Fences, Gates and Bridges.

It aims to be a practical work, showing the "evolution" of the fence from the road barrier of logs, brush or sods to the latest improved forms of barbed wire. The numerous illustrations are mainly representations of fences, gates, etc., in actual use. The chapter on fence law is necessarily condensed. The various judicial decisions upon the subject alone would fill a large volume. This little work, the first and only one of its character, is given to the public in the confident hope that it will prove specially useful to farmers and village residents."

"Fences, gates, and bridges; a practical manual", George A. Martin, 1892. Thanks to Rob McWilliam.

Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties

2013-03-29T00:18:33+01:00

"Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties presents lively, step-by-step tutelage on building all types of temporary and long-term accommodations from both natural and man-made materials. Published in 1914, this practical classic is as essential a guide for today’s modern homesteader as it was at the turn of the twentieth century.

Included are instructions for dozens of worry-free shelters for you to chose from, including a sod house for the lawn, a treetop house, over-water camps, a bog ken, and much more. Satisfying the builder’s need for the creature comforts of home, it also provides tips on how to build hearths and chimneys, notched log ladders, and even how to rig a front door with a secret lock. Illustrated throughout with a bounty of helpful line drawings, Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties harkens back to the can-do spirit of the American frontier that still thrives today."

Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties; and how to build them", D.C. Beard, 1914 (Gutenberg free e-book). The description is from the 2008 edition (Amazon). Thanks to Thurston.

The Full Moon Theatre

2013-03-26T09:50:10+01:00

Under good climatic conditions and using specific technology, the full moon can be a powerful source of light. Using technology inspired by solar energy concentrators, the "Full Moon Theatre" lights its performances using only moonlight. Moonbeams are collected, concentrated, and focused on stage. The original Full Moon Theatre was built in Southern France and their plan is to create twelve Full Moon Theatres worldwide.

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The Full Moon Project is the brainchild of French opera director Humbert Camerlo. Camerlo got the idea in 1987 and initially tested it by assembling a group of shaving mirrors that focused the light of the moon onto a small sculpture in his garden in Southern France (picture below). Four years later, in 1991, the construction of a full-size theatre began, in collaboration with Irish engineer Peter Rice. Rice would be involved in the project until his death in 1992, after which his disciple, Nicolas Prouvé, took over the collaborative role.

Like most good inventions, the Full Moon Theatre was born out of necessity. Camerlo was setting up an interdisciplinary theatre lab, but had no money to pay for a professional lighting installation.

The original moonlight theatre, 1987. Picture: The Full Moon Theatre.

Performances lit by moonlight are, of course, limited to certain nights when there is both a full moon and a clear sky. When these opportunities occur, however, we have at our disposal a lighting source that is potentially better than artificial light. Moonlight has a similar quality as sunlight:

"We can see at night during the full moon phase reflecting sunlight but we do not have a strong visual accuracy. Under good climatic conditions, the light power of the Moon is 1 on 100 000 to the sun light power. In the same time moon light has practically the same colour temperature to the sunlight. The challenge was to find optical systems to multiply the power of the Moon in order to light a performance and to reveal costumes colours."

Reflectors

The development of the reflectors has been an on-going process. Three types were made: "Keplers" and "Archimedes" designed by Rice's teams in London and Paris, and "Copernics" designed by Camerlo. The reflectors track the moonbeams, amplify them and reflect them onto the stage. Some of the reflectors also track the actors on stage.

Moonlight collectors. Image: The Full Moon Theatre.

Beyond the symbolic or metaphoric use of the moon to light a performance, the Full Moon Theatre laboratory has prompted ideas for experimental work in architecture or even in town planning. The project wants to promote the development of technology for the use of natural light in the visible fringe of the solar spectrum. Underground areas such as subway stations, for instance, could easily be lit by sunlight during the day. The Full Moon Theatre also promotes actions dedicated to reduce light pollution in the world, as moonlight cannot be used when light pollution is high.

Moonlit stage. Picture: The Full Moon Theatre.

For most of its lifespan, the theatre has been a research project. This will soon change. The first public performance in the theatre, in the summer of 2010, had spectators also carrying mirrors to aid the lighting. The ultimate aim of the project, which brings together artists, engineers and scientists, is to set up a planetary network of "Full Moon Theatres". The plan is to equip twelve open air theatres with full moon technology by 2014 or 2015, using new types of reflectors. We'll keep you updated.

Thanks to Emmanuel Grimaud.

Edited by Deva Lee.

Related articles:

A Mattress that Lasts a Lifetime

2013-03-16T15:23:52+01:00

"Our mattress is worn out. We need a new one, but I’ve been dreading buying a new one. I don’t like the waste of it all: The ignoble dragging of the old mattress to the curb. The prospect of sleeping on a brand new construct of toxic foam and fire retardants... In Greece, Italy and France mattresses are made by local craftsmen, and are stuffed with 100% wool. These mattresses basically last for life. When the wool gets compressed the mattress guys will empty it out, fluff it up, and re-stuff it, adding more wool if necessary." [1]

"The bed Mary bought was made by Signor Oldani, a Milanese bed-maker and upholsterer. He made beds the Italian way, and the way we used to make mattresses in England before the introduction of short-lived internally sprung ones.

The beauty of the mattress is that when it needs a wash, the wool can be pulled out, stuffed, in batches, into pillow cases, put through the washing machine and after drying, carded back into fluffy pile before being returned to the mattress cover.

Every few years, it needs to be re-carded, as the wool slowly compacts, says Mary. In Italy during the summer, the mattress man, il cardatore, tours Italian homes, pulls out the wool from their mattresses, re-cards it, adds some more, as the process reduces the stuffing a bit, rebuttons and then sews the mattress cover back up again. Mary submitted her mattress to this process four times." [2]

"Totally by chance, I found two places in Paris that still make their own 100% wool mattresses by hand... It was ready two days later. They told me to come back in 10 years to have the mattress redone: they pick it up in the morning, take out the wool stuffing, clean and refluff it, put a new cover on it, and then deliver it back to you before bedtime." [3]

Read more: 1 / 2 / 3. Via Root Simple.

The Religion of Complexity

2013-03-06T11:30:42+01:00

"The reaction of most people when I tell them I’m a scythe teacher is the same: incredulity or amusement, or polite interest, usually overlaid onto a sense that this is something quaint and rather silly that doesn’t have much place in the modern world. After all, we have weed whackers and lawnmowers now, and they are noisier than scythes and have buttons and use electricity or petrol and therefore they must perform better, right? Now, I would say this of course, but no, it is not right. Certainly if you have a five-acre meadow and you want to cut the grass for hay or silage, you are going to get it done a lot quicker (though not necessarily more efficiently) with a tractor and cutter bar than you would with a scythe team, which is the way it was done before the 1950s. Down at the human scale, though, the scythe still reigns supreme."

"A growing number of people I teach, for example, are looking for an alternative to a brushcutter. A brushcutter is essentially a mechanical scythe. It is a great heavy piece of machinery that needs to be operated with both hands and requires its user to dress up like Darth Vader in order to swing it through the grass. It roars like a motorbike, belches out fumes, and requires a regular diet of fossil fuels. It hacks through the grass instead of slicing it cleanly like a scythe blade. It is more cumbersome, more dangerous, no faster, and far less pleasant to use than the tool it replaced. And yet you see it used everywhere: on motorway verges, in parks, even, for heaven’s sake, in nature reserves. It’s a horrible, clumsy, ugly, noisy, inefficient thing. So why do people use it, and why do they still laugh at the scythe?"

"To ask that question in those terms is to misunderstand what is going on. Brushcutters are not used instead of scythes because they are better; they are used because their use is conditioned by our attitudes toward technology. Performance is not really the point, and neither is efficiency. Religion is the point: the religion of complexity. The myth of progress manifested in tool form. Plastic is better than wood. Moving parts are better than fixed parts. Noisy things are better than quiet things. Complicated things are better than simple things. New things are better than old things. We all believe this, whether we like it or not. It’s how we were brought up."

Read more: "Dark Ecology, searching for truth in a post-green world", Paul Kingsnorth, Orion Magazine. Image source.

Nubian Vaults

2013-03-05T21:54:47+01:00

"The Nubian Vault technique is an age-old method of timberless vault construction, originating in upper Egypt. It uses only earth bricks and earth mortar. Nubian vaults built over 3,000 years ago at the Ramesseum mortuary temple, Luxor, are still standing. During the last ten years, Association La Voûte Nubienne (AVN) has successfully introduced a simplified, standardised version of this ancient technique in Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, and Zambia. This standardised technique is:

Ecologically sustainable - no corrugated iron roofing sheets, nor timber beams, rafters, or supports;

Carbon neutral - none of the construction materials are manufactured, or transported long distances, nor do any trees need to be cut down;

Economically viable - only locally available raw materials (earth, rocks, and water) are used, favouring local economic circuits and self-sufficiency;

Comfortable - due to the excellent thermal and acoustic insulation properties of earth construction;

Durable - NV buildings have a far longer lifetime than those with corrugated iron and timber roofs, and maintenance is simple;

Modular - applicable to a wide range of buildings (houses, schools, healthcentres...), of different styles (flat terrace roofs, two-storey buildings, courtyard buildings...), which are easily extendable;

Vernacular - incorporating tradtional practices and aesthetics of earth architecture.

The major cost element in using the Nubian Vault method is labour, often provided by family members and neighbours on an exchange / barter / self-build basis, thus keeping cash in the local economy; the raw materials (earth, rocks, water) are locally available and ecologically sound; construction with mud bricks and mortar is traditional in the Sahel region - the innovation of vault construction can easily be incorporated into existing practice."

More information, including building guidelines and house plans, at "La Voûte Nubienne" (website in English and French).

Previously:

Tiles as a substitute for steel: the art of the timbrel vault

The Sustainable Urban Dwelling Unit (SUDU)

Timbrel vaulting in South-Africa by Peter Rich Architects

Timbrel vaulting using cardboard formwork

The Culticycle: a Pedal-Powered Tractor

2013-02-13T18:34:11+01:00

"The Culticycle is a pedal powered tractor that can cultivate, seed, spray, or pull gear for most low horsepower tasks. Small tractors do many jobs very well and very fast, but also consume fuel, compact soil, cost a lot, and cause physical damage to the operator -– mainly spine and joint problems. Many of their jobs could be done, slower but better, by human pedal power.

This prototype consists of:

the front ends of 2 bikes welded together at 42” on center;

a lawn tractor differential mounted in a unistrut rectangle for a rear end , with 3/4" round axles and 20” ATV tires;

a bike frame welded above the rear end with motorcycle sprocket and chain driving the differential (a springloaded idler tensions the chain);

a belly mount lift to hold cultivators, seeders, etc.;

a bike handlebar, separate from the bike frame and joined to the front end, steering the front wheels.

The materials are rebar, unistrut, landscape rake tines, and parts from bikes, an ATV, and a lawn tractor. It attempts to show that human pedal power can do some jobs of small tractors, albeit in twice the time, and that the design can be simple enough that no extra weight is needed for traction. The effort required is similar to climbing a 10 degree slope on a seventies Schwinn 3 speed. This prototype was built for testing: a more easily buildable version is in the works."

Found at Farmhack. This is begging for an open modular approach. Thanks to Tim Cooke.

How to Plant an Iroquois Garden

2013-02-06T00:35:09+01:00

"According to Iroquois legend, corn, beans, and squash are three inseparable sisters who only grow and thrive together. This tradition of interplanting corn, beans and squash in the same mounds, widespread among Native American farming societies, is a sophisticated, sustainable system that provided long-term soil fertility and a healthy diet to generations."

"Corn provides a natural pole for bean vines to climb. Beans fix nitrogen on their roots, improving the overall fertility of the plot by providing nitrogen to the following years corn. Bean vines also help stabilize the corn plants, making them less vulnerable to blowing over in the wind. Shallow-rooted squash vines become a living mulch, shading emerging weeds and preventing soil moisture from evaporating, thereby improving the overall crops chances of survival in dry years. Spiny squash plants also help discourage predators from approaching the corn and beans. The large amount of crop residue from this planting combination can be incorporated back into the soil at the end of the season, to build up the organic matter and improve its structure." Read more: 1 / 2 / 3.

Self-Trimming Wingsails

2013-02-01T21:54:54+01:00

"Since the invention of aircraft, a similarity has been noticed between the operation of sails on boats and the function of wings of aircraft. Sails on boats provide thrust in a horizontal direction derived from moving air, and wings on aircraft provide 'lift' in a vertical direction to support a plane in the air, also from moving air (relative to the plane). In order to fly, wings had to have a certain degree of efficiency, and some experimenters have realised now that aircraft-type wings could be used on a boat and would be more efficient than sails."

"Having tested wings on boats in place of sails ('wingsails') designers noticed another feature used on aircraft that would be useful to use in conjunction with wingsails – controlling the wingsail with another smaller surface mounted behind or in front of it (a 'tail'). There are many examples of tails used to control the direction of bodies both in the water and in the air, and aircraft use them to adjust, to a precise degree, the lift or (angle of attack) of their wings."

"If a tail is used attached to a boats’ wingsail, it can adjust the wing perfectly to every small change of wing direction, in this way relieving the sailor of this task, which is mostly guesswork and at best very approximate, and it can perform that job much better than any sailor can do. Such a wingsail/tail combination is referred to as a self-trimming wingsail."

Read more: 1 / 2.

Classic Italian Racing Bicycles

2013-01-29T03:21:13+01:00

The Vintage Italian Racing Bicycle Pool on Flickr has more than 1,000 pictures. Above: De Rosa, 1973, by classic8tubes. Related: Cars, out of the way.

Sand-Powered Water Wheel

2013-01-27T23:35:18+01:00

"Out in the Bodie mining district, California, they have a peculiar motor in use. It is called an arastra, and consists of an overshot wheel operated by sand instead of water. A windmill runs a belt containing buckets, which carry the sand up to a big tank, just as grain elevators carry wheat in a flouring mill. A stream of sand is let out upon the overshot wheel and it revolves just as it would under the weight of a stream of water. The arastras move steadily at their work. When there is much wind, sand is stored up for use when calm weather prevails, so the arastras are never idle. It is perhaps needless to say that the sand is used because water is scarce. The arastra is an invention of a miner named Townsend."

Quoted from: The Manufacturer and Builder, Volume 0016 Issue 2 (February 1884).