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Log building, Photos, Timber framing
Cool tools, wise words
05.04.10 | Permalink | Comment?

The other day my friend Mary came by and brought me a book she found. Her parents own an antique store and she helps them sell stuff on ebay. Sometimes she finds things she knows I’ll love, so she brings them to me. I have been carrying this book with me ever since she brought it over, spending any spare moments looking at the images and reading it over and over.

It’s not a very long book (110 pages), but there is tons of great information on historical tools, their uses, and their creators. It also talks a lot about the connection between a craftsman and his tools (and more specifically their handles), and how these days most tools and their handles are made from plastic and cheap metals, designed to get jobs done quickly – not well.

It also talks about how timber and log building styles are superior methods to modern stick framing (balloon or platform), not only because of the lasting craftsmanship but also because of the pride and effort that went into them.

Here’s one of my favourite quotes from the text regarding the difference between framing methods:

“A building pinned together with hand whittled wooden pegs? We don’t have to do that sort of thing today! But if we built for lastingness and for handing down to future generations we would do so, for wooden pins work much better than nails: they hold tighter, they don’t rust or rot the beams.”

The book also illustrates some different methods of making log notches, some of which I have never seen but would like to try.

The main focus of the book seems to be attempting to convince craftsmen to revert back to the ways of their forefathers, blaming modern society and mass production (as well as the laziness of man) for shifting the goal of most trades from creating beautiful, long lasting things, to making money as easy as possible.

“How poor and dishonest and ugly and temporary are the results of so many modern workers whose constant aim is more to make the most money from their profession instead of producing the most honest and beautiful and lasting things.”

I couldn’t agree more.

I find it weird that I share a lot of the same opinions at 29 – in 2010, as this 70 year old man had in 1963. I guess no one listened to him, because I feel everything has gotten worse than what he describes in the text, and craftsmen are getting further and further removed from their creations.

I wonder what episodes of Antique Roadshow will be like in the year 3000.

The book is titled A Museum of Early American Tools by Eric Sloane. There is a sample of it here on google books.
Cobra Classics, Photos
Cobra commemoratives
05.03.10 | Permalink | Comment?

The other day a friend of mine from high school asked if I had a photo of something from back when I had the shop, and his younger brother worked as our co-op student. It was from a day when we forced him to wear this nasty vinyl nurse outfit the previous owner (and all round trashy slut) had worn in some disgusting amateur porn with her pedophile (just my opinion) husband. The best part was that it was about 35 sizes too small for him. We made him wear it the entire day and took lots of pictures, but I was unable to find any on my external hard drive.

I did however find a ton of old photos that brought back some fun memories, and have inspired me to create a new Cobra category entitled: Cobra Classics.

I figured I would start it off with one of my all time favourite photos, of my oldest friend. This is Dallas in the hallway of the tattoo shop, shortly before leaving to work a shift at NuComm, using his calculator like a cellphone. I love this picture for lots of reasons. At the time I took it I loved it because I thought (and still do) it was hilarious. Now I look at it and it reminds me of a lot. It reminds me of how cool I thought piercings were at one time, and how much fun I had doing them on people I liked. It reminds me how awesome it was owning the shop sometimes, and how terrible it was others. And it reminds me how fun it was having a group of close friends around at all times, partying and doing stupid shit.

Next up is an example of just that. I was shocked to find this photo of 4 of my best friends, all together in the same place (which at one time was a regular occurance, but not so much these days) – partying at The Dudes.

This was taken by me at the Klopeks “Fundraiser Fiasco!”, which was held to raise money for the boys before they embarked on their first ever UK tour! I remember eating a bbq’d dill pickle for the first time ever that day (the Klopek version of a veggie dog) and loving it! It was also the infamous day the Deaner scratched El Dude’s Dakota – historic.

For those who don’t know that’s: SPK, The Dude, Shawnzarelli, and Ryan-O (complete with handlebar moustache).

Next up is another photo from the same era, which is also in the running for my all time favourite. This is my brother sloppy drunk, getting sloppier/drunker at a keg party we had in his apartment above the tattoo shop. The keg was bought by a friend because he lost a bet that he couldn’t quit smoking. This was the second or third keg party of that type, as many of our friends failed and we reaped the benefit!

I love this photo for lots of reasons: I love the beer stain on his shirt, I love that he’s drinking out of one of our Gram’s old Chex-Mix jars, I remember buying him that shirt he’s wearing, I remember telling him several times that the photo didn’t turn out and that he needed to drink more so I could take another one, and I remember how ghetto that apartment was, and how it seemed to bring the ghetto out of us.

And last but not least, is a photo I found of Jon from one of the first times we ever hung out, outside of smoking pot on our futon, and watching Stargate. We went bowling in Mississauga with a group of people, and I had tons of fun. I like this photo mainly because I don’t think Jon has had a haircut since it was taken, and also because I like when something reminds me of how I met someone.