Saturday, February 8, 2014

On second thought, maybe I'll move to Finland

In a previous post I said that if my current job didn't work out I was going to move to Germany and become a Bavarian logger. But after perusing the internet I came up with another great video. (Link for phone and tablet users)


I want to join this crew of Finnish carpenters so bad it hurts.I could go on and on about the things I found fantastic about this video, but I will stick to the high notes.

1. Hewing an entire gable end wall before I die MUST happen.
2. I need to start cutting joints with nothing but a hatchet.
3. How cool are pegged floating floors?
4. I am going to Finland to get me one of those sweet axes!

P.S. Seeing as I have crazy O.C.D., I couldn't stop thinking about those great Finnish axes. So I did some research and found that there are pretty much two ways to get your hands on one. The first way - find a friend in Finland and have them go to any flea market and pick up a great vintage Billnas for almost nothing...and then pay a fortune in shipping costs to send it over state-side. The second way is to figure out a way to buy one from John Neeman Tools (see blog post here). It might be easier finding a friend in Finland, and I have a feeling that it would be a lot cheaper too.

P.P.S. I think it is poor blogging etiquette to have the P.S. longer than the blog.

P.P.P.S. Or having three post scripts.

P.P.P.P.S The End



5 comments:

  1. Most awesome video! I don't understand what was going on with the floor. It looks like they are insulating it from the ground. I wonder if this has something to do with preventing permafrost from thawing from the cabin heat?

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    1. I thought the same thing when I first saw the video. I don't really know the building needs for the Finnish climate, but insulation seems like the most plausible for the saw dust. I really like the use of natural materials throughout the build. Moss for caulking, birch bark for a ground vapor barrier, and saw dust for insulation, lots of great stuff. If only it were in English!

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  2. Yea, this is pretty much nuts. Minimal hand-saw use, driving and cutting pins with only a hatchet, nary a mallet between them, a boatload of jigs, reversing hewing handle to come at grain from different direction…WHAT? This is the very definition of "workmanlike". Thanks for sharing Jason.

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    1. Workmanlike indeed. These are some of the most awe-inspiring workman I have ever seen. How about the poles and rope they use to get the timbers onto the structure, efficiency at its finest. If only I worked round timbers :P

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  3. If you ever come over you can stay over at my place in Tampere.
    Love reading your blog. ( and yeah, the blue oak is ok-ish too ;-)

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