Passive Solar Greenhouse Construction

Written by Gary on February 21, 2020

Having a constant supply of food grown yourself brings great satisfaction. Also, producing seedlings for your landscape needs in large quantities is kind to the budget. Being less dependent on food sources far from home saves shipping costs, store overhead cost, and YOUR time traveling to get food you need! There is great benefit in growing your own plants, including taste due to freshness of your own homegrown produce. Another is the nutritional benefit from food grown in your own greenhouse!

I thought I would start a new thread about another project I’m currently building. My REAL job has been keeping me occupied totally lately (designing new homes) and I’ve not posted in quite a while. Anyway, the plan is to build a greenhouse down here in Louisiana to take advantage of our mild winters. I hope to get it done this spring/summer so that I can begin seedlings for our yard, and then vegetables and citrus in the future. I just completed a concrete driveway, and had to wait until it was put in so that I could plant shrubbery in the right places. It just feels like the right time to take the plunge and just do it.

Passive solar design simply means that the greenhouse does not require an active heating system, such as electric or gas powered heaters. It uses the energy from the sun collected during the day and stores it inside mass, which in this case will be a concrete block wall and barrels of water alongside the wall. The heat will slowly be dissipated back into the interior area at night, keeping the temperature (hopefully) above freezing. If the temperature in my area stays below freezing for an extended length of time, I’m sure it will require some sort of additional heat source.

Here is the floor plan of the greenhouse:

Here is the way the front should look:

The upper windows will open for venting during the unbearably hot summers here. They also have screen on them to prevent predators from coming inside.

The rear storage room will be for my mowers and yard tools, as well as fishing supplies for my pond which is behind the building.

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My Norwood Bandsaw Mill

Written by Gary on January 19, 2017

INTRODUCTION

If someone is serious about building quality furniture, it is necessary to have access to a good supply of specialty lumber for projects. There is no better way to do that than by owning your own portable bandsaw mill. 

Here’s a picture of my Norwood Lumbermate 2000 bandsaw mill:

As I’ve said in other posts, I only became aware of portable bandsaw mills after visiting a friend of mine who owned one after I moved up into the country in north Louisiana. I was intrigued by it, and knew I had to have one in order to make myself an endless supply of lumber for all the projects I’ve always wanted to build. Owning a personal bandsaw, and being able to cut any tree that has been sourced locally opens endless possibilities for the woodworker.

By first owning the sawmill, a woodworker can then cut stock to build a dry kiln. I did just that, and the solar dry kiln construction is documented on another post. This is the best combination for a serious furniture maker that I could imagine. It has opened up endless possibilities of using locally felled logs that might otherwise go to waste. The majority of the logs I’ve used (and it’s into the hundreds that I’ve milled in the last few years) were given to me.

One thing about owning a mill though is that folks will get wind of your mill, and want you to saw up logs for them. If you want to do that, knock yourself out. Most sawyers get 50% of the logs, and this might serve you well. But for me, I just use what is given to me. I just don’t really have lots of extra time to saw for others. But on the other hand, I have done it for family (for FREE!!) Isn’t that a requirement somewhere?

One other point I want to make here. Many think that it is always necessary to buy items that are new. I’ve never been in that group. If I find something that will do the job that I need done, and the thing works, I can usually deal with things that can go wrong or wear out. This enabled me to get going on something while others would be held back bogged down in expenses. I try to pay as I go. I learned in school NOT to buy tools that you do not need. There is always a temptation to buy something on sale that will always sit on the shelf taking up valuable space. Getting going in woodworking especially is a field that allows for the purchase of used tools. Most have been built heavy duty in the past, and still have a lifetime of use in them as you come across them.

Finding a used bandsaw mill is not too difficult. Many folks want to upgrade to sawmills with more bells and whistles, and will gladly part with their old model. As I said, I found the same model my buddy had in the next state, and we went and picked the thing up. I got it for about half of what it was when new. That’s my point. Look around and be patient. You’ll eventually find one you can use.

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Building My Solar Dry Kiln

Written by Gary on January 14, 2017

INTRODUCTION

Being able to kiln dry your OWN lumber is a major benefit to a woodworker. This is especially true since many custom projects require species not available at box stores. Also, owning a kiln allows the furniture builder to use locally sourced lumber from logs which many times, are left to rot where they fall. Owning your own kiln is a necessity if you are fortunate enough to own your own sawmill. The potential projects can then become limitless with this powerful combination.

I only became aware of portable bandsaw mills about 10 years ago after moving into the country while visiting a friend of mine named Jimmy. His son had bought him one and had it shipped in a large crate to him. Assembly was definitely required! It took him over a month to get the thing set up. After I saw the thing in action, I knew I had to have one. If only I had one 30 years ago, I would have built many times the projects I’ve done!

Using rough sawn lumber that has not been kiln dried for indoor use is a BIG no no. It is necessary to have your lumber stock in the 6%-8% range of moisture content for the lumber to remain stable, and not move too much which can destroy a joint. Also, the bug larvae present in air dried stock cannot be tolerated. It is necessary to heat the wood in order to achieve a temperature over 135 degrees Fahrenheit to kill the larvae. Moisture meters are available on the internet, and all woodworkers should have one to check their project lumber.  This design heats up well over that temperature, and will pull out the moisture present in new rough sawn stock which can run up to 50%! The dry kiln will be a life saver to any serious woodworker who takes the time to build one.

About 7 years ago after finding a used Norwood Lumbermate 2000 in Mississippi a fellow had bought to saw logs knocked over from Katrina, Jimmy and I went down with a long trailer and brought it to my home in Louisiana. It soon became apparent that I needed a dry kiln in order to use the lumber for furniture. I had a buddy who lives near me named Wayne who has helped me along the way when things go south. He is a great friend, and someone I’ve grown to admire and turn to for all types of advice and help. He worked at the height of the NASA space program on computers in Huntsville, Alabama, and helped take us to the moon. His ability to figure out things mechanical is a trait that I hope to have rub off on me! I fall a bit short, but I’m STILL paying attention.

Anyway, he and a friend of his named Leroy, have figured out a solar dry kiln design that rivals many today. The system is basically a collector panel plenum which heats up with the sun’s rays. The air is circulated through the lumber stacks by a couple of simple fans. Additionally, a dehumidifier is added inside to collect the moisture drawn from the wood. There is no other heat source but the sun, and temperatures can reach in excess of 180 degrees Fahrenheit. It works extremely well here in the south. I built it about 5′ wide and a little over 17′ long in order to be able to fit 16′ boards into it. I also added a trailer hitch attachment in order to move it, although it has sat in place the entire time! I hope to move it to a different location soon though.

There are five access doors across the front. The two end doors are hinged, and the three center sections are removable. I just lean them onto the opened end doors as I’m loading and unloading lumber. Here’s a picture of the front of my kiln. You can see the extension cord plugged into a connecting receptacle on the end:

And a picture of the rear:

And here’s a picture of it with a load of walnut I recently dried for my brother’s new home. You can see the dehumidifier on top of the stack, as well as the two fans that blow down from above:

Here’s an overview video I made a while back:

The main idea here is that the sun heats the metal that has been painted black inside the plenum area between the rafters. If you’ve ever grabbed a black handrail that has been exposed to the sun, you know how hot it gets. That’s why the metal is painted black and facing up to the sun. The upper plastic roof panels trap the heat which then rises to the top attic, and is recirculated down into the lumber stacks by the fans.

I’ve used it for about five years now, and have never had any problems with it. The only thing that happened once was a major hail storm that went through. I had to replace the top plastic panels after that. I believe it cost me around $150.00 for the materials. Since all the boards cost me nothing but some time on my sawmill, as I recall, the materials I had to buy were around $450.00. That’s it! So, let me show you how I built my baby.

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Lumber Storage Shed

Written by Gary on January 13, 2017

INTRODUCTION

Providing yourself with a proper environment to store your lumber is an important addition to your building quality wood pieces. It is an effort to build a shed such as this, but it will provide a lifetime of security for your stock. Being able to select that perfect piece of walnut or oak immediately will always be a benefit to your passion for makings things from wood.

Having lived with stacks of lumber cluttering up my yard and garage for years, it was time to build a place to organize and store my accumulation. Having a sawmill as a hobbyist means that you eventually WILL need a place for extra pieces from projects, as well as a place to store unexpected lumber from logs that just seem to show up. Many times, logs will be offered from folks that know or learn of your mill. Many hate to see the logs they believe useful going to waste, and will gladly give them to you. And that means MORE LUMBER!

The first challenge for me (and doesn’t apply to large scale sawmill operators) was to design a structure that was easy to access. I lift my boards manually since I do not own a fork lift. That is also impractical for me at my home. I looked for lumber storage ideas all over the internet, and saw only a few that resembled the look I wanted. I finally came up with a system which provided strength, and good organization to meet my needs.

I wanted to be able to store lengths up to 16′, since I rarely cut anything over that length on my Norwood Lumbermate 2000. I began by laying out a 16′ x 16′-8″ design with 2 aisles. Each aisle would have stacks on each side. I’ll show you the finished product first, and then a few pictures showing how I built it. Now that it’s done, its only about one third full, with all of my different wood species and sizes available for immediate retrieval.

This is the finished shed:

As you can see, the front entrance doors lead to two aisles front to back, with shelves on each side. The shed is 16′ side to side, and 16′-8″ front to back. The glass area in my two flea market doors were perfect for allowing light into the storage areas. Both were found at the local Texas trade days flea market for $20 each. I cut the majority of the lumber for the shed on my sawmill. I ended up purchasing the 1″x4″ material for the shelves, since time was limited for me, and I wanted a consistent finished size of lumber to make the parts fit well.

Here’s a picture looking into the shed:

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My Home

Written by Gary on January 13, 2017

INTRODUCTION

Although this is not a piece of furniture, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at one of the larger projects I’ve been working on over the last number of years. I’ve built a number of homes through the years, and my latest incorporates more wood features than any to date.

After living in the city in a home we built in the early nineties, I decided to build my house up in the country on family land. It was a wise decision, since I was no longer bound by size or any other city restrictions. The home is based on a 12’ square grid, and is symmetrical. I enjoy the Craftsman style, mostly due to the use of many wooden design elements.

I built the home mostly myself.  My son Thomas and I laid out the home initially one summer on the land by a pond my father built and stocked with white perch before he died. It is still full of them, as well as large mouth bass. Here’s a photo from a little later showing the pond:

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Hammond Organ Cabinet Construction

Written by Gary on January 12, 2017

INTRODUCTION

This is the first project I’ve built inside my new woodworking shop. I hope to use this blog to present the things I build in order to encourage others to do the same. Making useful and practical things can benefit the builder for a lifetime, as well as the satisfaction of knowing you built it yourself. I will always try to take plenty of pictures to document the progress of my projects. I also will tell the problems I run into in order to save anyone the trouble of making the same mistakes! 

Like I’ve said before, I’ve played music my entire life. My formative years were the seventies, and I guess that’s why I enjoy playing classic rock so much. I grew up in church, so it was a natural for me to enjoy harmonies, and when I was 16, began playing in a group called Everybody’s Pillow with some college aged fellows. I started to show them harmony parts, and they were excited! We were able to put together a Beach Boy medley, which we became well known for playing in the south. We played from Florida to Oklahoma. We were booked months in advance due to demand for live music at the time, and made enough to support our passion of playing.

This brings me to the Hammond B3. When I was 15 years old, my father took me to Arnold & Morgan Music Company in Dallas, and signed for me to purchase a B3 and leslie 122. I was ecstatic! We had a gig at that time in my little group to play in St. Joseph, La. Three weeks after buying the organ on the way to the gig, my Dad’s pickup caught on fire and burned my baby up. The leslie was only charred on one side, and so remained functional. I was devastated. I had to pay the entire thing off for the next three years with payments made from playing.

The local music store got wind of my situation, and went overboard to help. They loaned me whatever equipment I needed to play jobs for the entire year following the fire. I think that speaks volumes of the time, and quality of support from our community. A year later, my Dad and I once again traveled to Dallas, and I bought a second B3. I still have that organ, and it works great.

The trouble today is, I’m older, and the fellows DO NOT want to help lift a Hammond B3 anymore. I don’t blame them. I’ve actually used a portable Hammond XK2 for the last number of years, hooked up to my 122 leslie. Many venues are still surprised when someone shows up with an actual leslie and not a simulator. It still makes me smile. But its still not the same thing as playing with the real thing. There is something about the Hammond Organ tone generator (TG) that creates that sound that digitally, to many folks, is not as full and deep. Also, sitting down with a B3 is a feeling that many keyboard players have yearned for, but cannot have due to the shear weight of the thing.

This was a lot to say in order to bring me to the point of this post. I know many have attempted to build a Hammond organ “chop.” Basically, most were on their own to design some sort of portable cabinet to house the Hammond tone generator, keyboard manuals, and preamp. Most leave MUCH to be desired, and do not give the feel of the real thing (although the sound is basically the same.) I was wondering if it might be possible to design and build a Hammond B3 cabinet reproduction that was portable. It would have to be able to break down and fit into 2 flight cases for portability, and be LIGHT enough to be moved and setup by one person (ME!)

After thinking about this for months, my new wood shop was finally completed at my home, and of course the first project was my bright idea of the portable Hammond. I think it will be successful. I wanted to show in this post, which I’ll continue to update as often as I can, the actual construction. In school, I learned a lot of procedures in woodworking, and this project is bringing back a lot of dormant memories for me, and certainly testing my limits. It HAS been a challenge, and so let’s see how it ends. You’ll be with me at each step as I learn how this thing was made.

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