Wednesday, December 14, 2011

January Purely Post & Beam Registeration Deadline Fast Approaching

You know you want to learn how to timber frame! Whether you build a dog house, barn or dream home this one-week long class will be a great way to help you prepare. It is also a fabulous way to unwind after the hectic holidays . . . not to mention getting you off the couch! Join us for five days of Purely Post and Beam January 22-27, 2012 Learn egnineering and beam sizing calculations, architecture and the craft of laying out and cutting the joints. Sign up today -- the deadline for registering is this coming up!

Register for the Purely Post & beam Class January 22-27, 2012

Thursday, December 8, 2011

This Saturday! Shelter's Tool-a-Palooza Holiday Sale



This Saturday! 
December 10, 2011 9:00-3:00
Join Us for Our Annual
Open House and Sale

Still trying to decide if you're coming to Shelter this weekend for our Tool-A-Palooza? Here's a preview of some of what you'll see:


Here's more of what you'll find at Shelter's Tool-A-Palooza:
  • 20% off in-stock items
  • Sidewalk Sale with deep discounts on overstock items as much as 60% off
  • Free refreshments
  • Door prizes
  • Demonstrations and show room with displays
As always we'll offer free beverages, treats, and door prizes! Admission is free.

If you cannot make it to the sale, it is available at Shelter Tools onlineSaturday only. 

If you saw it in the store and can't find it online, we will accept phone orders during the sale hours on Saturday, 9-3 Eastern. 

Sidewalk items available in person only. The discount does not apply to timber frames or class tuition.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Tool-a-Palooza Holiday Sale December 10th


Saturday December 10, 2011
9:00-3:00
Join Us for Our Annual
Open House and Sale
  • 20% off in-stock items
  • Sidewalk Sale with deep discounts on overstock items
  • Free refreshments
  • Door prizes
  • Demonstrations and show room with displays

Again this year, we are excited to announce that our classroom will be filled with some of our favorite suppliers, builders, and woodworkers demonstrating exciting tools, products, and techniques. We'll have the Shelter Design Build crew assembling a Timber Frame Entry, local carver Ed Beech will give a carving demonstration, and Ken Hatridge of Tree Trunk Design will offer a wood turning demonstration. Our Tormek Sharpening System will be set up, and we’ll provide free sharpening demonstrations. We’ll also have chainsaw sharpening and hand-hewing demonstrations. Some vendors will be on hand, including Sunmar Composting Toilets and Vermont Castings Wood Stoves.

Design author Carol Bass will here to sign books and offer free 15-minute design consultations (first come first served). Christy Hemenway of Gold Star Honeybees will be showing her bee hives and discussing up-coming bee-keeping classes. Ben Tipton of Simple Living will be discussing his upcoming workshop on downsizing and simplifying your lifestyle and more.

Stop by for a cup of hot coffee or cocoa, sit by the woodstove and peruse our photo collection of houses that we’ve built over the years, or take a hike along the beaver pond!

As always we'll offer free beverages, treats, and door prizes! Admission is free. The tool store will offer up to 20% off of in-stock items only, and we'll have a sidewalk sale on the deck with overstock items marked down as much as 60% off.

If you cannot make it to the sale, it is available at Shelter Tools onlineSaturday only. 


If you saw it in the store and can't find it online, we will accept phone orders during the sale hours on Saturday, 9-3 Eastern. 


Sidewalk items available in person only. The discount does not apply to timber frames or class tuition.

Friday, September 30, 2011

Wonderful and Interesting Toys from France

By Rebecca, Shelter Tools Staff

Founded in France in 1972, Moulin Roty began as an experiment in communal living. Thirty friends decided to live and work together to renovate an old, run-down farm. Within 3 years they had converted the barns into workshops and produced their first two toys: a simple wooden car and a soft cloth doll. Growing from these humble roots, Moulin Roty is now an international company offering over 500 different toys. In 1980, they acquired SCOP (Société Cooperative et Participative) status, which means that their 40 employees are also their majority stockholders. Not only do Moulin Roty employees own more than 51% of the company, each stockholder—no matter how much their individual stake—only gets one vote at stakeholder meetings.

The beautiful, timeless toys that Moulin Roty makes can be hard to find on this side of the Atlantic. Because all of their products are designed and made in France, everything has to be imported to the USA. But it is certainly worth the trouble. Moulin Roty’s most popular toys are just like the first two they made in 1975—whimsical cloth dolls and sturdy wooden toys of all sizes. Yet the French toy company has expanded beyond just these two categories and currently makes everything from clothing, rugs and quilts to music boxes, tiddlywinks, and full-size cribs. Indeed, Moulin Roty makes something for children of all ages.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Shelter at the Common Ground Fair


Come and visit Shelter at the famous Common Ground Country Fair in beautiful Unity, Maine (map) September 23, 24, and 25.

The Common Ground Fair is sponsored by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA). Like most county fairs, it will feature lectures, demonstrations, and all kinds of entertainment. How is it different? Of course, it features wonderful organic producers (like our friends at Hatchet Cove Farm). And to quote the MOFGA website:
If you’ve ever been to the Fair, you know — and if you haven’t been, anyone who has will tell you — it’s an event like no other, that brings together so many people from so many walks of life, all in the spirit of celebrating the rural and agricultural traditions of Maine.
Shelter will be displaying great woodworking and backwoods tools including Japanese saws, Flexcut carving tools, woodturning tools, the Tormek Sharpening system, froes, saws, and an assortment of woodworking and building books. We'll also have a great selection of composting toilets, backyard composting units, and composting tools.

Shelter will be in the "Farm and Homestead" section of the fairgrounds (map). You won't be able to miss our booth at the show, which will feature a gorgeous 8' by 8' timberframe in douglas fir. It demonstrates through tenons, trusses, wedges, and birdsmouth joints.

More information about the fair can be found on the MOFGA website. There's a lot of admission details, so be sure to plan ahead and check out the website.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Dealing with Fallen Trees and Branches

Silky Sugoi 360 Saw
Many of us in the eastern United States are cleaning up after Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene swept through the area.

Shelter was without power until Thursday, but many others are dealing with far greater damage. Our neighbors in Vermont were hit hard by the storm. We hope things are soon returned to normal.

After a big storm, we see a lot of customers coming in to Shelter looking for good saws for cutting fallen trees and limbs. We carry a great selection of saws to get the job done.

In particular, our selection of Japanese hand saws are perfect for cutting large and small limbs. The Silky Sugoi 360 Saw is one of our favorites. It offers an aggressive cross-cut tooth pattern (5.5 teeth per inch). The precision-ground, razor-sharp teeth with four cutting angles provide extremely fast, clean, and smooth cutting action. Features include a hard chrome-plated, taper-ground curved blade with a non-set tooth design and a starter knife at the tip of the blade. The curved blade provides greater cutting speed with less effort. The large and comfortable sure-grip handle gives strength and flexibility to the full length of the saw. It also comes with a scabbard that can be attached to a belt or leg, and (as with most of our Japanese hand saws) the blade is easily replaceable. Shop for more saws on our website or read more about Japanese hand saws on Shelter Blog.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Maine Writer Blogs about Post and Beam Course

Maine writer J. Marsha Michler wrote an extensive post on taking the winter 2011 Purely Post and Beam class with Gil Harris on their blog, "The Existential Gardener." It's a great overview of what it feels like to take the week-long class. There are new tools to learn, old skills that need dusting off, and it's lots of fun.

In particular, I like the photos of the bloggers at work on cutting beams, sharpening chisels, and the class assembling the frame. Here's an example of Gil finishing a tenon from their blog.


"The Existential Gardener" blog chronicles "the experiences and recipes" and "other related stuff" of their all-season organic garden. A recent post offers a recipe for green bean casserole that looks delicious. Please visit and subscribe to their blog.

If you're inspired by Gil and Marsha and want to enroll in the next Purely Post and Beam class, we're currently accepting applications for our January 22-27, May 6-11, and September 24-28 courses.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Shelter at the Brunswick Outdoor Arts Festival This Saturday

Looking for something to do this weekend? Come and visit Shelter at the Brunswick Outdoor Arts Festival. We're raising a timberframe on the mall (i.e. the grassy area on Maine Street in the middle of downtown), and we'll also have lots of tools, books, and Shelter staff on hand. Downtown Brunswick is also a great place to spend your Saturday.

In addition to Shelter, there will be music, dancing, artists, and good food. More from the TimesRecord:
The Brunswick Downtown Association (BDA) will present its fifth annual Brunswick Outdoor Arts Festival on the sidewalks of Maine Street and on the Brunswick Mall from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

More than 100 artists and artisans are expected to take part in the juried art festival, which will feature painting, sculpture, mixed media,   graphics, drawing, photography and fine crafts.

Awards will be presented to the Best in Show, People’s Choice and Best in Category.

The festival also will offer theater performances, dance teams, mimes, weavers, and live music on a stage area in front of Bank of America on Maine Street.

JimmyJo and the Jumbol'Ayuhs will perform from 10 a.m. to noon. Swing a Cat is scheduled to perform from noon to 2 p.m., and Bits and Pieces will take the stage from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. 

Roving musicians will perform along Maine Street and on the Brunswick Mall. David Bullard will host a Maine Summer Songfest concert at the Brunswick Mall gazebo from noon to 3 p.m., with the Latin band Soundwavz, Shanna Underwood and Lauryn Hottinger.

Activities for children include face-painting, balloon art, interactive music with Sharon Pyne, juggling and hula hooping.

The Shelter Institute plans to raise a barn frame and provide an opportunity for visitor participation.

For more information, contact the Brunswick Downtown Association at (207) 729-4439 or visit www.brunswickdowntown.org.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Rebate Available for Flexcut Carving Tools

Flexcut, our supplier of fine carving tools, is offering two levels of rebates on all of their tools. The first rebate offers $5 cash back when you buy $50 in Flexcut products. Download the $5 rebate form here (PDF). The second rebate offers $10 cash back when you buy $100 in Flexcut products. Download the $10 rebate form here (PDF).

We carry an extensive collection of Flexcut tools at the Shelter Store. Their palm tools are excellent, and we carry the tools in sets or individually.

On our website, you can purchase the Skew Gouge Palm Set. The set comes with a shallow curve, deeper curve, left-skew, and right-skew gouge. Carving will never be the same with these four palm gouges. Reach into the inner right curves and the inner left curves to create symmetrical patterns and designs.

These gouges are sharpso sharp that FlexCut includes a box of Bandaids with each set as a gentle reminder to be careful!

The rebate is valid until July 2012. If you've made a recent purchase of a Flexcut tool, it will probably apply.

The Flexcut website also has some handy diagrams that show how to sharpen these tools. As mentioned above, they come really sharp from the factory, but once you use a really sharp tool (and notice the difference), you'll want to keep that edge maintained.

If you're new to carving, we sell a great two-part workbook on decoy carving, Decorative Decoy Carver's Portfolio (Series One and Series Two).

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Shelter is DownEast Magazine's Choice for Best Working Vacation

Shelter is featured in the July "Best of Maine" edition of DownEast Magazine. We're the Editor's Choice for Best Working Vacation. Here's what the editors had to say:
For some vacationers, lying on the beach just isn’t their definition of relaxation. The one- and two-week courses offered by the Shelter Institute represent a great way to enjoy the Pine Tree State and gain some valuable skills at the same time. The one-week Purely Post and Beam class, to be held August 7-12, teaches up to twenty-two students how to build a 24’x24’ post-and-beam cabin. (There were still a few spots open when we checked, but don’t wait to book your spot!) The class also gets to enjoy off-hours events like a lobster bake on the banks of the Sasanoa River. This might be one vacation you can actually claim as a deduction!
We're very honored to be recognized by such a fine magazine.

If you've already made summer plans, remember that Shelter offers classes year-round. (Visit our website to see our current schedule.) Summers in Maine are fantastic, but our winters are special. (If you don't trust us, read this essay in The Atlantic by Paul Theroux on the virtues of Maine winters.)

In the summer, students enjoy a fantastic lobster bake, campfires in the woods, and spend their free time sailing or kayaking. In winter, you'll have access to snowshoeing or cross-country skiing on the quiet trails around Shelter. We have a large indoor production facility at the Shelter campus, where the January Purely Post and Beam class builds a timberframe.

It's a great vacation, but it's also an extraordinary opportunity to learn valuable and life-changing skills.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Two-Week Design Build Class Highlights

Design Build students and their
cardboard model competition entry
This summer's two-week Design Build class ended recently. Students came from near and far to learn about a house as a complete system. Some will venture off to design and build their own home, others will engage with builders and contractors with a greater understanding of the building process, but everyone will leave with confidenceknowing more about the complex but understandable places we call home.

One of the highlights of this summer's class was an opportunity for some hands-on experience framing a 12 x 16 building in the woods near Shelter. (See photos of the students building the frame on our Facebook page. While you're there, "like" us to follow what's new at Shelter.)

Monday, August 1, 2011

Low VOC Waterborne Urethane Finish

H. Behlen Waterborne
Urethane Finish
By Rebecca, Shelter Tools Staff
Shelter is lucky to have many thoughtful and engaged customers. They know what they like and what they don’t like. Best of all, they are great at sending us their reviews, so we can pass their thoughts on to others. One such customer from the Virgin Islands recently called us, gushing about the Behlen’s Waterborne Urethane Finish we carry. She couldn’t say enough good things about the stuff—that it was ”really easy to use,” low on VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), environmentally-friendly, dried quickly, and created a harder, more durable finish than other finishes she had used.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Rebates, Water, and Composting Toilets

Sun-Mar Compact
Composting Toilet
I read recently in the LA Times and on Mashable that Bill Gates is providing $41.5 million to universities in an effort to reinvent or revolutionize the toilet in the third-world. It's a noble and necessary effort. According to Mashable:
40% of the world’s population does not have access to flush toilets. One billion people defecate in the open. Each year, 1.5 million children die each year from diarrhea, many of which are preventable with improved sanitation. 
The foundation is prioritizing convenience and affordability in the solutions it considers. The toilets must be easy to install and cost no more than $0.05 a day to maintain. 
The second paragraph caught my attention. I know of a toilet that is convenient, affordable, easy to install, and costs nearly nothing to maintain. In fact, we sell them at Shelter. They're composting toilets, and they're used in thousands of homes, cabins, and boats.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Friends of Shelter Tools - Tree Trunk Design

Exquisite turned bowl by
Ken Hatridge of Tree Trunk Design
The collection of new and gleaming tools in our store is impressive. Holding a brand-new Lie-Nielsen block plane in your hand, you see it both as a tool with great potential and as a thing of man-made beauty. But a tool is meant to be used, and some of the tools purchased at Shelter are in the hands of skilled master woodworkers who produce a variety of heirloom-quality work.

Ken Hatridge, a former timberwright at Shelter, is the talented proprietor of Tree Trunk Design, maker of fine wood-turned products. (The photos included here are examples of his work.) I contacted Ken to ask him about his process and wood turning.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Island Project Photos

Ethan and Pat prepare for landing
At Shelter, we specialize in providing building services to island clients. We love working with these pioneering spirits who are up against some of the most difficult conditions (in terms of building a home, maintaining it and living there). The islands offer a different pace, solitude and a difference in philosophy. We honor those fearless enough to face the elements to fulfill their house dreams.

There's a lot of planning and preparation involved before you cut your first piece of timber. And, as you might imagine, getting building materials to an island is no simple task. Once you land on the island, there is often no lumber yard, usually no electricity and sometimes not even a road. If you are short even a handful of nails, it can sometimes stop the whole project in it's tracks. Careful planning is our most valuable tool when site access is more challenging than the actual build.

The Shelter crew recently built a 24x36 hemlock frame with a 20-ft wide dustpan dormer on Gay Island, which is off the tip of Cushing between the Back River and the St. George River.

The site was very difficult to access, but with the right equipment we managed to build the frame in ten days despite torrential downpours, the crew camping in tents, and the challenges that the island site presented.

View photos of the crew on location via our online photo album.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

A Few Spots Left for Two-Week Design Build Class: July 11-22

Need something to do during your July vacation in Maine? There are a few openings left for our July 11-22 Design Build class. Call us today or register online.

Our August Purely Post & Beam class is full and closed to new registrations, but you can register online now for our one-week Purely Post & Beam winter session (January 22-27).

Why should you take a Design Build course? Building or renovating a home involves so many decisions. Our Design Build course gives you the foundation for making those complex decisions. More than 20,000 women and men have taken this continually evolving course. The class is carefully crafted to teach building concepts from site planning through foundations, alternative energy, value, framing, wiring, plumbing, insulation, weatherization, roofing, and more to foster the ability to make wise judgments about the myriad alternatives facing prospective home owners today. Timber frame? Straw bale? Truss? Air Concrete? Foam? Stone? Steel? Photovoltaics? Stick frame? Which one, where and why? What works, what makes it work better, where does the truth lie?

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Father's Day is right around the corner . . .

Are you shopping for neckties this weekend for dad? Don't settle for a boring Father's Day gift. Get dad a tool to help him get the job done right. We've got a great selection of tools and products for every dad from woodworkers, builders, boaters, cooks, to dreamers.

The funny thing that happens as we get older is that the people in our life seem to multiply exponentially. Now, as I think about Father's day, I also think of my husband (the father of my two beautiful girls), and my brothers, and my cousins, and my uncles, and some of my great friends who are dads. My Dad is incredibly special to me, but all of those dad's out there who aren't mine are pretty amazing too. Sometimes I end up picking up a bunch of little things just for those other great dads. So if I don't get you on my list this year, type in DAD on your next order by June 20 and we'll take 15% off your online purchase. (We'll apply the discount when we process your order.) 

Here are a few of our favorite new items. Prices start at $8.95! If you don't see the perfect gift here, then please email or call us for ideas. We hand pick and use all of the products we sell, so we are bound to have something that will make your Dad's Day GREAT!

Friday, June 3, 2011

Environmentally Friendly Milk Paint

By Rebecca, Shelter Tools Staff

We get lots of interesting requests here in the Shelter Tools store for products, but one of the most common items asked for is milk paint. After discovering the Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company at a trade show, the store can now enthusiastically answer, “Yes!” when someone comes in asking for the product. But what the heck is this stuff?

Milk paint—distinguished by its lack of sheen and flat, coarse look—has been around for a very, very long time. It was very commonly used in Colonial America and is called for in many reproduction projects. However, it actually covers the oldest known painted surfaces in the world, including some of the artifacts found in King Tut’s tomb. It is so durable and colorfast that your great, great grandchildren and their kids will be able to enjoy it too. The paint’s two main ingredients—milk and lime—were readily available during the era (many communities had local lime pits). A protein in the milk, casein, reacts with the hydrated lime to create a solution that adheres well to porous surfaces and then hardens. As an added bonus, the alkaline lime works with the acids in the milk to create a chemically neutral mixture.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Find Your Perfect Maine Home

For many years, Midcoast Realty has been a partner in buying and selling properties for clients in the Midcoast region of Maine. We're still going strong, but we're now called Shelter Realty.

Shelter Realty specializes in helping buyer clients identify their needs and find just the right property. We'll help you find the right piece of land suitable for building or a fine and livable home.
Timber Frame beauty in Georgetown, ME
Call or email Shelter Realty with your parameters, and we will be pleased to consult with you about your options.

Potential clients or students who want to list their precious home or land will find a dedicated advocate for their investment.

For a complete list of Shelter Realty listings, visit our current listings page. Shelter represents sellers throughout the Midcoast Maine region.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Vernal Pool Setbacks

Topsham, Maine Vernal Pool
Photo from Maine Association
of Conservation Commissions Website
In Maine there is a heated debate roaring about changing construction setbacks for vernal pools. A vernal pool (sometimes called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools) "are temporary pools of water. They are usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe development of natal amphibian and insect species." (Wikipedia) A bill that would allow development closer to vernal pools drew enthusiastic support from landowners and strong opposition from environmentalists Monday at a hearing before the Legislature's Environment and Natural Resources Committee.

The current regulation requires a setback of 250 feet. That number is under constant critique, making for exciting and sometimes even explosive conversations at cocktail parties and social gatherings. (Well, at least at the social gatherings we attend.) The bill proposes dropping the setback down to 75-feet. A summary of the legal language on the bill itself is... "This bill changes to 75 feet the setback for significant vernal pool habitat, high and moderate value inland waterfowl and wading bird habitat and shorebird nesting, feeding and staging areas. It also provides a mechanism to compensate landowners for the property value losses incurred as a result of more stringent setback regulations."

Friday, May 13, 2011

Housing Industry Changes on the Horizon

By Blueberry Beeton, Real Estate Broker

High-priced homes may be harder to obtain
Over the last 6 months I have seen more real estate activity than I have in the last six years! Perhaps it's a sign of people being sick of waiting, or maybe it's an anomaly to the Midcoast area of Maine or just to my own practice. It is exciting—people are ready to build additions, purchase new land, move into their dream homes. But they are being put through the wringer to get their loans processed.

It is more important than ever to research your loan options and build up your credit. If you are looking for a construction loan, having your plans really well defined and an itemized list of costs as well as a clear time line is more critical than ever.

Housing Industry Changes on the Horizon

By Blueberry Beeton, Real Estate Broker



High-priced homes may be harder to obtain
Over the last 6 months I have seen more real estate activity than I have in the last six years! Perhaps it's a sign of people being sick of waiting, or maybe it's an anomaly to the Midcoast area of Maine or just to my own practice. It is exciting—people are ready to build additions, purchase new land, move into their dream homes. But they are being put through the wringer to get their loans processed.



It is more important than ever to research your loan options and build up your credit. If you are looking for a construction loan, having your plans really well defined and an itemized list of costs as well as a clear time line is more critical than ever.



Friday, May 6, 2011

Shelter Classes Qualify for Education Tax Benefits

If you've recently filed your 2010 tax return, you might be thinking about how to offset some of your tax burden next year. One way is to take advantage of tax credits or deductions for tuition and fees paid for courses taken at accredited educational institutions.

The two-week Design Build class (July 11-22) and the one-week Purely Post and Beam class (August 7-12) at Shelter are accredited through the University of Southern Maine and would qualify for some tax benefits. For example, the Lifetime Learning Credit provides a credit for 20% of your tuition and fees (40% for students coming from Midwestern disaster areas). More information about tax benefits for education expenses can be found on this IRS web page or from FinAid.org.


Friday, April 22, 2011

Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) Make Good Sense

When we talk about the buildings we make at Shelter, one of the most frequently asked questions is, "What is a SIP?"

Stacks of SIPs before installation
The first time I saw a Structural Insulated Panel (SIP), I thought it looked like an ice cream sandwich. That's essentially how a SIP is made: EPS (expanded polystyrene) insulation laminated between sheets of OSB (oriented strand board). SIPs are not new to the homebuilding market. Fine Homebuilding notes that SIPs have been used since the 1940s.

Why do homebuilders, including Shelter, use SIPs in construction? As Fine Homebuilding succinctly points out, "[s]tructural insulated panels make stronger homes that go up faster and reduce energy bills dramatically."

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Northeastern Woodworker's Show

Are you living or visiting the upstate New York area this weekend? Come check out Shelter at the 20th Annual Woodworker's Showcare in beautiful Saratoga Springs, New York!

The show, located at the Saratoga Springs City Center and put on by the Northeastern Woodworker's Association, will feature lectures, demonstrations, and all kinds of examples of fine woodworking from across the region. Shelter will be displaying great woodworking tools including Japanese saws, Flexcut carving tools, woodturning tools, Veto ProPacs, the Tormek Sharpening system, and an assortment of woodworking and building books.

You won't be able to miss our booth at the show, which will feature a gorgeous 8' by 8' timberframe in douglas fir. It demonstrates through tenons, trusses, wedges and birdsmouth joints.

Woodworker's Showcase hours:
Saturday the 26th - 10am to 5pm
Sunday the 27th - 10am to 5pm

Admission:
Adults - $10
Children under 12 - Free

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

In the Doghouse

By Gaius Hennin, P.E.


We have been installing structural insulated panels (SIPs) for years (24 to be exact). When we first started, we would cut the window and door openings on site. At the end of each job, the customer would usually ask "What can I do with all these pieces?" referring to the large stack of window cutouts. Somewhat tongue-in-cheek, I'd reply that the scraps would make a heck of a doghouse.

Well, Amy and I now have three sons (6, 11, and 12), and I am always looking for a good project that the four of us can work on that allows me to impart the vast knowledge of carpentry my Dad has shared with me. Last spring I had a pile of SIP scraps taking up valuable real estate in our shop, and I found myself saying, "What can I do with all these pieces?" Then I found myself thinking "These scraps would make a heck of a doghouse."

A project was born.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Energy Audit of a Shelter Home - Part II

By Gaius Hennin, P.E.
 
Last month on this blog, we shared with ShelterBuild readers details of a free class Shelter recently hosted on the subject of energy audits and energy efficient homes. Aaron Despres from Energy Solutions For Maine and Up-Country Building Inspectors, Inc. explained to the class three levels of energy audits you might receive from a commercial vendor and what you might expect from each.

Tipton Home
In this post, we'll share the results of an energy audit Aaron performed on the Tipton home, which we've mentioned previously on this blog. (You can also read about the Tipton's home and their goal of building a near net-zero home on their blog, Simple Living, where they describe the process of designing and building their home as well as the energy performance of the house.)

Shelter Design Build was responsible for the shell of the Tipton's home including the timber frame and structural insulated panel enclosure (from R-Control), Marvin doors and windows, and McElroy hidden fastener metal roof.

Aaron’s audit started with an exterior inspection of the home: checking the orientation of the home, type of siding, type of foundation (and lack or presence of insulation on foundation wall), roofing type and lastly checking for any indications of obvious envelope leakage. There is no such thing as a house built too tight, only inadequate ventilation.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Energy Audit of a Shelter Home - Part I

By Gaius Hennin, P.E.
 
Shelter recently hosted a class taught by Aaron Despres from Energy Solutions For Maine and Up-Country Building Inspectors, Inc. Aaron is a native of Harpswell, Maine and holds a Masters degree in Geology. He is certified as a Building Analyst Professional by the Building Performance Institute, #4380 * ASHI Associate, # 248862 * Member of MeCHIPS













In addition to the class, Aaron performed an energy audit of the Tipton home, which we've mentioned previously on our blog. (You can also read about the Tipton's home and their goal of building a near net-zero home on their blog, Simple Living, where they describe the process of designing and building their home as well as the energy performance of the house.)

Shelter Design Build was responsible for the shell of the Tipton's home including the timber frame and structural insulated panel enclosure (from R-Control), Marvin doors and windows, and McElroy hidden fastener metal roof.

In this first installment, we'll describe Aaron's class, and in a later post, we'll share the results of Aaron's energy audit of the Tipton home.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Past Students. Current Projects: Virginia Woodshop and Recording Studio

Shelter students come from all walks of life, but they are always interesting, thoughtful, and enthusiastic. Very often we’re asked what students at Shelter are capable of doing after taking our classes, so from time to time on the ShelterBuild blog, we profile Shelter Institute alumni and the various projects they've completed.

Gaius and the crew recently traveled to Virginia to help Gene and Chris assemble and raise a timber frame on their property in the Shenandoah Valley. Gene took the Design Build class in 1978 and the Purely Post & Beam class in 2004 and 2007. Building a timber frame has been a dream ever since. We interviewed Gene after the crew left to ask, among many things, how he finally realized his dream after thirty years of planning.

Tell me a little bit about the building project.  
We are building a two-story woodshop and recording studio across the driveway from our home in the Shenandoah Valley. Each level is ~ 1100 sqft. of workspace. We used two steel beams on the first floor to eliminate 2 posts to open up the working space for larger projects. Equipment in the shop will include 2 table saws, jointer, planer, shaper, band saw, lathe—essentially capable of building almost any type of project. The second level includes an open recording area ("live" room) with roof peak at 18', a fully equipped control room, vocal booths and a lounge area.

Monday, January 31, 2011

The Golden Rules of Finance No Matter What the Market Climate Holds

By Blueberry Beeton, Real Estate Broker

Shelter Realty, formerly Midcoast Realty, continues to provide clients with thoughtful and clear guidance to both buyer and seller clients in this turbulent market. Recent transactions include owner builders, foreclosures, custom timber frame homes, 200-year-old homes revived to be put on the market, raw land and more. With all of these come the abrupt starts and stops caused by lenders. This is a market where buyers and sellers alike have to hurry up and wait regardless of their particular debt-to-income ratio or property value. The climate of lending and borrowing money has gone through tremendous transition in the last five years and continues to evolve. However, no matter how a loan is packaged there are some golden rules that seem to be timeless.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Friends of Shelter Tools - Margonelli Fine Furniture

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever.
- from "Endymion" by John Keats

The collection of new and gleaming tools in our store is impressive. Hold a brand-new Lie-Nielsen block plane in your hand, and you see it both as a tool with great potential and as a thing of man-made beauty. But a tool is meant to be used, and many of the tools purchased at Shelter are in the hands of talented woodworkers who produce a variety of heirloom-quality work.

David Margonelli began making furniture on his farm in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine in 1971, and he now operates Margonelli Fine Furniture, a three-person shop in Edgecomb, Maine.

The Margonelli website describes the serpentine bench (pictured at right):

The flexure furniture idea was conceived in 1994 when commissioned to build a bench on which to sit and hold a drink. Out of this need to combine seat and surface came two small curved tables that would fit together as one; one with a cushion, one with a glass top. Over the years, while working with this concept other pieces were designed; a dining table that could seat as few as two or as many as ten, chairs designed to serve as individual seating or when combined can become a bench. Three years ago these ideas formalized into a line of furniture that would be extremely functional and accommodate open format and smaller spaces with fluid lines and figured woods.
Take a look at the beautiful pieces David and his team have conceived on the flexure theme. Contact them, or, even better, visit their showroom in Edgecomb, Maine, Monday through Saturday, 10-5.

From time to time, we'll feature more Friends of Shelter Tools here on the blog. It's our small way of saying thanks for sharing with us your quality work and being a patron of Shelter.

Friday, January 14, 2011

The Woodworker's Show


Jennifer, Blueberry and Pat arrived on Thursday afternoon, assembled the 10x10 timber frame and set up for the show. We're having a great time catching up with past students and clients and meeting perspective students, clients and customers. The Woodworking Show has a great collection of vendors with both hand and power tools to try and see. We have door prizes, japanese handsaws, chisels, slicks, books, finishes, gouges and much more avaliable for purchase as well as timber frame demos scheduled for Saturday and Sunday morning.

Below are shots of our booth on Friday afternoon -- what a whirlwind weekend!






Thursday, January 13, 2011

Don't forget! Visit Shelter at the Woodworking and D.I.Y. Show

Shelter is an exhibitor at the New England Woodworking and D.I.Y. Show in West Springfield, MA. this Fri. Sat. & Sun.

We're going to raise a timberframe right on the show floor.

Tickets and more information are available online: http://cms.thewoodworkingshows.com/cms/Home/NewEngland/tabid/166/Default.aspx

See you there!