Rich 
DIY Discussion, How To, Resources, Woodworking
Sketchup has become a favorite tool of mine. The free 3-D modeling is simple enough for an old carpenter like me to master after a few sessions. It’s a great way to visualize your design, …
Written by: Rich
I love cats. There, I said it. Cats are great animals! I don’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t have at least one cat sharing my home or workshop. However, even a …
Written by: Rich
DIY Discussion, Featured, Resources, Woodworking
Last summer, I ran across an article about two poets who were riding a tandem bike from Boulder, Colorado to Beloit Wisconsin. Along the way, they stopped in communities and helped build “Little Free Libraries.” …
Written by: Rich
Milwaukee. ICONIC. My youth was spent lugging red steel tool boxes, emblazoned with the lightning bolt logo, up and down innumerable flights of stairs in New York apartment buildings. The Sawzall is legendary, the Magnum …
Written by: Rich
Building Materials, DIY Discussion, Gardening, Green, How To, Resources
Have you ever admired those nice commercial-style high tunnel greenhouses? If you’ve checked the price, you know it can take some real money to get into greenhouses. But “four seasons gardening” pioneer Eliot Coleman has …
Written by: Rich
I must be dreaming. These brand-spanking new wire cutters say “Made in Germany” on them. Maybe I need to have my bifocals adjusted. Maybe I wandered into a Garrett Wade showroom by accident? A time …
Written by: Rich
DIY Discussion, Electronics, How To, , Resources
Makerspaces are a hot trend right now among the geek-tastic and the hipsterati. Never hear of a makerspace? Don’t feel bad, most of the world is in the same boat. But when you read more …
Written by: Rich
I’m may not be the sharpest chisel in the toolbox, but I’m no dummy. And neither are you! If I can understand solar technology, you can too! So rather than an “idiot’s guide” or “…for …
Written by: Rich
It’s a tough world out there in the tool Biz! As the legendary 90’s boy band “New Kids on the Block” taught us: Everybody’s always talkin’ ’bout who’s on top. Don’t cross our path ’cause …
Written by: Rich
DIY Discussion, How To, Resources, Solar
This fall, I had the pleasure of being a guest instructor at a small college here in Iowa. It’s not your average private liberal arts college, however. The Maharishi University of Management, or MUM for …
Written by: Rich