Author: George Crawford

archaeologist, archer, primitive technologist, and wannabee musician ... mostly

Pole Lathe

~ George Crawford ~ 5 Comments

LatheHere’s an image of Mick’s pole lathe where my bowl and plate were created.  It’s hard to see all the workings from this view but it’s a pretty great set-up.  Unlike a modern, continuous motion lathe, the cutting is done on the down-stroke (about 2 1/2 revolutions) and the spring returns the system to the “up” position.  This type of woodworking is done with green wet wood; in this case, alder.

Posing by the bowtop

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Youngsters in the bowtop.
Youngsters and the bowtop.

This is a beautiful painted bowtop next to a more modern caravan.  I suspect this image is from one of the large fairs in Britain but I can’t find information on it.  It looks like the ladies are done up in their finest for the photo.

This is part of a series of images, mostly Romany, Irish and Scottish Travellers collected from around the internet.  Many of these historic images found on the web are without citation.  When a clear link to a source is found, I try to include it.  If a source is known, please pass it on and I will gladly include it or remove it if necessary.

Travellers….

~ George Crawford ~ 6 Comments
A family and its dogs.
A family and its dogs.
This is part of a series of images, mostly Romany, Irish and Scottish Travellers collected from around the internet.  Many of these historic images found on the web are without citation.  When a clear link to a source is found, I try to include it.  If a source is known, please pass it on and I will gladly include it or remove it if necessary.

Ultra Minimalists, Part 4 – Modern Minimalism

~ George Crawford ~ 1 Comment
For the Ultra Minimalists, Part 1, click here.

Modern Minimalists 

Everything I Own: My 288 Things

By Joshua Fields Millburn

  • Life Tools & Accessories – 33 items, including my car, guitar, books, hairbrush, toothbrush, etc.
  • Consumables – 5 groups of items, including food, cleaning supplies, hygiene supplies, office supplies and paper goods
  • Kitchen Items – 19 items, including pots, pans, utensils, coffeemaker, toaster, oven mitt, etc.
  • Bathroom Items – 6 items, including my bathroom scale, rugs, trash can, shower caddy, etc.
  • Electronics – 10 items, including my BlackBerry, MacBook, Printer, iPod, etc.
  • Furniture  – 18 items, including my bed, couch, coffee table, desk, chairs, etc.
  • Decorations – 14 items, including decorative plants, artwork, digital picture frames, wall clock, etc.
  • Clothes (Miscellaneous) – 58 items, including shoes, socks, underwear, belts, gym shorts, coats, etc.
  • Casual Clothes – 79 items, including jeans, hoodies, T-shirts, button-down shirts, etc.
  • Dress Clothes – 50 items, including suits, ties, dress shirts, etc.

“That’s everything I own. 288 things. Count them if you’d like. The nicest thing about creating this list is that I actually use everything I own. There is not a kitchen item or a piece of furniture or an article of clothing that I do not use regularly. It’s an amazing feeling.”  Click here to read the full text of his excellent essay.

Next time: my move toward Minimalism and the search for balance.