The box seat on Puget Sound

by Peter O. Whiteley

Comfortable, inviting, and elegantly simple, this two-room, 380-square-foot pavilion on a wooded site overlooking Puget Sound sits, as juror Julie Eizenberg said, "like a Miesian couch on a hill." The spare, shed-roofed, light-filled building replaces a dark and decrepit old beach house on the same site, and even uses its original footings. The water-facing, side is aluminum and glass. A roll-up garage door at the center opens the shallow room to sea breezes and the sounds of lapping, water.

The bare-bones simplicity, of the interior resulted in part from a remark made by contractor Karl Krekow partway through construction. He mentioned to architects Tony De Jesus and Tom Kundig that the exposed studs and conduit reminded him of his grandfather's mountain cabin. Although the architects had intended to cover the interior walls with insulation and gypsum board, Krekow' s comment brought them up short, They liked the honest and unfinished look, and so they persuaded the owners to leave the interior wall structure exposed. which meant installing rigid insulation on the exterior beneath the cedar siding and roofing.

The main room features an antique wood-burning stove, a floor of weathered oak, a long built-in daybed facing the view of the sound. a small refrigerator and sink, and plenty of storage beneath the daybed.,a small bathroom at one end gives the cabin all the comforts of home. In fact. the owners lived in the building for six months while their main house was being constructed farther up the hill.

Jumper Cables for Automobiles, Motorcycles, and Electronic Devices

These Pico Jumper Cables are typical of those offered for sale -- a very handy 16' in length, 400 amp capacity (so they'll handle larger battery sizes), and extended jaws for use on side mounted battery posts. The cables won't tangle on you and the ends are color coded to minimize placement errors in low-light conditions. Again; that has never happened to me.



You don't need jumper cables that are 16' long if you are carrying them in your motorcycle tool kit; these will do nicely. The Motorcycle Battery Jumper Cables are a convenient 6 feet in length, 8 gauge heavy duty wire, and have sturdy, substantial alligator clips for secure clamping.



Here's a clever device -- the California Solar Access Folding Solar Panel Kit. Perfect for folks who spend lots of time far from civilization; boaters, hunters, campers, surveyors, and the like. You expose the 5 pound folding panel to the sun and charge the included 8 ah lithium-ion battery (very convenient for night-time power needs). The panel pulls in 40 watts of power to charge vehicle batteries, cell phones, computers, lights; anything with a plug. You get the panel, dc inverter, power point adapter, battery, and jumper cables. Good stuff.

Under the Roof Hang and Level Picture Hanging Tool

Raise your hand if you're completely lacking in any and all ability to hang a picture on a wall. Good. Now, if your arm is in the air, you're one of the people who has helped put the Hang and Level Picture Hanging Tool in the Amazon top 100 sellers in home improvement (#59 as of this writing).

The Hang and Level is a tool that facilitates the "so where do I put the hanger?" question of the picture hanging process. What you do is hook the picture to the tool, position it where you want it, remove the picture, and then press a litle button into the wall which leaves a mark right where you want to place the nail/hanger. It also has two built-in level vials for fine tuning.

The Under the Roof website tells us that their picture hanging tool has been mentioned in the New York Times and that it was awarded Outstanding Product at the '09 Hardware Show. We're sure the that tool is functional and in a way it's clever, but do people really need it? We just moved into a new place and over the past few weeks we've hung more pictures than the curator at the Louvre, and all we use is a tape measure, a pencil, and a little simple math. Works pretty well for us.

So we don't know. Maybe we're wrong, maybe this is the best idea since the cordless drill. Maybe everybody needs one. Or maybe we're all relying so much on gizmos, gadgets and technology that we can no longer do even the simplest tasks without assistance.

At Amazon

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Screwpop 4-in-1 Keychain Tool

Helloooooo stocking stuffer! Meet theScrewpop, or as we like to say, "SCREWPOP!" The SCREWPOP! is a little keychain gizmo that quadruples as a screwdriver (Philips and slotted), a 1/4" hex, and the obligatory bottle opener.

We've had things like this in the past and they seem to sit somewhere in between, "pretty cool," and, "have only used it once in four years." But still, you could do a lot worse for $5. And like we said, it would probably make a good stocking stuffer.

At Screwpop

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SEPTEMBER 24, 2009

Black & Decker MSW100 Ready Wrench

Our socket set is a mess. It's fine when it's sitting in our shop and we're the only ones using it, but the instant it enters the construction site, pieces start disappearing. It's like there are ratchet-eating elves living under the excavator or something. And oddly enough, it's always the most common sizes that vanish, so it doesn't take long for the kit to be rendered practically useless.

Black & Decker has come up with a new tool that might help the situation. The Ready Wrench is an interesting looking item that's sort of one-stop shopping for the 16 most popular socket sizes. Each end of the tool has a rotating piece with 4 different socket sizes. It looks like they get to the 16 number by including both SAE and the similar metric size, which actually aren't identical, so there's likely a little slop in 1/2 of the sizes.

This looks like a potentially handy tool. Probably more of a space-saver than anything else, or something for the DIYer who has no need for a complete wrench set. It reminds us of the space-age HK1 Adjustable Wrench that we reviewed way back in February. While the HK1 has a wider range of sizes (it's fully adjustable), the B&D looks easier to use on the fly.

The Ready Wrench costs about $30, which could be worth it if the tool has some durability to it.

At Amazon

A frontyard is crafted to match a Greene & Greene Craftsman home in Pasadena

A couple sought a landscape that looked as turn of the century as their 1906 chalet-style Craftsman known as the John Bakewell Phillips house.

October 03, 2009|Emily Young

Susan and Derek Pippert live in a classic Greene & Greene home in Pasadena that has always attracted plenty of admirers. But the old frontyard? Not so much. Only after the couple replaced that ho-hum rectangle of grass with a painstakingly detailed, Craftsman-style landscape did the garden do justice to the house.

The Pipperts once deemed Arts and Crafts homes too dark and dreary for their taste. But with three stories and more than 60 windows, the bright and cheerful 1906 chalet-style Craftsman known as the John Bakewell Phillips house changed their minds.

The couple, a foley editor for films and a stay-at-home mom, bought in 2006 and settled in with their two toddler daughters, content to leave the old frontyard as it had been: a lawn dotted with a few trees and hedges.

"It wasn't bad," Susan Pippert recalls. "It just wasn't great."

The following summer, a mature pittosporum tree died and fell, forcing the Pipperts to rethink the garden. That's when they remembered a magazine article about a charming Craftsman landscape in South Pasadena. The designer was Venice-based Gabriela Yariv, who coincidentally had been a childhood friend of Susan's sister.

Yariv cringed when she saw the Pipperts' ratty lawn and awkward brick path laid out in a right angle between the driveway and the front porch. "There was no pedestrian entrance from the sidewalk and a lot of flat, empty space, which made this tall structure look very imposing," she says.

To give the house a more inviting presence and to blend it into the surroundings, she told her clients: "You have a Greene & Greene house. Why not do it right?"

Yariv reenvisioned every aspect of the yard. Most important was the wide, serpentine brick path, built by Cliff Douglas of Douglas Masonry in South Pasadena, that is flanked by rugged granite boulders and two short stone pillars to welcome visitors arriving from the street. The pillars, also by Douglas, consist of rocks like those supporting the front porch and are topped with reproduction Craftsman lanterns to match the fixture hanging from the eaves.

With Greene & Greene's more famous Gamble and Blacker houses in mind, Yariv focused next on the large expanse of lawn, rounding off this one at the corners for a more natural-looking oval. Stones form rustic edging between the turf and less-thirsty beds, which are filled with the seasonal color the owners wanted and nods to the Asian influence on Craftsman architecture.

How to Replace Craftsman Tools

By eHow Contributing Writer

Many Craftsman tools come with a replacement warranty. Although there are exclusions, most hand tools are covered. According to Craftsman, the Craftsman Tool Warranty means, "They are guaranteed forever, unconditionally, no questions asked." Luckily for buyers, Craftsman actually stands by their warranty.

Instructions

1. Step1

   Be aware that not all Craftsman tools come with their famous warranty. Notable exclusions are bench tools, battery operated and electric tools, as well as precision measuring tools. Call your local Sears store to determine Craftsman tool warranty coverage for your particular case.

2. Step2

   You can have Craftsman tools, covered under the warranty, replaced by returning them to any Sears store or outlet. It's not necessary to have proof of purchase, or to return them to the same location they were originally purchased. You can buy a covered Craftsman tool in California, accidentally damage it, and return it for replacement in Maine without issue. See our Resources section to find a Sears store near you.

3. Step3

   Replace your Craftsman tool by bringing or mailing the covered tool to Sears and making a request for replacement. You will need to provide some minor information, such as name, address and phone. Depending on the type of damage, size of store and inventory level, they can either exchange it on the spot, or forward it to another location to fulfill the warranty. If you want forwarding, you must wait for your replacement tool.

4. Step4

   Make a note of the date you dropped off the tool on your calendar. You can get replacements within days, but if you hear nothing for two weeks, call the store to inquire about the status. When the new tool is available, return to the store to pick it up, or request that the store mail the tool to your home. Depending on the individual store policy, you may incur a small shipping charge for this service.

Fremont man crafts woodwork pieces

By Betsy Hansen/Tribune correspondent

Thursday, Dec 10, 2009 - 10:22:30 am CST

When somebody does something really well, is that person an artist or a craftsman?

The work Alfred Petersen does qualifies him for either definition.

His medium is wood, which he works into his own gifts. You see, Petersen doesn’t sell what he makes; he gives it away to those lucky enough to be a family member or friend.

Petersen and his son have been in the business of building homes in the Fremont area for a long time. It’s a family business that incorporates the talents of his son, who designs the houses and takes care of the office work, and his wife, who does the bookkeeping.

Petersen’s fascination with all things wood began at Fremont Junior High School when he had a teacher named Mr. Kildee for two days a week.

“I was fortunate that I had a great FFA teacher,” Petersen said. “We had shop two days a week. When I graduated from Fremont High School, I went to work at the crib and silo company. I have been a woodworker for 57 years -- everything from corn cribs to churches, schools, whatever needed to be built. Along the way I have had some really great teachers.”

His biggest give-away was picture frames to all of his customers. He estimates he has given away from 800 to 900 frames made out of anything from barn wood to walnut.

“About seven or eight years ago,” Petersen reminisced, “women started wanting step stools for the tall kitchen cabinets. I usually personalize them by asking a local artist to paint on them.”

Sometimes he lets them use their own ideas; sometimes he requests a special motif like birds for a bird-lover. Each thing he makes always contains a mouse’s’ tail. He tells the recipients to follow the mouse’s tail and find a smile.

The stools are finely made. Every piece is dovetailed into place. The stools he makes are safe, following the golden ratio — proportion of height to width to depth -- so that anyone using them won’t be likely to take a dangerous spill.

“I cut the dovetails by hand,” he said. “The details aren’t anything I invented. Dovetails have been a major way of holding things together for centuries. Some of the coffins found in the pyramids are held together with dovetails. They have discovered objects in Alaska that are over 5,000 years old held together with whale bones that have been dovetailed together.”

One of his current projects is making “Legacy Boxes” for his brother and three living sisters. He took the lids off the boxes and sent them to family members scattered across the country, asking them to sign or write a message. One lid has traveled to nieces and nephews from Houston to Berkeley, to Minneapolis and has signatures in English and in Chinese with one child’s name sprawled across the top with red marker.

“There are spaces to put all the memorabilia from the grandkids. One sister told him that whenever she feels a little blue, she opens the box and looks at the contents,” he said.

His great-grand nieces often help him in his workshop. Both Allysa and Faythe have learned how to work the tools.

“I told Faythe, who is 11, to design something,” he said.

She drew up the plans for a jewelry box and they made it together. There are drawers for bracelets and such. Two doors on the front of the small cabinet open to reveal spoked wheels mounted into the top to hold necklaces without tangling. The top of the chest lifts up and inside is a compartmented tray that also is removable.

“She made it with me,” Petersen said.

One of his newest projects is making rocking chairs. The chairs are more than the traditional assembly of wood parts. The chairs seats are carefully carved with a special electric tool to give the sitter a comfortable place to relax.

But it is the back that is truly unusual. No spokes here. Petersen glues two thin layers of ash slats and faces those slats with the exposed wood used to construct of the remainder of the chair. Then he bends the glued wood to a form until the wood has accepted the shape.

“Ash is the only wood that has a memory,” Petersen explained.

When one sits on the chair, the back gives slightly against the bones, making for a comfortable sitting.

When Petersen first came across the rocker, he wrote to the maker and asked for directions. The woodworker would not send them until Petersen had submitted a photograph of his work. Petersen passed the standards test and was able to buy the pattern.

Other projects include urns for ashes. He plans to ask a wood carver to incise praying hands on the side of the boxes. A cross has been affixed to the top of the urn.

All the cabinetry in the newly remodeled kitchen of their home is his work. Other examples of his craftsmanship are displayed in furniture pieces and other cabinetry -- most of it in a style called Stickley, a craftsman style popular in the 1920s.

Petersen is leaving a legacy, not only of chests, but of love in the objects he has crafted and given to those people who are important to him. He has no plans to retire, but if he would, “I might sell my rocking chairs on the Internet.”

With an artist like Petersen making them, they would be worth the price.

Craftsman puts scenes of Christmas on display

Willie Hutcherson started small, and village has grown over time
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
CHRIS KELLY staff AChristmas gift from Willie "Hutch" Hutcherson's son turned Hutch into a Christmas village set designer.

Willie Hutcherson puts a lot of thought and tender loving care into the Christmas village display that he sets up in his Freehold Township home every year during the holiday season. CHRIS KELLY staff

Eric Hutcherson, his wife, Linda, and his sister, Danielle Cherry, gave Hutch, a retired school principal who lives in Freehold Township, a ceramic Christmas building from the Department 56 collection for a Christmas gift 16 years ago.

"My dad always decorated inside the house for Christmas," Eric Hutcherson said, "and we thought it was a nice piece to complement the rest of his decorations."

Little did they know at the time that the gift would end up creating in Hutch a passion for designing his own Christmas village every year.

Hutch said he liked the first ceramic building he received, which was a coffeehouse, so he decided to add to his collection each year, creating different themes and scenes.

Willie Hutcherson, of Freehold Township, shows off his Christmas Village, a labor of love that has a different theme every year. CHRIS KELLY staff

According to Hutch, 16 years later the Christmas village has become so large that in order to accommodate even half of the collection he has amassed, he must move the furniture out of his living room.

"I have enough pieces and accessories for two rooms, but my wife has designated only one room for me to take over — the living room," he said with good-natured humor.

Setting up the village begins in earnest right after Thanksgiving and has become a tradition of the Christmas season for the Hutcherson family. It has also become a location for friends and family to gather during the holiday season to enjoy conviviality and a heap of Christmas eye candy laden with brilliant illumination and creative designs.

"Each year people come through to look at my dad's village," Hutcherson said. "My parents have a party for their friends and our family. Kids and adults love the village, but little kids are really mesmerized by the village. They love it."

Hutch's design is different from one year to the next. Although he uses some of the same buildings every year, he chooses a different theme, places the buildings in different places on the board and crafts a totally new image.

Anyone who looks at the village will notice the detail and hard work that goes into setting up the scene.

"It's a labor of love, though," Hutch said, and one that he looks forward to every November.

Hutch said he does not have a plan from year to year. When the time comes, he sits in front of his plywood base and thinks for a while about what he would like to see appear on what he calls his "blank slate."

All of his pieces are from Department 56's "Christmas in the City" collection. Hutch said he likes this collection the best because he said he relates to it and the city scenes are familiar to him and are something he enjoys working with.

Hutch's design this year includes replicas of the Empire State Building, the Ed Sullivan Theater, Radio City Music Hall (with the Rockettes) and Rockefeller Center, complete with skaters around a lit tree. Standing between 6 inches and 24 inches tall, the replica buildings create a "Town Square" with scenes of skaters and skiers in the background.

Hutch said children are especially fascinated by the small buildings and tiny figurines that make up the display.

He recalled only having enough pieces to fill a small table in the first few years he worked on his village.

"I decorated the scene with snow and at that time I really had more snow than pieces," he said. "Today I have to move the furniture out of the living room to make room for only half of what I own."

Hutch said he likes when people get joy out of seeing what he has created.

"I really love creating the scenes, but the most enjoyment I get is when it is all completed and I can share it with others and see their reactions," he said. CHRIS KELLY staff