[MR] Re: [Stellararts] Walnut Shavings / A few other notes on tools, rope, boats.

[GTO]

Members of the walnut family (Juglans nigra et al) have a particular
extractive called "jugalone", which is just the mother walnut tree's way of
enforcing a bit of territorialiality. Since the walnut seed in its fruit has
the aerodynamics of a rock most of them land near the tree. Jugalone
discourages those of its children that don't travel a decent interval from
the old parent tree, so to speak, by effectively poisoning them. This
natural extractive is a herbicide and therefore is not great for mulching
areas in which you expect anything to grow. If you compost the stuff for a
while or weather it long enough for the extractives to leech out it is
harmless. I had not heard that it was toxic to animals but it wouldn't seem
unlikely. If a plant can figure a way to be unattractive to things that gnaw
it would work to it's advantage. The heartwood of trees is structural but
otherwise it does not play a role in the nourishment and growth of the tree
and many trees with distinctive heartwood have essentially figured a way out
to "embalm" their cores to make them insect and vermin proof.

Bear
----- Original Message -----
From: "rmhowe" <mmagnusm at bellsouth.net>
To: <MedievalEncampments at yahoogroups.com>; "- Atlantia"
<atlantia at atlantia.sca.org>; "- Regia Anglorum - North America"
<list-regia-us at netword.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 09, 2002 1:59 PM
Subject: [Stellararts] Walnut Shavings / A few other notes on tools, rope,
boats.


> In one of the American woodworking magazines I got this month
> someone from the Midwest wrote in to state that walnut wood dust
> or shavings should not be used around horses for bedding as it
> makes them seriously ill. I can't find the particular paragraph,
> I've read too much this month, but it seems like it was causing
> founder? in horses.  They also noted that it should not be
> used on garden plants and that most people in their area knew not
> to plant gardens near walnut trees. The editors did not dispute
> the letter.
>
> As a woodworker of long experience this was news to me and
> the first time I'd ever read it. However, it -could be- good
> advice. I've had my hands turn purple (for days) lots of times
> from working it with no other ill effects (and I'm a fairly
> highly allergic person). But if you have animals or routinely
> put shavings around things in your yards you might keep it in
> mind. I think I might know some rodent holes I might stuff it
> down myself. We have some fat short rats that live under our
> back fence line. (No, not the new neighbors.)
> ...........
> Cambium Press, P.O. Box 909, Bethel CT 06801 is in now selling
> Toolmaking for Woodworkers - forging skew chisels, hollowing
> adze, woodturning tools, etc. http://www.cambiumbooks.com/
> or http://www.windsorchairresources.com/larsen.html
>
> This page is very worth looking at:
> http://www.windsorchairresources.com/tools.html
> ...........
> Country Workshops, 90 Mill Creek Rd, Marshall, North Carolina,
> USA 28753 ((704) 656-2280) is selling hand forged drawknives,
> froes, adzes, axes, sloyd knives, gouges, chisels which mostly
> are from Sweden. You can request a catalog. They also teach
> classes in carving and early woodworking with handtools.
> This guy predates Roy Underhill (the Woodwright's Shop)
> in his books and articles on traditional woodworking.
> Drew Langsner has written such books as Handmade, Country Woodcraft,
> Green Woodworking and others. He lives in a traditional cabin
> he built and teaches in other traditional buildings.
> .......
> In this month's Wooden Boat magazine April 2002 (165) there is
> a captioned picture of a longship (looks to be about 10 meters,
> but not specified) built in lapstrake plywood from a plan by
> Phil Bolger. Longship Design Number 572 from the book Boats with
> an Open Mind. No address noted. The one depicted was built by
> Willi Hesse of Hesse Boots Werft, Mulheim, Germany.
>
> The same issue has an article on building Oselvers, a Norwegian
> boat little changed from Viking times. Apparently these folks
> race these things. They look very much like faerings but use
> spritsails in addition to oars. Four strakes per side.
> Wooden Boat Magazine, http://www.woodenboat.com
>
> There are additional articles on rigging and managing the sprit
> sails used on these things. As well as an article on making and
> using scrapers out of old saw blades instead of sanding finishes.
> ..........
> Buff colored polyester rope is available from R&W Rope Warehouse,
> New Bedford, MA, USA (800) 260-899 rope at randwenterprises.com
> http://www.randwenterprises.com/
> I presume you might use this stuff to help look period which is
> what the earlier replica boat owners are doing. Think tent ropes.
> ..........
> Master Magnus Malleus, OL © 2001 R.M. Howe
> *No reposting my writings to newsgroups, especially rec.org.sca, or
> the SCA-Universitas elist. I view this as violating copyright
> restrictions. As long as it's to reenactor or SCA -closed- subscriber
> based email lists or individuals I don't mind. It's meant to
> help people without aggravating me.* Inclusion, in the
> http://www.Florilegium.org/ as always is permitted.
>
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