Building project

More pictures!
This was our first intern building project that allowed us to learn basic carpentry and have an opportunity to be creative and artistic. Some people finished in a day but others, like me, have been working on and off for about 2 weeks now. One of the main areas I wanted to learn here was carpentry and natural building. So far I've only made a cob oven and straw-bale demonstration wall that was suppose to be a tool shack both at the Program In Community and Agroecology spearheaded by a very wonderful professor, Steve Gleissman. It was one of the Action Research Teams (ARTs) in the Education for Sustainable Living Program (ESLP) that I went on to co-organize then chair, and have a life-transforming experience. I can talk on and on about that, so more on that later. The point was that I have pretty much no building experience.

研修生全員が取り組んだ大工（入門）のプロジェクトです。大工仕事の基本を学びながら、個性的かつ実用的で心地の良いボットン便所を二人一組で作りました。僕がここで学びたかった事の一つは、木造建築とグリーン建築（green building)です。大学でcob（粘度、藁、砂）でつくった亀の形のピザオーブンとstrawbale（藁の大きなブロックとcob)で作った壁しか建築関係の経験がありません。いずれは自分の家くらいは建てたいと思っています。医食住和を自給できる態勢で日本に帰国したいです。


Sam is giving us tips and doing a demonstration on how to saw with an American (push) saw and a Japanese (pull) saw. One thing I learned from him is the use of your thumb to guide the blade.
サムがのこぎりの使い方を説明しながら、見本を見せている所です。アメリカ式の押すのこぎりと日本式のひくのこぎりの上手な使い方を教えてくれました。新しく学んだコツは、サムの左手の親指の様に親指を使って刃の方向を調節する事。サムは何でも一から丁寧に教えてくれます。

Everybody busy working....except for Doug. He finished before we started.
みんな忙しく作業に取りかかっている様子。