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New quote system in place

It has been more than two years that I doubt the quote system we are using. All relate to volume of timber we use, this is very much industry standard. Yes, we had several pricing level to apply volume which evens out the variable over the year but some pays more and some pays less. Now, we have taking consideration of, rounded volume, final volume, total pieces and surface area and divided into ratio to apply much more accurate calculation to estimate the time it require for us to complete project.  With clear direction and lean manufacturing method, now our price is most competitive ever, I hope we can brake into wider market which we never been able to provide our product in a past. For those we have provide quote in a past, if your project is still idling, please contact me again for me to re-quote the project for you.

Great volunteers

Saturday 9th, I got to shop around 8:00 am, Kiyo Hagiwara and Eijiro Hara has been preparing this gate production on their own time for while and they were there already started preparing great day of volunteer. Hiroomi Yamaguchi showed up short while, giving hand to unload drink, T-shirts and clean up a bid of mess where bunch of foot prints would going to be made. About 6 sets of gates were already processed with machine, ready for guys to finish up and assembled. Yuki Ogita showed up around 9:00 I started warm up the machine. the day started.

Eijiro and Omi started to map out each gate to four saw horses and Yuki started to chisel the corner of through mortise. Mike Neufeld from Calgary show up around 9:30, found the job himself and jumped on to work until all the gates assembled and took out for group picture. Tamotsu Hongu is gardener in Coquitlam and he shows up with his friend Simon Teixeira, Dominic Steverlynck, Kensuke Yamamoto, Koichi Hirokawa and Hayato Ogawa, Simon and Dominic grabbed palm sander and they committed to sand all the parts of gates the crew would chop and  fine-tuned to be ready assembled. Fight with fine dust, vibrations on hand all day, they did not complain single moment of this undesirable work.

Tamotsu took the work of chamfering the edge of pieces, all day, working on edge, height was not set for his comfort but he did not bother wasting time to set his environment work for him, instead, he just kept working, end of the day at the BBQ, he said to me ” It was very fun!” I know his back is soar.

Rick Hay show up also around same time, he knows how to run our shop also planer, he came to switch position from Kiyo, took over material preparation that feeds our monster CNC machine to fabricate the rest of gates, until our materials runs out.

Toshi Oiwa, KAN Terao, Kohei Kimura and Shuji Yamada stop at Nicola Log Works to pick up additional materials and arrive to my shop 10:30, shortly after Takayuki Nishio joined. Now, all members are arrived and line of skilled builder and gardener were into the work and gave the best of the best to this event. KAN and Shuji took the job to assemble the love and wish gate. they have completed assemble total 5 of those together. Tow mall guys worked quickly and achieved huge in a day.  Toshi looked around and figure out what the spot he could fit to made the production go smooth and assembled two Torri gate later the date.

Lunch arrived at 1:00pm, Takiko Hara and Chie Ogita, both has baby less than  one year old, Kids were on their back swing around, two of them had to prepare the lunch for 18 gangly man, it must been tough. We had no brake till late no chair to offer for crew but great curry lunch full filled our stomach, finally we made a little time to introduce us each other during lunch time.

After lunch, all of us got together and we pray for people Japan in silent and got back to work.

Gate designer Karl Willms showed up to join and talked to each guys. First gate buyer Evelyn Delaney also shows up with treat, Alfred and Kathy from World of wood also stopped to support us.

Production went much faster and productive than I expected, total of 11 gates were assembled and completed and we run out of materials to continue for Sunday.

Sign into logo flag and took the entire gate out for group picture. I really felt each one in this picture are real great parson who does get up and do the things.

I have no doubt about what we are doing is great things and this gates we are making are so valuable piece of evident that all great thought, work and split are implemented.

Thanks to all volunteers, you guys are really great, I hope we get together again and give it another shot.

All pictures of this date are shared in https://picasaweb.google.com/daimikimizukitaro/JapanTsunamiReliefVolunteerProduction#

Japan Tsunami Relief campaign kick off

Two weeks after we started to prepare this campaign, we have kicked off the campaign today. Web site for this campaign is http://www.japantsunamirelief.ca/

Japan Tsunami Relief

After this sad disaster happen, I got many calls from my friend all worried for our family. All the people I know in Japan is safe but that does not mean good.

It took me about one week to get up do something, now we have many people got together launching the campaign. I made up the campaign so create funds by not asking just donation. Instead, we came up with the product that is great to have in someones house at same time create the significant fund.

Launching effort is all 100% donation, Karl Willms came up with gate design, very quickly and great design as usual, John Boys jumped in cut up timbers with no time, Kevin Mattson entered all gate in CAD model also added one more gate design, now we have first set of gate is assembled and the rest will follow right after today. While this activity is going, Alfred and Kathy from World of Wood are cutting up and donating the timbers for another bunch of sets of gate, 5 cubic of logs were donated and deliver to Alfred by Robin Hood at Likely community forest.  Behind this, Neil at Pulse group came up with logo, Susan Witter is doing text for the web site and Jordan Klassen is preparing the web site to launch, Jim Funk is going to prepare the sign.

Next weekend, April 9th and 10th, many Japanese builder and gardener will be joining from lower mainland as well as local, start to produce the gate, hopefully, we can complete 30 sets of stairs. The volunteer builders are Toshi Oiwa and Kan from Big Rock Log homes, Tom Tongu at Toko Garden design, Kiyo Hagiwara and Eijiro Hara from Daizen, Yuki Ogata, probably much more will come after they here about this activity.

Our first public campaign will be at Kamloops Home Show in April 15-17. We still have some details to set such as price to sell, how to deliver, how to set up, administration and so on but train has been left now it is just matter of steering it right.

Thank you very very much for all contributors, big hugs on behalf of all Japanese people. Web site should be ready soon with all related information for this campaign at  www.myhelpjapan.com Up till then, please contact Dai at [email protected] for any further information.

Gate design by Karl Willms

Gate rendering

First gate assembled (Kevin Mattson design)

Logo by Pulse group

Cherry creek timber frame is up

While I was gone to Japan and Africa, our crew Kiyo, Eiji and Chris has completed fabrication as well as set up.  Thanks for all my crews, great job.

This is Willms Design as well.

Connection test at engineer work shop organize by Canadian Wood Council and Wood Works BC.

Dec 2010, Daizen Joinery and Nicola Log Works demonstrated the connection test at engineer work shop.

We tested about 10 different connections, mortise and tenon, SFS WT screw, epoxy anchor, T-bolt, Sherpa, GRK screws and so on.

Mortise and tenon, it failed at beam side, it sheared off. Peg holes were 2 inch from the face, this was a bid surprise for me, I assumed it will brake the tip of tenon. Need to test more.

SFS WT screw were definitely functioning well, money saving screws. Method of test was, we braked half lap first, this braked at 4,000 lbs. Then we placed two SFS WT screw at the shear location and tested again. Test was stopped at 10,000 lbs, it did not failed, instead other side of connection failed. One screw, least add 3,000 lbs strength in connection.

Epoxy anchor, concrete epoxy fail too quick, but cold cure epoxy were so strong, it brake the weld that holding the wide web and test stopped at 12,000 lbs.

I have uploaded Sherpa test video on youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/Daizenjoinery?feature=mhsn#p/a/u/0/9oHgx5a2vBU.

Tons of information from this test but not enough time to organized to share, please contact me at [email protected] for any further test result.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Daizenjoinery#p/a/u/2/9oHgx5a2vBU

Buildex show booth

February 23rd and 24th, we were at the Buildex show. We got honorables best booth at the show.

Roof truss were all recycled western red cedar, it was lighter than D.Fir, could of set up all by hand. entire show, my body was so soar from the set up.

We met many peoples at the show, thanks every one who stopped at our booth.

Our next show is in Abbotsford Log and Timber show, March 13th and 14th.

Contemporary timber frame

This is Karl Willms design timber frame. Build with high grade select structural D.Fir, tight grain and kiln with RF technology. Frame is build in very steeped site, footing were poured on 20 some different height level, must been very tough even moving materials around this site.

When we arrived, floor was all done and ready, thanks for all hard work for the contractor.

We already installed deck frame in advance and this main frame took 2 days to put together. Lots of help and all good help, very fun also satisfied project.

I was very pleased myself for the result and client and contractor are also very pleased, so it is the best project of the year for us.

Frame design are simple though, it had some challenge on joinery design to maintain the strength also make the assemble procedure possible. Even I had study of this procedure in advance well, it still took a bid of modification of the joinery at the raising site. Glass will be fit in between timber so groove for inserting glass stops are in place. I will follow this detail as installation makes progress. Stan is pre applied in our shop just incase if the weather turned into very cold so crew can not access to the site it means it will leave it open till next Spring but I think they will be able to put roof before that happens.

I had my crew Eiji with me on this assemble and he is the one looks after some finishing touch in our shop so this was great experience for him to spend time together with us to tune up his work at the production. I am sure he will make great progress on next frame.

Thanks for Terry Hall who is timber frame manager for the project, designer Karl and Kyle Willms, contractor James and Andrew Boak and Mike Besanger who is the owner of the project!

Full structure timber frame

We have been raising one frame per week this year, it’s been very busy summer. One of the frame we build near my house in Chase, this is the addition to existing house connect with walkway structure.

It is full structure with timer. total 200 pcs of structural member to frame 1,200 sqft foot print main house.  Bent style frame which means all the bent is assembled on floor and raised as one unit connect with girt in between. Total of 4 days to complete main frame which is 50 pcs per day to put together, total volume of this main structure is 9,850 bdft so about 2,500 bdft a day for raising.

Material for this project was dead standing D.fir, we searched dry timber and applied kirf on every single member which had heart center in timber. Since this is build in our area, we will monitor this frame very close to see if the kirf is working properly as we are aiming, I believe it will.

Stain on timber

Even we knew it is best to apply stain in our shop, we kept doing it as minimum because it holds up our main production. This time, timing fits well so we have applied stain in our shop.

Product is Broda Protector is what we used this time. http://www.cbrproducts.com/content/about-our-products. This is the product mixed in Vancouver and water born but not totally water based.

Two coat with clear UV top coat, total three coat total, two days drying time for each coat so total of 6 days required to stain all.

We are giving serious consideration to test and use Boem product which is made in Switzerland and testing is at Forenteck   http://boehme.ch/. This product has 10 year warranty which I have never seen in stain product.

Advantage on applying stain in our shop is

• Apply in controlled environment before any other hand put on timber.
• Apply on 6 side including inside mortise and any joinery.

We are also going to test some fire retardant product from Japan with new stain and get ready for next year line of production.