freehandyman

Archimedes principle states that any floating object displaces its own weight of fluid. In more general terms, it can also be stated as: "Any object, wholly or partially immersed in a fluid, is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object."

A rather thought-provoking invention, Pythagorean's cup is like any other cup except for a small mechanism located in its center...This phenomenon called the siphon is created due to a reduction in pressure at the higher end of the siphon. As gravity pulls the water column down the pipe of the Pythagorean cup...

Hardwood also tends to occur spaced out randomly, as opposed to softwood which often cover whole mountains – minus the odd oak or bamboo here and there. This means that they are already at the source, considerably less abundant than softwoods, and take significantly longer to grow to useful sizes, so can't be farmed at the same rate as softwood.

Of all the building materials at our disposal, what do we have the most of? Actually, let me rephrase that. Regardless of where on the planet you live, what material – ANY material you can think of – is there an unlimited amount of? – Earth right? I don't think we'll be running out of "dirt" any time soon. It's like making a sand castle on the beach…you ain't gonna run out of sand no matter how big your castle is.

With respect to architecture, the term vernacular is used to describe building designs and styles that reflect the local customs, needs, and building resources available. Since antiquity, people have learned through trial and error, the various structural concepts we often take for granted today. Vernacular architecture is the product of generations of experimentation, trial and error.

Homes can be built in almost any conceivable shape and size, stopping only at the limits of your imagination. But it's no secret that certain shapes are more conducive to a structure than others. Although many homes and buildings have unique and original designs, the vast majority of them share a common characteristic – their faces are planar and rectangular.

A stressed skin structure is a structure whose main loads are supported by its exterior or "skin", contrasting with non-load-bearing skin secured to rigid framework. Although this concept is mainly used in structures where maximum space and minimum weight are primary concerns, such as vehicles and aircraft, the principle can be applied to other stationary structures as well.

Basements are great additions to a home, and are often preferable to a normal, above-ground room for several reasons: Cool during the summers, warm during the winters, sound resistant, good for survival situations, etc. But before you go jumping hastily into your back hoe or power shovel, you should consider a few things.

Because wood is often imperfect, part of being a good carpenter or woodworker is knowing how to deal with it and make the finished product look as though wood IS perfect – more or less. There are various techniques one can incorporate to achieve this, the best of which are surprisingly simple. There is one sure thing however, that sets the pros apart from the amateurs, and that is the ability to know when tedious touch-up type jobs are necessary and when they're not.

A largely invisible yet tangible phenomenon, humidity is one of those "necessary evils" that help form our beautiful and balanced environment. In all outward appearance, humidity seems to do nothing but bad – turns everything green, attracts critters, refuses to let your sweat evaporate, rots out wood, etc. Well, let's take a look into this sinister element of nature and see if we can't understand it better – sweat, mildew, termites and all.