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I have been dutifully writing in the word "olio" in my crossword puzzles for years and decided to finally put it to real-world use. Still, I will forever confuse it with "oleo". 

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When I mentioned that I would be making a garden bench for tomorrows video, Jason Othoudt sent me over a picture of in indoor bench he built out of 2x4s, plywood, and box joints. Super cool design.




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 Lucas Marques sent over a picture of his version of the guitar pick box made with Purpleheart.


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And heres one Dimitris Fragoulopoulos made for his brother.

            After the field trip on Wednesday cuasious about dangerous wood I did some reaserch and this is what I found. Only 2% to 5% of the population will develop an allergic sensitivity to one or more compounds found in wood. Contact dermatitis (allergic reaction from skin contact) from timbers is usually attributable to contamination of the skin during machining. Handling of solid wood rarely induces dermatitis, however any species that contains quinones, especially Dalbergia species, may do so. "The main effect is irritation." (An irritant is "something that can cause inflammation" or irritation.) ..."This can be caused by skin contact with the wood, its dust, its bark, its sap, or even lichens growing on the bark. Irritation can, in some species of wood, lead to nettle rashes or irritant dermatitis. These effects tend to appear on the forearm, backs of the hands, the face (particularly eyelids) neck, scalp and the genitals. On average, they take 15 days to develop."  Latency periods can range from a few hours to several months. "Symptoms usually only persist as long as the affected skin site remains in contact with the source of irritation... Symptoms subside when contact with the irritant is removed. Sensitization dermatitis is more problematic and is usually caused by skin exposure to fine wood dust of certain species." (Sensitization is "an allergic reaction to a substance which is usually irreversible" resulting in hypersensitivity and susceptibility to being overly responsive.) ..."This is also referred to as allergic contact dermatitis and results in similar skin effects to those produced by skin irritants. Once sensitized, the body sets up an allergic reaction, and the skin may react severely if subsequently exposed to very small amounts of the wood dust. Cross-sensitization may develop where other woods or even non-wood materials produce a similar response." The culprit behind these allergies is a group of chemicals called quinones, often used to make dyes. These naturally occurring chemicals are produced as defensive agents against fungal and predator attacks (including woodworkers and jewelry collectors). Though they also have potential medicinal uses in non-allergic humans, quinones play a major role in allergic contact dermatitis caused by plants. The primary "allergens are benzoquinones or naphthoquinones but also compounds, such as catechols, coumarins, and other phenolic or flavonoid compounds, which are bioconverted [metabolized] into ortho-quinones or para-quinones." These derivatives can covalently bond to skin proteins. Since they are not recognized by the immune system, they are attacked. Catechol is a main constituent of urushiol, which is the allergen in poison ivy. It is possible that once sensitized to one of these quinones that cross reactions to similar quinones and/or structures can develop.  There are other hardwoods that are notorious for causing dangerous reactions (which may include surprisingly strong reactions such as cardiac and nervous system effects, cancer, and genotoxicity), such as: afromosia (Periocopsis elata), Australian blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon), greenheart (Chlorocardium rodiei), mansonia (Mansonia altissima), sassafras (Sassafras albidum), and satinwood (Chloroxylon swietenia), as well as various softwoods such as: cedar (Thuja spp.), hemlock(Tsuga spp.), pine (Pinus spp.), and yew (Taxus spp)

This information was found http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Wood_Hazards

Jared A

A few weeks ago we found this Eames shell chair in a consignment store. It was love at first sight for David (hes been wanting an armchair version for a while now) and a "dont you remember how much work the first Eames chairs were", coming from me



We went home and a few hours later, David brought it up again, so I knew that if he couldnt stop thinking about it (which never happens) So I figured we should probably get it. He always supports my crazy ideas, so I could definitely let him have one (even if it did mean sanding it down to the fiberglass).


























The chair was in good condition, the upholstery wasnt torn, but nothing screams the 70s like pumpkin orange! Nothing wrong with it, just not our cup of tea :) We tend to prefer brighter, bolder colors.

Our plan of attack was to dye it, then if that didnt work fabric spray paint and if that didnt work reupholstering it and finally, worst case scenario, sanding it down to the fiberglass (SO glad we didnt need to do that!)

First we did a little research, and found that Kara Paslay dyed a chair with similar fabric using Rit dye. She went from blue to purple, so we figured that our only chance would be dark gray or black since we didnt want to go orange to red.


























First off, items are supposed to be submerged in a dye bath and then rinsed with water and washed. This is basically impossible with a chair, unless you had a lot of dye and a way to soak it .. So please note, this isnt the intended use for Rit dye.

I boiled water on the stove and added 3 ladles (I think about 1.5 cups) to half a packet of dye and a little vinegar (recommended when dyeing wool) to a large container (good for one coat). I stirred and it looked a little purple, hmm .. So I added a little yellow dye until it looked more neutral. Yellow is the opposite of purple on the color wheel, so it helped neutralize the color.


























We applied it with a paint brush, the first coat looked a little patchy, especially when it dried because the water puddled down to the seat and didnt sit on the arms long enough ... We ended up doing 4 coats, and it still looked a little patchy. Wear gloves if you want to avoid dyeing your hands :) Also, put a tarp down to avoid getting dye on the floor.

Heres how I mixed each batch

coat 1 - just gray dye + boiling water + vinegar
coat 2 - gray dye, black and a little yellow + boiling water + vinegar
coat 3 - gray dye, more black, more yellow + boiling water + vinegar
coat 4 - black dye, yellow (higher dye to water ratio) + boiling water + vinegar

I increased the dye in the final coat which was a mistake because it crystallized and got a little powdery in areas. (1.5 cups of water to 1/2 packet of dye worked for me.) I scraped most of the crystals off and decided to try a coat of Simply Spray Soft Fabric paint.

I opted for the soft fabric paint in hopes that it wouldnt change the texture of my fabric and it worked! My fabric doesnt feel at all different!! I emailed Simply Spray and asked about durability for upholstery, but havent received a response, so time will tell. Simply Spray does make an upholstery spray paint, but Ive heard that it changes the texture slightly.


I snapped this pic before applying the second coat (sorry the lighting is weird). Our chair took two coats, and two cans. I taped the plastic edging with packing tape to avoid the dye getting on it and placed a cloth over the base. It was pretty windy, so some got on the back, but it wiped off easily.

It covered well, and removed the unevenness left from the dye AND the fabric feels exactly the same!

Since there was so much liquid from dyeing the fabric, it did take a while to dry, but a few days later, I sat in it and NO dye came off on my clothes, so Id say its a success!


What a difference!! I LOVE how the black instantly modernizes it!



Well most likely sand and polish the base a little later, but for now Ill take it!



What a difference from restoring our last Eames chairs! This took a couple of hours verse several days!!


Ill keep you updated on how it wears with use. If we do end up reupholstering it, this is pretty high on my list (probably not Davids though)!

What do you think, would you try dyeing and spray painting a chair?