To all the people "down south"

[Eric C Stoltzfus]

It was 28 degrees this morning here in Central PA and yesterday we didn't get above 35. Just want to scare you all a bit

[Mike Cutler]

,,,,,,,,,and thus, the migration of the snowbirds will be in full flight.

[John K Jordan]

It was below freezing this morning here in East Tennessee, frost on everything if you can believe that. Going out to feed the animals I wore multiple layers, two jackets, ear muffs, a warm hood, and gloves. Please provide the appropriate sympathy. Maybe I should move south.

JKJ

[Chris Damm]

It was 27° here this morning. It felt good for this Michigan transplant.

[Dennis Peacock]

24 degrees F here this morning.

[Osvaldo Cristo]

Here in Brazil it is a little bit hotter...

[Ed Aumiller]

17 degrees in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley in Virginia..

[lowell holmes]

It is 60 degrees, cloudy, and wet street in Galveston County Texas this morning.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Here in Brazil it is a little bit hotter...

Thanks for the update from Brazil, Osvaldo. What's the woodworking scene like down there ? What woods do you use ?

[Osvaldo Cristo]

Thanks for the update from Brazil, Osvaldo. What's the woodworking scene like down there ? What woods do you use ?

The local shop sizes and skills in those shops have a huge variation but most of the amateur woodworking shops are smaller than one car garage, mine is considerable smaller at 104 square foot, but it is usual for most of us to use the backyard or garage as assembly area. Shops are using mostly local manufactured tools as imported tools are usually at 30% to 100% more expensive than the street prices in the USA due to extorsive taxes, smaller sales volume and other importation costs.

Although most local professional workshops has a DC system, I never found a single amateur workshop with one DC system! More sophisticated ones will use an heavy duty VC. Of course, there are not such thing as insolation, heating or air conditioning. I never found any of those!

For years Brazilians were very proud of Invicta, Acerbi, and some others high quality manufacturer of woodworking tools but they were purchased every one by transnational companies (usually from the US) and closed some time later. Although a few local manufacturers survive offering lower quality tools and there are a number of international brands with local manufacturing plants, several of them with big installations: Starrett, Bosch, Makita, DeWalt, Irwin, Twill, Ridgid, Belzer, amongst them. They offer in the local market a number of fully local manufactured stuff, some assembled with imported parts and the higher end, usually imported.

Chinese stuff replaced most of the local lower and mid range manufacturers and certainly represents the lion share of the market volume. Some maintain local brand names but fully manufactured abroad with more accessible prices and with very low quality - at average lower quality than the average stuff from Harbor Freight...

Besides the manufactured "lumber", Brazilians like to use solid wood. Usually at a much better price than the found at the US! Mahogany is very popular (actually my favorite) as well very hard woods like Cabreuva, Jacaranda, Ipe, Angelin, Peroba Rosa, Imbuia (Brazilian Walnut) and the soft Cedro (Cedar) for some applications. Pine (white pine) usually is used as secondary wood but in the last years they started to become more popularly used for low budget furniture. Although Brazil has the biggest worldwide forests of Eucalyptus, it is rarely used for any kind of furniture.

Constructions typically are made of concrete and masonry but ceiling/roof usually is made of ceramic tiles and hard wood (my home is 100% Peroba Rosa) and flooring, internal stairs, doors and windows is appreciated when made of hard wood (Ipe, Imbuia, Angelin). Pine and Eucalyptus are used only for shape, scaffolds and non-permanent stuff, except for very low budget homes.

At average, for higher skilled professions (Doctors, Engineers, Specialized Technicians and mid Executives) the purchase power of a Brazilian amateur woodworker is close to the one from the US at the same job but it can be very lower for most professions, going to a mere one tenth for lower skilled jobs, limiting the market for amateur woodworking.

Well, I think it is a fair overview. Let me know if you want to know more.

All the best!

[Yonak Hawkins]

Thank you for the very thoughtful and concise description of woodworking and technology in Brazil. It provides a realistic concept of what's going on on the other side of our hemisphere. I wonder why local machine brands were bought out by foreigners if they did not plan to offer competition to the Chinese knock-offs. Of course I'm jealous of the woods you get to use from domestic stock. Your construction methods are quite different from the US but it's what I've heard. I'd love to visit some day and see for myself.

[Andrew Gibson]

Tampa checking in, high today 87*f low 68*f. It is supposed to cool down by the end of this week, bet they said that last week as well.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

It was also 28 degrees here. Wait- we are talking Celsius, right? I absolutely love my open-air kitchen. Watching the M/V Arctic swing on her anchor. Look her up- amazing yacht. I'm a blow boat kinda guy but if I were to spend $80 million on a power yacht, that would be the one. (Note: this will NEVER happen).

image.jpg

P.S. I really hesitated to post this, but (a) you asked for it, and (b) those that know me know it's not always fun and games here, but this makes it worth it.

[mike holden]

It was also 28 degrees here. Wait- we are talking Celsius, right? I absolutely love my open-air kitchen. Watching the M/V Arctic swing on her anchor. Look her up- amazing yacht. I'm a blow boat kinda guy but if I were to spend $80 million on a power yacht, that would be the one. (Note: this will NEVER happen).

image.jpg

P.S. I really hesitated to post this, but (a) you asked for it, and (b) those that know me know it's not always fun and games here, but this makes it worth it.

Malcolm, why would you want an ice-breaking cargo ship? (grin, question, confusion) (googled m/v arctic)
Mike

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Malcolm, why would you want an ice-breaking cargo ship? (grin, question, confusion) (googled m/v arctic)
Mike

Good point, but of all the ships that I have seen, and I've seen most of the top names, this one is at least a real vessel, worthy of real actual ocean use. Some of these yachts are just well-built houses, and most get carried here each year on piggyback on top of a cargo ship.

Can you imagine how strong that bow must be built? I would hate to have to add a through-hull on that baby. :-)