As a student at an art school that has done several timberframing projects with help from the Guild in the past, I'm sure I could drum up a group of very eager volunteers to contribute time and labor for such an endeavor.

I would gladly donate my time to the effort. Just let me know.

~Cole

thinking out loud part next

It seems we have two ways to go: ship precut/fitted frames for erection on site
OR
send a bandsaw & crew to do it all on site

cost compare shipping vs more people to S Asia.

We still have to identify need, an agency already on the gound for "supervisory" and logistics interface
AND,
the big one, selecting an area where our folks are relatively safe. Some 7 years of my life have been spent in the Pacific rim and the S Asia insurgents/bandits are not to be taken lightly.

Has anyone looked for a siesmic friendly design yet ?
For those of you who have already volunteered skils and time we thank you.

deralte

I'm all for cutting some peices here and shipping, my sheep would be upset if I made international travel plans....
As far as where to send frames, it could be that some frames should be produced first, perhaps by the time some frames are ready, we will have figured out a good place to send them?
A building plan would be good.......Will has posted that something is on the drawing board.....maybe time for an update?
A thought I had about the plan is that the building should have timber groundsills(even if the floor is dirt), This would make set-up and moving the buildings much faster....
This could be a good long term project, there are many areas of need besides the tsunami region..
As far as a committe goes, please feel free to contact me..

Hi everyone,

Emett, I've been bouncing around the same cost analysis around in my head. At anyrate the more we ship over the more of a depreciation there is in the effort. Its kind of like getting oil out of the tar sands. There's lots there but just too expensive to get out.
As I'm constantly reminded by relief orgs not to send goods over b/c its too costly and as one persone mentioned earlier we would be just getting in the way, I see this developing into a long term, hopefully ongoing effort, working closely with relief organizations. As mentioned, they know where the need lies, also they are extremely good at tapping into local markets.
I also think from a learning perspective and an empowerment perspective it would be nice if locals can realize the process through, from milling, layout, cutting etc. Again, down the road, (when there are roads) it would be nice to see a guild tour.
Having said that, I think there is a third option which would do more good in the short term. I can see that the enthusiam is continueing to grow and even though what is needed now is money by relief orgs, people want to give more than money. Why not have a Guild gathering, cut a frame or a number of frames (on site or regionally by different shops), using donated materials and auction the frames off. That money could be used by either relief orgs. or used by the Guild as buying power abroad when the time is right.

Ian

Hi, I'm back

I appreciate the last post suggesting we convert our efforts to cash, thereby maximizing the immediate impact of our donation. But the giving is for the giver as well, and I would prefer to see the direct product of my sweat be delivered. Egotistic perhaps, but there it is.

My vision of how this might work is to have multiple and similtaneous rendezvous around the country. Laura, could you host one in Boston? John, Lakebay; me, Lexington; Mark, Ontario; and so on. I think we could get ten sites and produce at least ten frames. Once those frames are completed, we gather them to a shipping location and send them via a pre-selected partner along with a small crew of framers to erect them.

Ideally, we would be connected with a local aid group that was involved with housing relief that could then perpetuate our efforts. Someone has suggested that Wood-mizer has probably already sent over several of their mills. Finding out who it is that they're working with may be a step toward finding our partner. Does anyone on this thread have a connection to Wood-mizer or the inclination to develop one?

All for now, more later.

Bob

Before we spend too much more time discussing who, how and with what we really should come with a for whom and where
The area affected by the tsunami was large geographically, culturally and politically. This will affect (in the same order) logistics, receptivity and safety I think it would be good to identify the "client" and what partner organizations are interested.
Until we do that, we a talking in absence of vital information that will help to decide what options will be best to pursue. Bobs wish to send something from his hands I can entirely identify with, however Ians suggestion might ultimately be the quickest help we can offer. Or we might find that we can be of use in other ways
A thought....
What if we did pursue the build and auction concept with the idea that we can take the proceeds and donate them directly or use them to hire hundegger shops to turn out more frames than we might otherwise accomplish? This is one case where quantity has a quality all it's own. Think of it as a force multiplier. Either way we could begin plans for the frames while pursuing how to use the proceeds.
We need a designated guild liaison to contact relief organizations, military etc.
Oh Joeell!!!!....Wiiill!

Wow… Heartening responses all.

I see, as John seems to, a potential to benefit the region in multiple ways. Helping to provide the immediate and long term need to create housing for uncountable thousands of now homeless people while at the same time introducing a building technology which may help minimize the death toll in some future event, and lastly that that introduction will hopefully, at the same time, help in the rebuilding of the regions economy.

I still see it all starting here, that an effort begun here will attract enthusiasm and ideas and even money, and that then this effort would naturally and necessarily be transplanted to the region and ultimately take on a life of it’s own…
It all starts here, mayhaps, it already has !

Do like that multiple rendezvous model

Cad file is near completion and the analysis is around the corner.

Seems there are folks who want to take this by the horns. Maybe the time has come for some form of more direct conversation and a time and a mechanism should be chosen for some virtual meeting

What about Habitat for Humanity as a partner. I know they have a program called Global Village, that works internationally and their Disaster Responce program is active in the tsunami effected areas right know.

Heres the link-
http://www.habitat.org/gv/

and heres the link to their disaster response program-
http://www.habitat.org/disaster/

Just a thought.

~Cole

Hey everyone,

Keep up the free and open discourse. The more ideas we bounce back and forth the better. But as Will suggested it may be time to be more proactive. Would anyone object to me asking Susan Witter to exerpt this forum thread in the next issue of Scantlings so a larger demographic, other than cybergeeks like ourselves, can participate?

Ian