Novice Author -How to Book on Reclamation

[Steve Rindsberg]

I honestly don't know whether Building Value here gets tax money or not. Quite likely they do. To their credit, the local bunch is doing a good job of teaching work ethic and construction/demo skills to young folks who wouldn't otherwise be employable. IMO, better to spend some tax money on them now and put them to work than to support them forever on welfare or worse, in prison.

But back to the wood ... would usage orange be the same tree as what's called Osage orange (or brainfruit tree because of the green brain-looking fruit it bears)?

[peddler]

The best deck material is either composite or some of the South American Rain forest Hardwoods. The S.A. woods need to be purchased from a reputable dealer , the way some of the indigenous people are horribly treated is almost beyond belief, working for weeks in horrid conditions just to get cheated or even murdered as a reward , no exaggeration!. The plantation grown trees are harvested every 10 years which allows a sustainable growth. The trees grow all year, no growth rings.I do not like the look nor feel of the composites and many of the S.A. Hardwoods will last 150 years in direct ground contact untreated and are quite beautiful. One deck I built was framed with Massaronduro , a blood red , wood of medium high hardness. The deck boards were False Ipe , a beautiful brown wood of incredible strength , it also makes gorgeous, although expensive roofing and siding but if you plan on building a house to remain in the family well worth it. The way I frame any deck hides any fasteners from the weather to increase longevity. With pine I use a Kregg jig and screw everything from underneath. This deck I used a Forstner bit and attached the deck with brass deck screws and glued a plug made from etong , a beautiful wood that is hard as steel , it is sort of a maple color with incredible deep reds, and violets in the grain. I had a jig on my drill for screwing while standing so the job went fast and was easy on the back . Prettiest deck I ever saw and there was little difference in price between it and composite wood. I would love to experiment with some other woods like Brazilian Cheery etc. I put a few coats of clear satin gel on it but it was more out of habit than necessity.

[peddler]

Originally Posted by Steve Rindsberg

I honestly don't know whether Building Value here gets tax money or not. Quite likely they do. To their credit, the local bunch is doing a good job of teaching work ethic and construction/demo skills to young folks who wouldn't otherwise be employable. IMO, better to spend some tax money on them now and put them to work than to support them forever on welfare or worse, in prison.

But back to the wood ... would usage orange be the same tree as what's called Osage orange (or brainfruit tree because of the green brain-looking fruit it bears)?

I have little feeling in my hands and with my already atrocious typing and spelling I meant to type Osage Orange ,not usage Orange. In other words you are correct. The fruit does look as you describe but I don't recall hearing it called that though.

Look at their website , when ever they push tax deductions they are getting Grant money because when I brought this up with my accountant she informed I could get in serious trouble suggesting any purchases from me to be tax deductible . She told me it;s it's different when your involved with government handouts like training ex-cons and others down on their luck to reclaim materials . Understand me If a man , or woman has done their time I believe it is up to society to give them a second chance, to do otherwise would only force them to remain outside the law .But this is a scam , first of all I have yet to meet a person in any of these organizations capable of making a living at this without grant money , let alone train others to do the same. One of my best people walked up to me on a job and told me strait up he had spent 3 years in prison for car theft but that he wanted to become a contributor to society which required making enough money to support his family. I got no money from the taxpayers to artificially inflate his wages without concern of his producing enough to justify me hiring him. I told him if he wanted my trust he would have to give me his and work a week with a guarantee of minimum wage or do piece work. He worked 3 days and said he would make more money by the piece, I agreed , paid him $12:00 an hour for the 3 days and gave him a $100.00 loan to buy safety shoes and eye wear and when he showed up the next day I gave him another $100.00 worth of grocery coupons. The man worked hard and he made a lot more money after a few weeks than he ever would with the dole plan. What incentive is their if your boss makes money just because you show up and will only fire you for theft or causing trouble etc.? That man was worth 15 of the guys the E.P.A. hired to pull wood for me and I never had to watch him after he understood his job. What does America need? a bunch of people to show up just for a paycheck or those willing to do what ever they need to ,legally of course, to improve themselves? If they were not a non-profit they could not offer tax breaks for getting paid to deconstruct building nor have the lion's share of their labor at no cost. I am worth a hundred of those guys but who asks gets the public to bear the risk?
I would agree it would be better to invest public funds, with the publics consent, to teach those who wanted to return to society as contributors but that is no easy feat. Save one or two the guys the E.P.A. hired felt they were owed the job and no one was going to tell them what to do. If I ran a project like that we would have an orientation class in which i would inform them they were damn lucky society was willing to risk their hard earned money to teach them a valuable trade and they will be expected to work their the same as anyone of the street , they would be treated no better nor worse than anyone else and if they did not show up on time, listen , and work hard as the taxpayers protector I would release them on the spot. Very few would agree but some would rehabilitate themselves. On that job and several others i have been familiar with or directly involved every time they made someone a foreman they charged the others for their job. If I had the power to do so I would have sent those people back to prison for extortion, that is precisely what it was . When people are threatened with grievous physical harm for complaining about it and everyone knows it and it is ignored who is the bad guy? The kid who wants to do better but can't because if he tries to work hard he could be killed for it or the companies gathering up those easy tax dollars?

[peddler]

Good idea Hugh, thanks!
The Chaplin with my Hospice is trying to find some of their groups kids to help with that and I have some Mennonite carpenter friends to help stage some videos and stills and maybe dismantle a house or small building if I can get some money from the contractor to pay them . They are happy to help a person like me but they have little mouths to feed. There is a small branch of a small Tn college here and some more in surrounding towns and perhaps they have a bulletin board there, and online I could advertise on.
Nashville State Community College Humphreys County
Daymar Institute Clarksville
AUSTIN PEAY STATE UNIVERSITY

Good thinking Hugh,Thanks again!