! In the quiet hours of the bootcamp grind, I found myself: Esteban's Bootcamp Experience

B.E.L. Post # 137

Today had a nice rhythm to it—one of those days where a little bit of everything finds its place.

After the morning blitz, I said farewell to the wwoofer as he set off on his next adventure. Always a bittersweet moment, but sometimes that’s the nature of this place—folks come, share some sweat and stories, and move on down the road. May the force of the sunchoke be with him 🌻

Not long after, I got to enjoy some seriously delicious meatloaf that Samantha made—hit the spot just right and gave me the fuel for the rest of the day.

Melissa and I then made a run up to the Abbey to move more of her things up there. Bit by bit, it’s all coming together. There’s something satisfying about helping shift life uphill, one load at a time.

Back at it later, I put more time into the shelving project I’ve been working on. Started shaping the brackets using some roughly 3" diameter dry wood. Cut three pieces down to about 8" lengths (keeping it aligned with the three shelves), then ran them through the bandsaw to split them in half. After that, I trimmed the rounded sides flat to create a better contact surface for the additional pieces I’ll be fitting in later. It’s starting to take shape in a way that feels both sturdy and a little bit artful—just how I like it.

Wrapped up the day on a slower note—journaling, writing a few letters, and just kicking back with my dog. A good balance of building, moving, creating, and being still.

All in all, a solid day.

Mike Haasl wrote:Those are some nice finished boards!  Another option for next time is to peel the bark off (yes it might not be the barky aesthetic...) and then you can run the rounded board thru the planer to work your way down to the desired thickness.  That's probably a bit safer than running them thru the table saw.

Another bark-on option is to use the table saw to get a decent ways through them from both sides and then finish the cut on the band saw with the flat side against the saw's fence.  Or do the whole job on the band saw.

Mike, I really appreciate you taking the time to share that—seriously, thank you.

That planer approach makes a lot of sense, especially from a safety standpoint. I hadn’t thought about going that route with peeled rounds, but I can see how that would give a lot more control over thickness without wrestling things on the table saw.

And I like your bark-on suggestions too—cutting in from both sides first and then finishing on the bandsaw sounds like a much more forgiving way to handle it. That, or just committing to the bandsaw entirely. Definitely gives me some better options to work with moving forward.

Always grateful for the insight—learning from folks who’ve been at it longer helps me avoid doing things the hard way (or the sketchy way 😄). Much appreciated.

B.E.L. Post # 138

After the morning meeting, we got things rolling by loading up the bed with a tractor tire, chainsaw, and a handful of other tools. Once everything was packed, we made a stop at the Dogstar to drop off Stephen and Rodger along with the tractor tire.

From there, Seth, Melissa, and I headed over to the Abbey. We unloaded the remaining equipment, took a little time to check in on and care for the cats, and then got to work harvesting and collecting horizontal pieces. It felt like a good rhythm—moving between tasks and making steady progress.

After lunch, we made our way back out to Judy. Once we got there, we gathered up all the loose items around her to clear the workspace. With that out of the way, we started draining her water tank. It took a bit, but it was one of those satisfying, methodical tasks where you can really see things moving forward.

After wrapping things up with Judy, we headed back to basecamp. While Stephen was organizing and emptying out all the collected items from Judy, the rest of us shifted gears and started planting sunflower seeds along the turtle berm, around the berm shed, and in a few other spots that could use a little life and color.

Toward the end of the day, I teamed back up with Stephen to collect the white Honda Elite scooter and bring it over to the boneyard. A fitting way to close things out—one last task, a bit of teamwork, and another piece moved into its next phase.

All in all, a full and productive day—lots of variety, good momentum, and that satisfying feeling of taking care of what’s in front of you while setting things up for what comes next ...

B.E.L. Post # 139

April Fourteenth, when morning came
We gathered in the usual name,
After meeting, the shop to tend,
Where cluttered edges we sought to mend.

Seth kept watch on RMH flame,
Steadying heat with patient aim.
While I with Stephen lent my hand,
To process cans across the land—
Aluminum gathered, sorted, bright,
Turning scrap back toward use and light.

Then onward where the sawmill lies,
Beneath the open working skies.
Seth and Rodger, Melissa too,
And I went where the timber grew.

We cleared the logs that long had lain,
Fallen and weathered by wind and rain.
And set fresh timber, newly cut,
From Friday’s work, with careful strut.

The mill awoke, the blade turned in,
But soon a trouble crept within—
The cut ran off, not straight nor clean,
A wandering edge through wood between.

We worked it through, we watched it close,
Where problem hides, persistence grows.

After lunch, the site divided ways,
To solve the fault that blade displays.
Stephen, Seth, Melissa stayed,
At sawmill site where questions weighed—
Why truth of cut refused to hold,
Why steel drifted from story told.

While Rodger and I returned once more
To Abbey grounds and timbered floor.
There Rodger built the cages strong,
For baby trees to grow along.

And I went out where forest stands,
To harvest supports with steady hands.
For fencing rails, the horizontal line,
From living wood, both firm and fine.

We worked till shift was nearly done,
Under fading light of setting sun.

April Fifteenth followed on,
With new small tasks before the dawn.
After meeting, shop we cleared,
Where order slowly reappeared.

Seth once more the RMH kept,
While I with Stephen through cans we stepped.
Then back again to Abbey ground,
Where timber work and build were found.

Melissa and I aligned the beams,
Across the Abbey door it seems—
Six panels wide, a measured span,
Placed with care and working plan.

Rodger, Seth, and I then turned
To tires where winter wear had burned.
RAV4 and Prius both were dressed,
With snow tires off, the season’s rest.

Roy’s front tire also seen,
Tightened up and checked between.
And thus the “boot day” came to close,
As work-life rhythm naturally flows.

Yet still I stayed as daylight thinned,
Where smaller craft and purpose pinned.
Six shelf supports I shaped and made,
For bracket work I had laid.

Linseed oil deep in grain was brushed,
Where wood absorbs in quiet hush.
Then fire-marked with my personal sign,
Burned into timber, rough and fine.

Two days woven, work and thread,
Of tools and timber, hands and head.
Where earth and effort meet and stay—
Just another boot kind of day.

I know a young man from Peru
His limericks all end on line two

Sorry to pester the tree felling details but on big trees like that it's much more important to get the cut geometry correct.  Looking at the log on the mill, I think the cuts that were made are the ones below in red.  Ideal cuts would be in black.  Differences:

1. You really, really, really want the pac man notch to meet at the back of its mouth.  Overcutting either of those cuts doesn't allow the mouth to close when the tree wants to fall. This is the same reason you don't want chunks in the notch that prevent the mouth from closing.

2. You only need/want to go 1/4 to 1/3 of the way into the tree with the notch.  Going deeper can sometimes cause the tree to fall early and possibly barber chair (as I understand it).  Of these three notes, this is the least critical IMO

3. The back cut should be an inch or two above the back of pacman's mouth.  That way as the tree falls it can't slide back at you off the stump.

Maybe I'm reading the butt of the log wrong though so hopefully this is helpful.

Yesterday 2026-04-16 .... after our morning meeting, we headed into the classroom and shop to get things going for the day. We fired up the RMHs, which made the space nice and toasty while we got organized and ready to work.

Seth and I started off by taking the millings from the sawmill and cutting them down to 18 inches. These will be used as shingles for the dog house over at Dogstar, so getting them uniform and ready felt like a solid start to the day.

Once we had those cut to length, we shifted gears to a new project: building a cat house for Cooper Cabin. Stephen and Rodger took the lead on the roof, while Seth and I focused on the base and framing. By late morning, we were able to complete the base and get roughly two sides of the cat box put together, which felt like good progress for a fresh build.

After lunch, we split into two crews and headed to the lab. Stephen, Rodger, and Seth went on to handle their set of tasks, while Melissa, Jessie, and I continued working on Abby’s fencing. I focused on notching the horizontals to ensure a proper fit, while Melissa and Jessie worked on filling in the panels. It came together steadily, and the teamwork made the process smooth and efficient.

Overall, it was a productive day bouncing between shop work and outdoor projects, with good momentum across the board.

@ Mike

Hey Mike, I appreciate you taking the time to break this down. Your explanation of the notch and back cut geometry is especially helpful on a tree of that size—thank you for the reminder.

I’ll make sure this gets passed along to the crew who handled that felling so they can review and learn from it. I was on a different team at the time, so I wasn’t involved in selecting or starting the cuts on that tree, but I agree it’s important we all stay sharp and consistent with our technique.

Always grateful for you sharing your knowledge—it helps all of us get better.

B.E.L. Post # 140

Permies Daily Log — April 17–18, 2026

April 17

After the morning meeting, Seth and I headed to the shop. Right away I noticed a stack of logs staged by the bay door—looked like they were set up for making shakes with the froe later on.

I got the RMH going and stayed on it until it was roaring like a rocket 🚀 always satisfying when it’s burning clean and strong. After that, I jumped in with Seth on the cat box build. We worked steadily through the morning and made some solid progress before lunch.

After lunch, we headed to the lab. Stephen and I each harvested about a dozen junkpoles while the rest of the crew focused on filling in the junkpole panels. Once that was wrapped up, we shifted to improving the berms—removing grass and continuing to make them look more refined and intentional.

Back at basecamp, Seth and I tightened up the nuts and bolts on Roy’s roof rack, then finished out the day with a full shop cleanup.

Good, full day with a mix of building, harvesting, and maintenance.

April 18

Slept in a bit this morning, then fed the cats and had breakfast. Took a slower start, which felt right.

Afterwards, I worked on the shelving brackets—gave them some life with a coat of raw linseed oil. They’re looking good and I’ll be installing them tomorrow.

Spent the rest of the day taking it easy—chilling with my dog, journaling, and doing some reflection. A good balance after a productive previous day.