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Steve Thomas Goes on Tour, Talks About Woodworking and Father's Day
On my upcoming media tour, we're going to be discussing Father's Day and looking at a couple of different hand planes, a couple of tiny little block planes and 24-inch joiner planes. Modern planes can be plugged in, but a good handheld plane is a treat to use.
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Renovation Nation Slideshow: Smart Home
Steve Thomas visits a Smart Home in Denver, helps out with an expansion project in Minnesota, and takes a look at a log cabin being built from salvaged logs in this Renovation Nation slideshow.
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What Tools Should I Get Dad for Father's Day?
Dads like tools. You may be thinking of getting your father a tool set for Father?s Day. Today, most tools are made cheaply overseas and don?t often last for more than a few years. So if you want to get Dad a set of tools that will last him the rest of his life, you should get him a set of Lie-Neilsen tools.
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7 Easy Around-the-House Projects to do with Dad for Father's Day
I grew up on a farm. My dad is a farmer out there in Iowa, and he's well-versed in carpentry and mechanics as well as agriculture. He's added three rooms onto his home by himself and fixes his own tractors and combines with the help of his hired hand. Growing up, I used to assist him in his work. I've scooped my fair share of corn, greased a few wheels, replaced a few radiators and hoed more than a few rows of beans. It's hard, horrible work for not a lot of money. That's why I live in Los Angeles and do internet work.
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How I Went Green and Why You Should Too
Renovation Nation's Steve Thomas reveals his green origins, including why he rallied at the very first Earth Day. Plus: Steve's top tips to green your home and save money now.
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Great Green Alternatives to Traditional Gifts for Dads and Grads
June is a big month when it comes to hard-to-shop-for occasions: dads (at least the ones we know) never really want anything, and grads (or at least the ones we know) prefer cash to anything else. But if you have your heart set on wrapping up a gift that really means something, check out these green goods—from tools to coasters and jewelry to bags—that will have all your dads and grads glad you went shopping.
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Teaching Kids the Sustainable Lessons of Bamboo
I cannot stress enough how much of a game changer bamboo is. There are 15,000 species of bamboo. It grows all over the world, except in the Arctic and the Antarctic.
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How to Convince Your Family Contracting Business to Go Green
On the Tucson episode of Renovation Nation we featured a father-and-son contractor team. The son, Nathan Kappler, was poised to take over his father's business. Working with your father can be rewarding. However, from a business standpoint, working with your father is always challenging, because you're going to want to establish your independence as a young man.
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Renovation Nation Episode: New Orleans, LA—Greening a Historic B&B
Host Steve Thomas is in New Orleans helping to restore a famous painter's studio damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Steve needs to maintain the historical features of the studio but when he runs into some unexpected surprises in the wall he must find an ecological solution.
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Dads Build an an Eco-friendly Mancave on Renovation Nation (Video)
How many dads does it take to build an eco-friendly man cave? When Steve Reilly Jr. of Boston wants to build an eco-friendly office in his back yard, which they dub the 'man-cave,' 4 dads work together to make it happen. In the Renovation Nation Episode: New Orleans, LA?Greening a Historic B&B, Steve Thomas assists Steve Reilly Jr. who has invited his father, Steve Sr., and father-in-law, Larry, to work alongside him to get the job done the green way.
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Steve Thomas's Five Bubbles of Green Building
The main reason I came up with this bubble diagram was to answer the question, "what is green building?" Some of what we now call green building has been around for a long time and some of the other aspects are relatively recent.
