Saunas Wheelchair Lifts Dioramas
The sauna is a centuries-old finnish tradition. 99% of finns sit in a sauna at least once a week. Most homes, apartment buildings, and even offices have one. Don't live in finland but want to enjoy the benefits of a home sauna? No sweat. This outdoor sauna is made of premium canadian red cedar, which is aromatic and resistant to mold. First, they measure the wood with a hydrometer to ensure the humidity level is below 12%. If the wood is too moist, it will shrink after assembly, leaving gaps between the planks. Once they've determined that the wood is stable, they put the planks through a molder. The machine's seven different toolheads smooth the top and bottom surfaces. The machine also carves tongue and groove edges that will tightly lock one plank to the next. The assemblers build the barrel-shaped sauna in sections. For the bottom, they start with a central plank that has a tongue on both sides. The tongues and grooves fit together to render the joints watertight. The assemblers continue adding planks until there are eight on each side of the central one. They construct the sauna's back wall using the same technique. Once they've joined together the required number of planks, they lay down a circular template and secure it with clamps. Then they cut around the template with a router. To further secure the planks to each other, they drill angled holes through adjacent ones... And drive in screws. They also screw in three horizontal reinforcement planks. Using a pattern as a guide, they cut out a window with the router. They screw window moldings around the opening. They apply an adhesive-backed rubber insulation strip along the perimeter. This will prevent heat and water from leaking out between the walls of the sauna. They mount the front and back walls onto the bottom section. They add planks to both sides of the bottom section to gradually build up the curved side walls. The side walls meet at the top on either side of a central plank that's pre-wired with the sauna's l.e.d. ceiling lights. Workers strap three galvanized-steel cables around the sides... And pull them to a specific tension. These cables further bind the planks to each other. The structural assembly is now complete. They begin installing the interior components, starting with a thermometer and hydrometer. Next, they mount a pivoting cover over the fresh-air-vent holes. This allows users to block outside air or allow it in. Then they add an hourglass that counts down 15 minutes-- the recommended time to spend in a sauna. Next comes the electric stove. It contains volcanic rocks that absorb and store the heat. You have the option of pouring water onto the hot rocks to create steam. After installing benches and a water-absorbent rubber floor, they hang the door. The glass in both the door and rear window is tinted for privacy. The sauna reaches a temperature of 185 degrees. The barrel shape of the sauna optimizes the circulation of the heat and steam. A wheelchair lift is an elevator designed to carry wheelchair users up and down a multistory building. It can be installed both inside and outside. A lift makes a building accessible to anyone for whom stairs are a barrier. A wheelchair lift can be installed in virtually any building or private home. All that's needed is sufficient vertical space and compliance with local elevator and building codes. A hydraulic lift moves the passenger cab on a rail system. The motor and mechanisms are concealed in an attached metal tower. The structure of the walls surrounding the lift are made of aluminum, which arrive from the supplier in long pieces. Workers here at the factory cut them to the required length. They shape the corners and cut the slots required for assembly. To make each section of the wall, they join four pieces to construct a frame. Once the frames for all the wall sections are ready, workers assemble them to make sure the pieces fit together correctly. They make any necessary adjustments, then take the wall sections apart to insert the panels. The wall panels are made of aluminum, acrylic, or tempered glass. Workers first lay down a foam spacer strip to prevent the panel from rattling. Then they secure the panel to the frame with snap-in aluminum molding. From here, the wall sections go to the packing department. Now it's time for the lift's mechanical system. In between the steel side rails, workers mount three u-shaped supports and a cylinder. These will hold the hydraulic piston, which expands and retracts to move the passenger cab up and down. Workers verify the position of the support brackets and secure them in place. Then they install the piston into the cylinder and onto the three supports. The piston is locked in place with thick steel brackets. They install the controller, the wheelchair lift's brain center. The controller regulates everything, from the passenger cab's movement to the safety sensors and door locks. Workers install the pump. It pushes hydraulic fluid into the piston to move the cab. They take the power cord from both the pump and controller and hook them up to their respective terminals. Then they connect the hose for the hydraulic fluid. It runs from pump to the piston via this manifold. The manifold has a shutoff valve so maintenance technicians can safely disable the wheelchair lift for servicing. Workers test then connect the landing switches. The lift installers will use these switches to set the travel distance between stories. This ensures the passenger cab will stop level with the floor at each landing. The cab sits on a steel platform called a sling. A worker now screws the sling's left side to the left skate-- a four-wheel trolley that runs on the lift's left rail. He does the same with the right side. The skates connect to this heavy-duty drive chain that turns on a roller at the top of the piston. For the cab to ascend, the pump pushes hydraulic fluid into the piston. The piston expands and pushes on the drive chain, moving the skates up the rails. When you push the "descend" button, a valve opens, allowing hydraulic fluid to exit the piston. Aided by gravity, the cab gradually descends. They test the operation panel they'll later install in the cab. They make sure all the buttons work and move the sling up and down correctly. Workers also test the safety brakes installed in the skates. If the drive chain ever loses tension, the brakes automatically block the rails to prevent the cab from falling. Installers assemble the cab on-site and mount it on the sling that will move it from floor to floor. A diorama is a 3-d scene that offers a glimpse of another place or time. It is believed to have been invented by a french theatrical designer in 1822. Despite modern digital technology, the diorama continues to be a great way to create an illusion. This is an art exhibit created by one diorama artist. This particular series depicts an apocalyptic scenario. The images are powerful and authentic. It all starts with some background research. The artist and assistant decide on a chinese-takeout-restaurant scene and take pictures for reference. Back in the studio, the artist checks the scale of components to be featured in the diorama scene, like a fox. To make the scene look real, the size of the fox must be in proportion to everything else. She decides that it will work. But the toy scooter is too small, so she produces a template that's to scale. Her assistant then pencils an outline of the template onto a piece of rigid foam to make a version of the scooter that's the correct size. She carves out the shape using a hot wire. It melts the foam for a cleaner cut than could be achieved with a knife. The piece of foam now has scooter-like curves, but it's far too chunky. She whittles it down using a utility knife. She sands the foam to refine the carving. A paint job and a set of wheels complete the transformation. Next, she copies newspaper pages and shrinks them down to the correct scale. She cuts the borders and gathers them in a pile. She brushes thinned latex paint on the pages. This gives them the yellowed appearance of old newspapers. She crumples and un-crumples the pages for an effect that also makes them look old. She cuts out images of many chinese-food takeout cartons. They've been printed onto paperboard and include crease lines for folding. Folding a carton is a kind of origami-- the japanese art of folding-- and it's a bit more challenging on such a miniature scale, but practice makes perfect. She applies glue to the folded flaps and presses them together. Clamps hold the seams in place until the glue dries. To create a post-apocalyptic atmosphere, they'll scatter leaves throughout the diorama. The assistant now selects leaves that have been pressed for about a week and can still be handled without breaking. She punches out mini leaf shapes with a handy crafting tool and accumulates piles in various colors. Because it's punched from actual leaves, the miniature foliage looks very authentic. Next, she works a lump of polymer clay until it's soft and narrow. She inserts the clay into an extruder and presses it through perforations at the end. This creates strands of clay that look like tiny lo mein noodles. She arranges the clay on a tiny paper plate. She then brushes brown paint onto the noodles to imitate sauce. She rolls green clay into long strands and chops it up to mimic the look of green onions. These small touches make a difference. The creation of the diorama continues after this break. A diorama is an art form that is all about thinking inside the box. An artist builds a 3-d scene within a boxy structure. It has one side open for viewing. The scene can be true to life or inspired by a place or event, and sometimes, a diorama can change the way we look at the world. The clay mini meals are now complete, and the artist uses them to create a fake menu sign. She snaps pictures of each of the chinese-food selections. The choices include sesame chicken... Fried and steamed dumplings, and a new york favorite, chicken wings with fries. Printed onto translucent plastic, the clay imitations look quite mouthwatering. She brushes thinned white paint onto the photographs to create a cloudy residue... And adds streaks of thinned brown paint to the menu sign to mimic dust particles. Now she builds the diorama walls using foam sheets. She glues mirrored plastic panels to one wall. The reflections will make this diorama seem more spacious. She hot-glues a sign to the mirror. It outlines the correct procedure in a choking emergency. She tapes the corners with little strips of masking tape. She then rubs ground-up volcanic ash onto the mirror. The ash clings to the surface and emulates grease buildup. It will also make the mirror's reflections hazy. After careful measuring, she cuts out a door from polystyrene and spray-paints it silver. She assembles the door to the back wall, but first installs lighting above the doorway and tests it. With the lights installed, she glues the translucent menu sign to the framework. Switched on, these backlights illuminate the menu choices. The artist and her assistant attach the walls of the diorama to a tile-patterned foam floor. They tape the walls together from the back. They scatter grass and dirt throughout the scene. This represents nature taking over after an apocalypse. An overturned trash can and yellowed newspapers on the floor imply the sudden departure of humans. They decide the scene needs more grass and dirt, so they distribute more across the floor. They now place the motorbike into the scene. Empty takeout containers and a plastic fox in the open doorway add to the illusion of an urban landscape returning to nature. They add the third wall and the ceiling with its fluorescent lighting. The scene has been set, and now the artist focuses an 8x10 film camera on it. This large-format camera will produce a high-resolution image. She adjusts the lighting and, when satisfied, takes three shots. This is a carefully crafted scene viewed through the camera's eye. The team has even built and shot a diorama of their studio. Ordinary spaces become extraordinary when recreated in a diorama and photographed. Many scenes, when printed large, appear true to life.