Wednesday, April 16, 2025

 The Twisted Witch's Hat


Icosahedron on top of Fleche Torse, twisted spire, on top of a canted, devers, sphere on top of a Dome Tors. Based on Louis Mazerolle's plate 111-112, and based on Nicolas Fourneau drawing, Compagnon Carpenter and Master Carpenter to the king of France. 






Louis Mazerolle's plate 111-112 is the epitome of Stereotomy.

Louis Mazerolle’s Traité théoretique et pratique de charpente (1887) on 


 


Nicolas Fourneau Twisted Spire drawing


HG Twisted Circular Work in Carpentry
Stereotomy Geometry

Pinnacle of practicing geometry in space

Dome Tours & Arrow Torus
Dome Tors & Flèche Torse
Twisted Spires
Twisted Cones
Canted Spirals
Twisted Bell Towers
Rhombicosidodecahedron
Icosahedron





In these pages lies a legacy of geometry and woodcraft, carried from the masters to those who dare to pursue the pinnacles of our craft.









 Euclid's Elements Book XIII Proposition 17


I have always been fascinated by “who knew what and when they knew it. “ As well as how they knew it. So, yesterday I was searching for a download link on the book De quinque corporibus regularibus by Pierodella Francesca. That has the Platonic Solids and the Archimedean solids. I had already downloaded the book Divina proportione by Luca Pacioli. That supposedly plagiarized Piero della Francesca book. I saw in Luca Pacioli book that he had drawn Euclid's Elements Book XIII Proposition 17, but not Euclid's Elements Book XIII Proposition 18. So, I was wondering if Piero della Francesca had a drawing of Euclid's Elements Book XIII Proposition 18. I never did find a link to download Piero della Francesca's book. Even though I read on a page at the JLC forum, I thought I should study Stereotomy by reading the book De quinque corporibus regularibus by Piero della Francesca 15 years ago.

 

Over the last two months, I’ve been studying Euclid. Stereotomy is taking a point in 3D space and laying down that 3D point on a 2D drawing. So you can scribe the wood. After studying Euclid for the last two months, I realized I needed to take the next step in my journey in geometry and mathematics. Where you take a point in 3D space and transfer that point to another point in 3D space.

 

Hippasus, who was part of the Pythagorean Brotherhood, a secret society of mathematicians, could draw the Platonic Solids, the Icosahedron or the Dodecahedron. I don't know which one it was. But he was stoned to death for having too much knowledge in 500 BC.

 

My goal in my journey in geometry and mathematics is to learn Critical Thinking in Geometry so I can lay down the 3D points in space like Hippasus and Euclid. Euclid's Elements Book XIII Proposition 17 is an excellent example of Critical Thinking in Geometry. 


Representing a three-dimensional 3D point in space, the objects that compose it are studied analytically, in their shapes and position in relationship to the place that contains them. 


My study on nesting the Platonic Solids is based on Euclid's proposition 18. Here I'm able to draw out the edge lengths of the 5 Platonic Solids in a sphere using 1.618 and √2. 


Tetrahedron, Cube, Octahedron, Icosahedron, and Dodecahedron

Sphere Radius = EC = AC = 1

FB side of Cube = 1.15470

EB side of Octahedron = 1.41421356

MB side of Icosahedron = 1.051462

AF side of Tetrahedron = 1.632993

QB = NB side of Dodecahedron = 0.713644 


(√5 + 1)÷2= 1.618033

2÷√3 = 1.1570

√2 = 1.41421

√(2- ((2√5 )÷5))= 1.051462

2÷√3 *√2 = 1.632993

(2÷√3 ) ÷ ((√5 + 1)÷2)= 0.713644







Extreme and Mean Ratio
 The Golden Ratio 


To cut a given straight line so that the rectangle contained by the whole and one of the segments equals the square on the remaining segment.

 
Triangle ABE is the √5 triangle, and triangle GFC is the Dodecahedron Hip Rafter Slope.

Euclid's Elements Book XIII Proposition 18

To set out the sides of the five figures and compare them with one another.
Set out AB the diameter of the given sphere, and cut it at C so that AC equals CB, and at D so that AD is
double DB. Describe the semicircle AEB on AB, draw CE and DF from C and D at right angles to AB,
and join AF, FB, and EB. Then, since AD is double DB, therefore AB is triple BD. In conversion, therefore, BA is one and a half times AD. But BA is to AD as the square on BA is to the square on AF, for
the triangle AFB is equiangular with the triangle AFD. Therefore the square on BA is one and a half times the square on AF. But the square on the diameter of the sphere is also one and a half times the square on the side of the pyramid. And AB is the diameter of the sphere, therefore AF equals the side of the pyramid. cube.





Euclid's Elements Book XIII Proposition 17
To construct a dodecahedron and comprehend it in a sphere, like the aforesaid figures; and to
prove that the square on the side of the dodecahedron is the irrational straight line called
apotome.

BCEF is the top of the Cube. H,N,M,O are midpoints of the square on top of the cube. Draw lines HM, NO, GK, and HL. Mark off point J, the midpoint of HP, and draw line OJ. Then draw line JY the length of OJ.  Develop the square PYIS. Point S will divide the line PO, apotome, into the Golden Ratio. PS is the extreme, and SO is the mean. Mark off points UXV perpendicular to the plane of the cube, using the length PS. Mark off point T, using the length SO. Mark off point W perpendicular to the plane on the side of the cube, using length PS. 








The "Tint Roof" is also the first bastard hip roof ever drawn.(230 BC)








Triangle WXW' is the dihedral triangle for the Dodecahedron. 
The angle between two planes in the Dodecahedron.
The Dodecahedron dihedral triangle angle is 116.5650°








Luca Pacioli's portrait with him drawing the edge length for the Octahedron on the slate board.

 Luca Pacioli 


Icosahedron inscribed in a cube, from De quinque corporibus regularibus, and a modern illustration of the same construction
The edge length of the Icosahedron inscribed inside a cube is:
 cube length ÷ 1.618 = Icosahedron edge length

Then, connect the ends of the Icosahedron edges to the 20 triangular faces of the Icosahedron.









Friday, June 28, 2024

Prostate Cancer My Butt Hole Hurts

 

Prostate Cancer My Butt Hole Hurts

Disclaimer: Reading this page may kill you, if you follow my advice.

Sometimes, the treatment is worse than the disease. I've had prostate cancer for 17 years, and I just ignored it. I felt that I would eventually die from prostate cancer, knowing that my father died from prostate cancer at the age of 80, but not really. He died of bone radiation that was trying to kill the prostate cancer. After getting the Lupron injection that is required to get radiation, I feel I'm more likely to turn into a pile of mush and bones before I ever die from prostate cancer.


JOHNS HOPKINS Study

  • 5-year relative survival rate of nearly 100 percent: Five years after diagnosis, the average prostate cancer patient is about as likely as a man without prostate cancer to still be living. 
  • 10-year relative survival rate of 98 percent: Ten years after diagnosis, the average prostate cancer patient is just 2 percent less likely to survive than a man without prostate cancer.
  • 15-year relative survival rate of 95 percent: Fifteen years after diagnosis, the average prostate cancer patient is 5 percent less likely to survive than a man without prostate cancer.

 


The radiation treatment at Kaiser Hospital Cancer Center in Dublin, California, with the Varian True-Beam, was painless. You do not feel the radiation beam. The two technicians who treated me were top-notch. The only reason my butt hole hurt was because of the diarrhea. They told me to stay hydrated, and I drink 3-4 bottles of water a day, but I should have drank more than 5-6 bottles of water daily.  


Side effects of radiation: fatigue, headache, and diarrhea. Small price to pay for destroying the prostate cancer cells. Also, no hair loss whatsoever, even on your testicles. 


The only pain I felt was going through the steps to get the radiation treatment, getting the 3 gold seeds implanted in my prostate, just fucking ouch. The two small dot tattoos that were drawn on each butt cheek so the technicians could align the lasers and radiation beam with the dots and gold seeds to destroy the prostate cancer cells. 


The drug  Lupron (leuprolide) is used to control early puberty in young girls, and it is used in prostate cancer cases to send grown adult males back to puberty. It takes the "man" out of men. For me, it removed a massive amount of muscle, and now my wrists at 73 years old are the same size as mine when I was 12 years old. My penis is now just as limp as when I was 12 years old, with pre-puberty and my testicular shrinkage to match pre-puberty. However, I don't remember having hot flashes in pre-puberty.


I understand the importance of getting the Lupron injection to lower my PSA level, but the side effects of Lupron are hard to cope with. In 2007, my PSA level was 4.5. Before I got the Lupron injection in 2024, my PSA level was 38.5. After three months on Lupron, my PSA is now at 0.3.


I had the "Dickless with Tiny Balls" tee-shirts made as a protest vote in getting the Lupron injection.




Probably the best place to learn about the options for prostate cancer is in the waiting room at Kaiser Hospital Cancer Center. After talking to the men in the waiting room, I realized their stories were all different. One man, 50 years old, was there for 22 radiation treatments. However, he did not know what his PSA level was. Another man, 73 years old, who had his prostate removed, was there for 32 radiation treatments with a PSA level of 66 or 6.6. I wasn't exactly sure what he said, except that he said his PSA was really high. Another man, 62 years old, who had his prostate removed, was there for 35 radiation treatments, and his PSA level was 5.1.  


Note: All three men said they did not have massive muscle loss from the Lupron injection. 


Another radiation cancer patient, 77 years old, said his prostrate cancer was probably caused by Agent Orange from the Vietnam War, and the prostate cancer had spread to his tailbone. No other details on his PSA level.


My friend Dywayne in Tennessee, 70 years old, had his prostate removed when he was 72 years old. For the first year after the prostate was removed, he felt great. However, two years later, he died. No idea about his PSA level before and after or whether or not his cancer spread outside of his prostate. 


Today, I found out that a windsurfing buddy from 30 years ago, Jim, 70 years old , also had his prostate cancer cured at that radiation treatment center at Kaiser Hospital Cancer Center in Dublin, California. I do not have any details on his PSA level. However, I remember Jim saying how massive my forearms were when we were windsurfing. He would be applauded by the small size of my forearms today.


Me windsurfing with Jim at Bethany Reservoir State Recreation Area about 1994



I almost feel like a wimp. I only had five radiation treatments on the clinical trial GU009, but at a much higher radiation dosage, and I still have my prostate. Back in 2008, a doctor wanted to remove my prostate when my PSA level was at 6.5, and I declined. Before you make any decisions on your prostate cancer, find out if the prostate cancer has spread outside of your prostate. After 17 years of having prostate cancer, the prostate cancer had not spread outside of my prostate.  


When you have your prostate removed, you will still need to get the Lupron injection and radiation. To me, that's the worst-case scenario.


Make all of your decisions on these four things:

1: PSA Level

2: Testosterone Level

3: Has the prostate cancer spread outside of your prostate?  

4: Grade of Cancer-> Gleason grading system



For some men who have prostate cancer that has spread outside of the prostate, with a PSA level of 5.0 could be deadly. If the prostate cancer had not spread outside of the prostate, then, like me, I felt I could have had a PSA level of 50 and been just fine by just doing "nothing." But maybe not. With a Gleason score 4+4, aggressive cancer, It was time to get treatment.


My father was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the age of 62 in 1990. At 65 years old, he got radiation seeds implanted in his prostate. That was a disaster. It didn't cure the prostate cancer, and he was really sick for a year. Then, at the age of 70, he got chemotherapy and probably the Luprin injection. After the treatment, he hired a personal trainer and started working out with weights. He was in excellent shape after he began working out. At the age of 77, he got more chemotherapy. Then, more experimental chemotherapy treatments until the age of 80.  I don't know if his prostate cancer spread outside the prostate when he was 65, and I don't know his PSA level. 


A relative of my fathers, who was a board member of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, told my father the best thing he could have done was " nothing." But it was advice that was too little and too late after all of his chemotherapy.


Prostate cancer

Side effects of getting the Lupron injection.

Massive muscle loss.

Massive bone density loss.

Massive weight gain.

Ruptured chest muscles.

The exorcist syndrome.

Constant nagging syndrome, according to my wife

Felt like plastic worms injected into each butt muscle.

Hot flashes. Lots of hot flashes.

Headaches

Suicidal thoughts

Murderous thoughts

Bone pain

Constant pain.

Constant Fatigue

Respiratory problems

Spinal cord compression

Blurred vision

Dizziness

Constant stomach aches, probably from the muscle mass loss, turning into belly fat.

Massive muscle loss in my butt. 

Massive muscle loss in my calves. I can't walk more than 100 yards without my calves hurting.

Massive muscle loss in my thighs. 

Massive muscle loss in my back.  My lower rib cage now hurts.

Massive muscle loss in my chest. 

Massive muscle loss in my forearms. 

Massive muscle loss in my biceps. 



And a new watermelon belly full of fat. After being on Lupron for three months, I feel like I have lost at least 10 pounds of muscle and added 10 pounds of fat to my belly.






I had Stage 1 Prostate Cancer: The cancer had not spread outside of the prostate.


Anti-hormonal treatment --> Lupron injection and taking Bicalutamide 50 mg tablets daily.

Anti-hormonal treatment works by reducing or blocking the amount of testosterone in the body, a male hormone that prostate cancer often depends on to grow.

The Bicalutamide, 50 mg tablets, have lowered my testosterone to <20, which basically means my testosterone is zero. Testosterone helps boys develop male features like body and facial hair, deeper voice, and muscle strength during puberty. Then, Bicalutamide lowers your testosterone to pre-puberty levels.


I was 17 years old, lifting weights for football training with my testosterone, probably at 800.

I am 18 years old, graduating from high school with my testosterone, probably at 825.



I was 18 years old, surfing in San Diego, California, with my testosterone probably at 850.



I am 21 years old, in Pikes Peak, Colorado, with my testosterone probably at 825.

I am 27 years old and waterskiing in Kauai, Hawaii, with my testosterone probably at 800.


I am 32 years old, with my testosterone probably at 750.

My father, son Erik, and I windsurfing on the Oregon coast at the age of 46, with my testosterone probably at 600.
Note: My father would be 69 in this photo, just before he started chemotherapy, and my son Erik is now a third-generation carpenter. 





Tours France, 2021, at 70 years old, with my testosterone probably at 350.
Visiting the Musée - Librarie du in Tours France to see the compagnons masterpieces.


Advanced Stereotomy Certificate, 2023, at 72 years old, with my testosterone at 270.

Note: I'm basing my testosterone levels on:
1: Overall energy
2: Strength
3: Muscel recovery

So, the big question is, "Should you get radiation treatments for your prostate cancer".  With my PSA level at 38.5, I was concerned that the prostate cancer would spread to my tailbone and hurt like hell. Then there was the doctor saying he would recommend getting treatment for his father and my wife, nagging me about getting my prostate cancer treated because she got her breast cancer treated. The only regret I have is getting the Lupron injection and taking Bicalutamide 50 mg tablets daily. However, without Lupron and Bicalutamide, the radiation is ineffective. Almost a catch-22 scenario. And remember, the radiation treatment is painless; the prostate cancer in the tailbone is not. 

So, after my 5th radiation treatment, technically, my prostate cancer is cured. As long as my PSA < 1 and my testosterone level is pre-pubrity. Without testosterone, prostate cancer has nothing to feed on. Also, I was able to stop taking the Bicalutamide 50 mg tablets after the last radiation treatment. However, I'm still supposed to get three more Lupron injections every 6 months.  


Dickless with Tiny Balls for Pre-Puberty Prostate Cancer Victims


I'll update this page every three months after I get my blood test done for the PSA level. To see if I'm still cancer-free.

Update: 4/16/2025
My PSA is 0.2
My Testosterone is 30
I only have one Lupron injection at this time. 


Oh yeah, according to my friend Nathan's mother, stay away from the salami. 






Monday, March 21, 2022

 

HG IV Circular Work in Carpentry
Stereotomy Geometry

This book is a subset of the Holy Grail of Roof Framing Geometry & Trigonometry books.

More Info on HG IV

Buy HG IV

The book includes step-by-step instructions on developing stereotomic double curvature drawings for circular work in carpentry. Some of the techniques presented in this book are thousands of years in the making. As carpenters, we shouldn't have to re-invent the wheel each time we are faced with new challenges. There is a likely hood that someone, that came before us, has already refined a technique that we can use today. The tools might have changed, but the piece of wood that it is twisting and turning remains the same piece of wood.

This book also includes a zip file download of 930MB. There are some print, scribe, and cut drawings for double curvature in the zip file download. As, well as, PDFs, pictures of the process of cutting the wood, SketchUp files, and some AutoCAD files.

Book Contents

Cords, Midpoints, and Tangents
Lines and Midpoints
Unit Circle Arc Segment Functions
The Three Lost Points of Circular Work
Professor Louis Mazerolle's Conic Section Practice Page
Parabola Conic Section Practice Page
Hyperbola on Round Tower Roof
Ellipse Functions
Cylinder SkyLite
Helix Curve - Circular Stair Stringer
Helix Double Curvature Stair Stringer
Helix Double Curvature Stair Stringer Practice
Concial Helix
Double Curvature Arch
The intersection of Three Cylinders
Imperial - Dome Roof Orthographic Projection Exercise
The intersection of Cone and Inclined Plane
Layover Rafters on Elliptical Sleepers
The intersection of Vertical & Horizontal Cones
Hunting Miter Parabola
Circle Scribe Transfer Tool ™
Barrel Roof Framing - Elliptical Layover Roof Surface Geometry
Barrel Roof Framing - Trigonometry Purlin Rafters
Barrel Roof Framing - Circular Ribs
Barrel Roof Framing - Roof Surface Development
Barrel Roof Framing - Task Model
Barrel Roof Framing - Arch Top Dormer
Barrel Vault Elliptical Rib Layout
Eyebrow Roof Dormer with Ribs Task Model
Eyebrow Roof Dormer Inner Valley Plywood
Eyebrow Roof Dormer Math
Eyebrow Roof Dormer with Purlins
Curved Hip Rafters
Curved Bay Window Rafters
Ski Slope Rafters
Ogee-Imperial Hip Rafters Equal Slope
Ogee-Imperial Bay Window Hip Rafters
Ogee-Imperial Pentagon Pavilion
Ogee-Imperial Hexagon Pavilion
Ogee-Imperial Octagon Pavilion
Imperial - Straight Roof Task Model
Imperial - Dome Roof Task Model
Bell Roof
Dome Roof
Concave Roof
Belgian Oeil-de-Boeuf,
known as Bull's Eye windows
Medieval Gothic Cathedral Table
Round Tower Roof Intersecting A Straight Roof
Dome Roof Intersecting a Straight Roof
Round Tower Roof Intersecting A Dome Roof
Round Tower Roof Intersecting A Imperial Roof
French Capucine Dormer-Skylite
French Guitarde Dormer-Skylite
Guitarde and Capucine Solid Models Cut on the BandSaw
Single Curvature Knee Braces
Double Curvature Knee Braces
Fourneau's Guitarde Dormer built in 1765 in Rouen France
Round Tower on Square Plan
Pyramid Roof on Circular Plan
The Intersection of a Cone & Cutting Plane for the Ellipse cut on a bandsaw
Curved Purlins on Round Tower Roof
Saint-Andre's Cross on Round Tower
Round Tower Roof with Saint Andrew's Cross Task Models
Saint-Andre's Cross on Imperial Round Tower
Round Towers of California with Saint Andre's Cross
Professional Stair Builder Secrets
Enclosed Circular Stairs
Free Standing Circular Stairs
Enclosed Elliptical Stairs
Free Standing Elliptical Stairs
Tangent Handrailing
Round Tower with Ears
The Intersection of a Cone & Cutting Plane for the Ellipse
Groin Vaults
Barrel Vaults
Elliptical Vaults
Parabolic Arch Vaults
Gothic Arch Vaults











Wednesday, January 29, 2020

The Art of the Line for Carpentry

The Art of the Line for Carpentry
Stereotomy Geometry

This book is a subset of the Holy Grail of Roof Framing Geometry & Trigonometry books.
HG - III
You can purchase the book HG-III at this link.


  • Art du Trait de Charpente
  • Art of the Line for Carpentry
  • German Schiften
  • Basic Task Models
  • TC - DP Shadow Line
  • Canted Hip and Valley Rafters
  • Net Roof Surface
  • Folding Roof Surface Planes
  • Footprint Planes
  • Net Planes
  • Sloping Ridges
  • Rafter Claws
  • Purlins
  • Dormers
  • Tréteau à devers
  • Canted Trestles
  • Joiners Table
  • Sawhorses
  • Saint Andrews' Cross
  • WorldSkills Carpentry Competition Practice Task Model
  • Twisted Crosses
  • Canted Cross
  • Hexagon Canted Cross
  • Pentagon Canted Cross
  • Witches Cut
  • Warlock Cut
  • MoonWalk Lines
  • Roof Framing Geometry
  • Roof Framing Stereotomy
  • The Aurora Roof Framing Challenge
  • American Journeyman Carpenters Examination
  • German Schiften Roof Averaging Exam