Tips of all kinds!

[Dani]

I ran across a video of a nice little kindling splitting tool. It would have been very useful when I had the wood cookstove! LInk to video then link to the store for them. I am not affiliated with them, just think it is a very clever tool!! Would not be too hard to fabricate your own version either


https://vaboee.com/products/firewood-kindling-splitter-u01?twclid=2-3zz2osr7ypmnl3l14qdo5p0m0

Oh that kid looked so proud of himself! Good job for teaching that boy a very valuable skill! It does look like something that would help around the homestead. We heat our entire house with wood and use a lot of kindling. Hunny does it with no problems, but I do have issues sometimes. It would be a big help.

 

[Woody]

Is that a replacement for a hatchet?

Yeah, for splitting small kindling, it would replace a hatchet.

For me, when you got down to finger size kindling, it was difficult to hit with a hatchet. You had to ‘tap’ the hatchet onto the piece, then hold them together as you hefted them down towards the splitting block. And yes, I had a box of small, finger size kindling when I was cooking with the stove. Once you got a bed of coals, sometimes all it would need is a small blast of heat to maintain the oven. Or a pile of kindling to blaze it up for that first pot of coffee from a cold stove. Lift a section of a burner over the firebox so the flames would lick directly on the bottom of the percolator.

Having something like this, on the block, by the stove would have been wonderful.

 

[Magus]

I'm already redesigning it in my head, now if I could build it...

 

[backlash]

Did you notice there were NO knots in any of the pieces of wood he split?
This is another type and should be easy to make.
https://assets.leevalley.com/Size4/10064/65U1510-softwood-kindling-splitter-u-01-r.jpg

 

[zoomzoom]

Did you notice there were NO knots in any of the pieces of wood he split?
This is another type and should be easy to make.
https://assets.leevalley.com/Size4/10064/65U1510-softwood-kindling-splitter-u-01-r.jpg

I like it. It should be mounted to something stout due to the leverage.

 

[Caribou]

Did you notice there were NO knots in any of the pieces of wood he split?
This is another type and should be easy to make.
https://assets.leevalley.com/Size4/10064/65U1510-softwood-kindling-splitter-u-01-r.jpg

Your's looks like it would be better for making the small kindling.

Here is another option.
https://www.amazon.com/Firewood-Spl...sprefix=kindling+splitter,aps,454&sr=8-5&th=1

 

[Magpie]

 

[Morgan101]

View attachment 122926

Love it!! Thanls for sharing.

 

[Caribou]

 

[backlash]

I had one go bad so I opened it up.
One of the batteries was corroded, swollen, and split.
I took it to HD and put it in the recycle box.

 

[WVDragonlady]

 

[Peanut]

I built this wheel chair ramp for my parents in 2019. Needed some kind of non-skid surface. I checked rino-liner and a dozen alternatives. None were a great solution and all were high dollar. I was in the barn and noticed a couple old bundles of shingles, left over from ? Thought they were worth a try.

Coming up on 5yrs and still doing a great job! A bundle is about $35. A gallon of non-skid starts at $50. Any kind of painted surface would have needed replacing by now. The shingles come loose occasionally, couple roofing tacks take care of the prob. No other issue, should be good for 20yrs.

 

[Caribou]

I built this wheel chair ramp for my parents in 2019. Needed some kind of non-skid surface. I checked rino-liner and a dozen alternatives. None were a great solution and all were high dollar. I was in the barn and noticed a couple old bundles of shingles, left over from ? Thought they were worth a try.

Coming up on 5yrs and still doing a great job! A bundle is about $35. A gallon of non-skid starts at $50. Any kind of painted surface would have needed replacing by now. The shingles come loose occasionally, couple roofing tacks take care of the prob. No other issue, should be good for 20yrs.

View attachment 126751

It also comes in rolls. Some rolls have a 2” strip w/o the coarse surface, that is what we use on the ramp to the floats. there is another roll that is bare paper on about 40%. That is a waste as you have to cut that much off.

 

[angie_nrs]

Do NOT buy shredded cheese!

I never gave this any thought until recently when I saw a short video about the extra ingredients that go into shredded cheese to prevent it from clumping and molding. I read the package today and sure enough......cellulose and natamycin. As a side note, Whole Foods has banned natamycin in it's stores.

Instead of buying shredded cheese, I now buy chunk cheese and shred it myself. I usually do this on most of my dishes anyways b/c the end result is usually a creamier and richer cheese. In addition, it also stores longer in the frig than shredded cheese does. Most of the time the price is the same between the two, so I buy block cheese and shred it myself.

 

[OldSchool]

Do NOT buy shredded cheese!

I never gave this any thought until recently when I saw a short video about the extra ingredients that go into shredded cheese to prevent it from clumping and molding. I read the package today and sure enough......cellulose and natamycin. As a side note, Whole Foods has banned natamycin in it's stores.

Instead of buying shredded cheese, I now buy chunk cheese and shred it myself. I usually do this on most of my dishes anyways b/c the end result is usually a creamier and richer cheese. In addition, it also stores longer in the frig than shredded cheese does. Most of the time the price is the same between the two, so I buy block cheese and shred it myself.

Shredded cheese is un-proportionately expensive, from what I've seen. Guess buyers are paying extra for all the added BS.

 

[angie_nrs]

Always keep a hose near your outdoor or (indoor) garage faucets!

If a fire ever starts in your garage or someplace outdoors, someone could have easy access to water and can aim water either at the fire, or wet down the area (or home) to prevent a fire from taking hold. Always have extra hoses available for that cheap insuance. You don't want to run around wondering where someone put the garden hose if a fire happens. If a non-family member doesn't know where you put your hose, they won't be able to assist in putting out a fire.

During the winter, keep a hose hanging on a garage or barn wall so someone can easily spot it. It would be less likely to be needed in the winter, but the fire threat is never zero.

It was very dry last spring and one of our stupid neighbors let a fire get away from them. We weren't home at the time, but a different neighbor alerted us to the issue. We raced home and thankfully it was taken care of by the FD by the time we got home and it never made it to our property. It could have been a very bad situation, especially since it was windy out. We didn't have hoses readily available b/c we don't use them all that often. Needless to say, we have hoses near our faucets now. A 50-100 foot hose won't cost you very much and could potentially help save your home.

 

[OldSchool]

For city-dwellers (like myself) and country folks... stay on good terms with your neighbors, even if they are ********.

 

[Amish Heart]

Thankfully, we have great neighbors.
Love that shingle idea, Peanut. I think we have a bunch in one of the old barns. Husband and I were just discussing our two ramps at our place that he uses. This time of year, it's fine, but can get tricky in the wintertime. I have to bring him down them in a wheelchair.

 

[LadyLocust]

Do NOT buy shredded cheese!

I never gave this any thought until recently when I saw a short video about the extra ingredients that go into shredded cheese to prevent it from clumping and molding. I read the package today and sure enough......cellulose and natamycin. As a side note, Whole Foods has banned natamycin in it's stores.

Instead of buying shredded cheese, I now buy chunk cheese and shred it myself. I usually do this on most of my dishes anyways b/c the end result is usually a creamier and richer cheese. In addition, it also stores longer in the frig than shredded cheese does. Most of the time the price is the same between the two, so I buy block cheese and shred it myself.

Yep - haven't been able to for at least 5 years. I didn't know what it was at the time, but I knew that if I ate shredded cheese, my allergies went nuts within 24 hrs. I learned later the anticaking ingredients are toxic.

 

[LadyLocust]

For city-dwellers (like myself) and country folks... stay on good terms with your neighbors, even if they are *******s.

Haha - I have a funny. I say you don't have to like them, but they don't have to know that

 

[zoomzoom]

Always keep a hose near your outdoor or (indoor) garage faucets!

If a fire ever starts in your garage or someplace outdoors, someone could have easy access to water and can aim water either at the fire, or wet down the area (or home) to prevent a fire from taking hold. Always have extra hoses available for that cheap insuance.

Angie is 100% right!
I keep those "shrink garden hoses" attached to my spigots. They drain easy after usage (so water freezing isn't an issue when drained).

 

[Amish Heart]

I never get good water pressure with those kind of hoses.

 

[Peanut]

Thankfully, we have great neighbors.
Love that shingle idea, Peanut. I think we have a bunch in one of the old barns. Husband and I were just discussing our two ramps at our place that he uses. This time of year, it's fine, but can get tricky in the wintertime. I have to bring him down them in a wheelchair.

When i first put them down I caught grief... 'The wheel chair wheels are wider than the shingles'!

The person pulling or pushing needs good footing, who cares about the wheels? Anyway, they have worked great. Oh, a mistake earlier... I didn't use roofing tacks. I used staples from a staple gun.

These staple guns are handy. Especially holding something temporarily. Ever try to hold something with one hand while trying to start a nail with the other? Staples are the answer, one hand operation, available at hardware stores. I keep several sizes on hand 5/16, 3/8 and 1/2 inch. The stapler will drive a 1/2inch staple through wood.

 

[Amish Heart]

I'll try it with the staple gun, that I have. And you're right, it's the person pushing the wheelchair. I have to make sure I'm sure footed...the wheel chair weighs a ton, wide seat, and husband weighs 270 lbs, so it gets momentum. And pushing back up is a pain.
Great idea, Peanut.

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

Is there no way to anchor a winch at the top of the ramp and hook the line to the wheel chair to help get it up and down the ramp?

 

[backlash]

I'll try it with the staple gun, that I have. And you're right, it's the person pushing the wheelchair. I have to make sure I'm sure footed...the wheel chair weighs a ton, wide seat, and husband weighs 270 lbs, so it gets momentum. And pushing back up is a pain.
Great idea, Peanut.

You need a power scooter.
Get a Rx from your doc.

 

[Amish Heart]

He has two power scooters. One is plugged in in our bedroom, next to a door with a ramp. We also have a ramp from our front exit that goes right to our pickup. He has a special scooter (Wrangler Pride) that he can take in the fields, a real big monster, but he hasn't used that in about a year, hasn't felt well enough. He doesn't drive anymore, I just bring him down the ramp in the wheelchair to the truck, and he mostly just leaves for doc appts. And then back home.

 

[joel]

Is there no way to anchor a winch at the top of the ramp and hook the line to the wheel chair to help get it up and down the ramp?

This may not be legal with osha looking over your shoulder & a box to load the chair in then pull the box up & down the ramp. with training wheel so it will not fall over should you lose power.

 

[Amish Heart]

I don't load the chair, it weighs too much. The hospital has wheelchairs, I just bring one out for him. If I have to get him out, I have a rolling chair for him that I can lift, but he doesn't like sitting in it because the seat is not so wide. Little granddaughter and I can load the wheelchair in the back of the truck, but it takes both of us, all our strength. Easier to load up the scooter...just take the batteries out, the seat off, and then two people can lift the frame of it. We talked about getting a lift on the back of the truck for the scooter, but he really doesn't go out anymore except to the docs.

 

[Weedygarden]

Angie is 100% right!
I keep those "shrink garden hoses" attached to my spigots. They drain easy after usage (so water freezing isn't an issue when drained).

I'm not a fan of those hoses either. I don't have any, but I have done enough house sitting for people who do. They are a pain.