Missionary Farmer

That is a good book, and I learned a lot from it. I have a copy somewhere in my library, I think that one is in storage along with some other books that I wish I had here... Too many books and not enough shelf space. Thanks

This one is very similar to the local ones. JHCC, Do you know Tim at Sugarcreek Forge from Sugarcreek, Ohio?

JHCC, Thanks for the book link. Lots of good stuff in there, but I don't like either of those hoe designs. The spike head attachment only works for really light duty work and the eye hoe is heavy and tiring to use. Hoes are really hard to get right, they must be strong and light. Working with a hoe you make multiple swings per minute, all day long. Ounces add up fast at that rate. There are several good designs, but I didn't know how a socket was made until Frosty gave instructions.

IronDragon, Thanks for the ozark hoe, I've never seen that design before. I have a little garden on the edge of a stream with really rocky soil, I can see that design working there. Frosty, thanks for the detailed directions, I will try that. The commercial handles available are pretty poor and too expensive for most locals. In general people cut their own tool handles in the forest. An ard is simply a scratch plow as JHCC said. The ones people use here are made from two pieces of oak with a steel point. I have seen old stone points, but nobody uses those any more. I'll try to come up with a photo. People pull the plows with a horse, usually a mustang, or a donkey. In the past they used oxen with a head yoke, but that has pretty much died out.

I run a small farm teaching and demonstrating through practical application skills that can help my neighbors farm more profitably. I enjoy making things in all materials whether wood, steel, stone or cloth. I do more fabrication and welding than I do smithing, but I have a couple boys who are excited about making knives and swords. We currently have several knives waiting to temper and so will be putting another forge together soon. We will be making a box full of dirt and using charcoal from our woods. I have read posts here occasionally for many years, but never registered until now. The motivating factor was the post from a fellow asking about wood chunker designs. I ran across that when looking for info on making a forge for burning charcoal. One of the more frequent jobs I do is making steel points for the traditional wooden ard used in this area. I cut them out of leaf spring with a torch and then burn two holes that I clean up with a punch. I need to learn how to make a proper socket for holding a hoe handle. I can't find any good quality hoes on the market here. Either heavy eye hoes of cast steel or cheap stamped sheet metal junk, both are miserable to work with.

I had a wood chunker built by a local shop. It has a 3 pt hitch and devours branches up to 4" in diameter and makes 4" to 8" long chunks. The 35 hp of my tractor is far more than is needed to run the chunker. I used two shafts with three equidistant replaceable blades of D2. The photos below were what I gave the shop. We added protective guards and a feed funnel longer than anybody's arm to make it a little safer. My purpose was brush disposal, but it also works for firewood if you want short pieces. Total cost was just over $1,000 USD. It is much quieter than your typical wood chipper, but I still use hearing protection.