George N. M. Posted January 29, 2022 Share Posted January 29, 2022 Thomas, when we moved to Laramie I had to replace the old wheel barrow. I got a Gorilla brand 4 wheel dump cart (about $120 at Murdocks). It has been a real working tool and beats a wheel barrow for hauling stuff around the place. One may be of use to you in hauling stuff for the raised beds. IIRC the max load is 1200 lbs. Madelynn is thinking about raised beds too. Or I started a train of thought by mentioning your wife's project. How high are you making them, what are you filling them with, and what materials are you using for construction (I think you mentioned stock panels for the sides)? Thx. GNM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 29, 2022 Share Posted January 29, 2022 Well, I have a supply of cedar 2"x12"s that used to be a shade structure at my Parent's house. My back would prefer to go 2 high so 22" off the ground. My wife wants 1 high. So this first year I will do 1 high and expect that next year we will go to 2 high when my wife realizes how far down it is... The wire stock panels, 16' x 54" will be used to arch over two parallel raised beds to form a trellis/place to run shade cloth. Turns out I picked up 2 of them at the scrapyard last weekend. I'll have to straighten them before using them. I will also run some wire fencing around the outside to cut down on critter access with a gate at either end of the walkway. Filling: we have around 80 years of horse manure dumped in the gullies near the arroyo. (Place next door been a horse farm since the 30's. Current owner turned the large 0ctagonal barn with a courtyard into a house and has the horses in shelters outside.) I plan to use that and any soil? I can find in the arroyo to fill---at least sand and a bit of clay that should mix well with the manure. 1 high will take less filling though 2 beds will take more, which is why I'm suggesting we get started on it ASAP as I'm not going to mess up my back doing all in a couple of days. We have been composting kitchen stuff in a small bed out back of the house; so we will have "His & Hers plantings this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted January 29, 2022 Share Posted January 29, 2022 Madelynn says "Thank you" for the information. I agree that 2 high would make more sense but your prognosis does split the project into 2 phases over 2 years. GNM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted January 29, 2022 Share Posted January 29, 2022 I want to now who keeps lowering my floor every year. It is a whole lot further down that it was 10 years ago. My wife wants flower beds too. She will get flowers and all that. 2 weeks later i go plant them, always in a different place than she was going to plant them, then she ignores them till fall. At which time i have to go pull out the dead ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 29, 2022 Share Posted January 29, 2022 Billy; why I don't want to spend a lot on the project. As for the floor issue; that's what they make pickup tongs for! I've also noticed that some sneaky little clinker maker is turning up the Gravistat when I'm not looking. I can tell cause my scale keeps telling me I weigh more, things are heavier than they used to be too. Went to the scrapyard to look for stuff for the raised bed project---or stuff to replace my stuff that is going to get used for it. Nope no livestock panels or strap stock. I did bring home 83# of steel; a 3.25" open end wrench, couple of picks one of which may have a wrought iron body, some misc bolts & nuts, a 6#? sledge head stamped AT&SF, some misc steel, 8' piece of blackpipe and a motor mount I was hopping to use on my 25# LG; looks too large, may have to go back next Saturday and get the other one---that looked too small, Also got a plastic bucket for dirt/manure hauling for a certain project. As for staging the project: I'm going to start with one raised bed and if she takes care of it; do the other one later this year. If it's abandoned I will use the other materials to make it double high and use it myself next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHC Posted January 29, 2022 Share Posted January 29, 2022 I know most folks here like to build rather than buy, but just letting y’all know tractor supply sells the raised beds. If you’d rather not spend the money on it, you may at least be able to see one in person and get some ideas from their construction. I plan on buying. Cost of lumber is too high to bother building it. It would be nice to use reclaimed materials, but that sort of thing is so trendy with the upper middles here that no one sells materials. I answered a Facebook ad a while back. “Need gone, old barn, best offer.” So I messaged the lady. I’ll remove it, whole thing, pull the posts up and fill the holes. My cost, the materials. Oh no, that wasn’t gonna do. I thought my offer was perfectly reasonable, I’ll remove this eyesore you want gone, free of charge, and do a good job of it. Uh uh. She wanted someone to pay her because reclaimed materials are so “chic” around here. She was expecting $1,000 or more. Well that’s fine. Upon inspection I noticed there wasn’t a single piece of wood not eaten up by termites, so all I’d get out of it was a bunch of damaged tin I had no use for at the time. She called me back a month later asking if I was still interested. I happily told her I was busy and my rates went up to $1,000 to remove old termite infested barns. She started cussing me, so I just blocked her number. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 29, 2022 Share Posted January 29, 2022 There are places around happy to get rid of pallets. They can be broken down and remade into raised beds as well. Pool supply stores often have them for the taking. Any place you see a bunch just ask. Sometimes places do need to return them or it costs them so that is why you should ask first. Chances are they will say to take them. There was a pool place that had large ones last spring and I got a bunch. Just to say, there is a thread about pallets that may be not so good to get. Well worth reading up on so you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimaera Posted January 29, 2022 Share Posted January 29, 2022 Cleaned out my coal forge- looks like I had a failed mokume at some time, but I don’t remember it. Anyway, it’s a really cool piece- looks like it’s probably cupronickel- too golden for copper, but I cleaned the forge since last time I used brass. Could have just missed it then, though. Weighs about 50 grams, 1.77oz. While not as much “in the shop” I spent a couple hours rebuilding my frog terrarium after I found some fungus in it. Meet Napoleon, and Khublai (as in Kahn) is hiding somewhere in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 Cool piece, Chimæra. You could put it on a chain and wear it as a pendant. I straightened out an old coil spring, cut it into pieces, and rough-forged it into a lean dozen chasing tools. Also finished a bottle opener that’s a farewell present for a retiring coworker. This is made from wrought iron salvaged from repairs to the college chapel roof. Welded in some metal to the new anvil stand, to give more surface area for silicone caulk to hold the anvil down. Also on the anvil stand, I burned a chunk out of the 1/2” plate on the underside. This will be part of a project to be elaborated on later; for now, suffice it to say that I need the 2” hole drilled in the middle. Also made a new control arm for the gas saver on my torch cart, to move the torch farther from the regulators. The hook in the middle is for the chain weight for its treadle mode. All in all, a fairly full afternoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh.Sampson Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 One more piece to forge before assembling. Top holes are round punched. The rest are slot punched and drifted. Would like to find time tomorrow to finish em up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 I’m intrigued. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott NC Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 So am I. What is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimaera Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 Josh- wonderful job! I’m very impressed by how symmetrical you got the pieces. It looks like some kind of calipers, maybe? But then what’s that center piece? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 14 hours ago, Chimaera said: Meet Napoleon What kinda frog is he? he kinda looks like the tree frogs that hang around my place josh that looks pretty cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimaera Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 He’s a gray tree frog, so very likely the same kind you have. I picked him out of my yard a couple years back and I’ve had him ever since! Khublai is a bit younger, as I caught him this past summer and he’s still not full grown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lary Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 That's some pretty cool camo. I didn't even see the frog at first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh.Sampson Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 1 hour ago, Chimaera said: Josh- wonderful job! I’m very impressed by how symmetrical you got the pieces. It looks like some kind of calipers, maybe? But then what’s that center piece? They are Golden Means Calipers. There’s one more piece that will link the pointer in the middle to the other caliper half. They will show the proportions of the Golden Ratio or Golden Means which is everywhere in nature. It’s a very interesting phenomenon. I will post progress pics and the finished product when I finish it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothman_c3w Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 Made a new eye punch yesterday from 1/2" coil spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 Need some lumber for small projects? Check with the local machine shop. The stock we run comes in boxes that are between 6' and 16' long. From 4" wide to 12" wide, 1" thick pine boards. No not the best lumber nor will it last a life time but for just a season or 2 they will work. Some of them will still have that paper that keeps rust and corrosion off of the bars left inside of them too. If no one at work wants them we just drag them out to the side of the road. They are never there longer than overnight before someone takes them. Chimaera, cool frog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donal Harris Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 This is the tree frogs we have around here. John, how did you manage to drift that opener without it splitting? I tried once. One half of it I ended up using for the coffee scoop I finished last week. No shop for me the past few days. It is too far from the toilet. I’ve been rotating my time between my bed and the bathroom. No fever, but cannot get warm even beneath a pile of quilts. Could be worse I guess. The stomach cramps are bad, but no vomiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FatBadger Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 Getting ready for some stock removal, finish work, and a new billet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexandr Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 Waiting for summer. The year has just begun, a lot of work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimaera Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 Dharris, yup, that's him! I think they're very cute, and they're really easy to take care of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 Working on a few different projects today I started trying to make something for Frazers 1/2” stock contest and that project failed miserably… So then I shifted gears an got to work on a cookout fork, lastly I made a big heavy dinner bell, 16” tall made from 3/4” sucker rod, the ring is loud and got me ran outta the house just a few minutes ago lol, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad J. Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 A Marine I was with in Iraq messaged me asking if I can make a "Spartan Sword" for his retirement present for himself. Over breakfast I did my homework, guard design, handle design, pommel, and measurements. The Spartans liked their xiphos short, like 12 inches, so I went with a 19 inch blade length. I'm not one to say I can without trying first so I grabbed an 18" × 1.5" x .5" piece of leaf spring I had and went to town. (This is not his, I'm going to order new steel). I'll be finishing this one up as a practice so I can give him a good estimate of cost. I'm really happy with what I got done in a matter of hours. I haven't stopped work on the oakeshott 12, I'm working on the handle and hand sanding on sub zero and single digit days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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