I received
my new log splitter yesterday; but haven’t had a chance to unpack it and check
it out. Since yesterday evening we have
had about two inches of rain fall in western Maine. Not complaining, as we are ten inches short
for the season – not great for wells.
Maine is a
rocky state, hence stone walls everywhere you look. Every year farmers would plow their fields
and plow up rocks, lacking a place to put them they bordered their fields
because good fences make good neighbors (see Mending Walls by Robert Frost.)
The problem
is that digging even a small hole in western Maine requires a pick ax or pry
bar. I ran across this (again) when I
wanted to mount my stationary bird feeder. The answer:
Place a
chimney block where I wanted the feeder.
Brace up the feeder in the flue hole and fill with quick dry
cement. That feeder is not going
anywhere and I didn’t have to dig a hole.
Another tip:
If you are about to buy a new drill or have hinted to your other that want one
for X-mas - beware. I always wanted a
battery operated cordless drill – so convenient not having to run an extension
cord to every work sight. I finally bought
one, but not being a full time carpenter I only used it occasionally. I found that every time I took out the drill
the battery was low and needed charging.
I have gone back to a cord drill.
I come from
a time that men were expected to be maintenance savvy. I have done carpentry, electrical, I hate
plumbing, and at one time could work on my own cars and motorcycles. I think that time is past for young men. The young people I know are helpless when
something breaks. They look for an app
on their phone and call a repairman – or their father.
Just my
observation.
The Ol’Buzzard
Very clever solution for putting up that bird feeder!
ReplyDeleteMy husband has gone through MANY drills. When he uses a cordless, he has two batteries, one always charging, so that he can quickly change it out and keep working. He is very capable in mechanics, construction, electrical, plumbing, repairs... Much of this is self-taught. No, this is not his profession. Our son (16 yrs. old) shows little to no interest in learning any of these skills. Maybe it will happen on a needs basis. -Jenn
ReplyDeleteI have several 18v Ryobi cordless tools. I also have a handful of batteries. Started with two Ni-Cad when I bought the set(drill, saw, light, and sander), then got another drill with two lithium-ion batteries as it was cheaper to buy the drill than the batteries and the charger. The lithium-ion batteries needed a different charger than the one I had for the Ni-Cad batteries. Then I bought two more lithium-ion batteries a few years later. I usually have at least one with charge in it, but it's a pain when I was using both drills and a saw and got down to one battery with any charge left in it. Have to keep switching the battery from tool to tool.
ReplyDeleteThe Old Lady calls the cordless tools the "Barby Dream House" for men as you can always find a new item as a gift just like you can buy stuff for the dream house.
My son is pretty handy at doing most anything around the house. Some he learned from me, some from his friends that he cons into helping him. I feel totally helpless here because everything is so different. it is hard to explain. but as an example, you cannot buy S4S dimension lumber. IF you can buy lumber at all, it is rough cut full dimension, eg a 2X4 is a full 50 mm x 100 mm. Tools needed are different. Never needed a planer before.
ReplyDelete