The Chinese diesel heater is still working dandy out in the greenhouse lean-to we put up a year ago. Just this morning, there was light rain coming down about 4 AM and Zeus the Cat (dealing with old age issues) didn’t want to come in the house/.
One button press, and within a half hour, the greenhouse area was a toasty 75F and Zeus seemed comfortable. See that article here. The diesel heaters are inexpensive at Amazon and there’s a lot of winter to come.
Shop Sound Systems
Now that we’re into the time of year when shop projects should be “on a roll” perhaps we should talk about whether a “sound system” belongs in a shop.
Three schools of thought on this:
- Many craftsmen love the “sounds of silence” when working. Like reading, studying, or thinking deeply to absorb new information, the case for utter “pin drop” silence is made. Total focus.
- Mixed-mode workers are into music or podcasts, but only when repetitive work or something “rote” is going on. While my personal tastes in music run to Atlantic-Blue Note jazz of the late 1960s, the more “bored” with manual work (which has become rote) the more the transition to “country-western” seems to kick in. IoW music with some kind of story (“What happens in Mexico, stays in Mexico“), comes and goes.
- All noise, all the time workers. These tend to be people who are not “fully present in their work” and still have mental processor clicks enough to follow a Joe Rogan podcast, the Clay and Buck show, or the C&W station… All music, all the time people tend toward ear buds when using heavy equipment which can be anything from a Kenworth T6 to a Milwaukee anything on sheet metal. The ear buds provide some external sound attenuation.
Cheap Kick-Ass Sound
Do I really want sound in my shop? This is where the decision-making process begins. It’s where I’m presently stuck.
Would it be nice to have some light classical or jazz instrumental going? Yes. But, to do so, what’s involved? It’s one more set of things to get dust and dirt into and that means maintenance.
The low maintenance, highest cost-performance (in money and time) may be using noise canceling Blue Tooth headphones with Alexa. Details are over here.
Single device sources (even with varied music), like Alexa have their limitations. For example:
- I want a source for clean instrumental music. Like from the small FM transmitter on the property. (That series of articles focused here.)
Then there is a shortwave radio, given to us by a very kind reader. It’s a World War II vintage tube unit and an absolutely pristine classic.
Thing is, if I have shortwave, why not also get a ham radio into the mix so I can listen to the ham bands while working in the shop?
And who needs ear buds when there always seem to be old speakers from previous adventures in audio on a shelf somewhere, just begging to be put to better use than dust catching… And say, isn’t that one of those electric “disco balls” that shoots electricity around inside a globe?
Of course, if we have all this, we’d need to have a police and fire scanner so when son G2 gets back here in February, we can listen to the fire/medical rescue traffic, so maybe it would be a good idea to include a mixing board in this ideal shop sound system so we can set relative audio levels with precision and ease…
Then there is a shortwave radio, given to us by a very kind reader. It’s a World War II vintage tube unit and an absolutely pristine classic.
Thing is, if I have shortwave, why not also get a ham radio into the mix so I can listen to the ham bands while working in the shop?
And who needs ear buds when there always seem to be old speakers from previous adventures in audio on a shelf somewhere, just begging to be put to better use than dust catching… And say, isn’t that one of those electric “disco balls” that shoots electricity around inside a globe?
Of course, if we have all this, we’d need to have a police and fire scanner so when son G2 gets back here in February, we can listen to the fire/medical rescue traffic, so maybe it would be a good idea to include a mixing board in this ideal shop sound system so we can set relative audio levels with precision and ease…Now, with the exception of the mixing board (*this is a Helix Board with a bad A/D section and a very cranky Firewire port) all the other parts to set up very interesting shop sound can be had next to free by hitting a few garage sales.
Even if you don’t have a “real” mixer, an inexpensive 4-channel ($65 class) unit can be picked up to arrange sounds, just so.
But, then we’re back to the core problem (staring at the wiring and all the additional gear and the dust collection potential for it and so forth): Do we really want sound in the shop in the first place?
In the end, the speakers might have a better use in some other hare-brained project. The UPS dude likes to “mix beats” so the mixer could be offered to him. And the shortwave gear? Well, the BC-348 is a classic so that’s on the keeper list. But the HW-101 is a so-so ham rig. At least compared to the Icom 761’s and the TS-590S.
A sigh of frustration, as Ure comes to terms with the sad fact of life. “You cand do ANYTHING you can dream of in Life. But you can’t do EVERYTHING you think of.
Maybe the extended mix of Sounds of Silence will be looped, as it has been until now…
Home Building Book
The return of G2 to family lands in late winter will set the stage for his building a house while finishing additional medical training here in Texas.
Speaking of the “do anything” but “not everything” problem, sheesh!
His range of targets includes building (and living in) a bug-out vehicle. A retired SF friend of his has a small box truck which looks like a commercial truck 26-footer which has a really tricked out (minimalist) whole living space interior.
Of course, there’s the RV route, underground housing, A-frame cabin, conventional stick built 900 SF “real home” which could accommodate an actual family at some point…
We don’t have a dog in this fight, except that we have figured that we could spring for a $3,000 Harbor Freight saw mill, which could then cut down lumber all over the property, and then be sold at a 50 percent discount once used. When you think about it, $2,000 net out of pocket for all the lumber you can cut and stick is a deal you can’t really beat.
BUT, as soon as my bum knee is a little better, Edward from the local building materials emporium will be bringing out (at last) the replacement sticks for the second deck off the screen porch.
Here’s how lumber prices looked as I’ve been tracking ’em since this project came into view:
Sanded 2-sides exterior ply is down in the $55 range, too. So, even though cabinet level ply is spendy, the basics – 2-by dimension lumbers ain’t bad in historical terms.
And if you want to build a home with sweat equity, figuring out the cost of wood (and time) buying everything, versus the cost of doing your own sawyering, sticking, and seasoning and TIME will be a really interesting father-son conversation at some point.
But, like we say, when the economy looks bad in one sector, that’s when you consider building a home.
Great Home Building Book!
Compliments to Habitat for Humanity. Great organization.
If you ever plan to build a house, finest one-book how-to yet is “Habitat for Humanity How to Build a House Revised & Updated(Habitat for Humanity).”
Toss in the “The Stanley Complete Step-by-Step Revised Book of Home Repair and Improvement” and I’d call that a reasonable 2-books answer to home ownership from the ground up.
OK, projects today include troubleshooting one of our internet onramps being down (one of the land lines) and then installing and testing a MagicJack because with reliable broadband, $100/month land lines are not really logical…
Write when you get rich,
George@ure.net
“Mixed-mode workers are into music or podcasts, but only when repetitive work or something “rote” is going on. ”
what an interesting contemplation.. I guess I switch back from silent to mixed mode…
when I read I love a quiet sound of music.. and atlantic blue by ron hynes…. dam you hit on it.. I love that to LOL.. and it flops between that violin and musical bowls.. when I was in the military I lived in a house.. we called it the hotel in DC… ( a young man a little older than me visited once at the hotel.. saying he was going to write a book about it ..guess who the book he was planning to write was the hotel Trafalgar or something like that.. ) how paths cross in ones life..
I meditate regularly.. when I was little.. when I see something interesting .. I have to tear it apart with my mind.. watch it work.. take it a part.. ( dam I always have parts left after they are put back to gether.. LOL_ ) I teach the kids though that if they are working with a power tool don’t be distracted.. power tools can be dangerous.. so no music..
Yo G, I believe that a good percentage of your readers are of the boomer generation, and as such, they may have had parents/relatives that were POWs in WWII. My sister found a good source of photos of POW’s. Well organized web site (by internment camp). She found a couple of photos of my father. He is the one top left sixth from the left with his tongue sticking out. A big FU to the Germans. See here:
https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/pa1180536
He was interned at Tittmoning for 18 months. Father was arrested for speaking a language other than German in the occupied terratories. Little did the Germans know that Dad was working for the OSS at the time. Returned home after a prisoner swap before the end of the war. After returning home, and a stern grilling by the FBI at Ellis Island, Dad enlisted into the 82nd Airborn and was assigned to the Nuremberg trials as an interpreter, he spoke: English, Polish, German, Russian and Czech. I look forward to Nuremberg II and holding all these whack jobs responsible for crime against humanity…..
Speaking of prisoners –
Viktor sure tells the truth in his interview.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/12/losing-christian-values-losing-families-no-longer-america-knew-international-arms-dealer-viktor-bout-gives-first-interview-since-release-us/
I’ve felt for a long time that the Russian PEOPLE and Americans have so much in common the only thing keeping us apart are our g-d governments.
“good percentage of your readers are of the boomer generation,”
you want me to show you, your future? show me ure friends and who you affiliate with. that is ure future
Pozdravlenia ! https://www.theinteldrop.org/2022/12/10/putin-tears-into-ukraine-over-a-drink-with-russian-officers/
ChildF-ers = WEFers/NatoUS – this is how a weakling, cancer stricken LEADER does it , when congratulating his Military leadership corps. See any raindow flags adorning the officiers, the walls ? See any simpering, chin quivering, gender fluid pedofiles anywhere in video.
miley is cowering in basement, having shit his panties & dress after viewing the linked vid.
Ask Ureself – how many of Putins red lines were crossed last week ??
Answer: At least 3..and that MAN dont bluff..slickshit, colder than ice killa – he once was..
..tickticktick..
WINTER is hear in the kraine, and will do more towards utter destruction of the peoples and desolation of Ukraine..see CLEANSED.
Lets Go Pedo Joe and wife dr dirty ho – the very proud parents of one hunter blo’s & ho’s bribem. How much longer we gonna have to wait for Kam the Man to take WH?
PS – tunes are must in shop, prefer radio (summer ballgames) with iphone & cd multi funct. Sound aint nothing to write home about, but mostly talk radio, sport talk and sports – sound quality not that important – fan noise, crack of the bat, slap of the leather as ball hits catchers mitt..thats it – simple is as simple does..yerp a simpleton!
Got Depends ?
seek mental health help. you don’t appeared tethered to reality.
Maybe you guys can get on with a Zoom group therapy session.
tethered to reality,,, show us some photos of a pregnant
Mrs? Obama
“medical help” Calling Dr Jill, are you a real Dr? tell us again the story about Joe’s first wife’s car wreck, Neilia Hunter Biden
We will wait
B,
Now why’d you have to go and drag the Uke-Russ shitstorm into a nice quiet STS discussion. Sounds like you have Ukraine Derangement Syndrome.
Please take your meds before posting.
Give my best to Natasha. Hubba, hubba!
tobD – pregnant michelle, biden’s car wreck, hunter, jill biden? It’s mental case gobbly gook. Why not add in that paul pelosi fired a male prostitute and a pizza pace in DC keeps kids in the basement. Yup, you’re a half bubble off of plumb too. Come up with policies and a platform that helps people cuz right now you’re in the weeds. Seek help and tell your therapist on your first session about this stuff running through your head. republicans have lost their minds.
Personally, I like music when I work on some projects. Good for the mood and keeps the heart warm.
Wouldn’t mind having one of these
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkqoPvOqYf-/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=
“Home Building Book
The return of G2 to family lands in late winter will set the stage for his building a house while finishing additional medical training here in Texas.”
two homes I have always wanted to build.. a container home.. containers are cheap.. and a earth bermed rammed earthhome.. or an earth bag home..
I have dreamed of it for decades…. LOL when I built this one.. I had to add onto the original structure.. I was given a thirty by thirty foot one room school house.. the plan was put it on a basement.. then make an upstairs.. it had sixteen foot ceilings.. and would have made a great home..
rammed earth or an earth bag is cheap enough.. build a home out of this world..
but you have to have space and live in a place that will let you.. here in the wastelands.. you cannot even put in a manufactured home no matter how good they are..
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269763371_Building_with_Rammed_Earth
they use to teach it here in the wastelands.. at the college.. I have an acquaintance that had build an earth block press and built a rammed earth building as a school project and course in kansas..
https://www.academia.edu/24155974/Superadobe
https://www.scribd.com/document/238508517/Rammed-Earth
the best mix was
3 parts of clay
5 parts of sand
2 parts of portland cement
https://youtu.be/6bMDYLKgZhw
I have one of these..with the leggo insert..
https://youtu.be/JBRlq_SC57Y
I bought one for a mission in africa and one for myself.. total cost at the time was two hundred for the press and a hundred shipping to africa.. two hundred for the one shipped to me and twenty four hundred for the shipping..
I wanted to get a doubell brick press but didn’t..
Now I have been in a rammed earth garage that the college taught for the returning soldiers.. it was not only beautiful for dam sturdy.. and over fifty years old at the time..
my thought was to do a dual rammed earth..
my thought was take the new icf forms..
https://youtu.be/huR1htgFTRI
put the ridgid form on the outside.. then put the cross sections in stagard.. to not only hold the icf form to the plywood.. but as the support for the foam as well.. instead of using the plastic supports.. on every pin put rebar.. lay out your electical conduit etc.. you get the best of both worlds.. and a house that can be built with the existing material..
Unfortunately I am old enough now that I will never build either of them.. but it is one of my dream homes.. once the rammed earth is set up.. coat the outside and berm it.. the earth bermed home I was in.. didn’t take anything to heat in winter.. or anything to cool.. you can run pipe under neath put in a tromb wall and then you have an auto matic heating and cooling.. similar to the ancient romans..thermal envelope chimney..
House building:
Because it can be accomplished very quickly and at modest cost, ALWAYS have the foundation and frame constructed by a contractor. Have the contractor put on the roof boards. G2 can put on the shingles.
The frame will be up in a day; the foundation 2 days.
House kits are also available.
If you / G2 does it, it will be a month of back breaking work.
Exercise makes the heart(and everything else) grow stronger!
Yes, foundation and framing by a contractor will go more quickly at some serious cost in after tax dollars. Foundations can be backbreaking, especially if you mix yourself rather than calling for Redi-mix. At least you’ll learn the skills and work out. Framing and sheathing are fun skills without any particular rush unless you’re remodeling a place and tear off the roof. Concrete won’t be bothered by rain once it’s cured for a bit. The fun goes away if you’re rushing to beat the rain or you have to pay someone for it. Most people are slaves of time or money – in all cases we’re temporary people, so we might as well enjoy each moment. Contract labor is on the clock, so they’ll do things quickly and require some rework. Even the experienced guys will screw up on occasion.
Lastly, I’d never install shingles on a roof. Where I live they’d be lucky to last 10 years, and metal is a superior product most anywhere. Metal roofing done right takes a bit of time, especially with complex hips, valleys, and transitions. Enjoy the moment.
I’ve done a great deal of construction and remodeling over the decades, and about the only things I’d consider contracting are possibly concrete work, and definitely wallpaper(I hate that stuff).
Sometimes you’re forced to work with a contractor due to some regulation(utilities, etc), but for my next house if I ever have one, I’d dispense with utilities in favor of the grid independent house. Have you ever considered how much the average person spends on utilities?
I may be the only lucky enough to have a wife who thrives on interior detail work like painting, murals, and wall paper, lol.
I mean looks are important, sure, but can she use a backsaw on bamboo and an electric glue gun?
“Yes, foundation and framing by a contractor will go more quickly at some serious cost in after tax dollars”
where I ran into issues was I hired a fairly reliable contractor.. he required a fairly large deposit for the foundation and dirt work.. took the money and ran.. he left his framing hammer.. to hire a framing crew your looking at a sizable chunk.when I worked at the cabinet shop we used framing tables so. I built a framing table..large enough to do a ten foot wall comfortably.. the cost at the time was about a hundred dollars and worth every penny.. the sheeting I used on the roof after the wall frames were done..
https://www.logixicf.com/
put your rammed earth forms on the outside.. ram away..
https://m.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200872781_200872781?cm_mmc=Google-pla&utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=Construction%20%3E%20Demolition%20Tools%20%3E%20Breaker%20Hammers&utm_campaign=Jet&utm_content=106016&gclid=Cj0KCQiAnNacBhDvARIsABnDa68Gaw1vT4r_yW5tP4OmcGLPkUQiqamLY3NWsGOEGyNLv9nh_KK4_dQaAiqkEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
I have a hand tamper.. but this would be worth it hands down..
or buy sand bags.. five hundred dollars worth of sand bags and a spool of barbed wire.. I’d do the ifc..insulated strong and you can put whatever siding you want on it..dirt is cheaper to..
now.. during covid I had gone into the local lumber yard..priced some stuff for a bird house and bird feeder..40 dollars dam..had the manager run up a 700 foot house 137 thousand just for materials..
rammed earth Couple hundred ..
Unless your local jurisdiction requires that a licensed contractor install the frame, self-performed installation is what saves the big bucks. Frankly, the frame work I see being done by contractors has insufficient straps, insufficient structural sheathing, insufficient bracing, and insufficient joinery. I used the legal number of Maze ring-shank or twist PTL nails, and then added 50% structural screws on both structure and full structural sheathing of my house. All the structural studs are strapped to the concrete with Simpson foundation ties. Non-structural exterior studs are strapped to the slab at every other stud. I have interior sheathed structural walls and beams to prevent racking. All the trusses are strapped with Simpson hurricane straps. Bracing in the attic has shrugged off two tornadoes. Use x-braces on the trusses and FEMA gable bracing. Use the Simpson clips to tie the roof sheathing together. I used screws around the edge of the roof as FEMA suggests, and slicks in the middle. If I had it to do over again, I would have used 50% screws in the middle of the roof , like I did on the walls. Study the FEMA windstorm book.
You won’t find a contractor who will do this kind of frame detail work.
Pier foundations can be self-performed by a young buck with a strong back and some basic earth moving equipment, but slab on grade needs a large trained crew that can take the heat. You will have to ride the slab crew to get your Simpson straps installed. You will have to buy them, and get the installation into the contract.
To get the best discount on insurance, the underlayment and shingles need to be done by a contractor who will submit paperwork to the insurance company. Be sure to use hail-resistant shingles recognized by the insurance company.
Make sure a licensed electrician is on board to sign off on the electricals, or you may not be able to connect to the local power company. Same problem with plumbers and septic guys. Licenses may be required.
You need to do the interior, the flooring, the cabinets, the trim, the siding, and the paint yourself. No good advice there. It is time consuming hard physical labor.
I built mine in stages over a period of several years. Camping in a trailer in the back yard is one strategy. Building materials must be guarded.
“Make sure a licensed electrician is on board to sign off on the electricals, or you may not be able to connect to the local power company.”
with all the new construction..I couldn’t get an electrician.. I went to the hardware store.. bought a book for 2.50 cents..on electric instalation.. went to the electric supply house..they handed me an out dated electrical code book..got a building permit and went to town..the inspection they check your rough out then again at finish..sign off on it and sticker it.. going from the line to the box.. the power company runs the line up to it..I was supposed to run it into the box..I was lucky the power company guys did it for me..sheet rocking was the hardest part for me..
where I screwed up..was on the roof rafters.. I bought pre made roof rafters..but because of the concrete contractor taking the deposit and leaving me high and dry.. I was limited on funds and to save money I went from a 6/12 pitch.. with storage to a 4/12 pitch.. at the time it wasn’t that big a deal..I was younger .. but twenty five years later I had to retire dust the attic with insulation because the insulation I had settled..only to discover..I was older fatter and couldn’t do It.. I ended up hiring that done..I went from asphalt to steel roofing..
5 in 12 pitch is good for wind. You want positive down force in high winds. There are published tables showing down force vs wind speed.
At the time I built my house, you needed to have a master electrician sign to get an occupancy permit, and a permit to get the power turned on. A lot of that red tape has been walked back in recent years, but check with your local authority of jurisdiction before you start.
“At the time I built my house, you needed to have a master electrician sign to get an occupancy permit,”
I know a guy in va that is having one hell of a time finding an electrician.. no body wants to work on small jobs.. hes been trying for a year now.. if it isn’t new construction they don’t want anything to do with it..
around here.. you cannot get a plumber right now.. an electrician yes.. but even there they are not quick about coming out to do it.. I am still waiting six months now on hooking up three circuits to the emergency panel.. new construction pays more per hour of labor ..
“I built mine in stages over a period of several years”
I had to do all of it.. I didn’t make the big bucks to get it done professionally.. and the one contractor I did hire to do the dirt work and the foundation etc.. took the ten grand and ran.. never to be seen again.. left a hammer.. now my ten thousand dollar hammer..
it is work.. I only had three months to do it.. we had a really bad winter and I had six people living in what use to be a chicken coop tool shed.. no room to sit.. through one of the worst winters ever.. so I was going to place an old one room school house thirty by thirty with sixteen foot seilings.. would have made agreat home and loft.. have a garage coming off the one side and a shop above.. but the community in the wastelands I live in said no.. I had to add on.. you have no idea what a mess it is with six people living in a space the size of G’s green house.. with a five gallon hot water heater.. and a daughter that loves hot baths.. I would stop at the truck stop to shower LOL.. and no snow blower at the time.. it was hell.. so I didn’t have a choice.. the yard isn’t even it is all lumpy because I never was able to get the money to have the dirt work done.. and almost sixty loads of gravel.. only one load of dirt that someone needed a place to dump it.. what surprises me is after almost thirty years.. the amount of soil that has developed on top of all that gravel and clay.. amazes me..
putting in the driveway.. LOL me sitting with a garden hose in my mouth and cutting the concrete with a diamond saw I borrowed.. has to be a sight.. but I did it.. when they redo the road I will have to watch though.. I put footings under the road.. LOL LOL they will need real equipment to get that.. LOL LOL my plan is to sit in a lounge chair with a glass of lemonade in Bermuda shorts and watch as they get to it.. LOL
the best way is the framing table.. you can make part of the frame or the whole thing.. works quick.. easy.. I made the window and door openings and stacked them.. then measure out place them where you want them to be on your plan.. then put in the stud’s.. cripples where needed.. snap snap snap.. its done.. place your bracings.. and I over structured the walls..so there wouldn’t be any flex.. worked good to..
I seen a building going up.. they are using steel studs.. not heavy steel studs either.. they are bracing them the same way I braced my walls.. with the weight they are putting on the building I am surprised that it will be able to hold it.. which is interesting.. can’t wait till it is finished.. I am going to discuss it with my grandson or son in law.. they are structural engineers.. just to see if that is a viable building option.. I never did use them because of the fear that they would not be structurally able to withstand the weight.. they are cheaper option though..
here is a good video.. they put the foam on the inside.. I would rather see it on the outside on both sides..
and they made the form the total heighth then would move the end up as the wall went up.. put the frame in for the windows.. interesting..
different than I would do it.. but interesting.. can’t wait to see it all done.. maybe they are planning on sealing the rammed earth to have the texture of the earth as the finished sides..
https://youtu.be/Zjn7EYj8aqo
“”Compliments to Habitat for Humanity. Great organization.
If you ever plan to build a house, finest one-book how-to yet is “Habitat for Humanity How to Build a House Revised & Updated(Habitat for Humanity).”
Toss in the “The Stanley Complete Step-by-Step Revised Book of Home Repair and Improvement”
the first home I built.. LOL… I had bought a video.. a thirty minute video.. to build a home.. a beautiful young blonde woman was the construction worker.. LOL.. the whole video I was going.. yeah I can do that.. then when I got into it.. I realized.. dam that wasn’t on the video.. went back and rewatched it.. shoot they skimmed over the hard parts LOL..
I wanted to build a rammed earth home.. lay out the line put in your footings and mix your material.. either make blocks or tamp into place.. if you use a fram two or three foot high.. put your frame supports in on the end tamp up and every six to twelve inches you put your rebar through the frame drop a rebar though and tie it..
https://youtu.be/Un11lNYekxc
then tamp up.. I used the pig tail tier.. but I did wood.. had to.. building code wouldn’t let me do rammed earch..
Now if your going to build a wood frame.. then I would suggest is a framing table..
https://youtu.be/mWQv31ETkyU
Now I built my own framing table for a ten foot wall section…. quick easy and flexible.. mine was to build ten foot long wall sections.. so my wall sections are ten foot.. and because of flex I put a lot of hurricane bracing.. that way when I was moving the panels.. there wasn’t any flex.. lay out the windows put in place put cripples in where a two by should be.. I used two by sixes.. and did double insulation..
by putting in the hurricane bracing there isn’t any flex so one person can handle the wall sections.. easily.. you can put in your conduit for electric to.. I didn’t do it.. but would now since I ended up having to run the electric myself.. ( at the time there were just to many new constructions going on you couldn’t get an electrician.. )
but check out rammed earth.. cheaper to build..
or earth bag.. and a roll of barbed wire.. LOL.. you can rebar that to.. at the local college years ago .. the kids built a straw bail house.. I was in on that one to.. great worked beautiful .. same thing.. dirt is cheaper.. and you can definately do it.. the block press.. or just make your forms for the earth ramming .. easy peasy and cheap..
https://youtu.be/VA-9d9_OhLk
https://youtu.be/8l5L9olRiuI
https://youtu.be/-ejqXK3kI-0
https://youtu.be/0D3UNGBx6Yk
https://youtu.be/iWz0b-tMcdk
https://youtu.be/vBU-mfHPK6Y
https://youtu.be/Vilit7YJ3ac
Now I built my house in three months and that was because of delays caused by an unscrupulous contractor.. and I did it while working three jobs.. two full time one part time.. I did it in my spare time. by myself.. two wall sections.. I had to have help to lift them..between the hurricane bracing and the headers for the windows and door.. it was just to heavy for one man to lift into place.. so I traded taking down three trees to get their help in lifting it into place..If I can do it.. so can g2…..rammed earth he would have to cover it with traps while it cures.. per section.. do an IFC rammed earth and he has it.. insulation everything.. just use the fiberglass rebar and you have something to screw into for the siding or sheet rock..
.
oops forgot the earth bag home.. LOL
https://youtu.be/d-SO2hoHrRA
If doing any serious construction, getting a cheap skid-steer is almost a must. That’s doubly true if you work alone. They let one man do the work of a crew if you’re careful. Yes, they need maintenance, but that’s largely DIY too.
We had a tornado blow down a long line of old liveoaks a few years ago so I’ve often wondered about a mill. Did not know HF would have one (Item 62366 / 61712). The video is impressive but be sure and consider the one-star, “I’ll never buy this again” comments. I kind of get the feeling that those writers may not be all that good at trouble-shooting problems but those comments do shine a light on this product’s short comings. Some that gave it a high rating found other sources for blades. Trailer doesn’t come with the outfit but I’d recommend it.
Cordless dewalt radios are what friends use. I’m partial to the DCR015 12V/20/V worksite charger radio as my xmas present to self this year.
https://www.dewalt.com/products/workspace/radios-speakers
I rarely listen to music at all, but if I’m working at something like painting or sheetrock installation, it’s great to have something informational like a podcast to listen to. If you’re learning a foreign language, this can work well. When using any serious power tool, silence is golden for safety alone. Besides, how can you hear every word of a podcast when interrupted by the screech of a Skilsaw.
Hey George
I was up most of the night dealing with some things, and decided to take a nap since I wrote you today. Had a dream ….
Was at a large prestigious banquet with military choir standing in a line singing. Nothing out of what would be ordinary … then the word, “SUPERLATIVE” is heard above all the attendance folks chattering.
The Choir then began to sing but each guy sang a different song (at the same time) but one guy who seemed happy, sang loudly: “There’s a place On this world for everyone” … at that moment everyone stopped, stared at the guy who was looking around the room with an (Oh shit!) look on his face.
Anyone got an idea what that means? – I don’t like guessing by myself.
hello, been good. we have baby bunnies and It’s some sort of Cosmic joke that I was trusted to care for them. being that I am The Cosmic Chicken Bunny. lol
pretty funny, big roughneck cowboy, fuck around and Find out backstage hard ass, until I get in the room with 4 baby bunnies, then I’m just dancing and singing young man. haha
I’ve never been Big Daddy Baby Bunny before. I must say, I pretty good at it.
~ life is what you make it ~
I named them bunnies. Hippity, Hopity, Bippity and Boo. im very find of Boo. she is a little redhead. and so it is.
from my favorite ferry tale of all time. Cinderella.
you know why Geroge, that is my favorite Ferry Tail? yeah I know how to spell that. because when Cinderella finally got out of the house, you know what happened next? she ruled the entire f-king kingdom. facts, yo!
~ Hooked on phonics ~
lately, I’m learning to stop having blind people proof read my vision. let it come to you. more often than not it does. take it easy.
I’m always in the right place at the right time. how can I not be. I am the write place at the write time. speaking of time, I have this new notice on my dash of my car that says ‘travel time”.
what. a. novel. concept.
4
that and
Merry Christmas!
It was damn nice to hear from you today, Andy. Mentioned it to Dude last night and presto.
Providence over all’s pretty neat, huh?
Travel time again?
ure theme song came on the radio last night oh around 730pm and I stopped by to check on ya. I have theme songs for everyone. lol.
yes, even when I’m late, I’m right where I’m supposed to be to assist. one day someone will be there for me at the right time to assist me.
knocking on new doors. see what opens. really want to do another website and podcast. things are financially not so good. I’m getting to the point where I’m ready to transition into something new. all the cards and sign say it is so… waiting for that provision.
I live in such a constant state of synchronicity, I’m sure it will happen soon. it’s really hard to live in fear when you are always operating in that. like I show up late for a meeting but right on time for something else. even when I try to control the flow of life. like I got up late last Sunday, farted around, drank coffee, himmed and hawed about going to the beach to meditate. took a shower, laid on my bed, put on my super man t-shirt and went to the beach. not 5 minutes after a fella comes up to my car window, scuse me Mister. can you help me? sure. what can I do for ya. he said I was out for my morning run, and down on the other side of the beach about 4 miles back and used the public bathroom and I dropped my car keys and driver’s license in there I think. so I told I will give ya a ride. we drive down there. park, get out of the car to go look for this fellas DL and Car keys. right when we are walking in the bathroom another fella is walking out and says, Hey! good thing you came back when you did! I just found your Drivers License and car keys. he had them in his hand. handed them to the fella.
so farted around, took a shower, laid on my bed and himmed and hawed just the perfect amount of time that morning to show up at my spot, to take a fella to get his car keys and drivers at the exact moment the other dude was walking out the bathroom with them.
and i found a fortune on the bathroom floor.
I done my time in the trenches, done my time on the road, time to move in a new direction.
we shall see. good to read ure thoughts dude. ~ We are right on schedule ~
Trust me – your stories are your wealth. Before people die, there is a lot of your “…it’s really hard to live in fear when you are always operating in that.” Go watch some of the videos on YT about (other) NDE experiencers. In addition, might want to roll through some of the IANDS videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ2Dz3-s_Ww
The “wealth” you’re after is recorded by that “GoPro between the ears” I write about in my book Packing to Die. See, there’s short-term (physical plane) wealth (b roll) and there’s experiential (A roll) footage. Which is transportable between levels of existence has only one answer.
So, relax and pick up wallets and be the helpful dude helper because that’s HUGE KARMIC INCOME and it transitions with us. Experiential MEMORY and MEANING and LEARNING is the value system, not zeroes. (It’s also not taxable)
do you want to know ure theme song. the song that always makes me think of you George?
I am I’m harmony with creation, and everything and everyone…
this is the part that make me think of you.
“He works way too much for way too little
He drinks way too early til way too late
He hasn’t had a raise since New Year’s Day in ’88
Gets trampled on by everyone ‘cept when he comes in here
He’s a product of the Haggard generation
He’s got a redneck side when you get him agitated
He got the gold tooth look for a stiff right hook he’s proud he took
For his right wing stand on Vietnam says he lost his brother there
He yells out Johnny Cash and the band starts to play
Ring of Fire and he walks up and stands there by the stage
And says
Hell yea turn it up right on
Hell yea sounds good sing that song
Guitar man play it all night long
Take me back to where the music hit me
life was good and love was easy”
ring fire, peoplenomics has never gone up “hasn’t had a raise” all those lines remind me of you. right wing vote for Trump etc etc.
que for George,
~ Hell Yeah ~
https://youtu.be/t7lPLwtIHMs
Montgomery Gentry
you know the George, the 4 bunnies reminds me of a true story about cats. and ties in to traveling time.
when I was going through my first divorce, my ex wife cheated on me. I didn’t owe her anything and that was between her and DUDE. we were separated for 6 months and finally filed for divorce, it was very amicable. I aimed to keep my vow to GOD till the earthly judge said, have at the buffet.
about 2 weeks away from my release from my Vow and my official Divorce I had 20 different women in hot pursuit. I said, no. I got to wait until my divorce is final. I gave God my word and I aimed to keep it. every girl in the world was after my fruit of the looms. and I broke down outside of a place and said out loud in the car. DUDE, you think it be okay if I just got a little pussy? just a little. couldn’t hurt. I’m Horner than 4 point buck on mating season. and all these women! I grumbled and said fine. walled into a meeting.
when I got out of the meeting, I driving home and my brother called me and said, hey I stopped to pee out by the corn fields on the farm road and a little tiny kitten came out next to me. I brought him home. wife says we have too many animals. you want him? just little kitty. I laughed so hard said, yeah shit yeah. I will come get him. be right there.
I rolled the window down and yell out Not funny DUDE! not the kinda pussy I was taking bout! then put the Window back up and turned on the radio and the DJ on the radio said “well I thought it was funny” I turned the radio off. rolled the window back down and flew the bird and said funny DUDE!
Now we are going to travel time about year forward. I bought a house and moved in my two cats. met a lady. (ex wife number 2, who was just a little thing. ) and one day I woke up to the realization,
– we are rasing her sisters two daughters, we have now 6 barn cats living at the house, my daughter and the cat my brother gave me and another house cat. and I went out side and said DUDE, I’m now, good on little pussys I think you can turn off the faucet on that. how many more little pussys does a fella need?
all the bunnies speak of the same future. I will check back in a year let you know if I have a full house load of them. hahahah. seems to me bunnies replicate faster than cats. huh.
that is fooorrrrrrr sure
We are all Time Travelers… but it’s just a one-way trip.
Say this three times, fast:
“Rubber Baby Bunny Buggy Bumpers”
…or are you ‘chicken’? ;-)
I believe you could see next week from today Hank…. go to the MALL.. see one of the prettiest girls there.. and grab her tush.. my bet is she will slap you so hard you will see next week or wake up to a week later LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL… time travel the hard way…
actually if you want to see the past.. look in a mirror.. the image you see now is you in the past..
NO wrong phrase.. TOY BOAT.. ten times fast..is the phrase…
or hold your tongue and say… I was born in a pirate ship… is the other..
on a pirate ship.. not in a pirate ship.. dang auto correct
Nephew in Northern Wisconsin is a woodworker & cabinet maker. Neighbor of his wanted to thin out his pine forest, so together they cut 80 large pines he gave to nephew. Nephew has a bandsaw mill and says it has been a warm winter so far with little snow, so on good days he is outside sawing logs into lumber. Several large stacks of dimensional lumber seen in pix. He will be busy all winter, he says. Dunno what he plans to do with it all, but WOW, talk about sweat equity for free lumber! He will have enough for several houses, I think.
“You can do ANYTHING you can dream of in Life. But you can’t do EVERYTHING you think of.”
Yeah, I have noticed that problem staring at me every time I think of a new project.
he better dry it.. or it is going to be one warped mess… and worthless.. it would be better if he stacked the logs and let them season.. but green cutting is ok.. just gotta stack it and dry it..
https://youtu.be/hyaQxRpy2Hc
He’s a professional woodworker. He knows what he is doing. Lumber all stacked with spacers and under tarps.
that guy explains it pretty good.. also watch for the heart wood.. the direction of the grain….in a year he can make something out of the wood.. maybe two depending on how fresh the wood is and such.. takes forever to dry wood properly.. seen a house that a neighbor built with green wood from his grove of trees… LOL there wasn’t a straight wall in the place as the wood dried.. he hadn’t paid any attention to the direction of the grain it was warping all over the place as the wood cured all sheeted you could hear the fasteners pop.. not sure if he used nails or screws…… good information to know especially if you haven’t ever done it… the wood you buy at the lumber yard has been drying for years.. some kiln dried.. you cut wood today a year and a half from now you possibly could start using it.. it would still be green depending on how thick.. but workable..
Re: “A sigh of frustration, as Ure comes to terms with the sad fact of life. “You can do ANYTHING you can dream of in Life. But you can’t do EVERYTHING you think of.”
Dr. L. Fried born in 1949 is co-chair of the National Academy of Medicine, subsidiary to the National Academy of Sciences co-founded by President Lincoln. She’s an acclaimed gerontologist and epediomologist. Anyhow here’s a December 2022 update from their “Healthy Longevity Global Competition”.
https://healthylongevitychallenge.org/healthy-longevity-global-competition-awardees-inspire-and-innovate-toward-healthy-aging/
In Sur Ance..Homeowners..
– ya got the “value” of dem dar piney pines “covered” ? The correct answer will have enormous effect on Ure ROI (s) on Home building project (s).. Storm Damage..if Ure picking up what Im laying down ; )
1stly look over hear at wood mills done Alaskan style..https://www.thechainsawmag.com/best-chainsaw-mill-reviews/
G2 is a real Man and therefore prolly can handle one of the above wit no problemas..pretty cheap too, considering you needs a Quality chainsaw to “thin the herd”..please read QUALITY.
Lumber is on the hoof so to speak at Uretopia Ranch, thinning the “herd” could be done in such a manner as to promote optimal growth in the left behind piney pines..but what the hell would a native Pennsyltuckyian know about Trees,having grown up in a state named for William Penns’ Woods? grain of salt recommended with above SUGGESTIONS.
What ytouse may not know is we have multiple chainsaws in the inventory (3 roughly) and one with a carbide custom chain, and a Chineseum knock off of the Alaskan mill and, of course, chain saw #4 is a self-sharpening Oregon electric with a planking guide, too, so we can operate quietlike and on solar.
Can’t believe you didn’t think we’d have been 4- moves ahead of simple shit like this? Pa-leeze!
POint: chain saw mills have huge fractional waste because of wide kerf widths. You can lose an inch on every 4 or 5 planks…
No Huperzine-A for you. Might clear up that crypto blue persuasion…
George, regarding chainsaws, what’s the good of carbide if the chain stretches beyond the adjustment range? I’ve run into this problem with regular chains. Are there any that are designed for minimal chain stretch? It’s possible that I just had some cheap chains, but it’s really annoying. Yes, the chains were properly lubed and not overtightened.
I will let you know when/if I get there.
Where the hell does a NM boy find enough trees, except maybe the White Mtns?
…And chainsaws are not designed to rip. They take forever to rip a plank, and can only rip a few before they’re duller than a dullard. The chainsaw sawmill is a fantabulous emergency tool, and I’d have no problem using one, instead of an adze or a chisel and mallet, to make a timber house. If I had ANY kind of bandsaw though (I probably do), my endeavors would go toward making the bandsaw into something that’d plank tree trunks — even if I had to make it hand-crank drive…
Oregon does make ripping chainsaw chains. Not cheap but work if you don’t mind a 1/4 inch kerf loss
“chain saw mills have huge fractional waste because of wide kerf widths. You can lose an inch on every 4 or 5 planks…”
take that waste saw dust get a pellet press and some coal dust … three parts saw dust one part coal dust and mix… pellet it and you have no waste…its all in the business model coal dust is garbage saw dust is trash you now have a marketable product and an extra energy source..https://youtu.be/Z-OcR325Pag
@NM Mike
“George, regarding chainsaws, what’s the good of carbide if the chain stretches beyond the adjustment range?”
ISTM Oregon makes a replaceable link.
I believe someone (might also be Oregon) makes bars in fractional lengths.
“chain saw #4 is a self-sharpening Oregon electric”
I hope you have a stack of batteries for the electric. You likely won’t get more than one plank per battery charge (unless it’s a 3′ long plank). That’s a definite limiting factor on quiet woodcutting.
15 amp corded
https://amzn.to/3BuSYMk
Last purchased Jan 21, 2022
Hi George,
Regarding Diesel heaters up here in The “Great, White North”. I can pick up a small, 8KW heater from my wife’s boyfriend, “Ama Zon” [if she doesn’t get at least 4 shipments a week, Bezos does a wellness check on her], for under $200 CDN. for a small greenhouse. Now at an average diesel use rate of say, 0.2 l/hr x 24 hrs = 2.8 litres per 24 hrs. At the current price of diesel up here of $2/l minimum, that’s $5.60 a day.
Now hydro isn’t cheap up here either, but at an average of $0.11/kwhr [we have time of use pricing in Ontario], using a 1500 watt heater, over 24 hrs, that’s $3.96 a day.
So, as much as I would like to try a diesel unit, diesel must be a lot cheaper in Texas than up here.
Ah, just so, grasshopper, but you miss two points.
1. The power output oof the “8 kw” model is only about 25,000 BTU, but the electric heater ius 5200 BTU roughtly.
SAo the $3.96 TYIMES 4.8 to compare applies and heaters on a BTU basis.
Second thing is here, we only run the heater part of the time (3- nights?) a week.
I should have used double-wall material for the exterior but wanted thicker polycarbonate (single layer).
All things is life are a balancing act. My “balance” is 50-60F soil temp in the greenhouse lean-to grow beds.
Ahh, now that’s why I ask Da Experts! Didn’t think of the BTU angle. I did a few overnite trials recently at 0 to -11C up here overnight. Best I got was to 7C, so need more BTU’s. It’s a small greenhouse attached to my Taj-Mahut man shed that I won’t seriously use till March to start some seedlings. Do you use an auxiliary diesel tank, or just use the internal 5 l tank?
Notes: Mine came with a 10 L tank, for even on high it runs a day and a half. 10 gallons will get me a week or longer but we only run when temps are under 55, or so.
The plan is to put in a 25 gallon tank one of these days, but you know how that kinda project goes.
We had enough lightning today to make putting in T5 42 watt grow lights a challenge of some degree.
Zeus is feeling good enough to jump up into the planters now (figures they are warmer than the floor 12×12 blocks.
Wrecking a dozen romaine plants, but looked comfortable as hell, really
Oh, get some big gap filler (this won’t be pretty!) and run it along the roof to sidewall joint.
Our sidewalls and roof are both corrugated and air leak like a sonovabitch – so I have that project coming up when we have more heat in the forecast. Don’t want to spray flammables around a diesel fired heat source.
I mean, I’m a sport when comes to risk, and all, but not entirely stupid.
I leave that to city dwellers.
Yayyyy fed meeting !!! Means make money short gold !!!! Yayyy zombie jabbed veges rejoice got the signal . Your last time vege animals . Farken salami factory of zombie
Yankee futures are bullsheet. Whole country is. Run by criminals. Nobel prize for economics shared by J jerk Powell and nana Yellen !!!
Ohhh !!! So good at 63 lectured by George on how to trade . And like this new person d Lynn always makes money . Now I would like to know how being short and green all day till the closing bell you can make this incredible 1 or 2 percent and still get out and be Nostradamus and see all the day in front of you. Wow what genius