Rocket Stove

Here is the rocket stove I have been wanting to build. I finished it last night and fired it up. It works great and it will be used to cook on this weekend.

Before I got too excited, I set it up in my shop to see how it all fit together. It took 21 fire bricks I picked up for $5.00. It helps that I have a brother in law that works at a brick yard. The brick base was free because they came from the wife's flower garden.
In the wood chamber there is a wire mess that divides the fire from the air chamber on the bottom. I had this material left over from another project.








 I built a base for it to sit on from scrap wood I had laying around. There is no worries about the wood getting too hot through those thick base bricks.
The 21st brick is used as a damper for the air flow and heat control by sliding it across the front.
This was a easy build and a great survival tool. It takes very little wood to cook on. A couple handfuls of twigs and small pieces of scrap wood will give you enough heat to cook on for a long time.
Total project cost - $5.00, Time - 1 Hour, Benefits - Priceless   

This weekend I will be cooking about 10 pounds of potatoes on it for Potato Salad. 
The wife calls it cute, I call it a necessary survival tool, Aww, who am I kidding, it's cute. 

See Ya,
Jerry

Under A Hundred

I have a book that is full of projects. Some are finished in the design stages and ready for construction and others are just a simple idea wrote down waiting to be worked through.
This book is filled with some costly projects, some cheap ones, some that will take months to complete and others that will only take a few hours. I often go to this book when I am bored and want to dream a little.

Saturday morning was just one of those days. I was in my shop tinkering around and got bored. I picked up my project book and flipped through the pages until I found one interesting enough to hold my attention. The outdoor kitchen was what I stopped at. I studied the elaborate plans I drew up many months ago and looked at the cost column and mumbled to myself, "there was no way."
I asked myself why I needed something so costly and over built just to cook on so I started scribbling on the page again. I don't need the sink right now, I don't need the built in fish fryers at the moment either. I also did not need to sink my grill in the counter top and I really didn't need to cover the whole thing with stone and tile. I also didn't need to have it wrap all the way abound the patio at the moment either. So what I ended up with was a project under $100.00 instead of one that cost $1500.00
On top of all that, this is a lot more piratical for what I need at the moment.

A friend gave me the counter top cook stove a year or so ago. All I had to do was buy a Propane regulator for it and adjust the needle valves to change it from natural gas to LP. I already had the granite for the counter tops and most of the wood. I did have to buy the plywood and a couple of boards. Total cost was $40.00.
All the wood is sealed from the weather and sure, it would look better with doors and stone wrapped around it but why? It will serve it's purpose just the way it is.
Instead of doing the whole project at once, I have broke it into sections. This one being the first and the next one being a drop down corner section that my little upright smoker will sit on. Then on to the other sections after that.

I built it yesterday and last night we had some friends over and gave it a test run, everything worked great. We had grilled chicken and pasta with home made aristocrat sauce, unbelievable on how good this food was.  
 I am so happy to have a gas stove again making where I am not so dependent on the electric one in the house or having to start a fire to use coals to cook off of.

I already have my Cajun Microwave so next on the list is the dutch oven cooking area, then the pizza oven and then maybe a rocket stove. Maybe the rocket stove first.

Thanks for reading, talk to ya later,
Jerry       
   
 

Cajun Microwave

Here is my latest project, it's a Cajun Microwave.
I guess you could also call it a big outdoor oven, but I like the other name better.
I made this out of cinder blocks and filled the holes with sand to retain the heat, plus it can be moved if need be. Filling them with concrete would have made it stationary and if I ever move, I want to take it with me.

 It took 52 cinder blocks to make the structure. The top is made from diamond plate. The handles are rebar and trampoline springs. It does take two people to remove the top but that is never an issue when your having a party. The coals go on top of this plate heating the inside of the oven. The bigger the pile of coals the hotter the oven. You can use charcoal or wood coals. I plan to have a large fire going beside it and shoveling the coals on it as it cooks.

 The inside meat tray is made from diamond stretch and bed frame angle iron. It sits on cinder blocks and the ground below it is dug out to make a bowl with packed sand to help with the convection.
The meat is seasoned, injected, then wrapped and set on this tray and then lowered down into the oven.




with these homemade hooks. They are just rebar and trampoline springs bent to make hooks.
A digital thermometer will be inserted into the meat and when it reaches the desired temp, the top will be removed with help and set on the ground. Then the tray with the meat on it will be removed and set on the table. The meat will be unwrapped and served just like that, as pulled pork.
I can also cook about nine turkeys in this thing at a time. Keep in mind, it's not a smoker, just a really big off the grid oven.   

It was good to get a project done, it has been so long. I was able to work some deals for most of the materials so the cost was lower than it would have been buying everything at retail. It's always nice to have a brother that works at a metal yard. That is where I got the metal at such a great deal. And it's always good to have a dad that has a metal shop. Anything you could imagine can be built there.A big thanks to both them for helping me out on the build.

My youngest girl will be turning 18 in a couple of months and she is wanting to throw a paint party. That is where you throw paint on each other. I don't get it, but it's the in thing I guess. I plan to use Cajun Microwave to cook one of those wild hogs we caught. I almost want to do it this weekend just to see how it turns out.     

This ice storm has arrived and we are stuck in the house for the next few days. We even canceled our chili cook off as well. I fear cabin fever will set in by Monday.


Until next time, keep it real.
Jerry
 

Basking In The Shade

I have had this Shade project lingering over my head for sometime now and even though summer is almost over and we are tightening the belt to afford to replace the A/C-Heater unit in the house, this one little thing had to get finished.

Over the past few months I have been collecting materials for the patio shade.
At first I wanted to build a nice wooden structure that looked all fancy, but after pricing everything out I quickly realized that was not going to work. A $3200 patio cover was not in the budget.
So I started to think cheap and designed it, but even then with cattle panels and lattice work it was going to cost $400. Yes, it is a far cry from the first design but it was going to look like crap and I was not going to be happy with it.

My cousin called a month ago and asked if I could use a automatic sun shade. Well sure I could!
I had some heavy wall pipe already on my trailer and down in the barn I had some lumber, lattice work and broken bags of concrete I have been collecting from the cull piles at the lumber stores. I make it a habit to go by and look through the cull piles at least once a week. You can save a butt load of money that way.

I set the posts last Thursday and somehow during all the other things that was going on Sunday, I managed to finish the project. It just so happens I had my labor force (the girls) there at one time and I took advantage of it.

  This shade even has a remote control. All I have to do it hit the button and it automatically unrolls itself. Now that's high cotton right there!
Not a bad little project that will come in really handy and all for $18.00. That was the price of the u-bolts to hold the boards on the metal pipe.

See ya,
MDR   

More Small Projects

With the technical issues hopefully behind me now, I can continue.
The little tablet I got a couple of days ago was not doing it for me so I ended up trading it for the wife's laptop. I couldn't get the thing to upload pictures right. Plus, it was just too small and it is an android base and not windows so I couldn't so my spreadsheets right. She was wanting one of those anyway and I was needing a new laptop so everyone is happy, happy, happy.



The wife finished another one of her little projects the other day. She took some of the free granite we have been getting and used the little sample squares by attaching them to our kitchen island making a mosaic look.
It added color to the kitchen and I really like it. She did a great job. 










 
I finally got the birthing boxes done for the rabbits in the rabbit tractor. I plan to breed three at a time and I'm hoping they will use these side by side boxes to birth in. This is the first time I have colony raised rabbits so we will see.
All the other times we had isolation pens for them to have their babies in and then raised them like that. Some say this will work and others say it won't, I guess we will find out.
I won't put these boxes in the tractor until about a week before they are due. Any sooner they will use it as a toilet and it will get nasty.

Other than that, I have another outdoor country wedding to put on this Sunday. This might turn into another small income stream. Hu, go figure, I never really thought about it that way.
MDR

Reusing Our History

When we moved from the farm to up here on this place we left a home full of memories. Everything the wife and I created, even the kids growth chart was still marked on the wall. Almost every detail that took a half a lifetime to build was left. Not by choice, but just because we couldn't take it all.

Last year I started making trips back there and tearing down the old house and I have been able to save a lot of good stuff I can use again, even my old front door.

In it's hay day, the old place was a gem. We built an old west town and park behind our house with a working blacksmith shop, saloon, general store, outdoor kitchen, eating pavilion, park and was starting on a church to hold weddings in. We had pony rides and catered parties when we could. Even the house was going to get remodeled to look like a hotel. But, plans change and life goes on. Sometimes when I look back I wonder why I am not still there and why I am up here. Life was a lot more simpler back on the farm.

My front door came off a horse stable. I cut it down to fit the doorway and the thing was so heavy I had to rebuild my door frame to hold it. I kept the old time locking and latching mechanisms and even the hinges to keep it authentic.
The wife said she wanted to reuse it at our place somehow and after bringing it up, it sat for several months.

I also brought up an old picnic table frame we had in the park area behind the house. This thing is about twenty years old, in bad shape and all the wood has long been rotted off. I was just going scrap it out and use the metal for something or another.

This weekend I added some bracing, new hardware and new wood to sit on for the benches. Then added the door for the top.
After staining the door I reinstalled all the old hinges and handle to keep it looking like a door. I think it turned out good and we will have many more years if use out of it.

It's just a door right, but this old door kept us safe by holding back the wind, the rain and even a critter or two for so many years, it's the least I could do.  

It was the wife's idea all along to use it as a table. I just needed to get tired of looking at it sitting there to make it happen.





Before I go I wanted to say howdy to a couple of new Modern Day Redneck Family members.
Here's a Redneck welcome to PinkyDiva and Ginger In Progress. Thank y'all for being a part of the group. If you need anything just let me know.

That's all I got for now,
MDR

The Oldest Girl Doing Her Thing

By now everyone knows the oldest girl is back from college for at least another month and a half. While she is here, she is always willing to help me with whatever project I am doing at the time. She has really been a big help so far and I will miss her when she goes back.

She has two more years of learning to do before she transfers back home to get her masters or better. She started off in a dorm and found out real quick that was not for her. Then she moved to an apartment and the same happen in about the same amount of time. I guess it's hard to grow up in the country and then be thrown into city living like that. Now when she goes back in August she will be moving into a real house with a real yard where she is planning on having a garden and a chicken or two for eggs.
Her major need is furniture. We all know that college kids don't have much of anything and what they do find on the side of road is wore out and ready for the dump.

Instead of going through the expense of buying new like some kids do with rich daddy's, she decided to make her own, so she went down and raided the barn.

She found an old night stand and hideaway sewing machine a friend of mine gave her years ago, then sanded and painted them both.
  

Here is the cool part, she rebuilt the sewing machine cabinet it into a vanity with mirrors and working lights. She kept the old leg switch so she can adjust the intensity of the lights when she is fixing her face and hair.

When closed it will double as her desk. 

She also found a big desk at a garage sell for free and cut it down to a bench. Then she stuffed the top to make it a pillow where she will sit at her window and read.






Now she is looking to make a bed. She is wanting an old fashioned rope bed, but I don't think that will be comfortable enough for her. In a few weeks I will have enough corn husks to stuff it with but that may be going too far back in time.

I am really proud of her for reusing old junk and making it into something usable again. All she actually bought was a light and gallon of paint for all this. 

Rabbit Tractor

With some help from the wife and the oldest daughter, I was able to get the Rabbit Tractor project completed this weekend.

If you have been reading MDR for a while then you know every project I do starts in my head then a while later gets onto paper. From there it gets redesigned several times before any materials are acquired. Sometimes it will sit in my thoughts for almost a year and then once I figure out all the details, I start it.
The Rabbit Tractor project was no different. This started as a thought several months ago and was redesigned at least twenty times. Material lists were made and even a budget line item was created to fund this project.

Finally, here it is and it's nothing like I had planned, let me explain.

The idea for this is the same concept as a Chicken Tractor by moving it around providing the rabbits with continued pasture and at the same time fertilizing. The cage will have to be moved every couple of days to insure fresh grass. This initial design was going to be made out of wood and was going to be too heavy to move with the lawn mower, so I designed a wheel lift system to help it along.
Here's where it all changed. I told the wife I was ready to pull the trigger on this and Saturday morning we went and bought some meat rabbits. After that, I was going to the store to buy the material to make the movable cage (rabbit tractor).
That's when the wife decided to ask me, "Why don't you use the kennel panels?" I just smiled, bless her heart, she tries.   
My design was set and I was really wanting to build this huge heavy monstrosity I have spent so much time designing. It was going to be the state of the art in rabbit hutches with automatic this and easy to handle that.
I decided to entertain the thought of using the kennel panels because number one, we already had them. So with help from the wife and the oldest daughter we went to the barn and drug them all out, laid them on the ground and started brain storming.

This is what we came up with, a six sided rabbit cage on wheels. There's nothing fancy here but, then again I think it will work out better. I can at least walk in this one compared to the other design where I was going to have to crawl.
After we put two of the rabbits in there as a "Just in case they get out" trial run we saw that they loved it. They were still in there this morning so I think this may actually work.
Total cost for the first design was $400.00
Total cost for this design was $58.00

 Here is a picture of the watering system I made so I would not have to fill up so many little bottles everyday. I am hoping the tarp I have for shade will keep the water cool enough.

This pen will be able to hold eight does. When they are ready I will bring them to the buck. When they are a week from having babies I will put them in another pen until the babies are ready to be taken off and then they go back out to the colony. I have not figured out what I am going to do with all the babies yet. I hope to sell or eat them before I have to house them for too long.
I never really had to worry about it with show rabbits, they all sold quick enough.

We ended up driving for almost an hour and a half to find these rabbits. There is none around here so I am hoping this low feed cost way of raising them will pay off and I can establish a small market up my way.

Other than that, we had a full weekend. I made the neatest little thing to use at outdoor parties. I will show that tomorrow. Plus, the oldest girl needed some furniture for her house when she goes back to college in August so she raided the barn and refurbished, redesigned and reused some old stuff just taking up space. You will not believe how good this stuff looks. I will show those this week as well.

Until then, have a good one,
MDR     

Dutch Bucket Hydroponics System

I finally got the Dutch Bucket Hydroponics System assembled and installed.

I chose to go with the Dutch Bucket system because of the low maintenance involved. Some would say it is more than other types, but the majority swear by this system.
I also made it only four buckets instead of more. This reason is because of the newness of this to me and the space restrictions. Once I dial it all in I plan to go ahead and extend it to a eight bucket system.


I pre-cut, pre-assembled and set everything up in the the shop before I took it out to the garden. 
It is made from four-five gallon buckets painted black with lids, 2" main drain pipe, individual 1/2" drains on the buckets, 1/2" irrigation hose with 1/4" feeder lines ran to each bucket.  

The nutrient container is 20 gallons with a homemade wood lid and the pump is a submersible 300 gallon per hour pump. I also put in a 4" air stone and a air pump to give the water a little extra air.
A timer is on the pump so it will water 4 times a day for thirty minutes.
The grow medium is Perlite. You can find it at Home Depot. They are the only ones that I found who carry it. 

 These tomatoes were started from seeds in the greenhouse. I washed all the dirt off the roots before I planted them in the Perlite.

Though my gardens are full of tomatoes already, I wanted to do this system to see if I can outgrow what is already planted.
The one thing I am going to have to do to make this work is create a shade for all this. The water cannot get too hot and the plants cannot dry out. Leaving them exposed to the sun will do both.

I cut a small slit in the lid next to the hole to hold the feeder tube.

As far as the mixture of the water, well that is something else. You can buy already mixed solutions you can add to the water but being the cheapo I am, I am doing it myself. If it works out then I will let you know, if not I will change the solution until it does.



And that's about it. I have spent over a year studying about the different types of Hydroponics and Aquaponics and this is what I came up with at the moment. I have more of these projects on the books. For instance, a horizontal, multilevel strawberry design, one that has fish, and a few more.
One step at a time. In a year or so I will look back at this first design and laugh at myself.

That's all I got for now,
MDR   

Another One Completed

I am in aw over how long it took me to complete the Aviary for the wife, but it's finally complete and ready for birds. I chose not to stain it. Instead I am just going to water seal it.
I don't think I will ever build anything like this again. It took way too much wood and time. I do like the look and the way it turned out though. It makes a great focal point and fills in the back yard.  I just need to find some dove and pigeons to fill it now.

After I cleaned everything up and got the yard mowed we had a scheduled tour of the Mini Farm. The first thing the people walked to was the new Aviary.
So there you go, it has already drawn a crowd.






It is good to see everything green and the gardens growing again. The tour group strolled the gardens and talked about how they wished they could have this set up. While that was going on I had the kids feed the baby goats that are still on the bottle. They also got to watch the baby geese and play with the pet pig. I think they really enjoyed their time here.

Here is a quick garden update. The soil-less potatoes I am experimenting with are growing. So far five plants have came up and I really think this might actually work. They are slow growing because I don't think they are getting the nutrients they need that they would get from the soil.
The idea is for the roots to grow down through the newspaper and into the dirt. So far that has not really happen.
Time will tell.

These are some of the garden beds. On the left is one bed of tomatoes and on the right is one area of peppers. All these were started from seed in the greenhouse months ago.
Since the pictures were taken, cages and supports have been added to the plants. The beds are under the shade I built last year. The shade will keep the summer sun from burning them up and I will be able to extend the growing season by a month or two.




Other than that it was all work and no play this weekend. I started the Hydroponics project yesterday and I have two more ongoing projects I am currently working on. Instead of boring you with all the details I will post about them when completed.

I also wanted to say a welcome to a few new readers of MDR. Thank you for hitting the the little button and becoming part of the family. If you need anything just let me know.  

This week is all about getting ready for the trip we are taking to the Caribbean .
Y'all take care and have a great week,
MDR

It's That Time Of The Year

It's sunny all week, the ground just gets dry enough where you can work and then it rains. I love the rain, but does it have to do it just on the weekends?

Saturday we are having a Easter BBQ over at my dad's where we are also celebrating a couple of family birthdays, one being my youngest girl Wee, she turned 17 yesterday. That makes me an old man.
Today she is at the county youth fair showing her shop project, I wish her all the luck because she has really put a lot of work into it.

 I was hoping for good weather so I could do some more roofing on the giant bird house. This project has lingered on for way too long now and needs to be completed. I am done with the nesting boxes so there isn't anything I can do in the shop to help speed it along. I don't see how I will have the time anyhow being I need to be cooking for the party. I am known for bringing the "out of the box" dishes and this time will be no different. I will be making Onion Crusted Plantains, Potato-less Potato Salad and Bacon & Cheese Pull-A-Parts. I know there is nothing wrong with the tried and true, but I am always looking to explore new tastes.  

The tomatoes have been taken out of the greenhouse everyday on the notion they were going to get planted, but I worked late every night and was not able to devote any time to getting them in the ground. Maybe if the rain stops by Sunday I will be able to do just that. They are already making small tomatoes. 

The corn got bit from the last freeze even though I tried to protect them some what. I will need to replant as soon as possible if I ever hope to harvest any. 
Other than that, the greenhouse is packed full and ready, I just have to find the time.

The rabbit tractor is in it's final design stage and ready for production as soon as I get the Aviary finished. Then a new solar dehydrator needs to be build and after that I will start on the Hydroponics system I have been wanting to do for a while now. 

That's all I got for now, Have a great weekend,
MDR   

A Little Work

Being that the weather was bad, I did not expect to get much done anyway.

Friday's preppers/homesteaders meeting turned out to be a full house. We had a couple of great speakers talking about Agenda 21 and the Texas Naturalist Organization. I always take something away from our little get togethers.

It rained all day Saturday so I had the opportunity to spend some time in the shop cleaning and building the nesting boxes for the giant bird house I am building the wife.   
I don't know if it was the weather or not but I was tired Saturday and decided to take a nap. I never sleep and I hardly ever get tired so I was kinda worried about being wore out. I almost didn't even make it to the crawfish boil because of it.

Sunday I had to make a run into town for some paint because I do not keep pink paint on hand. I found some on the clearance rack for $2.00

I spent some time making the nesting boxes look good. I really like the way it turned out. I even took the time to paint the insides of each box.


I found out the hard way last night that when your body says to slow down you should do it. I spent the night in the ER because my heart was doing some really weird stuff. I normally would not have worried about it but the pain and the way it was beating had me thinking something was wrong, turns out there was. Nothing serious at the moment, I am just low on some stuff that helps it stay in rhythm.
Turns out the meds I take and the weight I have lost do not mix anymore. So the good news is I get to cut back on the high blood pressure medication. The bad news is I need to slow down a little and get more rest. Another 20 pounds and I should be off them completely.

Who has time for rest? You should see what next weekend has to offer.

That's all I got for now.
MDR     

My Cute Little Helper

I can say this about the wife, everyday she is out helping in one form or the other. More often then not I need a hand and it really makes a difference.
It's kinda funny, I will be looking at something trying to figure out how I am going to set up jigs or what not to hold a board when she pokes her head in and asks if I need anything. "Well as a matter of fact I do, hold this."

I only had a few hours on Sunday this past weekend to work on her giant bird house (Aviary). I was able to get the copula finished and got it in place along with the rafters of the structure. It looks kinda funny right now but imagine the roof all the way done and I think it will look pretty sharp. It almost reminds me of one of those carousels or something.

I will never build one again that is for sure. It is a pain in the butt. 

A little work will be done when I get home each night. I can only give it a few minutes each day, but at least it's something. I really need two more people so I don't have to climb up and down the ladder as much. Each roof board takes at least four trips.



Anyway, the wife came out to help me hold the rafters and I had to stop and take this picture to show just how cute my little helper was.

I was hoping the pink fingernails stood out more than they do in the picture, but you get the idea.

You see that eye ball looking me? That's the look. The look of "What the hell are you doing?"    

Staying Busy

I don't think I spent much time in the house this weekend. I even missed the race yesterday because I just wanted to hang around in the shop. There has been a lot on my mind this week causing a lot of stress and worry so I just wanted to escape it all get my mind on something else. 

 All day Saturday the rain spoiled my plan to complete the wife's aviary this weekend. I did get the eight walls completed and installed during a brief weather window. I built every piece in the shop during the week and assembled it outside. I was impressed it actually worked and all fit together.
Trim work still needs to be done at every panel joint and that will be done through the week. Now that the time has changed I will be able to work on it two or three hours each night, when it dries out, if I want to.


















This view is the door. You can see in the back where the solid piece is, that is where the nesting boxes will be. 

Sunday was cold, windy and soggy so I spent it in the shop making a mock up of the roof. Being this is the first time I have built an octagon I did not know what angles were needed to make the roof point. I studied it and even calculated what the cuts needed to be, but soon found it was easier to just Hillbilly it and cut each piece until it fit.

With that much effort given to practice and the octagon point actually turning out so good I decided to alter the design where I could use it. Now there will be a "Pop Up" roof on top of the main roof so the mock up will not go to waste. This point will sit two feet above the actual roof of the aviary and a bird perch, of sorts, will be up in the little round area. I don't know what it's called so I call it a "pop up"

The new design caused me to hang around in the shop and build the frame work for the "pop up"    

 I think this is turning out better than I figured. I wanted to do the best I could with this and take my time. I am sure I could have thrown something together in a day but this will be a focal point in the yard so I wanted it to look like I cared.

What good is this you ask, it's not. It has no prepper or homesteader function I can think of. Sure it could be used for rabbits, quail or whatever, but you know, everything I have built has been for that reason. I wanted to build something for the wife that did not have anything to do with anything except her happiness, that's it.


Have a great week,
MDR

At Least It's Started

Even though I am not getting home until late every night I still go out to the shop and try to put in an hour or so on the wife's project.

I picked up a stack of lumber earlier this week to build the wife's aviary. I decided to go new because all the scrap and junk I have stacked behind the barn would not look good enough for this build. This structure will be right in the middle of the back yard and will be a focal point so it has to look good.




This is my first octagon build so it took a little time to lay out and get right, the first time. The only thing I hate worse then buying lumber is wasting it. I did do some smaller practice cuts on scrap wood just to make sure the angle was right.
Holding the boards at a 22.5 degree angle and trying to screw them together needed more hands than I had.
I quickly found out my shop is not big enough. I could only assemble half at a time and then finish putting it together outside. Even at that, I am not set up in the shop for big builds.

 There you have it, the top and bottom plates to the aviary. It's 8' feet across and will be 10' feet tall.
This only took an hour or so to build and the rest of the days this week I have been building the eight sides, one at a time. I only have three done at the moment. I don't have a picture of those yet because it's always dark when I am done for the night.
I should have all the sides built and installed this weekend, I hope.

I am already planning the next build, I plan to make a Rabbit Tractor. Almost like a chicken tractor but for rabbits. I have been wanting to get back into the meat rabbits again and I didn't want a bunch of cages to take care of every night. Plus I really don't have the time to weekly clean their room so a Rabbit Tractor, I feel, is the way to go.

It's Not On The List

Just like many of you, I am a list maker.
I know I have posted about my obsession before, but this is different.

I am sure you agree that your project list is a never ending and always growing list. Once one project is complete three more are added. It's job security as well as very frustrating.
With my OCD, I continually check my lists and see what projects can be started next. The order of importance on that list changes about as much as it's content.
The list is important because if a project is not on there, it has not had the chance to be thought through enough. If you are a long time reader of MDR then you know I think through every detail in my head, building and deconstructing it over and over again before pencil ever hits the paper. By looking at the list I can see the finished product of each project, in the it's location and it's functionality. Then in my head I tear it apart piece by piece until it's gone. I make notes the whole time I do this. this way when construction starts it is smooth and every problem has already been thought out.
Sometimes a item will sit on the list for a long time until every detail is worked out. Then one day when I have it, I start it. You may think this is weird but it works for me.

I know that was a long introduction but I needed to say all that to say this,
The wife came to me the other day and said she wanted a Aviary.
"But it's not on the list" I told her.
"Then put it on the list!" she said back without even looking over her shoulder.
 "I am not putting that on the list and that's that!" I mumbled back where she couldn't hear, putting my foot down on this idea.
Maybe she is not aware of the process of placing something on the list.

So anyway, this is the design of the walk in Aviary that is now on the top of the list.
Construction should start this weekend.            

Over Possessive Father With Seperation Issues

My next big project was going to be a network of step down porches outback with the one closest to the house being inclosed for the wife's plants and coffee room.  I also need the cooking and entertaining areas to be a little more functional than they currently are.
The designs have been drawn out, material lists have been made and the start date was not too far off on the first phase, but....

I get a call from the oldest daughter last week and she said she is changing her major and after getting her degree at A&M she is moving back home to get her Doctorate at the local college. Of course I am all for it and before she was finished talking the little wooden wheels in my head had already started spinning.

I asked her if she was wanting to live in the house or what was she planning.

"Dad, I will be 23 years old and I really don't want to live in the house unless I have to". Is what she said.

I fully understand that and support her decision on it, but it would be a waste of money for her to rent a place in town when she is within driving distance to the college. So, the next best thing is to build her an apartment out back.

Now, by that time the middle daughter will be 21 and attending the local college as well. I do not see any reason she needs to waste money on rent or housing either. So the plans include a small condo type of building. Yesterday while at work I quickly drew up a little floor plan on two 12X12 rooms with a build in desk.   



 I know this picture is hard to see, but if you turn it sideways you get the idea. The condo will not have a bathroom in it because the bathhouse is only thirty feet from it. Plus the main house will be there for them when they need it. Momma will still do the cooking, but they will have their own refrigerator and microwave in there for quick meals.
I was thinking on putting on a small community washroom in the back they could walk into so they will have a quick place to do there makeup and brush their teeth, but I am still undecided on that one.

Here is the problem with the design. By the time all this takes effect, the youngest will be nineteen and will be graduated high school and going into her first year in college. Now I don't know if I should go a head and build three in a row or just the two and tell the youngest to stay in the house.
Ultimately it is their choice to stay or go, live there or live elsewhere, but if I was to give them a free spot to live they can call their own and could save money until they started their careers, then they might stay around for a little while and still have the freedom of living on their own, kinda.

I know this is a big build and one that is kinda possessive. No, I never want my girls to leave, but I do know eventually they are going to. I am just thinking while they are in college this would be a great way we all stay together and they save money.

What's your thoughts on this? Is this over the top and I have possessive and separation issues, or is this something that a good dad would do to help his kids out?  Would you have lived in something like this while going to college if it were an option?
I am in the middle on this one.
Thanks for your feedback.        

Bio Sand Filter

Even though I was a little bored this weekend and looking for things to do and after the sawdust log press idea was up and working I started on the Bio Sand Filter.

But first off I want to tell you about this. Remember a month or so ago I built a Solar Distiller and no matter what I did, the thing would not work? I finally gave up, excepting that it kicked my butt and it has been sitting there taunting me ever since.
You know I can't let it end like that. I refuse to let something kick me when I am down. I took the solar distiller apart weekend before last, redesigned it a little, then rebuilt it. You know what, the stupid thing works. Not enough to call momma about, but it works. Now it makes about a gallon of clean distilled water a week as long as the sun is out. Not bad for a two foot by two foot piece of glass.

The Bio Sand Filter will be a work in progress. I cannot fully set it up and get it working due to winter coming in. They don't work that well in freezing temps unless it is in an enclosed area or insulated to the max with some added source of heat. The living organisms need warm temperatures and oxygen to survive. So for the time being and since I was bored, I decided to go ahead and start building it.

The picture above is of the finished look. The five gallon bucket is mounted on the top of the 55 gallon drum. You can also see the outflow to the right.

Inside the five gallon bucket is a pipe with holes in it. This will filter out anything big and any heavy solids. Rain water will be poured into the bucket five gallons at a time or at a constant low flow.

On the underside of the lid and bucket combo a system of pipes and holes defuse the water as it's being poured into the top so the water will not disturb the living colony in the first few inches of the sand. This will let the water gradually enter the sand filter.
If more flow is needed then more perforated  pipe can be added. 

In the bottom of the barrel the collection system is made up of pipe with holes in it as well. This will be covered with pee gravel to about six inches and then sand up to two inches below the overflow.
All materials have to be washed and washed again before put into use.
A two inch layer of water will always be on top of the sand to keep the colony of bacteria eating organisms alive.

How this works is after the initial cleaning by flowing water thought it until it runs clear, three weeks or so the organisms will be alive and well. The unsafe water gets poured into to top, filters down through the sand and clean drinking water comes out the side. Fresh oxygenated water needs to be added weekly to keep everything alive and running right.
The flow on this filter will be determined after the set up and three week growth period. It should, without any problems, produce around 10 gallons of good water a day if not more.
Before I decide to drink any water this device filters, I will take samples from the source and from the outflow of the filter and take them to a lab. Even though I know this will work, I do not want to take any chances.

Around March I plan start the filter up. The idea is to have a float valve inside the top bucked and the rain water from the big tanks gravity feed the float. this will keep a constant flow of water and keep me in a constant supply of clean drinking water. This way I can increase or decrease my flow rate when needed.

I am not sure yet but I will probably still add a cap full of bleach to each gallon before storing. I will have to do some experimenting with that to see if it is needed.

That's all I got for now.  Check back and you see what my boring Sunday had in store.           
     

Solar Beer Can Heater Results

First I want to say thanks to http://www.prepperwebsite.com/ for linking up this project. They sent over 1300 people to MDR so far.


 I hooked up the heater using a 3" water heater flex tube. The flex was the only way to go because of the pivot motion of the heater.
You can also see the placement where I get the temp readings   

 The other end of the flex goes through the window of the shop. I made a block out for the window and sealed it off to keep the drafts out.
The out flow really needs to be higher, but I did not want to start cutting holes in my new shop until I did some testing first.




It was early in the morning and the ambient temp was around 40 when this picture was taken. The output air was already at 150 degrees.

The high readings for the day were,
Ambient = 55 degrees
Air Output = 180 degrees
 

 I could improve the output temperature a little by insulating the box. I really don't want it getting much hotter because I did not use high temp adhesive.
Right now I am loosing 20 degrees by the time it leaves the box and gets into the shop. The metal tubing is cooling the air back down a little. I will insulate the tubing to try and hold on to the heat a little longer during its travel into the shop.
Another step I plan to do is to attach an additional tube and bring the inflow from the shop instead of the outside. This way the air that is circulated will be from the inside and when the shop starts heating up it will be more efficient by circulating that same air.
Doing that I will have to build a filtered return air box inside and on the floor of the shop and put the outflow pipe at a higher level. The fan will also be placed inside the filtered return air box to increase the efficiency of the fan.
If I am going to go that far I might as well put the heater on a thermostat and go ahead and hook up a battery bank to it as well. That means I will need to increase the solar panel to a higher wattage to charge the batteries.
The one main problem to all this that the square foot of the heater will not heat the shop quickly or keep it at a constant temperature. The cubic foot of the shop is too massive for such a small heater. This design was made as an experiment to see if it would work. This heater would heat a well insulated room of about a 10'X8' with 8' ceilings. I originally designed this to heat the bathhouse.
This means to achieve the desired temperature in the shop at a reasonable rate, I will need to build one 2 1/3 larger than this one. That is a 230 can system. Or I could just build another one like this one and attach them together. I guess I need to call my buddy and have him start collecting cans for me.

Cost results,
Total out of pocket using junk on hand = $70.00
If I bought everything new = $200.00

I have seen some of these made using just 1/2 insulation sheets and sealed with duct tape and they work, but I wanted to build a heater that would last. The biggest cost if you have all the building material is the high temp paint and caulking.

That's all I got for now.

Solar Beer Can Heater Update

Just as I thought, I had way too much going on this weekend to complete the solar heater build 100%. I got close, but not all the way done.
Here is a little bit of what I did.

All the cans had to be drilled, cleaned and glues together. I had to make 10 rows of 10 and then painted.  At each end of the row of cans there is a board with holes in it to hold the cans in place and to let the air enter through the bottom and swirl it's way up through and out the top.
Just a note, you want to make sure to clean the cans because of the hot, sour beer smell.

 I designed the frame to have a air collector system powered by a solar fan to draw in the outside air and force it through the cans. The bottom collector chamber is pictured here.

 And another chamber for the hot air to collect and be forced out the exit and into the shop .

I could have left it at that and just leaned the heater up against the outside wall but you know that is not how I roll. I have to go above and beyond. 

I decided I did not want to man handle this heater all day to maximize it's potential by keeping it faced to the sun so I decided to build a swivel frame. With one finger I can turn the heater to face the sun all day long. 

One reason for this is because this heater is independent from any electric. I have seen some built where they use a powered fan to push the air. If I am building a solar heater then it needs to be powered by solar. The solar panel I have on this needs to face the sun to turn the fan on. You can see the cords running down the side of the frame in this picture.

And here you go. A 100% Solar Beer Can Heater. In this picture you can now see the two air collector chambers at the top and bottom and where the solar panel is mounted.

To finish this project I need to run a flex tube from the top of the heater frame to the shop window and that will be that.

If you look close you can see I installed a thermometer just below the air outlet to see how hot this get the air.  Once this is in use I will give feedback on how it works.

All I need now is some sun.