Author: The Lord of The Manor

Scythe Work

Posted on by The Lord of The Manor

Cut grass on the side of the road, and the long grass in the foreground. I only cut the first strip on the side for the day. I keep the fresh grass growing rather than cut and store it.

I think it has been about ten or eleven years since I bought the scythe from Scythe Supply of Maine. It has been a while, and I have gotten older. Yet the scythe is still my preferred method of getting grass down in the summer. The grass comes down long enough to use for animal feed, unlike with the mower or a string-trimmer that would tear everything to bits and ruin it. This saves me a bit of money over the summer, and the hassle of tying goats out in the heat only to find they keep tipping their water over and leaving themselves in danger.

I was cutting this morning just across the road from the store entrance and having a heck of a time. I finally gave up on my ego and put on the smallest blade, the “ditch blade.” I say about my ego because I have it in my head that the best scythe handlers can use the long grass blade to do their work. But the Ditch Blade is called that, and not “the Amateur Blade for a reason. Once I changed and dressed the blade I got back to the cutting and wow! It sure cut better. So, I decided to go up the road and do the bit closest the asphalt that the county would do if they drove their mower by. This way, if they do, the grass is down there, and they won’t cut and ruin it. I can use it for feed today or tomorrow.

I sure got my cardio workout today. That is one of the reasons I prefer the scythe to a string-trimmer. As I have said before in this blog, it is a lot quieter, it is powered by breakfast, and the negative output is just non-existent. It does not take too long either, as far as progress through the high grass goes. A Big old mower would obviously go faster, but the tradeoffs are already listed above.

Since the scythe is cutting so much better after a change of blade, I may go out tomorrow and cut down the orchard grass. It is time.

Finally, the temperatures today and tomorrow and again the next day are meant to get up to 99 to 101. We usually end up about two degrees higher than the forecast. Can’t wait to see what it turns out as. I think our weather station record since 2018 is at 103. We might break it! We don’t have and air conditioning, so we will be staying cool in the living room with the blinds pulled and the windows and door shut. All that and a fan, and we seem to be staying under 80 degrees this year. That’s pretty good for low energy consumption. Seems to be the modus operandi on this farm.

Sinking Money into a Boat

Posted on by The Lord of The Manor

In a desperate act of financial irresponsibility, I bought a used boat this weekend. It was only $1,500 as compared to the prices boats can reach, but it was also the fulfillment of a dream sparked many years ago when sailing off the coast of California with friends to the Anacapa Islands. I did it twice, actually, and those two trips were the most amazing things I had experienced up till then, and still rank among the highest even now. I did do something I was once sure I never would, though. I bought a Macgregor. This one is not the hybrid motor-sailor that Macgregor is notorious for, however. It is the 21-foot model they built their business on long before that. And now one is mine.

This boat was first sold as a 1970 model, so we are almost the same age. It is a trailer sailor, and practical for the water opportunities here in Idaho. It is not the liveaboard boat I have always dreamed of, and does not even have a galley, toilette, or other amenities. In fact, the salon is not even big enough for me to sit upright in. Sigh, so be it. But it is big enough to sail like the boats I have longed to own, and hopefully will stay upright in a fair wind because of it.

The boat with my little tractor hiding behind it.

This particular boat needs a lot of work. It has the common keel problems found on this type. The last owner painted it with house paint. The rigging requires some work. But to be fair, it could probably go in the water right now and provide a fun day of sailing as is. When sold new, Macgregor advertised the shoal draft of the boat at 12 inches, and with the keel extended, it was 5 and a half feet. With a 400-pound keel reaching to that depth, and the mast standing as can be seen, roughly 25 feet above the deck, that ought to provide a decently balanced boat! This craft also has safety lines all around the deck providing a little added security for moving about under way. No fenders were included, so there is some shopping to do there. Also, the lifejackets sent along with were water-skier vests, which will never do, so chest buoyant jackets with head support are on the way.

I’d be surprised if this thing gets into the water this year. I might, just to see how it fares, and if there are any serious leaks I have not yet spotted. The keel promises to keep me busy. I also would like the opportunity to come up with some sort of shade on deck where the salon is so small. The boat has no electrical system at all and could do with a VHF and maybe even a chart plotting screen. It certainly needs a compass. It looks like someone patched up where one once was. Someone must have come to rely on GPS only for navigation. I have a handheld dead reckoning compass in my desk. Perhaps it needs to go to the boat to live now.

The vessel bears no name. I think the last owner called it Serenity, though nothing is written even in Sharpie on the hull. Poseidon perhaps will give permission for something like The Peasant’s Yacht? I think Missus did when she laughed and said “yes” while the family was discussing possible names the day before yesterday.

Where to begin with her? Anywhere. There is much to do. Perhaps just assure she is water-worthy, then do a shakedown to assess the fitness of the boat and her captain.

A Roman Workbench

Posted on by The Lord of The Manor

On Wednesday I cut a four-inch-thick slice off the big pine log that has been sitting on the mill. I rotated it first from the single straight cut, putting that on the side of my resulting board, and also moving a split in the log to run parallel to my cut, assuring none of the split would intrude. I cut the board in half so I would have two pieces about 4 feet long each, then started planing one of them on the face and then the edge with a scrub plane. Unfortunately, there was a wave in the original cut, so it was still necessary to straighten up that one edge of the board.

After working the board with the scrub plane, I used the 5-1/2 to bring it down much smoother before finishing it up a bit with a #4. I used a panel gauge to determine the width of the final board and mark a straight parallel edge opposite the original one, then planed that easily to form at 12 inches net width. Finally, I used the scrub plane again to put a scalloped surface on what will be the bottom of the Roman Workbench.

Next, I determined the position for legs, which in the end may be temporary for reasons I will discuss later and drilled one-inch holes at angles to take legs I made later. For the drilling I used a bit and brace, and the largest bit I have, I might add.

That bit is a one inch, and I used it also to set in dogholes for the bench, as that corresponds to the dogholes and accessories for my workbench in the shop as well. That way I can use the metal dogs and the holdfasts and such from it on the Roman.

The Roman Workbench is intended to fit under the workbench in the shop when not in use and will largely serve as a saw bench. So it is set to be 18 inches tall, a foot wide, and four feet long, allowing me to tip the feet of the Roman over the stretchers on the workbench and put it in. But as I am intending to build a woodshed after the manner of a timber frame, I thought it would be good to have a small, portable bench for the job.

Dogholes go in straight up and down, while the legs holes are set at an angle.

Looking through the bottom while the bench is set on its side, dogholes and leg holes can be seen through the scalloped surface.

I rested from this job on Thursday and did other things. Among them was visiting with our son and grandson. I asked son if he wanted me to easily make up the other half of the length of the original board into a small bench for his basement, but he said he didn’t think he had room. “No” to a free workbench? His loss.

On Friday I turned four legs and four dogs for the bench on the lathe. I have a problem with the legs. The wood was so wet it was spitting water at me while I turned. That means the tenons will shrink so much that they will need to be refitted or remade when it finally dries. I expect some problems with the benchtop too, but that has been oiled and had anchor seal put on the ends, to ease the water loss and cracking or warping.

The final bench with four dogs and a #4 plane sat atop it for some sense of scale. The space under the adjacent bench is where it will live when not in use.

The finished bench is a perfect height for a seat at 18 inches, and it is a sturdy one at that. Hopefully that will do as a saw bench. Also, to answer the question the keen observer has, no, I did not seat the shoulders properly. They seat where the shoulders touch the surface of the bottom, and otherwise are gapped. I still suspect the leg tenons to cause serious troubles, so I will have to find some dry wood and make new legs, then seat them properly. Who knows what shape they will be? If the wood I find is not conducive to turning, then I will cut square legs instead, and give them shoulders coplanar to the bottom.

I finished the bench for the time being by lunchtime Friday, all while doing other things, and would say it is an easy build. I wonder what I could sell a properly built bench for? I’ll bet up to $500 or so. It does solve the age-old woodworkers’ problem that you have to have a bench to build a bench. I bought a bench originally, so I was able to work the other way around. But this still satisfies a need for the woodshed build, and it will again be useful in the shop. Being pine, it will show the abuse I give it. Being a woodworker, that should not be a problem for me.

Now it’s time to pick out the next project. I fancy a bit of furniture in the house. Maybe it is time to start the pie safe for the kitchen? Whatever the case, I am hellbent and determined to learn this skill and to let the work of it strengthen me against the future.

Table Making in Cold June Days

Posted on by The Lord of The Manor

Today was weird. It was chilly and very windy! Tomorrow is meant to get below freezing in the morning. If it does, this will be the latest we have had frost during the year. Our previous record since we moved to Idaho in 2012 was June 11th. We will beat that by a week. I hear there is snow in Montana, and I believe it as we had a light dusting on the mountain tops here.

As the weather was cold today, I got some time in the shop and worked on the table I have been building. It is a little night table that I am working on after buying a video series from Mortise and Tenon. The video showed the principals of how to build so the wood worker could build any sized table they want. I am tackling a smaller one than in the video, but I am building from poplar and will prep some pine before I do another one. The idea of this project is not just to learn how to build a table, but to also build one quickly when I get the practice in.

I put the legs on the table this evening without any glue or screws or the like. The design in the video was to use wooden peg through the mortise and tenons. I am giving it a try. It’s not like I don’t know how to fix it if anything goes wrong.

Tomorrow our son is not able to come with to get wood, or to do work over here. That’s fine! He has been really helpful this year so far, and it is not big deal to miss a day here and there. He forgot that we were not planning to go out for wood tomorrow anyhow. The plan was to start building the woodshed. So, I went ahead and took out part of the old wood bunk. I am so done with tarps on the firewood! I want enough of a shed to hold the wood for the stove over winter, and a little one for the fireplace wood, which can be longer than what fits the stove. I’d also like to have a lean-to that will hold wood for the workshop.

The next step is to put some cinder blocks down to build the shed on top of. There is a fair few around here, so I will be using them. Then it is time to cut the wood required from that mass of logs I have out back.

That’s the report for today. I think I will be reporting the cold tomorrow. It feels like it is going to reach freezing by tomorrow morning. It is 9:30PM and already down to 42 degrees. Ten more to go, and the temperature dropped 2 degrees in the last half hour. Unbelievable! Good night!

Update: 16 July, 2024

The finished table looked like so in the end. It has a drawer and is a little tall, which can be remedied as needed. I will build another one, perhaps much like this one, perhaps completely different. That’s the whole point of this project! I can build to suit. None of the measurements mattered on this project. In fact, I took none. So I can build a table like this, or four feet wide, or half as deep. None of that matters. It only matters that I make sure it fits where I need it to go. That does not even require a ruler. Just a stick with a couple of labelled marks on it would do just fine.

Here is it mid-July. I have not yet even decided where to put the already built table pictured above. The best place I can think of for it is near my computer. But the space there is pretty hidden, and I am reluctant to hide it. But I suspect it would work there just fine. At the moment it is also very hot at my computer during the days and evenings. So I don’t use it much. That gives me till autumn to worry about it. That also gives me time to muster up and do another one, this time being more careful to decide beforehand where I want to put it!

Father’s Day 2024

Posted on by The Lord of The Manor

Today was a surprise. I mean, I knew it was Father’s Day. It was reminded me two days ago. I didn’t realize it before that. So, I did somewhat figure there would be something going on today. But I got more gifts than I imagined, and I really enjoyed what was given me. Missus gave me a cast iron garlic roaster, a tea pot from Harney and Sons, and a phone case for my belt, which is just perfect as I have had trouble with it and where to carry it before. My daughters got me a book of things to do together, and some interesting photosensitive paper. It was really cool. Then I was set free.

I spent the day in my woodshop. There were no chores to do or catch up on. I was just free to work. So, I organized some things and got a jump ahead on some cleaning. I have the batteries put up on a wall and a saw till holding all the saws now. I also sorted out a place for all the screwdrivers and a few other tools, such as the scorp and froe and adz. All that cleaned up much of the top of one of my workbenches.

I worked on the small table I am building and found that I would rather use my bandsaw than try to manually saw the legs from inch and a half stock. I had to clean a wax pan out to use it to boil the polyurethane belts on the wheels of the saw. That was no short, quick task. But once I got the belts on the wheels and the blade mounted, the saw worked perfectly, and I think I will definitely use it to speed up the work I want to do with the hand tools. I was able to get those table legs sawed to shape right away.

Today was a wonderful day that kept me busy doing things I wanted to do, and I was able to make some serious progress towards getting the shop running to build furniture for the house, and hopefully profitable projects to sell to the public. I still have a huge mess on the machinist bench where I intend to put the stained-glass station. Hopefully it will all get done soon!

Three for the Mill, One for the Stove

Posted on by The Lord of The Manor

We went out yesterday to get firewood again. We found the place organized and the long logs all laid out where they were actually easy to get to. We could not believe it. Someone put some real effort into the back quarter of the lot. I could even back up to the ends of many of the logs and could easily get the logs into the trailer. So, we picked up three decent sawlogs and one with a big crack down it that will suit the woodstove nicely when it is cut down to rounds and split. We did not spend a lot of time down at the log lot yesterday at all.

Back at home the unload went easy too. Only four long logs to grab with the tractor and they grabbed pretty easily. None of them felt overly heavy, so I do have to wonder about how solid they are in the middle, or if they all have stated to rot a little? But tapping them with a steel pipe revealed that the ones I picked for the sawmill were solid sounding and the one for the stove sounded hollow-ish in the middle. Of course, the truth will be revealed when I get to open them all up.

Before leaving for the wood lot, I aired up the tires on the trailer and brought them up about 20 pounds each to where they belong. Oops! They were down to 30 and needed to be at 50 pounds of pressure. Everything is up to scruff now on the truck and trailer, so there should be even wear and safer riding all around.

Today we are going to be up in town a bit running some errands for Missus. If I get a chance I might give the front shocks a try again. There is a plastic casing around the top of the shocks, but I wonder if I can grab them tight enough with a pipe wrench to stop them spinning while turning the top nut to undo them to take them out. I think if I can get enough of a grip to stop them against the rust on the bolt, I can easily get those shocks changed and the truck riding like new again. More or less. Is that a laugh? Probably!

I put fans up in the kid’s room yesterday, so they have some cooling effect while they sleep. It is not yet the hottest part of the year, but that is not stopping it from being pretty hot. Everyone is going to need the fan this year! Well, that’s how it feels to me, anyway. We are told that the La Nina is setting up for winter and it is meant to be a cold one; probably snowy. Suits me just fine. It would be nice to get a bit of a break from all the weather-related end of the world doom and gloom.

Some Vehicle Maintenance

Posted on by The Lord of The Manor

Yesterday I changed the oil on the truck, charged the A/C on it, the little truck, and the tractor. I filled wiper fluids and checked brakes and so on. But the big adventure was putting the rear shocks on the big truck. You see, I was quoted $900 for low end shocks on the whole truck. That was at the cheap place. So, I looked up some Monroe shocks on Amazon and ordered them for $165, making them not the cheapest shocks at all. Not like what I was promised at the repair shop. There was a bit of faffing around to reach and get the torque required, but the shocks on the truck require turning two bolts each. Two. That is eight bolts on the whole truck! And the gut wanted $900 for the job! At a place where he has a lift and the right tools and could do it in ten minutes per wheel! What a joke!

Today is firewood day. Our son is coming over in about an hour to go with me to get what we can. I hope the tree guys have got down whatever has come apart in the wind. I have some 15 sawlogs out back now and would still like to add some more. There is a lot to build around here. To be fair, I need a lot of firewood still.

I got the gourd tunnel built, finally. I’ll do a better job at it next year. It’s okay now. It could be a bit better. But it is in, and I have planted the seeds. Hopefully it will produce some decent gourds for Missus to sell in her shop. I put in a few different types of seeds. I also put in some wildflower seeds, and I laid in some corn seeds nearby. It’s just decorative corn. Hopefully that will help come Thanksgiving time. Maybe a little extra money if we can sell them!

There is loads to do today, so I best go get ready for some work!

The Woodshop & A Firewood Day

Posted on by The Lord of The Manor

My favorite place to be is in the woodshop.  I could be cleaning up, figuring out there is no hood organization system in there, making shavings, or simply burning them.  For me time, it is my own space. 

Today is Tuesday. We could not go get firewood yesterday, so we went out to get it today. There was plenty to choose from, and why I call it a firewood day is unknown even to me. I go out, I select from the wood at the pile, and I always pick first a sawlog or three. Firewood comes in on top after that. But by the time a huge log is on the trailer, there is a bit of a load there that cannot be topped up with too much more weight. So, we grab a little firewood, and we get going. The firewood pile could be doing a bit better.

The sawlog, however, are fantastic, and I think I could build a decent woodshed without worrying about running out too soon. I think I could build a woodshed tomorrow if I had the time. I don’t. I do need to get the sawing done. To do that, I will first have to make some bolsters and stickers for proper stacking.

After we got home and got the wood unloaded today, I put the final bits of roof on the rabbit hutches. I put the panels upside-down because the bottoms are white, and the tops are brown. With it being summer, I would rather they be cooler. I sure don’t have the time to repaint them.

If I am going to get sawyering, I will have to get together a list of how many posts and beams I need, and then cut the rest into purlins and boards. Any excess boards can go to the furniture shop. That’s something for the spare time on breaks tomorrow. The rest is listed in my planner and will keep me busy for days yet to come. Enough for now.

More Work

Posted on by The Lord of The Manor

More work? Yup! Today I sorted out the last of an electrical project that wanted doing. Now the electric to my wife’s little shop no longer goes from a plug in the workshop into her shop via a long cord. Instead, it goes from a new outlet on the wall of my workshop to the outer wall of the trailer, plugging in on both ends and using a much shorter cable. Doors can once again be shut and locked on my workshop and Missus’s shop. I also have a place to plug in Christmas lights on the workshop.

So, there have been some questions of late about which shop is called the shop, and what the other places should be called. As you know, Missus is British. So, to her, a ‘store’ as Americans would call it is meant to be called a ‘shop.’ “I’m headed down the shop for some eggs and a pint of milk.” I always called the place I worked with one of my best high school friends “the shop.” It was a hardwood and sheet goods dealer outside of Denver. There was no arguing with him as his family owned the place.

I am wanting to call my workshop ‘the shop,’ but I have to leave that title for Missus’s shop. So, to avoid confusion, I will be calling my shop something else. Probably ‘the woodshop,’ or ‘the workshop.’ I am not yet sure which is so appealing that it will break a very old habit. Or should there be another name, such as ‘the magical, mystical palace of repairs and construction to which I repair in order to be constructive, or otherwise avoid getting roped into some sort of huge job that I don’t understand.’ Well, I will think on it before jumping to any conclusions. So far, it is looking like the ‘woodshop.’

So, there have been some woodshop lessons that are worth writing down. One has been when bottoming out a valley in the seat of a chair, and as I carve into the cathedral of grain, the wood kind of peels at the bottom. That is from following the grain. It is a good time to carve across the grain instead. At least on the poplar I was working on when I cut my finger this evening, that seemed to work out really well. Also, secure the work and use both hands to control the tool.

Another lesson worth it was after I ripped a board in half last night and of course cut it crooked because that’s how I roll. After the cut, rather than use a typical plane such as a jack, I used a scrub plane to do most straightening on the cut edge of the board before going to a #5 to give it a straight line. It really saved a ton of time and did a decent job on its own to straighten the edge of the board. It was to the point I would just about recommend the scrub as one of the first planes one should buy. Apart from the disappointment that will come with how shallow the second plane will cut. Scrub plane. A decent jointer!

Yesterday was semi-busy. It was hot! So, there was a limit to what I was wanting to do. I am not yet acclimated to the heat, so getting heat stroke is not going to be hard to do. But I started off by putting the new rabbit pen into the old chicken run where the neighbor’s dogs cannot get even to the outsides of their pen. Yes, I have had that happen before. We once found a dog caught IN a rabbit pen where two rabbits had lived. One was gone, and the other was dead in the pen with it. So, we take the extra step of keeping the rabbit pens locked in a fenced in area.

My youngest and I put the feeders on the pen, and the waterers, and also the rabbits. The pen is built so it is off the ground a couple of feet, also making it hard for dogs to get to, as well as giving it a large enough space that the poo does not pile up right under it. Once I get around to securing the chicken run again against the raccoons, and get new chickens in it, they will work as cleaners against the poo pile.

I started cleaning out the metal from behind the barn at last, when I took out a couple of livestock fence pieces and four T-posts to go towards the gourd tunnel. I’ll need to get that together today. But first I need to measure the space I intend to put the new septic field into, and make sure the space is large enough. Once verified, I can put in the posts and attach the cattle panels which are now set next to where I will put it. That is next to the sawmill. I’ve tilled it a couple of times, so it is ready to go once the tunnel is built. Put the seeds into the ground and water.

I got the lawnmower up to the front yard and put air in all the tires. I went up to town and bought a new battery, then came home and put that in. The mower started up pretty quickly after that. I ran it around the yard a bit and caught some of it up on the mowing. I ran out of gas once, then it died again and would not turn over at all. I think the thing may not be charging the battery anymore and was running on the new battery. I put it on the charger after that, and if it starts again today, then dies again, I think I will need to sort out the charging system. Well, we’ll see.

After supper I went out to the shop and sharpened my bench chisels. It was a hand sharpening without the use of a honing guide. I used the 1,000, 3,000, and 10,000 grit stones. The face of the bevel was very shiny after, but also a little rounded. I might be inclined to use the honing guide next time. I need to build a setup jig to set the length of the chisel to extend out of the honing guide. I also need to decide once and for all about the idea of a secondary bevel, as I did not bother with one last night. The chisels had not had any serious sharpening before, so I did it straight.

I am scheduled to be out at the dump tomorrow to pick up wood for the mill and for the fire this winter. Our younger son is coming with to make it a little easier and more social while I am out. It’s the first run since the windstorm, so I hope it will be productive.

So Busy

Posted on by The Lord of The Manor

The past little while has been pretty busy here on the farm as we have been getting ready to open Missus’s little shop out front of the house. The spring weather has continued to be pleasant, though yesterday and today it cooled down, especially in the mornings, and we put a fire in the stove this morning to cope with the unbearable chill. On the downside, we lost a few animals to a predator in the past few days.

I have had help from second son going down to get some firewood and a couple of sawlogs. The supply changed quite a bit from the first trip down to the second, indicating there are a lot of trees being trimmed at the moment.

We took a couple of days off this week and last in order to help Missus get her shop open, which she did for a short while on Monday. She is planning her weekends on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so being closed yesterday and today were planned as a part of normal operations. We are waiting for the first customer to darken the door still, and hope that will happen fairly soon, or soon after we put up an ad on the local board online. A slow start ought to give us a chance to ramp up operations.

The weather has been fantastic for this time of year for the last few weeks. Earlier in the spring it was run outside in forty-degree temperature time with no jacket or anything extra to keep warm. Who could complain at the warmer weather after any Idaho winter, even a warm one? But it has been making it to the low seventies lately, and dropping into the fifties with little sun has left the house so cold that I had to start a fire in the woodstove today to take the chill off. It was mid-fifties in the house this morning, and there was no sun to take that chill away. So I went out to our persistent woodpile and gathered up an armload of poplar to bring in and burn. It warmed up pretty quick!

The large, open topped chicken run no longer holds out predators, or so we found out this week. I have seen raccoon prints in the yard quite a lot over the spring, but now it seems one has decided to try its luck at the ducks and goose. Raccoon or whatever, it got in and killed them all. It could have been an owl, to be fair. But I have stayed up late to watch for them and saw nothing. We ordered some solar powered motion activated lights to put up on a couple of the out buildings. They make enough of a difference to put sights on something like a raccoon.

So that’s the goings on here on the farm while we also do other things, such as get ready to have the kids out of school after their first year in public for some time. They are excited for the break! I am excited to have them around.