UPDATED 23Jul2020: Sharpening a chainsaw properly can take more time and more skill than meets the eye. Electric chainsaw sharpeners make this job much, much easier, but you still have to know how to use the machine. Click below for […]
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HELPLESSNESS, HUMILITY & A SWIMMING RAFT (Plus Project Plans!)
UPDATED 23Jul2020: I’ve only felt deeply and undeniably helpless once in my life, but it taught me a valuable lesson. Perhaps it will help you, too. A family of otters had something to do with the whole thing. It happened […]
Continue ReadingBRICK VENEER: A Great Homebuilding Option
UPDATED 23Jul2020 + video below: Masonry wasn’t my favourite homebuilding material when I got involved in building and renovation back in the mid-1980s, but 30 years of dealing with reality has changed my mind. Brick veneer, in particular, offers the […]
Continue ReadingHow to Dry Herbs
It’s herb harvest time on Manitoulin Island! Watch how homestead wife Mary harvests, bundles and dries this year’s herb bounty.
Continue ReadingVIDEO FEATURE: Raising Leghorn Chicks into Homestead Chickens
Watch the transformation of day-old Leghorn chicks into full-fledged free-range laying hens. Besides being cute, there are key things you need to do to raise these birds properly.
Continue ReadingPORTABLE GENERATOR: How to Choose One Wisely
As far as I can tell, there are two reasons more and more people are interested in buying portable generators. One is a lack of faith in the reliability of grid power. Low prices are the second. I’m not sure […]
Continue ReadingSEPTIC SYSTEM GONE BAD? Fix It Yourself So Trouble Never Happens Again
UPDATED 10Jul2020 + video below: June 17, 2011 wasn’t a great day at our house. That was the day I discovered that my septic system had failed. Sewage was sitting about a foot over the top of the tank. Sometimes […]
Continue ReadingFORGING STEEL: Working With Iron, Hammer & Anvil
UPDATED 3Jul2020 + video: Forging metal is not a mainstream hobby, and it never will be. That said, there are still thousands of people with a little bit of garage space and hidden talents that could be used to create beautiful […]
Continue ReadingAUTOMATIC BACKUP GENERATORS: What They Are And How They Can Help You
UPDATED 3Jul2020 + video below: Where I live in Canada we get about a dozen electrical power failures each year. Some of these are short, lasting only a few minutes. Other failures are 8 hour-long “scheduled” power interruptions that shut […]
Continue ReadingWOODWORKING: Mill Your Own Lumber the Simple Way
UPDATED 26Jun2020 + 2 videos below: It’s easy to look past the obvious fact that lumber comes from logs, but once you start thinking this way, interesting things can happen. It’s surprisingly easy to mill short, small logs into furniture-grade […]
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