PEP Badge: Oddball

For some time now I've been using corral panels to temporarily block an opening between a barn post and a squeeze chute to keep pastured animals from entering the barn at this location.  I hadn't previously installed a permanent gate there because the opening was not one of the standard gate sizes. A neighbor gave me a damaged gate that was probably originally 10 or 12 foot long, but had been cut shorter to just past the mid-span vertical tubing.  It was still too long to fit in the opening, so I gathered scrap metal supplies from the bone yard, cut the gate down to the needed size, welded on a section of 1"x2" rectangle tubing, as well as a one-handed gate latch fabricated from two short pieces of round tubing and two pieces of solid round stock, all salvaged from scrap. I ground off most of the surface rust from the scrap metal and painted it to match the original brown gate color.  To mount the gate, I drilled a 1-1/8" hole through the 12" thick concrete column (got lucky and didn't hit rebar) and then used a diamond blade on a grinder to countersink the far side of the hole so the bolt end and nut would not protrude. For the Upper hinge bolt I drilled a 1" hole through the wood post. After installing the bolts throught the holes, I then drilled a 5/8" hole in the concrete slab floor to receive the gate latch. Now I have an easy to operate gate, and two extra corral pannel section to put to use elsewhere.

I think I meet the requirements for the Sand Badge (5 points):

1. Fix leaking hydraulic cylinder (1 point)
2. Fabricate and install customized gate (4 points)

I managed to pop a piece of wood out of the handle of my scythe. It's peak hay season over here (this year at least) and the grass is growing with gusto so having a scythe is quite important. We're not using much of the hay ourselves but being able to cut it back, make paths, etc. until a neighbour arrives with his tractor will be very useful.

I decided to reinforce and repair the handle by fabricating a plate from a brass latch plate from a door. I think that's a good name for it. I pulled two of them off pieces of reclaimed wood that I was processing the other day.

I cut off two pieces of excess brass to make the plate fit the width of the handle and sit flush. I then cleaned up the edges using a file and a piece of 400 grit sandpaper. Using a small chisel, I made a recess in the scythe handle to accept the plate and allow the blade to be mounted. The blade tang, which bends 90 degrees, can now rest against the inside edge of the brass plate and won't be able to break free if it gets caught (last time I stuck the tip into a mound).

I re-used the screws from the reclaimed wood to mount the plate. The brass offcuts will be re-used as wedges for axe or hammer handles.

Total time: 45 minutes.

Material cost: £0 as everything was salvaged/upcycled.

Another oddball submission.

I made a hinge for my greenhouse window - the greenhouse was a freebie and the hinge/arm for opening the vent window was missing and we'd been using a piece of firewood. I was worried the firewood wall fall during heavy winds and break the window glass.

I made a replacement using some scrap aluminium sheeting that I had lying around in the shed, salvaged from somewhere long forgotten. The sheeting was cut to produce two bars and two pieces that were bent into brackets. The bars were bolted to the brackets and fixed together using a wingnut. The wingnut can be tightened to easily lock the window in the open position. No more scorched plants!

I used hand tools for everything because I enjoy the peace + quiet. It also means no electricity is needed. This project required a couple of hacksaws, a vise, a file and a drill.

The overall fit isn't perfect and I had to bevel one end of the bar to allow it to rotate smoothly, without getting caught. It works perfectly though and I'm no longer concerned about the greenhouse being broken by gusts when we are out of the house.

Total time: 60 minutes
Total cost: £0

I hand-made a grass hat from locally foraged materials and cotton thread!
Step 1: acquire and sort tall grass. We want long, wide, supple blades. I harvested some of it myself, but the majority was cut for me to gather by my foraging partner.
Step 2: soak the grass. The grass is sharp and stiff, and will dry out quickly once cut, so it should be soaked overnight before plaiting. I coiled it in a stainless steel stock pot, covered it with water, and added a kettle of boiling water. I discovered several batches into the project that I can make the soak-water last longer without turning foul of I put in some vinegar, alcohol, and peppermint and lemon essential oils. (I'm sure not all the preservatives are necessary, but I had them premixed for cleaning.)
Step 3: plait the grass.
Step 4 back-stitch the grass in a coil to shape the crown using a needle and cotton thread, knottng it securely whenever it is necessary to start a new thread.
Step 5: Begin the brim using a mattress stitch. This stitch allowed me to join the plait with less overlap then the backstitch, making it easier to turn the shape.
Step 6: finish the brim by back-stitching in a coil again, folding over the end of the plait and sticking it securely in place to finish.

Harmony d'Eyre wrote:I hand-made a grass hat from locally foraged materials and cotton thread!
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That's a great hat!
I don't know how to count points for oddballs. I'll leave that for someone else ...

Needed a hay rake and didn't find one around to use. So i made one! A good honest day of work with my hand woodwork tools. Find a plan on the web and some wood in the forest and go!

https://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/hay-rake-zmaz79mjzraw/

For a next oddball, if i made my own strawball house, could it count for a BB Oddball? But it's hard to calculate a number of hours for that...

Here's my root cellar! Cedar beam comme from a mill in my village. The longest as been to haul earth with the wheelbarrow, pfiou! Been using it for 3 winter now and i love it, couldn't live without it.

Took me 3seasons part time on weekend, but would've have probably took 2-4 weeks. Maybe 1-2 day if i done it with friends and an excavator...