!!!! SEPP to Boot: Stephen's Experience (BEL)

BEL #778

In this video, I fell my tallest tree yet. Of course, I'm demonstrating use of the tree jack.


Thanks for watching, and enjoy your day...!

No Roy's were harmed in the felling of this tree - could be a disclaimer for your videos

BEL #779

Here's a video that's a kind of companion to my first log-peeling video, featuring fellow Boot Jared, peeling logs. I peel all the bark from a 10-foot long, 1-foot diameter, spruce log. I'll do the same thing in mid-summer, the autumn, and the winter, and compare the time it takes to finish them all.

Enjoy!



That's all for now. Thanks for watching, and enjoy your day...!

BEL #780

To celebrate the end of the week, the rest of the Boots cooked up a fantastic meal, including - among other things - smashed sunchokes and a mixed greens salad from the hugel berms. What a great way to wrap-up a Friday.

We've moved the Three Sisters operation for this year to a nearby hugel, in an effort to allow the Corn Scoop to recharge for at least a year. Here are fellow Boots Jared and Catherine prepping and planting a berm with corn.



Matt and Seth discuss leveling-out the area where we're hoping to move the battery bank - Leviathan - to its new home.



Why not have a seat in the Chateau de Poo, where you can experience the softness and splendor of mullein: AKA Cowboy Toilet Paper...?



Seth and I encountered this leaky PEX pipe this week while attempting to bring the Shower Shack back online.



That's all for now. Thanks for reading, and enjoy your day...!

BEL #781

Each Sunday begins with the Cleaning Blitz, and we move on to Nest Labor and personal projects. I wrapped and initiated a couple personal projects today.

I completed the final version of this sign for the WilloWonka earlier today, using the laser cutter/engraver. It's currently in the Woodshop drying its first coat of linseed oil. A couple more coats, and I'll mount it outside. Both Paul and I are pleased with this one. A sign for the Cooper Pooper (Wheaton Labs' indoor willow feeder) is next on the agenda.



A friend of mine asked a few questions about how the peeling "spud" works, and how it differed from when using a drawknife. The simplest explanation I offered was something like, "You stab with the peeling spud, while it's more like you bring something closer to you for a hug with the draw knife." Pictured here is the peeling tool/spud, along with the shaving horse, built by Mike Haasl a couple years ago.



Later in the day, I used the draw knife and shaving horse to clean the bark from the scraps of wood I'll use for my next shelf project for the tent. Being that they were very old junk poles, I'm debating on the usefulness of peeling the bark from them, along with the fact that I discovered several grubs crawling around in them and I'd likely be happier about my prospective furniture had I not learned of them...



Finally, a question. Our band saw caught on a knot, and then jammed and bent while in operation. I can't bring myself to throw it out, since it's still plenty sharp. But it's so bent that the kerf of the blade is greater than 1/4th of an inch. I bent it back into shape as best I could by eyeing it up and not using special tools, but I am still concerned that it's crooked and/or twisted in some way. Is testing this blade the next step? Is it recommended to -not- try to repair/refurbish band saw blades? Any suggestions?



That's all for now. Thanks for reading, and enjoy your day...!