This is all just my opinion based on a flawed memory
John Daley Bendigo, Australia The Enemy of progress is the hope of a perfect plan
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When in doubt, doubt the doubt.
….give me coffee to do the things I can and bourbon to accept the things I can’t.
Some places need to be wild
Eric Hanson wrote:Also, if one is tilling a garden, a good, heavy grub hoe is better than a gas tiller. It is more work to be sure, but it does less damage to the soil.
Blog: 5 Acres & A Dream
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Some places need to be wild
Eric Hanson wrote:Will a broadfork dig a new garden bed?
Blog: 5 Acres & A Dream
Books: Kikobian Books | Permies Digital Market
“It’s said war—war never changes. Men do, through the roads they walk. And this road—has reached its end.”
You are welcome to check out my blog at http://www.theartisthomestead.com or my artwork at http://www.davidhuang.org
I don't own the plants, they own me.
You are welcome to check out my blog at http://www.theartisthomestead.com or my artwork at http://www.davidhuang.org
Jordan Holland wrote:I will give my standard plug about trying to find old hand tools from the time period when they were meant to be used by skilled workers all day long. Subtle (and not so subtle) differences make all the difference. Many people would be amazed at how quickly hand tools can work, but all they have ever seen/used is modern renditions that leave much to be desired.
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“It’s said war—war never changes. Men do, through the roads they walk. And this road—has reached its end.”
Jordan Holland wrote:Dan Boone, that brings up another point. Using hand tools in the correct manner is a very big part of their efficiency. The old auger bits were designed to be turned by hand, so they cut as efficiently as possible. There were even different designs for different types of wood, it was that important. I see many people use modern bits designed for power drills in a brace, and the results are not optimal. When there is power to spare, efficiency is not typically their main design goal. They are more likely to go with speed of cut, longevity of edge, or even more likely, lowest cost of manufacture. But even the highest quality tools possible can only do so well when not used as intended.
Your friend isn't always right and your enemy isn't always wrong.
Your friend isn't always right and your enemy isn't always wrong.
I have a PTO auger for my tractor that seldom sees use. Yes, for many post holes in an open field, it is great. But if I am digging one post hole .... or even a half dozen, it is faster to do by hand. Then there is the issue of putting in a post hole where a tractor cannot easily go. The majority of the time, I use the manual digger.
Yes, we've started new beds with a broadfork. It does a beautiful job of loosening the soil. For me, it's not so back-breaking as a hoe. I think it goes faster too because it's so, well, broad.
"Despite all our accomplishments we owe our existence to a six-inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains."
This is all just my opinion based on a flawed memory
Eric Hanson wrote:As a generalized answer, fine, detailed work is often done best using hand tools. I am especially thinking of woodwork.
Also, if one is tilling a garden, a good, heavy grub hoe is better than a gas tiller. It is more work to be sure, but it does less damage to the soil. On a similar note, weeding with a scuffle hoe, or swan hoe or similar is far better on the soil than using a tiller to kill weeds.
Eric
Your friend isn't always right and your enemy isn't always wrong.
Hege Fossum wrote:I took over the family farm in February last year, and am trying to find my own farming style. I had my moments last summer, watching the fields and thinking of my great grandfather who came here in the late 1800s and probably did most of his work with hand tools and a horse. Then I was thinking that the old ways are getting lost. Most people around here don't know any longer how to use the tools and do stuff manually, and I decided to learn the old ways of farming.
Douglas Alpenstock wrote:
Hege Fossum wrote:I took over the family farm in February last year, and am trying to find my own farming style. I had my moments last summer, watching the fields and thinking of my great grandfather who came here in the late 1800s and probably did most of his work with hand tools and a horse. Then I was thinking that the old ways are getting lost. Most people around here don't know any longer how to use the tools and do stuff manually, and I decided to learn the old ways of farming.
Welcome aboard, Hege! Excellent first post. I think you will fit in very well here.
BBC did a whole series on farming/farmlife in different time periods. A whole farm year per period. Victorian farm, Edwardian farm, wartime farm, Tudor farm and tales of the green valley. Amazon has them, but so does Youtube. Archeologists doing practical archeology makes for interesting watching.Hege Fossum wrote:I took over the family farm in February last year, and am trying to find my own farming style. I had my moments last summer, watching the fields and thinking of my great grandfather who came here in the late 1800s and probably did most of his work with hand tools and a horse. Then I was thinking that the old ways are getting lost. Most people around here don't know any longer how to use the tools and do stuff manually, and I decided to learn the old ways of farming. It seems to be a hard task, as there are no teachers around.
This spring I will try to sow by hand an acre with rye and red clover. I don't really know how to do this without machines. Any tips are welcomed.
“I can think, I can wait, I can fast”-Siddhartha, Herman Hesse
Kevin David wrote:The topic of this thread has been on my mind a lot lately. I plan on building a practice cordwood shed/cabin before winter for temporary living. I have no building experience so I’m trying to make everything as easy as possible. I’ll be using timber framing a la Rob Roy’s ‘Timber Framing For The Rest Of Us’. But in the case of prepping the cordwood, I’m not exactly sure what “easy” is. I’m wondering if I should stick with hand tools or use a chainsaw to prep the cordwood. I have no experience with a chainsaw and would like to take a course if I end up deciding I should use one.
Rob Roy has a setup he highly recommends in several of his books which uses a chainsaw to make cordwood prep fast and efficient. Personally, I would prefer to stick with hand tools to prep the cordwood even though I know it will drag the process out. For one thing, I feel much safer using hand tools. My mind gets a little spacey at times due to some health issues.( To be clear, there are times when my mind isn’t spacey too.) I like the idea of gaining experience with hand tools. I just don’t know if I’ll have time get all the wood ready since I haven’t even bought land yet. The biggest factor will be how it takes to find land I suppose.
How big of a time difference could it make for a shed a little under 200 square feet? I’m thinking in the time it takes me to learn to use the chainsaw, build this setup for the chainsaw, and become reasonably efficient with it—it might not be worth the time. But I have no idea what I’m talking about, so any observations would be appreciated.
Your friend isn't always right and your enemy isn't always wrong.
Nails are sold by the pound, that makes sense.
Soluna Garden Farm -- Flower CSA -- plants, and cut flowers at our farm.
Tom Hooper wrote:Never posted here but... just fyi almost the best tool for seeding grass in all those little out of the way places is a manually operated handled tool called a "Garden Weasel" cultivator. And we use handtools almost exclusively for our woodwork and boatbuilding. Be well.
Your friend isn't always right and your enemy isn't always wrong.
With appropriate microbes, minerals and organic matter, there is no need for pesticides or herbicides.
tamara dutch wrote:
BBC did a whole series on farming/farmlife in different time periods. A whole farm year per period. Victorian farm, Edwardian farm, wartime farm, Tudor farm and tales of the green valley. Amazon has them, but so does Youtube. Archeologists doing practical archeology makes for interesting watching.Hege Fossum wrote:I took over the family farm in February last year, and am trying to find my own farming style. I had my moments last summer, watching the fields and thinking of my great grandfather who came here in the late 1800s and probably did most of his work with hand tools and a horse. Then I was thinking that the old ways are getting lost. Most people around here don't know any longer how to use the tools and do stuff manually, and I decided to learn the old ways of farming. It seems to be a hard task, as there are no teachers around.
This spring I will try to sow by hand an acre with rye and red clover. I don't really know how to do this without machines. Any tips are welcomed.
The Book of the Farm, written by the 19th-century farming expert Henry Stephens may help too. They used it for plenty, although it is leading towards mechanization.
Tom Hooper wrote:Never posted here but... just fyi almost the best tool for seeding grass in all those little out of the way places is a manually operated handled tool called a "Garden Weasel" cultivator. And we use handtools almost exclusively for our woodwork and boatbuilding. Be well.
Phil Swindler wrote:
Tom Hooper wrote:Never posted here but... just fyi almost the best tool for seeding grass in all those little out of the way places is a manually operated handled tool called a "Garden Weasel" cultivator. And we use handtools almost exclusively for our woodwork and boatbuilding. Be well.
I have one of those. It's good for breaking up the top few inches without turning things over.
You are welcome to check out my blog at http://www.theartisthomestead.com or my artwork at http://www.davidhuang.org
I've used both gas powered and electric chain saws.
Gas powered is faster, but, electric is easier to operate.
Electric is quieter and doesn't give you a headache if you use one without ear plugs.
Electric is also lighter and easier to control.
But, with electric you are either going to be near a power source, bring a power source (aka generator), or re-charge batteries over and over again.
With either, keep your chain sharp, which means keeping it out of the dirt, which dulls a chain quickly.
AND, NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER TRY US A CHAIN SAW WITH ONE HAND.
I'll second the thoughts about hand tools often being quieter, less prone to spoil the job; as well as possibly safer or faster.
I'll add that anything you might do with a machine or power tool, if you don't already know how to do it by hand, the machine will only help you goof it up faster!
…
Often the "setup" time exceeds the time using the tool. So for one-off jobs I go for a hand tool more often than not. I can file a radius on a corner of a piece of metal at the bench faster than walking to two separate machines to do the same.
I can break the edges of a four-foot-long board with a hand plane, and it's done, no setting up the router, no sanding required. If I had 40 feet of edges to round over, I'd use the router.
“I can think, I can wait, I can fast”-Siddhartha, Herman Hesse
I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay, I sleep all night and work all day. Tiny lumberjack ad:
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