David Wieland

Joshua Hotz wrote:Was looking through the hardwood section at my local exotic hardwood store and saw they were selling apple for 20$ a board foot.

That price shows that there is a market for apple wood but that it's in very limited supply. I've never seen any apple furniture, probably because it's hard to get suitable boards. As a woodworker, I know it's much easier to work with wood  that has fairly straight grain and no big knots.

Thekla McDaniels wrote:
Have you thought of a polyculture of other timber hardwoods?  I don’t know if black walnut suppresses apple growth but that is another premium wood.  

Black walnut does suppress apple trees. See https://gardenerspath.com/plants/landscape-trees/black-walnut-juglone-toxicity/ for an example and information on juglone-tolerant plants.

thomas rubino wrote:...
The air supply frame is the most technical portion of the build.
...

I'm still finishing my Shorty that's for heating my greenhouse, primarily the bench. My build uses far less masonry, both for cost and because I don't need or want much space heating, but I can definitely confirm that the air supply frame is the most technical and challenging part for someone who does very little metal work. That said, I expect that it will go a long way to avoiding smoke leak when starting the stove, an issue that has really annoyed my wife with my previous RMH designs. And I know that the greenhouse plants won't care if my novice welding isn't pretty.

r ranson wrote:
Maybe a dremmel size disk would be more my style.  I'll have to think about that.

Although this pink stuff seems more available in canada these days.  That could be easier (scissors also hirt arthritis).

Dremel now sells a rechargeable scrubber/buffer (https://www.homedepot.ca/product/dremel-versa-4v-cordless-lithium-ion-power-cleaner-and-scrubber-tool-kit/1001168875) that seems arthritis-friendly. I imagine that wood ash or any suitable paste cleaner can be used with the mesh pad.

No one has mentioned the heat source of the glass/ceramic stove top, but if it's an induction stove then paper toweling works great to both keep the stove clean and avoid scratches. And for any stubborn crud that gets cooked on, regardless of heat source, a single-edge razor blade can lift it off without scratching the surface. I know from personal experience with my cast iron loving son's induction burner.

Timothy Norton wrote:...I do have a synthetic 'puck' style for out in the field when using my axe in case it gets dinged up to bad.

A few years ago I started using a Speedy Sharp (https://speedysharp.com) for axes, pruners, or any outdoor bladed tools. It's fast and very compact. It would wear down a knife blade too quickly for my liking, but that's not an issue with heavier tools.

Austin Shackles wrote:...
If you want to avoid "Rocket" because rockets are scary, then I feel life would be easier the hive mind comes up with
"[something beginning with R] Masonry Heater" and then it can still be referred to as RMH which avoids the problem of having to repeatedly explain a new abbreviation.

Keeping the RMH abbreviation is valuable, so here are a couple of possibilities:

Radiant Masonry Heater

Re-burning Masonry Heater

Timothy Norton wrote:I have had quite a bit of success with autumn planting of dormant trees....

My property is well-treed (needing thinning), but I did plant a red oak to provide shade (eventually) on the deck. That will be two years ago in October. The local tree nursery recommended transplanting just after the approximately 12' tree entered dormancy, so that's what I did. I watered it in well to settle the soil around the roots but did nothing else until the following spring. I'm in a rural part of Ottawa, Ontario, and we had a typically cold winter with a fair amount of snow following that planting. The oak came through just fine and is thriving now.
Now that I think of it, I also planted a couple of birches (over 12' tall) in the fall on a city lot decades ago, and they also came through the winter in good condition.

George Yacus wrote:From a strength standpoint, I think the "Stronghold Haywire Klamper" is pretty neat.  ...

Wire is definitely a stronger way to hold solid objects together than tape of any kind. But duct tape can fasten films (such as poly) or cover gaps.

Anne Miller wrote:...

The first material called "duck tape" was long strips of plain non-adhesive cotton duck cloth used in making shoes stronger, for decoration on clothing, and for wrapping steel cables or electrical conductors to protect them from corrosion or wear

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape
...

It's quite interesting that it was originally duck tape, named for the fabric used. I know that later it was used for sealing furnace air ducts, but it's actually a poor choice for that, being prone to drying out and losing adhesion over time. Aluminum tape with modern adhesive or silicone caulk are the far better duct sealants now.

I don't use duct tape very much myself, due to its impermanence and gumminess, but it's still "the handyman's secret weapon", according to The Red Green Show.