PEP Badge: Tool Care

I think a few of the straw badge ones listed should be moved up to the wood badge, only because a few of them are pretty intense.

Travis Johnson wrote:I think a few of the straw badge ones listed should be moved up to the wood badge, only because a few of them are pretty intense.

Travis, you do know that these tasks are supposed to add up to about 35  to 40 hours of experiences, right?  Probably spread out over three months.  

paul wheaton wrote:

Travis Johnson wrote:I think a few of the straw badge ones listed should be moved up to the wood badge, only because a few of them are pretty intense.

Travis, you do know that these tasks are supposed to add up to about 35  to 40 hours of experiences, right?  Probably spread out over three months.  

Yeah I realized that, it was just some seemed intense for a Straw Badge, but it depends on what a person has too.

As an example, sharpening my 1900 Lane Rotary Sawmill is a 20 minute job if a person is just talking about filing the teeth to get it sharp. If replacing the inserts, it is an hour job, and if hammering the blade; a weekend job.  The bandsaw sawmill is a little different. I do not have a sharpener for that, so I have to do it by hand, a 3 hour job and a job I have never been happy with anyway. Having it sharpened for me costs me #$2 and a new blade is $18, so I just replace the bands when they dull.

Even then, due to the geometry and skill set needed to properly file a sawmill, I might move it up to the Wood Badge.

Youtube sharpening tutorial video dump for adding to BB instructions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB87xoFm46g

Knife Sharpening Video (although he strops as well)



Chisel Sharpening Video (short)  -this guy is generally very good resource for dimensional wood working with hand tools in general.


Chisel Sharpening Video (long)

[youtube]   [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fNosQU1Ujg[/youtube][/youtube]
Basic saw sharpening Video

Paul, regarding the tool handle BBs: do you mean for someone to re-handle a tool? by replacing a broken/missing handle using a store-bought handle blank? (this really seems like what most would take this to mean)

Or to actually make a handle from scratch, which seems at once... doable and super self-sufficient, but also runs into wood species choices/availability and maybe more of a woodworking badge thingy.

(or possibly still in tool care... but a wood badge or iron badge level BB to up the ante)

This was a good video on making an axe handle:

go to freecycles and “build” a bicycle to their standards  

What is this?  Is it something I can do at home?

sharpen a chainsaw chain (thorough)  

Someone promised to teach me this tomorrow.  I won't use the chainsaw, but we have one that needs sharpening so I volunteered.
What photos do I need?  

I attempted to make a BB thread for it, but I don't know enough to fill in the content.  https://permies.com/wiki/100805/PEP-BB-tool-care-sand

r ranson wrote:I attempted to make a BB thread for it, but I don't know enough to fill in the content.  https://permies.com/wiki/100805/PEP-BB-tool-care-sand

This is what's kept me from making Badge Bits, too. I just don't know enough to even be able to judge what are good videos, etc.

Kenneth Elwell wrote:Or to actually make a handle from scratch

From scratch.  From wood.

r ranson wrote:

go to freecycles and “build” a bicycle to their standards  

What is this?  Is it something I can do at home?

Freecycles is a place in missoula with mountains of bicycle parts.  Anybody in missoula that wants a bicycle gets a free bicycle.  But you do have to build it - and they will teach you.  

I suppose that there might be similar places around.  ??

Maybe this BB will take a bit more time to describe for "those playing at home".

r ranson wrote:

sharpen a chainsaw chain (thorough)  

Someone promised to teach me this tomorrow.  I won't use the chainsaw, but we have one that needs sharpening so I volunteered.
What photos do I need?  

I attempted to make a BB thread for it, but I don't know enough to fill in the content.  https://permies.com/wiki/100805/PEP-BB-tool-care-sand

I updated the page a bit.

Nicole Alderman wrote:

r ranson wrote:I attempted to make a BB thread for it, but I don't know enough to fill in the content.  https://permies.com/wiki/100805/PEP-BB-tool-care-sand

This is what's kept me from making Badge Bits, too. I just don't know enough to even be able to judge what are good videos, etc.

Most of the BB pages created had 70% of the information.  That is a big help.  I then go through the wiki and change the things to make it 100%.  And then, as the months and years pass, we might polish it a bit more.  

So a good guess is good!

paul wheaton wrote:

Travis Johnson wrote:I think a few of the straw badge ones listed should be moved up to the wood badge, only because a few of them are pretty intense.

Travis, you do know that these tasks are supposed to add up to about 35  to 40 hours of experiences, right?  Probably spread out over three months.  

I was thinking: On a wood or Iron badge, what about including something to do with a PTO shaft? They suck to deal with, but are on everything for attachments. The Wood Badge could include fusing with a PTO Guard, while the Iron Badge could include replacing a cross in the universal joint. (Just an idea)

Good one!  I hadn't thought of the PTO at all.   I added it to the "brainstorming" part of the active doc.  Gotta figure out where to put it and what to assign.

simply changing a rear implement on a tractor may be worthy somewhere. Pulling off a post hole digger and putting on a plow, etc. Adding or adjusting a stabilizer to keep arms from flopping from side to side and hitting the tires.....

fleshed out the first three badges today.

What about changing the sand badge to replacing a tool handle with a bought handle (i.e. replacing an ax handle with a purchased handle blank) and the straw badge would be making your own handle from wood.

The "Freecycles" one is strangely specific. I know of no equivalent type place around here. I don't think I have heard of one in the UK, though they might exist. It is the only badge bit I have seen that requires attending a specific venue. The end result is that it effectively excludes people not in your immediate geographic area, which kind of defeats the point of publishing a permaculture qualification that is global in scope.

I would consider a solution to be bumping it up from "SAND" to a higher level, and giving clearer instructions for an alternative that doesn't involve using a specific venue.

Michael,

Go to that BB and read the comments.  You will see that this angle has already been addressed.

Also, I think this could be the tenth time this has been written in this forum: I am designing this for my place, but along the ways I am adding 1% of extra effort so some BBs could work in some similar places.  While I finish up "PEP" there are 24 letters of the alphabet that have not yet been touched - I suggest that you recycle all of your comments into PEM.  That way, there is a similar program that works for you and your property.

I believe I just completed the Tool Care badge!

Freecycles
Sharpen a knife
Sharpen a hatchet
Sharpen a chainsaw
Sharpen a shovel
Clean the shop
Make a tool handle

Congratulations on your spiffy new badge!!!

Parachuting in late (again) with thoughts... this is what happens after listening to a podcast on the topic!

I understand the emphasis on hand and construction tools ... but I think the Tractor maintenance part is very thin.  Its just that its so basic it hardly prepares one to deal with an older beast that one might encounter in Otis's barn.  I'd like to humbly suggest that the following basic maintenance items be added to the "Full service" BB:
change engine oil and hydraulic filters
change fuel filters
clean the radiator screen of debris
(and ... don't know about brake fluid on tractors ... mine don't have any)

and suggest that some advanced items be given a place to earn credits if a PEPer comes across a tractor (or track hoe) in need:
replace broken grease zerks
replace hydraulic cylinder 0-rings
replace a worn hydraulic hose
fill tires with liquid
rebuild axle bushings
and - oddly - remove and replace the tire.  Tractors don't have jacks on them (unlike cars) and the whole process (don't have a jack?  use the bucket or the backhoe... or a big 3 ton jack) is just different enough that one shouldn't assume familiarity just because a spare tire was put on the family minivan.

and more major things - these are much easier to work on than a car, and since the tractor often doesn't like to leave its home its easier to do these in your shed!  I can't imagine that these would be requirements, but if someone put in the time, they seem worth rewarding for the time:
any major repair that opens the crank case, transmission case or hydraulic case

Thanks Eliot, great additions!  This badge was created before we had come up with the "points" system that you'll start to see rolling out (see homesteading and foraging).  So I'm guessing they were limiting the amount of work in any one area to keep for overwhelming the student.  I believe we'll be changing this one over to points so we can add in as many things as we want.  Your list is great!

Thanks Mike - glad to contribute!

I've got more thoughts - but is this an appropriate time?  I'm not good at following the flow of conversations in the forums, but  I'd be willing to do some work if I'm just pointed in the right direction.  For instance, it looks like the badges are there, but maybe the Bits aren't defined yet.  I'd be happy to help sort these into Bits - I see that there are many tasks that could be collected into hand tools, power tools, gardening and wood tools, sharpening, vehicle maintenance, building creation and building maintenance.

We can always use a hand with this stuff!!!  

Most of our current work is on the badges that don't have Straw, Wood, Iron levels to them.  If we have them partially done and are looking for general input I make brainstorming threads.  For instance Electricity and Plumbing.  

For the remaining ones that don't have those badge levels, Paul and I have been developing them via phone calls.  If anyone is really passionate about this PEP system, and available on M/W/F mornings, they could join us for those calls.

For the badges that do have Straw, Wood and Iron laid out, we're planning on converting them over to a points based system (like in Foraging, Metalworking and Homesteading).  That's last to do since we at least have defined badges for those ones.  But if someone wanted to take those lists and reimagine them with points and post their proposal, it would be a great help.  

By taking a badge like tool care, with so very many possible things to it, and assigning points to hundreds of tasks, it allows for a much richer badge.  And more likely to be able to be completed.  

I think the metalworking badge may be a good place to refer to when looking at tool care.  Splitting each badge level up into different maintenance tasks like you suggest (hand tools, power tools, mobile equipment, etc) would align with the metalworking versions of welding, sheet metal, forging and shop.  

Then, once all the BBs are defined, we can all start making BB pages.  There will be hundreds of them so help with that would be very appreciated!  

So, long story short, there are many ways to help and they can be as involved as you want them to be

Just starting to read through the BBs as I work around the property fixing things up I’ve realized I’ve already completed a bunch of them, but have no photo/video proof of course. Not the point I of this post just a random rant that I didn’t search better on the site a long time ago!
Anyway I see a few BBs concerning scythes and sharpening them. But nothing to repairing a rip/tear on the blade.
I’ve recently had to do this (crying as I filed into the blade to remove the tear)
On a side note, leaving wire fencing randomly around in the yard should be criminal!

I hear you Stephen, if this program was around 10 years ago I'd be a lot farther along myself.

Good point on the larger scythe repair, that will have to wait for a major revision some day.

Is the video a hard requirement for the brake and shifter ajustments? Everything else can use pictures.

Yeah, it appears that it was deliberately set up that way.  Maybe it's easier to show brakes and shifters working correctly in a video.  There are other BBs that require video so it's a good skill to pick up.  

Just a few thoughts when I noticed the lack of Iron badge bits.

Would something like welding on pieces of broken tools be in line? Or even perhaps reforging. Or maybe more complicated mechanical repairs. How about identifying stones usable as whetstones or making your own ceramic stones? Or making or even repairing files!

Thanks Lew, I added them to the list:  PEP refinement ideas

Here is my submission for the Tool Care Sand Badge.

You can check out my profile page here.

  Clean the Shop
  Sharpen a Knife  
  Sharpen a Hatchet
  Sharpen a Chainsaw Chain
  Sharpen, Clean, and Oil a Shovel
  Make a Handle for a Tool from the Wedge Handle List
Bicycle Maintenance
  Clean and Oil Chain - 1/2 point
  Repair a Flat Tire on the Rear Wheel - 1/2 point
  Adjust Shifters - 1/2 point
  Adjust Brakes - 1/2 point