TMGT
Elite Member
I wish I had more downtime, it's life as usual here. Still have to go to work, I I don't go out much anyways so doesn't really change anything. Too many things need to do at the house/in the shop anyways.
COVID-19 DIY Build Time
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Molalla1
Elite Member
I believe China blamed the US military for giving it to them (China).
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
Never seen a rock digger before. Rocks are very rare here in my part of East Texas, so it's interesting to me to see how people deal with having them.
I finished my next build, and put it to use the next morning,,
it is a seed bed prep tool.
I needed a way to firm tilled soil, and make a groove that the seeds can be placed in.
This is specifically for tiny seeds that can not be planted with an Earthway planter,,,
Here is a side view, it is a piece of 1" round steel, welded below a piece of 5/16 X 4" steel bar,,,
The handle is a piece of schedule 80 1 1/2 steel pipe,, for added weight.
For the most part, you simply set it on the tilled soil, and it imprints a perfect, 1" deep, 2 foot long seed bed.
Then, some soil can be sprinkled over the seed, to get the exact depth you want.
I planted about 20 feet of lettuce, and broccoli with it,, tomatoes in a couple weeks,,, and more lettuce,,,
it is a seed bed prep tool.
I needed a way to firm tilled soil, and make a groove that the seeds can be placed in.
This is specifically for tiny seeds that can not be planted with an Earthway planter,,,
Here is a side view, it is a piece of 1" round steel, welded below a piece of 5/16 X 4" steel bar,,,
The handle is a piece of schedule 80 1 1/2 steel pipe,, for added weight.
For the most part, you simply set it on the tilled soil, and it imprints a perfect, 1" deep, 2 foot long seed bed.
Then, some soil can be sprinkled over the seed, to get the exact depth you want.
I planted about 20 feet of lettuce, and broccoli with it,, tomatoes in a couple weeks,,, and more lettuce,,,
ruffdog
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2011
- Messages
- 10,746
- Location
- southern wisconsin
- Tractor
- Bobcat Toolcat 5610G, Deere X744, Cub Cadet IH 982
I finished my next build, and put it to use the next morning,,
it is a seed bed prep tool.
I needed a way to firm tilled soil, and make a groove that the seeds can be placed in.
This is specifically for tiny seeds that can not be planted with an Earthway planter,,,
Here is a side view, it is a piece of 1" round steel, welded below a piece of 5/16 X 4" steel bar,,,
The handle is a piece of schedule 80 1 1/2 steel pipe,, for added weight.
For the most part, you simply set it on the tilled soil, and it imprints a perfect, 1" deep, 2 foot long seed bed.
Then, some soil can be sprinkled over the seed, to get the exact depth you want.
I planted about 20 feet of lettuce, and broccoli with it,, tomatoes in a couple weeks,,, and more lettuce,,,
I just drag a stick through my tilled and raked seedbed. That way it doesn't compact the soil.
The COVID builds continue,,
My SIL had a basement register in his duct-work, that was rusted open, he wanted a replacement, but could not find a match.
He bought one that was slightly smaller than the hole,, but, he could not figure out how to adapt the new register to the duct.
I had an old piece of roofing, so, I cut a piece that fit in the opening, and I cut a hole in it to fit the new register,,
He pop riveted the adapter inside the duct, then screwed the register in place,,
My SIL had a basement register in his duct-work, that was rusted open, he wanted a replacement, but could not find a match.
He bought one that was slightly smaller than the hole,, but, he could not figure out how to adapt the new register to the duct.
I had an old piece of roofing, so, I cut a piece that fit in the opening, and I cut a hole in it to fit the new register,,
He pop riveted the adapter inside the duct, then screwed the register in place,,
COVID has all the restaurants closed,, so we gotta eat at home,, IF we are gonna eat at home, the wife gets me to grill,, a LOT!!
Well, it seems silly (and wasteful!!) to fill the entire grill to cook two steaks, or a couple burgers, a couple pieces of chicken,,,
so, I thought a ring that kept the charcoal from spreading might allow us to have the same amount of heat,, but use WAY LESS charcoal,
Out to the shop,, I found a 40 inch X 4 inch strip of sheetmetal,, (0.060" thick) bent it into a circle 12 inches in diameter,
then I used two small bolts to connect the overlapping ends together,,, DONE!!
The ring was sized to match the lower grate,, it is about 12" in diameter,,
I set the ring on the grate, then lit about 1/3 of the charcoal that I normally use,,
I dumped the charcoal into the new ring,,
that charcoal is one briquette deep, it is NOT stacked at all,,
and then slapped a ribeye on it ,, I had to "test" it,, RIGHT!!??
The ring is perfect for up to three ribeyes,, but NO MORE than that,,
it really keeps the heat localized,, and it cooks exactly like the grill does using three times as much charcoal and no ring.
I know it cooks the same, as I cook ribeyes for 6 minutes on each side, the minutes are exactly the same,,
the steaks get done the same amount (medium rare) the only thing different is that I save 2/3 of the charcoal.
The only negative is that you CAN NOT light extra charcoal,, the cooking temp will get REALLY WAY TOO HOT.
Actually, I think I could even use less charcoal than I now use,, I have only used the ring about 15 times.
I consider this ring a real success.
OH, by the way, my ring is stainless steel sheet, that is what I had in the shop,,,
I think the ring could be 3 inches, or 4 inches, or 5 inches wide, and still work the same way,,
so the width is not critical, if you make one, use what you have,,,
When my daughter and her family comes over, and I gotta cook more food,
I simply lift the ring out, and use more area of the grill,, no permanent change was made to the grill.
Well, it seems silly (and wasteful!!) to fill the entire grill to cook two steaks, or a couple burgers, a couple pieces of chicken,,,
so, I thought a ring that kept the charcoal from spreading might allow us to have the same amount of heat,, but use WAY LESS charcoal,
Out to the shop,, I found a 40 inch X 4 inch strip of sheetmetal,, (0.060" thick) bent it into a circle 12 inches in diameter,
then I used two small bolts to connect the overlapping ends together,,, DONE!!
The ring was sized to match the lower grate,, it is about 12" in diameter,,
I set the ring on the grate, then lit about 1/3 of the charcoal that I normally use,,
I dumped the charcoal into the new ring,,
that charcoal is one briquette deep, it is NOT stacked at all,,
and then slapped a ribeye on it ,, I had to "test" it,, RIGHT!!??
The ring is perfect for up to three ribeyes,, but NO MORE than that,,
it really keeps the heat localized,, and it cooks exactly like the grill does using three times as much charcoal and no ring.
I know it cooks the same, as I cook ribeyes for 6 minutes on each side, the minutes are exactly the same,,
the steaks get done the same amount (medium rare) the only thing different is that I save 2/3 of the charcoal.
The only negative is that you CAN NOT light extra charcoal,, the cooking temp will get REALLY WAY TOO HOT.
Actually, I think I could even use less charcoal than I now use,, I have only used the ring about 15 times.
I consider this ring a real success.
OH, by the way, my ring is stainless steel sheet, that is what I had in the shop,,,
I think the ring could be 3 inches, or 4 inches, or 5 inches wide, and still work the same way,,
so the width is not critical, if you make one, use what you have,,,
When my daughter and her family comes over, and I gotta cook more food,
I simply lift the ring out, and use more area of the grill,, no permanent change was made to the grill.