Making Automatic Chicken Waterers

Making Automatic Chicken Waterers

by | Jul 23, 2013 | Buildin' or Makin'

Same old story; happens countless times on a farm. You have a need for something, no desire to run to town and get it … and an irresistible urge to NOT spend money. At the moment, I’m in the process of building the outbuildings on my new farm and moving toward some...
Homemade Lumber on the Small Farm

Homemade Lumber on the Small Farm

by | Jul 3, 2013 | Buildin' or Makin'

Take a look at a simple way to turn timber into lumber … in episode 5 of The Farm Hand’s Companions Show right here, or read the post that follows below There are two basic ways that lumber can be made: sawing or splitting. But successful lumber splitting...
Building an Old-Fashioned Pole Barn, Part 1

Building an Old-Fashioned Pole Barn, Part 1

by | Apr 21, 2013 | Buildin' or Makin'

Watch the “groundbreaking” for my new workshop … literally … in episode 4 of The Farm Hand’s Companions Show right here, or read the post that follows below A barn is typically the first outbuilding to go up on a farm. My old barn back in Tennessee served...
Building the Traditional Birdhouse

Building the Traditional Birdhouse

by | Nov 12, 2012 | Buildin' or Makin'

Grow all year and let ‘em layThe frost will kill without decay,Once fixed up and hung real highThe renter eats that pesky fly—Burt Whatcher What’s the easiest way to build a birdhouse? Well I say let nature do it…or at least half of it. Dried gourds have long...
Making a Gourd Mandolin

Making a Gourd Mandolin

by | Nov 8, 2012 | Buildin' or Makin'

I actually love music beyond my ability to play it. That’s kind of a blessing and a curse, idn’t it? I had been contemplating my need for a mandolin earlier in the day, as I walked passed the chicken house one afternoon. After spying my crop of gourds hanging from the...
Building the Traditional Scarecrow

Building the Traditional Scarecrow

by | Aug 27, 2012 | Buildin' or Makin'

I was halfway through my childhood before gathering the nerve to watch the Wizard of Oz without hiding at some point during the movie. I suppose it was the witch (the one from the west). It would be an understatement to say she intimidated me. The scarecrow was a much...