An Improvised Roof Rack for Lumber and Sheet Goods

...lates and bolts to make the rack sturdy and easy to remove. A pair of brackets keep the sheets from sliding forward during transit. And I use this handy online calculator to make sure I don’t exceed the weight capacity of my rack. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laE43nfJUTA Pattison’s rack is not just for sheet goods. In fact, I use it for transporting lumber much more often than plywood. Put those 2 x 6s on the roof, strap them to one of the 2 x...

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Seat Weaving for Fun and Profit

...es the first time and I’m planning on making more of these chairs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQkE05DD9_Y I found a helpful seat weaving tutorial on YouTube by Ed Hammond a.k.a. Peerless Rattan. Hammond has sixteen videos on how to weave and cane a variety of chairs. Please note that in addition to ladderback chairs there’s a lot of mid-century Scandinavian chairs that have a slightly different kind of woven seat. Learning to weave Scando cha...

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What is a Swarm of Bees and What Should I Do About It?

...’s a video of our mentor, beekeeper Kirk Anderson, moving a swarm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChsoSwIxcwM The con artist “beekeepers” will either spray them with poison, suck them into a vacuum and kill them or put them in a box and then just toss them out in a nearby park or vacant lot. And they’ll charge you much more than a real beekeeper would. Bee temperament when swarming As I already noted swarms are most often so docile that you can a...

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Soap as a Furniture and Floor Finish

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiJ3qsdPTUo An old idea still practiced in some northern European countries, dissolved soap flakes can be used as a furniture and floor finish. Soap is non-toxic and, as Christopher Schwarz points out in this video, your clothes get cleaner when you take on this annual chore. And that’s the only catch: like wax, you have to re-apply at least once a year as part of a household wide soapy cleaning ritual. More detail...

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