June 15, 2016

Waiting on New Saw Blades

The sawmill stands covered to protect it from rain.

Well, the barn project is at a standstill for the moment. Dan needed to order new blades for the saw mill, which means no lumber making until they arrive. In the meantime, he's been busy with a few projects which have been on the to-do list for quite awhile.


One weekend we rented a chipper for our numerous piles of brush. There are plenty of sticks and branches from firewood, but using our own trees for lumber had really created quite a few new piles. It was lovely to get the place cleaned up, and very nice to get all that much-needed mulch.


I would so love to have an industrial-size chipper of our own, but even used ones are out of our price range.

Another clean-up project was to clear out the barn-building area, where we've been storing various materials. Things like a pile of railroad ties we got for free when the railroad company tore up a nearby track to make a bike trail. We've debated what to do with them, and finally decided to use them for a project that went on our 2012 Master Plan.

Idea for laundry greywater soil filtration bed. The pergolas would be used
for vining plants to shade the windows from the afternoon summer sun.

Dan used the ties to make the bed.


It will be awhile before we get the greywater hooked up, the front bedroom windows replaced, the rest of the siding put up and painted, the pergolas built, and catchment tanks hooked up to the downspouts, but it's a step in the right direction.

The next thing Dan did was to finally put in the garden gates. Two years ago this month we put up a fence around the garden in hopes of deterring deer and stray dogs from destroying it. Dan allowed for two gates to access the garden from the front of the property. We weren't ready to install the gates at the time, so the openings have been closed off with welded wire fencing.

The first gate is wide enough for a vehicle to pass through.


This allows large and heavy equipment access to the garden and also the new doe pasture beyond.

The second gate is a smaller equipment gate for the tiller, lawn or sickle mowers, or my large garden cart.


Dan made his own latch for this one.


I have one more project to show you, but it deserves a blog post of its own. I'll tell you all about it next time.

Waiting on New Saw Blades © June 2016 by

23 comments:

Goatldi said...

So nice to see what others are up to! Good photos and great written description. Will be waiting to see the project that needs it's own Blog post.

Fiona said...

What will you use to keep the moisture from the raised bed away from your foundation and brickwork? Also are you concerned about the chemicals in the railroad ties?
Your posts are so full of good things and ideas!

Ed said...

There is always a million and one things to do on an acreage!

Kathy said...

Ditto what Fiona said! Making planting beds next to foundation without a serious moisture barrier can spell trouble down the road. If you're planting decorative plants in that bed, the railroad ties are no big deal, but beware the toxic chemicals used to make them last longer can leach into the soil if you're growing vegetables there. Good luck with your projects! Love seeing the progress!

Leigh said...

I agree about seeing what others do. I get good ideas and helpful information that way. :)

Leigh said...

Fiona, if you notice the front corner in that picture of the raised bed, you will see a bit of gravel coming from under the bottom railroad tie. Dan dug a drainage ditch, installed perforated pipe, and covered it over with crushed stone. The bed itself will be lined, although we haven't decided with what yet - maybe cement board, and then filled with more gravel on the bottom, the greywater system, and lastly mulch and dirt. All of that is several steps down the road.

Leigh said...

Always!

Leigh said...

Kathy, and I'll ditto my reply to Fiona ;) If you notice the front corner in that picture of the raised bed, you will see a bit of gravel coming from under the bottom railroad tie. Dan dug a drainage ditch, installed perforated pipe, and covered it over with crushed stone. The bed itself will be lined, although we haven't decided with what yet - maybe cement board, and then filled with more gravel on the bottom, the greywater system, and lastly mulch and dirt. All of that is several steps down the road.

Sandy Livesay said...

Leigh,

Before you know it the mill parts will arrive and Dan will be back up and working on his mill.
I have to say, Dan's a MacGyver type guy in his own way and that's a good thing :-) My husband falls in that category as well.

Renting a chipper and chipping up your tree branches makes great garden cover.

aart said...

Just bopping onto the latest blog post to extend my commendations on Critter Tales, got my local library to buy it, I am enjoying it immensely. Your writing style is a joy and your realistic not-so-common(anymore) sense is just SO refreshing. Great book for anyone contemplating keeping these critters.

anonymous said...

We wanted a greywater set up but it's illegal in our state. Have to have an approved septic system for all water disposal. And the county assessor pokes around enough I'm sure we wouldn't be able to hook one up on the down low.

Leigh said...

Sandy, isn't it nice to be married to a clever guy like that. :) We're on the lookout for a used chipper like the one we rent, but that will take a miracle to find the right one at the right price.

Leigh said...

Thank you! Huge library fan here, and I think it's a great way to get ahold of books. Please feel free to leave it a nice review somewhere! LOL

Leigh said...

That stinks! I hate to say it, but that is such backward thinking. I mean, they go on and on about the global water crisis and then tie our hands from doing anything about it.

anonymous said...

I agree. And where we live, we are surrounded by cornfields that farmers spray all manner of fertilizer and pesticides on. As well as large cattle operations that dump tons of waste on the ground daily. I don't think my bitty bit of dish washing soap is going to hurt a thing.

Donna OShaughnessy said...

Now you've done it Leigh! I want to rent a wood chipper soooo bad and after seeing your piles of mulch may have to sell off some of my husbands er...inventory...to get the cash. Nice job on the projects!

Harry Flashman said...

Logistics can be a real trial living out in the country. Most of what I can't get in town, I have to order and have shipped in, like your saw blades. I guess it's just part of the lifestyle.

Renee Nefe said...

It looks great! I'm attempting to take pictures of my projects... (just realized that I put two on the rack with no pics) sigh!

aart said...

Done! Amazon and Goodreads...anywhere else?

Leigh said...

I haven't figured out if it's cheaper to rent the chipper or just buy the mulch. But at least we clean up the yard as well, so that makes it worth it. :)

Leigh said...

Harry, that is so true. I find very little of what we actually need locally for the lifestyle we want to live. Sad, isn't it?

Leigh said...

Those photos are such a great way of keeping records! Dan's doing another project right now that I've gotten very few pictures of, because I'm too busy in the kitchen with green beans, peaches, and raspberries.

Leigh said...

Thank you so much! Any review I can get is a huge help. Indie publishing is hard because it also means self-promoting; something I'm not very good at!