Robbie Bassen

Robbie Bassen wrote:Base is from a Pine Justin cut down yesterday and lopped the dry pegs from a dead standing Pine.
Shaving the backside would have gone faster if I started with the fatter end then worked on the knots after checking.
I started on the skinny side that made a huge gap which led to more shaving for a learning lesson.

My cousin's bathroom needed a towel rack. Mold had colonized the pine, so I hit it with a torch and finished with linseed oil.  

Try 10+ drops of tea tree oil to a spray bottle

So I think what I learned is that I need to get the pile wetter when I build it.  I may need to add water during the composting season.  I think I need more N to get the pile hotter and to complete its composting by spring.  The wood chips seem to be small enough so I don't think I need to run them through my chipper.

I think I'll divide the chamber in half (E/W) and try a different recipe on each side.  One or both sides will get shredded hay mixed in to increase the Nitrogen ratio.  One or both sides may get a bunch of coffee grounds (20 to 50 gallons) to also bump the N.  One side may get run through my chipper to test smaller wood pieces.

Along with adding moisture to the pile there is also a high nitrogen category to get those temps up. Meat/meat broth, bone meal/blood meal, fish emulsion/hydrolysate, manures, green legumes, grains/seeds, hair/fur.
I like to use spent beer grains to heat things up and speed up the process. Making up about 10%-20% of your pile well mixed with everything else.
If I'm not using the material right away I dry it out as quick as I can by spreading on a tarp as thin as possible, preventing the party food to gas off.

(off topic)What was that brand of winter tires you suggested buying?

Julia Winter wrote:Ooh, I hope you get a lot of pecan trees!
What does prickly lettuce look like?  
Is there a plan for the adobe bricks?

Thanks Julia it'd be cool to see some Pecans growing.
You'll see the prickly lettuce trailing up the berm Left of the Lupine flowers in this photo. They have a red stem and leaves are kind of lobed. If it's not clear when you zoom in let me know and I'll take a picture of one and send it to you.
We're staging the bricks for now until we make enough to build something. Not sure what though.
Thank you for the awesome questions!

Here sre the trees I limbed during the PEP event

Day 105
Thursday was spent dealing with greens! We chopped and dropped for the first half of the day. It was nice playing on the hugels, I was pulling prickly lettuce most of the time.
After lunch we drove up to the lab and dropped off the chop saw at Allerton Abbey. We transplanted comfrey on to Fred's plot. Jaqi planted potatoes while I planted Pomegranate seeds. We finished the day planting Pecans up and down the creek from Cat Pond to Ant Village.

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Doesn't want to post all the pictures in one shot so here are the rest

Day 104
This morning as I walked up to the Fisher Price house, Paul and Jocelyn walked out to start their morning project time. He pointed down and asked if I knew what that plant was. I had no idea so he explained to me about the wonderful weed of Black Medic. How people with short cut lawns hate it because it spreads everywhere like a mat, but if that blade were raised to say 3 in the roots will work their way down and not be such a nuisance. Also is a nitrogen fixer and part of the legume family being a benefit to building soil.
Prepping for the Pdc. We started in the shop cleaning up the classroom. I adjusted a chop saw that is now ready to be transported to Alerton Abbey. Jackie oiled signs. It's now the 5th coat of tung oil that these signs have soaked up. Moved wood around with the tractor to set up a canopy for the dishwashing area/hangout spot. Set up another hangout spot in front of the shop as well.
After lunch we disassembled some lumber from old abandoned projects to save the wood and nails.
We drove up to the lab hauling a trailer with tractor attachments to park up at the boneyard to make more room for guests to park. Fred installed the banjo bolt in Rex while I watered a few Lilacs that he transplanted recently on his plot.

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Day 103
Spent the morning Sharpening chainsaws and cleaning up 3 log benches from the PEP event. We scribed and cut out two bottom logs for a bench to sit on by the red cabin. The bench was being notty so there were some dips in the seat for water to collect and help break down the bench faster. We cut channels with a chainsaw to help drain those out and extend the life of this seating area.
After lunch we created more space for the classroom in the shop moving an off road vehicle, parking the electric tractor in the berm shed and moving lumber into the mezzanine. Jaqi towed me in the off road vehicle with the tractor to the garage. We removed the garage door opener (that we don't use) and pushed two rollie shelves back to make room for the vehicle.
We finished the day repairing a canopy cover and setting it up between the Fisher Price House and the Library.

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david otanga wrote:hey really nice this wood work is awsome.

Thank you for the motivation David. Happy to hear that you're enjoying the thread.
If there is anything more that you would like to see feel free to ask.