Took Longer than I thought!!! LOL

Well............. We didn't get the chicken coop finished, I will show you what we got done though.

I guess we will finish it some time this week, maybe even tomorrow.

New Chicken Coop!!!!!!!!!

Well after Dad  got off of work, he can help to me build 2 new coops for our chickens. It sure is hot working in that shop....... I think Dad should install AC in there. LOL We came in for lunch so I thought I would post our mid-day progress.

 First things first!!! We needed some good country music!!!!!

 And get some air moving.

Here is the design we are shooting for.

Here is the first wall, I will post what we get done this afternoon.

Back In Business!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Back in the chicken business that is. Dad was posting an add on Craigs List when he saw another add for 11 Rhode Island Reds, and a chicken tractor. So Dad called him and then he and I went and bought them. The coop isn't what we were exactly wanting, so after we brought them home Dad and I ate lunch, and then headed for BG to buy some lumber for 2 new coops.
Here are some photo's of the new chickens.

Just a little stange...............

OK I am blaming this on GLOBAL WARMING. Today while I was mowing the yard I saw this.

Black Raspberry's........ Now most of yall are probably thinking, "Now what does this have to do with global warming???" Well these berry aren't supposed to come in until around the 4th of July!!!!!!!! Also the temp today was around 65-70 degree's, so it is safe to say that the seasons are a little messed up.

New Welding Table!!!!!!!!

Dad and I worked on making our new welding table, it took us about 6 hours to weld it up. Dad isn't used to using the MIG welder yet, and every other time he finished a weld, he would say 1of 2 things. 1"That looks like a cat crawled up there and used the bathroom." or he would say "I can do better with the stick welder". Either way he used just the MIG welder, and we got it done.
Here are some photo's of the making of it.

                                                      That is some BRIGHT light!!!!!!!!!

                                                            Checking to see if it is level.

                                                    Now I got to cut the last piece of metal.

Last weld!!!!!!!

                  The finished product!!!!! setting up right was pretty hard, just the top weighs 258 Lbs.!!!!!!!

It looks good next to the new welder, now I shall start on my new mobile forge, I hop to get started on it this Sunday.

I Can't Get OUT!!!!!!!

Last night we had a pretty strong storm hit our area, and thankfully we didn't have any damage, BUUUUUUUUUUTTTT........... When I went to the barn to find the cordless skill saw, I found this instead.

So when I saw this I called Dad and said "We need clean up on isle 7." and he said "What?????" I told him that it was time to fire up the chain saw, so we got to do a little tree cutting. OHHH I almost forgot to mention that this tree was covered in poison Oak!!!!!!!!!!! Excuse me while I scratch my back against the bed post...........
After we got it cleaned up we asked our neighbor Ron if he would push a dead tree over for us with the front end loader of his tractor, since the tree that fell over the road pushed it over a little. He came over and tried, but on the forth try we heard a LOUD "SNAP" from the front end loader!!!!!!!!!! From what I could tell we/he sprung the hydro cylinders on the tractors front end loader!!!!!!! I am hoping this will be a easy fix, but I am not so sure.
Then after that Dad and I did a little finish work, Dad wanted to cut this little tree that was bent over, while I walked up the road, and picked up limbs. I was about 100 yards out when I heard another "SNAP" and then a "UGGGGG!!!!!"!!!!!!! So I cut out running and found Dad lying on the ground. Apparently the tree had snapped backwards when he cut it, and when it did it hit Dad in the side of his left knee!!!!! OUCH!!!!! I think he will be ok, just a little sore in the mornin.

My First MIG Weld, and NEW Forge Idea

Well after Dad and I got the welder set up........... Well actually I set it up while Dad read the book on how to set it up. LOL We started up the welder and I got to use it first!!!!!!  "Photo's??????" you ask..... OF COURSE!!!!!!!

OK. So my first MIG weld looks like a cat crawled up there and used the bathroom. :(   BUT..........

This one looks pretty dog-gone good!!!!!!!!

So What will be my first project with the welder???????? Well how about a new forge??? A few months ago I was thinking of building a mobile forge so on hot summer days I could move my work out side under a shade tree. Then I figured that it would cost to much, but the last time I was a metal supply in Columbia, Ky my good friend Dave talked me in to buying the steel for the new forge. So because I listened to Dave I left there owing Dad $50.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  OHHHH WELL. That was about 5 months ago, and that metal has been just laying around the shop, and makes a good thing for me to stub my toes on. Well today I got out the now rusting metal, and started drawing a design.

HMMMMM. The drawing looks like something off of Mythbusters!!! LOL I would LOVE  to have their jobs!!!!.......... OK back to the forge. Now that we have a welder that I can use, I will be making my first mobile forge. I like the design. What about you???????

NEW TOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

About 2 weeks ago Dad decided to finally buy a MIG welder, and today it came in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here are a few photo's of it.

I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!! I have used it just 3 times and already I am a better welder than Dad!!! :D Dad says that he could weld better with the stick welder.
Got to go get some thing to eat so I can go do some more welding!!!!!!!!

Does any one have some extra gun powder?????????

So I might be called a little crazy at times, but I need about 15 pounds of black gun powder. Why you ask........... Well I you might not want to know, but if you have to know, I need it to blow up this.

This log jam is making it VERY hard to go down the creek. SOOOOOOOO I know of only 1 way to get it out, and that is to blow it up!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So if you live with in 100 miles of Alvaton, and you hear a loud boom, you know where it came from. :)

LOL Just kidding, but I do need to figure out how to get rid of this log jam. Any ideas?????

The Barn Is FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well we finally got the barn finished, it only took us about a year to build it...... As I have heard Dad say for many years, it took longer than I thought. hahahahaha :D
Here is a photo of it with the wagon in front.

  

Folk School!!!!!!!!!

Hey yall, I know that my last blog post wasn't that exiting, but I think this one is...... At least for me!!!!

Last year my good friend Dave went to a school in North Carolina called John C Campbell to learn some new blacksmithing techniques. When he got back he told me all about JCC, and was trying to get me to go, but at the time I didn't have the $$$$ to go, for the classes are a little high. So now after working for the Mennonites I had the $$$ but I didn't have the inspiration to go, UNTIL....... The other day Dave e-mailed me and told me that he was going to go to JCC 5 times this year, and was wanting to know if I wanted to go with him. That way we could split the cost of the trip. I looked in to it, and I found that 2 of the 5 classes he was going to were the ones I had originally wanted to take!!!!! There is another class (#5) that looks interesting, but as it stands now I won't have the $$$ to go, but I am working on that problem.

If you have never heard of  John C Campbell Folk School, don't feel bad neither did I until Dave told me about it. Here is a link telling a little bit about the school https://www.folkschool.org/index.php?section=articles&article_cat_id=5&article_id=5

Also Dad is thinking of going to a class, he will be learning to build a casket........ Not exactly what I would want to spend a week doing.

Got to run for now.

New Laptop!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I finally bought a laptop!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is a HP Pavilian g6 350Gb harddrive, 3Gb memory, and a 15.6 screen. So far I like it..........I should since I spent over $600.00 for it!!!!! OUCH!!!!!!!!!
"Photo?????" you ask. Well here it is!!!!!

So what do you think???? Notice the 2012 screen saver, if you don't allready know it, I am a BIG believer in the 2012 dooms day thing.