Monday, August 8, 2011
Farm Stands and CSA
So our farm is really growing (pun intended). Last year we sold bread and what vegges we had left over from our garden. This year we are getting bigger working on having a better display as you can see and more volume of vegges. This week was a really good week for sales. During the Saturday market I sold about 80 lb of tomatoes which is a record for us. One of the market big boys has taken notice and was commenting how good our stand looks. I think we are starting to cut in to his sales. I may set up a small CSA next year but am really on the fence. I just don't like the idea of having to have enough for a market basket each week.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Shop Progress
I have been working in the shop when ever I get a chance. I think its coming along nicely, about all I need to to now is run the dust collector ducting over to the CNC. Now that its more or less set up I will try to post some project videos and write ups on here.
Technorati Tags: CNC router wood signs table saw wood shop sign shop tools power paint festol sawstop farm stand CSA organic Darlington Indiana rocklers cnc shark cnc shark shark pro plus dust colletor
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Routing About
I have been using my Festool OF 1400 for the last couple weeks. I kinda wish I had gotten an OF 2200 Instead for running 1/2inch bits. I find it a bit heavy for running small round overs and ogee's. I like the lighter weight of my OF 1010. It is pretty much a clone of the 1400 with the ability to use 1/2inch bits. If you only had one router I think it would be a good choice. I really like the edge guide it was well worth the 70 bucks.
More to come
Green Beans
Well I broke down at started selling green beans this year. I hate picking the bloody things but they just sell so well...this year. Last year they were selling for $1.30 to $1.50 a lb and well I just don't think its worth picking them for that. This year I didn't plant that many rows of beans because the price was so low last year and guess what the price this year is running $2.50 to $3.50 a lb. I still hate picking them but for a 3 bucks a lb I will pick what plants I have. Live and learn I guess, so next year I will plant and if the price sucks just plow them under.
Produce Boxing
I got tired of having produce in plastic trays and boxes that looked like crap. I think it was cutting into my sales at the farmers market and i have been looking at ways to improve our branding. I really needed a way to set my produce apart from the other venders. I got a banner from vistaprint.com which helped but I still wanted to spiff up my farm stand. So this week I spent a day in the shop building some boxes. They are cheap pine and only cost me about ten bucks each to build. I am really happy with the way they turned out. My CNC router can crank them out really fast, the 3d ones take about an hour the text only ones take about 10 min. I used a half inch 90 degree v bit for the text and a corbox for the chalk board border. I love the chalkboard paint in the foux raised panel, better place for pricing than taping on paper signs that always seem to blow away.
Technorati Tags: CNC router wood signs table saw wood shop sign shop tools power paint festol sawstop farm stand CSA organic Darlington Indiana rocklers cnc shark cnc shark shark pro plus
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Band Saws and Burls
Technorati Tags: Deutz Deuts 6275F Deutz-allis Powermatic PM1800 bandsaw band saw Laguna Tools Re-saw king resaw king carbide blade berl maple cherry berls wood veneer wood slabs wood shop
Organic grapes
So we keep adding more grapes each year, we have a about 300 in the ground now. I had intended to do them no spray but the upkeep is just too much so I broke down and burned down the grass under them with glyphosate this morning. I did not really want to do this but the up keep was just killing me. Mowing between rows is not to bad but running a weed eater around all the grapes is a major pain in the butt. I find I am using more and more 2,4 D ad gluphosate. I just saves so much time that I have less and less of. I love my Kubota B6100 for work around the grapes. It is only about 4.5ft wide so it fits down the 8 foot rows with ease. The 60 gallon sprayer works just fine on it, the front end gets pretty light with the sprayer above about 45 gallons but hey that's what differential brakes are for. Technorati Tags: Kubota B6100 B7100 B6000 Diesel tractor sprayer grapes spray collar glyphosate 2,4D roundup organic no spray farm burndown burn down
Two Days At Festool
I just spent two days at Festool in Lebanon, Indiana and had a blast! They have wicked cool tools and the people there are super nice. What really blew me away was the CEO popped in on the class.... let me say that again the CEO of the company popped in to say hi during the class. What other large company would the CEO stop in on an end user class.
The class I took was advanced router techniques but the class should really be called things you can't do with any other router. The routers are top notch but the accessories make them killer tools. This class was my first exposure to the True 32 method for cabinet construction. Quick summery True 32 is a European system where all things are metric and in increments of 32mm. I cannot convey how easy this building method is to use. Enough waxing the virtue of True 32 back on topic. O just a bit more Festool's LR 32 works with True 32 and makes drilling shelf pins and hinges super easy. Its pricy but well worth it, no crappy pin jigs or fumbling with hinge placement. It makes setting the reveal for Blum hinges super easy.
I could go on and on about True 32 but that is for another post. On to the routers, I got to use the MFK 700, OF 1010, OF 1400 and OF 2200. They are listed them in order of wattage and in order we got to play with them. The MFK 700 is in the wattage class of laminate trimmers but calling it a trimmer is an insult. The 700 comes with two bases one is a 1.5 degree base and the other is a 90 degree base. The 1.5 degree base makes trimming edge banding stupid easy. I am not just talking about the iron on banding for plywood. We trimmed 10mm thick cherry banding on a peace of maple plywood. The cherry makes for a really nice contrast effect and gives the ply added strength but also gives you the option for running a round over on the edge for a nice effect. The OF 1010 may be the prefect router. The 1010 is light handles really well and is easy to control. I liked the OF 1400 it is basically an OF 1010 that grew up. If I were forced to only own one router it would be an OF1400. One look at the OF 2200 and you know this is one bad ass tool. It is heavy, almost 20 lbs which put me off at first but it serves to dampen the vibrations caused by a large bit. I love its one handed locking mechanism, it makes for easy plunge cuts and fast clean up cuts. Speaking of clean up cuts, the depth control on all the Festool routers are crazy accurate. The resolution on the adjustment is 0.1mm or 1/256th of an inch, yes 1/256th of an inch. What other router lets you dial in the exact depth to such a precise level. Making repeatable datos and blind dovetails are a peace of cake.
I could go on and on and on waxing the virtues of the Festool products so I will leave you with some pictures of the class.
Technorati Tags: Festool OF 1010 OF 1400 OF 2200 Router Powertools Wood Shop True 32 T32 LR 32 System Blum mfs 700 Lebannon Indiana German tools cabinet making dovetail dovetale router router bit routers mfk 700
The class I took was advanced router techniques but the class should really be called things you can't do with any other router. The routers are top notch but the accessories make them killer tools. This class was my first exposure to the True 32 method for cabinet construction. Quick summery True 32 is a European system where all things are metric and in increments of 32mm. I cannot convey how easy this building method is to use. Enough waxing the virtue of True 32 back on topic. O just a bit more Festool's LR 32 works with True 32 and makes drilling shelf pins and hinges super easy. Its pricy but well worth it, no crappy pin jigs or fumbling with hinge placement. It makes setting the reveal for Blum hinges super easy.
I could go on and on about True 32 but that is for another post. On to the routers, I got to use the MFK 700, OF 1010, OF 1400 and OF 2200. They are listed them in order of wattage and in order we got to play with them. The MFK 700 is in the wattage class of laminate trimmers but calling it a trimmer is an insult. The 700 comes with two bases one is a 1.5 degree base and the other is a 90 degree base. The 1.5 degree base makes trimming edge banding stupid easy. I am not just talking about the iron on banding for plywood. We trimmed 10mm thick cherry banding on a peace of maple plywood. The cherry makes for a really nice contrast effect and gives the ply added strength but also gives you the option for running a round over on the edge for a nice effect. The OF 1010 may be the prefect router. The 1010 is light handles really well and is easy to control. I liked the OF 1400 it is basically an OF 1010 that grew up. If I were forced to only own one router it would be an OF1400. One look at the OF 2200 and you know this is one bad ass tool. It is heavy, almost 20 lbs which put me off at first but it serves to dampen the vibrations caused by a large bit. I love its one handed locking mechanism, it makes for easy plunge cuts and fast clean up cuts. Speaking of clean up cuts, the depth control on all the Festool routers are crazy accurate. The resolution on the adjustment is 0.1mm or 1/256th of an inch, yes 1/256th of an inch. What other router lets you dial in the exact depth to such a precise level. Making repeatable datos and blind dovetails are a peace of cake.
I could go on and on and on waxing the virtues of the Festool products so I will leave you with some pictures of the class.
Technorati Tags: Festool OF 1010 OF 1400 OF 2200 Router Powertools Wood Shop True 32 T32 LR 32 System Blum mfs 700 Lebannon Indiana German tools cabinet making dovetail dovetale router router bit routers mfk 700
Monday, June 27, 2011
Glyphosate and Tomatos
The only easy day was yesterday
In addition to farming I am working on getting a wood shop going. I am focusing on cabinets and moldings. It's making for really long days but so far things are going well. Makes for a some quiet idiot free time. Trying to keep my sanity with three young kids and my mother in law in the same house is difficult. The work day starts at 6:00-6:30 and usually finishes about 8 that night. To say I am exhausted is an under statement, my mantra is the only easy day was yesterday.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Saccharomyces in charge
Today I am making bread for a catering company here in town. The pace is kinda slow, you are at the mercy of the yeast. It's a mix of molasses rye and pugliese. I do about what ever it takes to make a buck on the farm. We sell bread and vegetables at the market here in town and we are planning on taking produce to the Amish auction in Rockville this year.
It Begins
Farm life never takes a day off, winter at least slows down. Spring time is busy... I mean really busy. Starting seeds, tilling, cleaning out fence lines, you name it it needs to be done. I inherited a house remodel too on top of all the usual jobs that need to be done. This blog is going to be about the crazy goings on in my life.
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