Table Of Content

ss axp Tlpw To Mane THe, 1 chysie fram the Golden Age of American Fatming, is ax usefol and pertinent for home- steuders and small-scale farmers today as it ws when 1c was first published more thaa seventy-five yoors ago. A wealth of labors and monuy-xaving projects fille its pages: spllle proof chickea waterers; a portable chicken ‘oop; a lightweight orchard ladder; « small truss bridge; an easy fence-post and stump Trller, gates thot don’t sags dates that lft over enovidliies a handy woud splitter even a biaysle-powured washing annehine, TIANDY Pause DEVICES AND Lfow 10 MAKE ‘Tues is a rare and engaging combination of nostalgic Americana and helptal instewotion, sure to appeal to everyone inclined toward seli-sufficieney and che country life Write for a complete list of other books on country living asd the uxtdoors from Lyons & Burford, Publishers. FoR] Fyons &.Rurford, Publishers PERRY 31 Wnt 21 Sree» Kew York, Saw Yuth 10010 ‘Soyer desig by Lymn Amit ted inthe United Slates of America andy Farm Device, and How to Make Them A CLABSIL OF wuury AMERIOAN UN Rolfe Cobleigh i‘. Qo th ee feed hasker bein wetter Handy Farm Devices and How to Make Them By Rolto Cobleigh 681 Cobleigh, Rotfe. 763 Handy farm devices and how te make them / by Cob Rolfe Cobleigh. --New York: Lyons & Burtord, 1996 1e 288. ill, Originally published: New York : Grange Judd Co., 1909. With new foreword, Includes index. 762053 LO: 99096426 ISBN:185@214321 (pbk) 1, Farm equipment - Design and construction Foreword copyright © 1996 by finns R. Bubb All inquites sho he addvessed te Lyons & Burford, Pubishets, 31 West 21 Steet, New York, New Yor LODIO. Trt published 1909 hy Oeange tnd Company Printed in the United Statos of America woeTe sana Library of Congress Chvaloging:in-Publicetien Data Cobleigh, Rolfe ‘Handy farm devices and how to make thom ! pen, ‘Originally pubtishec: Now York : Orange Fold Co., 1910 Includes indes. ISBN 1-85821-492-1 (phi) 1 Farms equipmeri—Design nnd construction—Handbooks, manuals, ote. 2. Agricubtralieplement—Desigr and suustustiun—Hanlhooks, manuals, 3, Fann ‘w'ldings Design and cansruction— Handbooks. swanuuts, ote. 4, Agriculeure—Handbooks, manuals, ee 5. Doriesnurself work. 1 Tide 8676.07 1996 6RI763—2095-38a26 CHP Foreword to the 1996 Edition 1N 1972, after 9 brief and unsuccessful experiment with usban living, I moved to @ small hardscrabble homestead in mieoast Maine—as one of meny in iy generation who migrated to places like Onegon and “Montana, determined to live apart ‘com asociety that seemed to value us only ay producers and consumers of goods, We came to get a living with our hands, to become latier-day Thoreaus, working the soil and cormrauning with nature—with, of course, the Grate- fal Dead blaring reassuringly in the background. “That few of us had been closer tonsture than dozing jw die sua on Boston Common or Golden Gate Paric troubled us not a whit: We were brillien, clever, omni- scient. We Were baby boomers. Mother Earth News would stow us the way. The Whole Earth Catalog. Living on the Earth. All ve needed were the eight books and a paie of low-back overalls, How hard could country life bo? Pretty herd, as i¢turned out. Tle hands-on experience of our generation’s back-to-the-land authors could most charitably be desctibed as recent and shallovi—a fact that quickly became evident when our hand-crafted homesteads needed essentials about which our gurus knew only basics, not details: chicken ‘ooops, grat slotage bins, cistern filters. So our chickens didn't stay cooped, grains dida't stay bined, and cisterns were filtered only through rose-colored granny glasses. Thad a bit more experience in country living than most, having come from farm country. But I soon found that dezing in VocAg class doesn't properly equip one for running a homestead in Maine, "Then I found The Book, dust-covered and ne~ glected in a crossroads junk store, and my homesteucl ‘creations quickly assuried a more professional air: the chickens stayed cooped, the grain stayed binned 2 HANDY FARM DEVICES More important, the grain dried fast and stayed rodent free: the chickens were healthier and produced nore eggs with less iced, ‘Handy Farm Devivesand How to Make Them dates, from ‘Phe Golden Age of American Farming, when farmers were traly selt-sufficient, making what they needed froma what they had. Itis recent enough ta be technologically pertinent and old enough to be free from the baleful influences of advertising and its erti- Ficial demands, Kt is both helpful instruction and nos talgie Americana. In its pages you will find detailed instructions for building the things without which a smail farm or homestead simply cannot exist, a5 well as valuable insights into building things in general, including the best treatise I've seen on the most useful but least appreciated tool in the box: the carpenter's sqnste. ‘The projects tange from the mercly curicus—a bieycle-powered washing machine, or a dog-powered water pump—to the absolutely essentiel—an im- Proved stone boat; a portable chicken coop; a lightweight orchard ladder; a small truss bridges an easy fence-post and stump-puller: gates that don't sags gales that lift over snowdeifte: and—the handsest farm Gevice I've ever found: the accurately described Handy Wood Splitter, which has saved me countless hours trying to balance a lopsided chunk of woed long enough to whack it with an ex. Farming and homesteading are hard work, and ong term success lies in minimizing both the amount of work needed te produce a desired result and ou:side expenditures. Handy Farm Devices and How to Make Them—as succinct and] accurate a book title as was ever writ—will help you do that and mure. James R. Babb By Way of Introduction UCCESS comes to the man who so works that his efforts will bring the most and the best results—not to the man wha simply works hard. It is the know-how, things-to- dowwith and economy that count. Labor-saving ichinery lias revolutionized many a trade and dustry. It has made farming an industry and a science of possibilities undeeamed of and ubattain- able a hundred years ago. But it is not enough for the modern farm to be equipped with the bast toots and machinery that shops aud factries ture out, to Imow bow to use them and keep them in repah ‘Thete are many handy devices, not made ia any factory and not sold in any store, that every intel- Nigent man can make himself, which save money ‘and labor and time. Inventive men are constantly contriving simple but valuable things to meet the needs of their own practical experience. We are all the time hunting after and gathering these ideas. ‘Now we are putting a lot of the best ones into thi book We are trying, by words and pictures, to explain clearly just how to make each device. Everything described is tried and practical. Some are old, many are new, all are good for the purpose intended They represent the practical, succesafal experience of farmers and other wide-awake workers all over the United States, 4 HANDY FARM DEVICES This book is broader than ily title, The over flow of good measure includes a valuable chapcer co) NTEN ‘on the steel square and its uses. Nowhere else has NTS BY CHAPTERS this subject been handled in a way so easily under- stood, with confusing mathematics cut out. We especially cormend this chapter t our readers vor “tools Pees “We also present some good house and barn plans, Workshop and ‘tools «5 that will be appreciated by those who contemplate The Steel Sree, ag building Tn addition to the direct benefit to be derived Tn and Around the Howes... from doing. what the book tells how to do, we have in mind the larger purpose of education toward Barns and Steck, ¢ 5 ee BS putting more thought into our work and doing Poultry and Bees 5. ys What we bave 10 do the etsiest, the cheapest aud the quickest way, Out of it ell, we crust our Gstden and Ordurd | ye BE readers will unake progress toward greater prot Field and Wood pority, greater happiness and greater usefulness. ek 18H Gates and Doors When We Build =. Werth Knowing . es 283 THE FARMER'S WORKSHOP FIERE is no doubt that of all the handy farm devices good tools hicad the cist. So, in chs hook, we aro going to start with carpenter tools and the place to keep and 16 them. Every farmer ought to have a workshop in which he can do odd jobs and make things when the weather prevents out-oi-coor work, or at cimes when there is little to 0 on the form. ' Economy and thrift deniand that a farmer should have and keep: in good condition a few cssential carpenter ‘ols. Tirst of all he shusuid have a lorg, strong, smooth-tep bench and, either on récks above the bench or in a tool chest, he should keep im order, and where he can easily: find them when wanted, his stock of carpenter tools. Some of the tools that will be found useful are the following: ‘A sip saw, a crosscut saw, a back saw, and a compass saw; 2 jack plans, a fore plane, and a smoothing plane; a shave or drawing knife; two or three chisels of different sizes for wondworking and a cald ehisel for metal; a gouge or two; ood hatehct; two or three hammers, including 4 tack dhammer and a bellfaced claw hammer} a brace co bit stock with a set of half a dozen or more bits 0j different sizes; one or more gimlets; a mallet; a nail set, a lange sctew driver and a small ones gauge: a spirit level; a miter box; a good ca peater's square-No. 100 is a good standard size 8 MANDY FARM DEVICES sompasses or dividers; cut uippers, a pair of small pincers and a pair of large ones; ¢ rasp: a large, Fiat file: at least one medium-sized three-cornered fite and 2 half-coand fic ‘Te is poor economy to buy cheap tools. Of course extravagance is 10 be avoided, hut be sure that you gt frstelace material in every tool you buy. Te is 3 oot plan to get 4 good practical caxveuter to Assist you in selecting your tools. Keep on hand it the shop a variety of nails, Brads and tacks, sexes, ivets, holts, washers aad nuts, and such smal iticles of builders’ basdware that are likely #0 be needed oceasionally, including hinges, hasps and Stapies and some sand-paper. Have a youd plamb Fine, challe and pencils. “Keep in « ancy place jar of a good liquid glue, and some cement, See to Jet fat die shop contains a. good stack of well-sear soned Jusiber, buth hard wood and soft ‘Attached to the bench should le a bench screw or vise. This need not be an expensive one, but Should be of good size and strong, There should also be a pair of earpeater’s saw benches, a shaving pore, a small avvil end a grindstone. Every farmer has a grindstone somewhere about dhe buildings, bot i fs a great conveaionce to ave good ore in the workshop. "A corner of the shop shonld be devoted to paint: ing supplics, inchnding several colars of good standar! ready-mixed paitts ané stains, raw linseed Oil, boiled linsced oil, turpentine, varnisb, putty, polats lor setting gas, several brushes of different Eizes, 2 good putty knife and panes of glass of di ferent sizes ready for cmergeucy. | “A farmer ought to be able to do occasional litle johe of solderiug, He needs soldering iron, a bar Gf solder, resin, @ Liule bottle of soldering finid, WoRKSHOF An ToOLs 9 which can be purchased already prepared, also a small sheet-iron furnace in which to heat the soldering iron, Tt would cost quite a tidy sum to buy all these things at once, but they can be gradually accuma- ated as one is able to purchase there, aid then Ue outfit shonld be kept ccmplete. Whenever anything in the shop is broken, worn out, or disappears it should be replaced, Whenever farm implements or anything about the bam or house are broken or out of order, they shoud be properly (xed. Often a few minutes spent at tke right time will make a thing almost as good as new, while, if neglected, it may soon get beyond repair and Lave to he thrown away. A thrifty farmer always keeps his farm implements well housed and in repair. It is not what we earn, Dut what we save, that makes us rich. It is quite. as impor-ant to stop the leaks as it is to figure on profits dircetly. RUNNING THE GRINDSTONE If the face of the grindstone is hard and glazed pour a tittle sand on the stone every few minutes until the glaze is worn off and the stone will cut ike a new ane. ‘This condition is eansed hy ox posing the stone to the weather. I= i best to keep the stone in a shed under cover, but if this is nct possible, sct it under a tree and’put a box over it when not ia use. It is surprising how easy a little cil on the beatings will make the stone run, A few drops of kerosene will cut the gum if it ruas hard and then some oil or axle gresse will make it go Tt is hard to stand on one foot and work the ry HANDY FARE DEVICES treadle wich the other. The job can be made easy by bolting two boards to the grindstone frame, and extending it 2 feet, on which place a seat as shown HANDY GRINDSTONE 2G in the cut, An uneven stone needs to be cut down, and toned up. ‘This can be done by grinding against the end of a piece of pipe, having the stone dry. Good natare ig a8 contagious as the meastes. Put con your best smile when you get up in the morning nd observe how everyaody will greet you with @ sunny face, A HOMEMADE ANVIL A homemade anvil can be constructed ftom a acfout pioce of railroad rail mounted on a trestle, as Shown ia the sketch, This affair will stand a lot woRksItO? AND Toots = of heavy pounding, and comes in handy in many vays. “The rail ig just about the right shape to 7 i MAKING A NEW TOOL ‘A very handy wrench for many kinds of work, such as making gates and cor trivances, where suall bully ae used, ig shown in the cut. From a small monkey wrench remove the wooden handle, and weid the metal part to an old bitestock, as shown in the ont. This per- nits of very rapid work in sorew- ing up susall bolts. Where there are 50 many things to do as there are on a farm, it pays to do things in the essiest and quickest 17-ST0CK WaENCH way. This is cone of the real time-savers. Learn to live, and live ta Jearn, Ignorance like 2 fre doth burn, Little tasks make large return.Bayard Taylor. we SHANDY PALM DEVICES HOW TO MARE A SHAVING HORSE ‘One of the most useful devices on a farm is a shaving horse. Make a bench 18 feet figh of a geod z-inch plank, c, level off the edges so that it will make a comfortahle seat. Upon this place a slanting platform, , through which is cut a hole in which the clamp, 0, works. The clamp must be made of heavy hard wood that is tough and will not split, ‘The shank, f, must SAVING HORSE be an extension of the clamp, 6. Several roles in the plank will allow the clamp to be raised so as to take in larger pieces of wood. ‘The treadle, g, 38 Kept in place by a peg at h. To operate this horse the workman places his foot upon the treadle, inserts the wood to be clamped under the edye of a and. pushes backward upon the treadie. This Clamps the wood and the drawing krife can be us Feadily and much more rapidly then with.a vise. A CONVENIENT FARM HORSE Qn the farm there is continual use for such a horse ax is shown in the drawing. Not only when WorksmOR AND T00LS 3 doing little jobs of carpentering, but also in many other operations, such a support is found neces- sary. This little Lorse is an improvement over the ordinary stiff affair, in that it shuts together when nof in use, and eo can be packed aut of the way. IONSE READY FUR USK Tt is made of boards cut in strips, the two hori- zontal boards at the top being hinged together, a8 shown herewith, While io use the legs are kept apart by long hooks, as may be plainly seen in the picture, When tillage begins, other arts follow, The farm- ets, therefore, are the founders of human civili- zation —Daniet Webster. A WIRE SPLICER The neatest and strongest splice can be made ‘with this little ins:rament. It is a strip of iron T inch wide and % inch thick, One end is cut nar row and is bent into a hook jerge enough to fit 14 HANDY FARM DEVICES neatly the largest wire to be spliced, At the sides of this two notches are filed, as shown at the let. "At the right the spliver is seca in position ou the wire ‘Ihe splicer should be turmed backward, 6 it ap- in the right- and drawing, to make the splice, A paie of large pincers or a vise should be used to hold the two wires between the coils while the splicer, The splice as finished appears above. The lengtti of the handte may vary. If the splicer is to be used ice net wire, of course the handle cantot be longer than the widch of the mesh. Otherwise, 6 oF 7 inches is about righ: for No. 8 wire, If it is to be used only for small wire, the length of the handie should be reduced for the sake of convenience, ‘WIRE SPLICING SERVICEAELE HOMEMADE LEVEL ‘A serviceatle Tevel is shown in the illustration. ‘Take two rinch boards of rather herd wood, well. Seasoned, 2 to 3 feet Hung, Lolt or screw them together at right angles. This union must be so strong as never to be moved by ordinary pressure. At the top of the perpendicslar Piece cut a slit and insert a Te Grong iheead "To the bottom Tever of the tlread tie @ thin circular worxsHtor ax s00Ls 1s weight, Lay the device across two trestles of nearly’ the same level. Just above the weight mark the place where the string hangs. Reverse the posi tion of the instrument by turning it end for end, ang again mark the position of the string. Half way hetween the two marks place a third, When ‘the string bongs over this mark the lower board will be level. A shield of tin may be placed over the weight. A nail cn each side of the string, just abave che weight, will keep it from swinging far out of place, It must be allowed to swing freely. ‘A simple level may be improvised by filling a small fiat bottle with water, so that only a bubble ‘of air remains, and attaching it lengthwise and neat the middle of a steaight stick or narrow board. TO MAKE A HANDLE STAY ON Te secure the handle of a hammer or ax is often ‘quite a bothersome problem. A speciel wedge made with a piece of wood as at a in the sketch, he'd in place by a fence staple, & has been devised to meet the need for a wedge that really holds, The prongs of the staple should be bent slightly outward before it is driven im, 50 that they will spread in the Was dle, ‘Thera is little danger of handles coming loose when they ate attacted in this manner, and it is little mere dificult to set a handle as indicated than in he old-fashioned way, A) 2 Ci HOLDS WEDGe