How to Build and Furnish a Log Cabin

How to Build and Furnish a Log Cabin
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W. Ben Hunt’s classic has earned a reputation as the” authentic handbook since it was first published in 1939. Updated in 1974, it remains the only step-by-step guide to building log cabins and log furniture — pioneer style.”

I have read this book several times in my search to learn how to build and furnish a log cabin.

While I am still working on getting mine built, I do believe that this one book alone is enough to get a decent pioneer book built.  As long as you a willing to do the work with the tools and techniques listed.

Books like this are invaluable to a new homesteader or prepsteader, it not only shows how to build a log cabin, but how to make the furniture for it also.

You may not have a log cabin, but it you live in rural America you probably have the materials to make log furniture.  I bet that no matter the type of home construction you use, you will need basic furniture in your homestead.

Personally I like rustic furniture, and when I left TEMA, I took the money I received and bought several tools for creating that type of pegged rustic furniture found in this book.

The Art of Splitting Stone

The Art of Splitting Stone
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The Art of Splitting Stone is a detailed study of the history, tools, and methods used to split, hoist, and transport quarried stone in pre-industrial New England (1630-1825).

It is an invaluable resource for historians, archaeologists, and stone masons interested in identifying, dating, or experimenting with early stone splitting and quarrying methods.

The amateur researcher and avid outdoors person will find the book useful as a field guide to identifying split boulders and stone quarries abandoned in the woods.

I bought this book for the information on how to split rock, not for the history, and was not disappointing.

Knowing how out pre-industrial revolution ancestors did things prepares us to do those same things if we ever loose our technological ability.

At my land, I may not have the benefits of modern heavy equipment even if I know they exist- the same with explosives or other methods of quarrying stone.

It is books like this that allow me to meld modern technology with older skills so I can make do with my limited resources.

I am interested in mining and tunneling, and you would be surprised at how little information is available to do that without the use of modern explosives.

Wifi Extender Review

Gear Review: Wifi Extender
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#WifiExtender
When I got the chance to review this wifi extender – repeater/signal booster I said yes. I use the internet almost 24-7 I use it for research, for my work, and for entertainment. With my son using a e-reader, my wife an i-pad and laptop, and my using the my phone and computer at the same time we had a lag problem

This wifi extender helped remedy some of that. We now have am much stronger signal and I have noticeably faster speeds.

It wasn’t hard to set up either. Just plug it in, log into the device and enter your wireless password, then select the wifi repeater as your device’s internet source and enter the password.

That is all it takes, additionally, it includes usb charging ports so you get a lot of functionality in a small device.

My goal for this WiFi Extender is to use it to boost signal so I can install a wifi camera.  This camera would be at my gate so I can record people entering the land.  Its too far a distance to go directly from gate to shipping container, so a booster will help.

I actually have a review of a wireless camera coming so stay tuned.  If you want to have more options, I have linked to a review of the 8 best wifi enabled cameras.

Water Test Strips Review

 

Gear Review: Water Test Strips
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#HealthyWiser
Being able to test water is important. Being able to boil water only kills bacteria, it does nothting for chemical impurities. This means you need to be able to test for them.

The water test strips I am using in the video test for 9 indicators of impure water. I can detect bacteria as well as other impurities.

It is simple to use, simply dip in the water, pull out and wait 30 seconds before comparing the strips to the chart.

One thing I really like about these strips is that the manufacturer thought far enough in advance to package the strips in sealed containers and added several such sealed bags in the bottle. This means the unopened strips will last longer.

This is a great product, and I am pleased that healthy wise chose to let me review it for them.

This water test strips have given me peace of mine since my water at the land comes from a stream and is not treated in any way.  While this test strips don’t test everything but they do test the common issues that would contaminate water.

Originally these strips are used to test pool water.

I did not get paid for this review, but I did receive the product at a discount.

Folding Shovel with Firestarter Review

Gear Review: Folding Shovel with Firestarter
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This is a pretty cool little folding shovel from survivalhax.com. This site contacted me the other day and asked if they could send me a tool to review. I said sure because you can never have too many tools to review.

The second it came in the mail my 4 year old so had it out of the package and was about to attempt to dig through the living room floor until I told him he could not use it until I made a video.

WT then began bringing me my camera and demanding I test it out. He could not wait until I went out to the land to dig a hole with “HIS” shovel. Unfortunately his grandma fell and broke her hip so he went to Alabama to cheer her up. I had work so I could not go, but every night he asked me if I am done with his shovel.

I see why he likes it after I played with it a while. It is pretty simple and solidly constructed. I don’t really like the screw in handle, but the screw in ferrocium fire-starter in the handle is nice.

If it were my shovel I would probably sharpen the edges, as the powder coating keeps the rod from sparking on the shovel.

All in all I had a pretty good impression of the shovel, but since I really want one of those Glock e-tools I had to say the more expensive tool was my preference, otherwise my wife would never let me spend the money.

You can buy this shovel here.