Geo,

I hear ya with respect to what it takes to keep mother nature at bay. I have a cottage on 18 acres of land at the South end of Lake Winnipeg (Manitoba's largest lake at about 500 km long and anywhere from 14 to 40 kms wide) all kayakers welcome! Mother nature and I used to have different opinions about what should grow where. I was in favor of a monoculture (grass) whereas she wanted more biodiversity. When my Allis Chalmers (circa 1950) tractor with the side cutting mower bit the dust a number of years ago I began to see the advantages of biodiversity. I now see eye to eye with mother nature, she grants me a small lawn around the cottage and has her way with the rest of the acreage. And after all, sitting on the deck with a cold beer watching the poplars grow isn't a bad thing at all.

Cheers,

Ken

: Ken,
: Well, welding doesn't come easy for me. My dad was the consumate welder,
: machinst, fabricator and designer. If it could be done in steel he could
: do it. On a farm, at least a profitable one, you are constantly repairing
: equipment designed by "engineers" and produced with the
: assistance of accountants. So it breaks a lot in normal usage. The bain of
: any farmer is cast iron. The accountants may love it 'cause it's a lot
: cheaper than a steel forging, but catch a chuck hole with the caster wheel
: on a hayrake and that casting will break. I watched my dad as he fabbed up
: an replacement from pipe and angle with the welder. The Farmall
: "H"'s we used had a nasty habit of snapping the steering
: spindal. This was a $180 part against a $8,000 profit on a tractor we paid
: maybe $300 for at auction of an unprofitable farm. Dad would weld this
: 2.5" casting on a channel iron jig to prevent it warping as it
: cooled.

: I can recall dad having me torch out rivets on a truck frame we were
: rebuilding as a hay wagon. I must have been all of six. "Get it
: cherry, then hit it with the oxygen."

: But I've always been drawn to wood. Dad was a fair carpenter, but never a
: joiner or cabinet maker. He even welded up his sawhorses and shelving. His
: father, my grandfather, built timber framed strucures, mostly barns. One
: time my dad was admiring the kitchen cabinets I'd built and said,
: "Your grandfather would be proud." Meant a lot to me coming from
: a hard man who didn't pass out many compliments.

: Nevertheless, saddling myself with this 15 acre "farmette" about
: ten years ago, I found one needs equipment to keep the wilderness at bay
: and the snow clear. Of course, the equipment still breaks. So off to the
: Farm and Family for a Lincoln AC/DC welder on sale. So now I'm relearning
: those old lessons on using it. But you will not find me welding up a
: jonboat out of flattened 55 gallon drums like my dad did! At least, I
: haven't come across the steel drum boatbuilding forum yet!
: Be Well,
: Geo. C.