Oaken Gearbox

I noticed earlier this summer that my 5.5hp Briggs & Stratton powered push mower was constantly revving up to a fevered pitch, and then dropping to an idle and nearly stalling. Over and over again every 10 to 15 seconds. Quick Diagnosis (so you can get back outside and enjoy the summer weather): The air-fuel mixture was off. In my case, due to a plugged air filter. It was gross. I can't believe the engine ran as well as it did. A dirty carburetor could also cause these symptoms. That should look like a sponge... Explanation (for those of you who have to know why): A lot of newer lawnmowers use a governor to control engine speed (rather than the classic "Rabbit-Turtle" throttle lever). If the carb cannot achieve an efficient air-fuel mixture, the system just fluctuates between over-revving and almost stalling. After washing my filter out with degreaser and warm soapy water the mower runs just like new. Moral of the story: always try the simple stuff ...

I recently spent a night at Wild River State park with my brother and my two year old son. I found it to be an enjoyable park to visit, although I still prefer Afton for a quick get-away close to the Twin Cities. Check out my Flickr page for a few photos of the campsites and trails. We opted to staying the backpacking sites, rather than the car camping park, so I'll speak only to those. Although they call them backpacking sites, they are treated more as car camping park; you pay and select your site at the office and they give you a tag to hang at a post in front of your site. That being said its only a couple mile walk, so changing sites would be a simple matter. The actual trails are cross country ski trails--mowed in the summer--that pass through new growth forest as well as prairie. Although winter camping is permitted, no hiking or snow shoing is allowed on the groomed trails, so you would have to ski in with your gear. The trails were full of short steep hills. I've be...

I grew up building fences. Pounding steel posts into the ground and stringing wire fencing was one of the better jobs on the farm. This fall I decided to fence in my small city lot, but my wife wanted something a little nicer than barbwire. I flat out refused a white picket, so we compromised on a scallop top picket board fence. I opted to use 4x4 green-treated posts, five quarter decking boards ripped in half to 3" wide for stringers, and 1x4's for the pickets. Some online research and conversations with friends indicated that recommended post spacing was 4 to 8 feet. I opted for 8 ft spacing, which seems sufficient for my 4 foot high fence. Tools Needed Gas-Powered Auger Manual Post hole diggers Spud Bar Circular saw Drill Router (optional) Level Step 1: Design your fence Decide: How far to space your posts How wide to make your pickets and how far to space them Where your gates will go, so you can set hinge posts Step 2: Plan your fence Thi...

When I moved into my "new" house last year, I quickly realized that something about the switches for the light above the stairs wasn't right. Once the upstairs switch was "off", the downstairs switch no longer turned it on. Although it isn't hard to wire up two switches to control one light, cleaning up after someone else who did it wrong can turn into quite a puzzle. The first step is understanding exactly how these simple, convenient circuits work. The diagram below shows this. This is not the only way to wire it, just the simplest. If you want to see a few of the stranger variations, check out this link . Note that each one does the same thing, it just splices the wires in different places. To begin unraveling the puzzle you will need a multimeter , screwdriver , and maybe a pair of pliers . First, flip the breaker for the circuit you're working on. Pull the covers off both switches and pull unscrew the switches from the box.  Before to...

Day 0: The drive to Sawbill The trip up I-35 was largely uneventful, the highlight being a stop for lunch at Culver's. We arrived at Sawbill Lake in the late afternoon and set up at Site 18, a nice private site. Although it backed up to the lake, there wasn't a clear path down the steep bank. Site 18, Sawbill Lake After stopping by the well-stocked (and reasonably priced) camp store for some last minute supplies, we roasted hot-dogs over a small and smoky fire built with the green firewood sold for $5 a bundle at the same store. Green Firewood :( Before we'd even had time to break out the marshmallows a huge thunderstorm rolled in that lasted until just before dawn. Mom and Dad's  REI tent stayed bone dry, but the larger Eureka! that I shared with my brother and sister left us a little soggy by morning. Day 1: Sawbill to Hub Lake I was already awake when the sky started turning grey early on the morning of our first day, so I got up and began pa...

Aldi is fast becoming my favorite store. After moving to a city devoid of normal grocery stores like Kroger, my wife and I gave  Aldi a try and were instantly hooked by the low prices and convenient layout. Even so, there's a big difference between buying off-brand tomato sauce and trusting your dry sleeping bag to an " Adventuridge " tent. With name brand tents at REI running somewhere north of $300, though, we decided it was worth the risk. After spending three nights (one of steady rain) in the tent, I can say it is more than worth the $60 price tag. The rain flooded the older 3 room tent our friends were using, but our Aldi tent had only small puddles under the windows. It's heavier than anything I would drag backpacking, but its perfect for car camping, and could probably even work for canoeing. The Good: Bathtub floor keeps the water OUT. High ceiling lets adults stand up inside. Room to comfortable fit three adults, a Pack-N-Play, and al...

Last year my wife and I bought our first house, built on a shady eighth acre plot in a fifties suburb of Minneapolis. Since my wife and I both grew up in rural Ohio with big gardens, we were excited to start one of our own. Wanting to give our new garden the best chance possible, I checked out a few books from the library and, of course, searched online. My most valuable advice came from family and friends who had been planting vegetable gardens for years. Talking to neighbors was also helpful, since they already knew the soil and climate from experience. It's still early in the growing season, but so far our garden seems to be pretty successful. Below are the basic steps most people seem to agree on, as well as my personal experience with them. Picking a spot for your new garden Sunshine, sunshine, and more sunshine. My yard is small with lots of shade trees, so this was tricky, but I managed to find a small plot on the east side of the house that gets full sun for abo...

For the first twenty years or so of my life, burglary was not something that I thought much about. I locked the front door when I left home or went to bed, and that was the extent of my home security. Then during my senior year of college, the house I shared with four other guys was broken into; twice. Once through a back window left unlatched for ventilation, once by picking the deadbolt on the front door. That experience, combined with the added responsibility of my own home and family have caused me to give home security some more serious thought. These are a few of the simple measures I've taken to protect my own home. I'm convinced that if my roommates and I had adopted even a few of them we'd be at least one entertainment system and two iPods richer. Although I actually learned most of these tricks from friends and family, and not USA's 'Burn Notice', I'm convinced they would make ex-spy Michael Westen proud. Note that following these tips will not...

Today's post has a guest author, my beautiful wife. Although she runs her own blog over at crimsoncinder.blogspot.com , this project was so cool I asked her if I could post on my blog too. Although this project was specifically for a Barnes and Noble Nook Simple Touch, you could just as easily make one for an Amazon Kindle, or any other tablet or e-reader. The Making of the Nook Book When contemplating what to get my brother-in-law for his birthday, I was stumped. I couldn’t think of anything to get a teenage boy who loved technology that would fit in my budget. I settled on trying to find a cover for the nook that he had received for Christmas. I looked for deals but still didn’t hit my price point. I thought I would end up sending a lame card with cash and didn’t feel that great about it. Then, it came to me! I could still get him a cover…but just make it! My normal go to in something like this is to crochet it, but I wanted to do something different. On the next few ...

Since long before moving to Minnesota, I've been fascinated by winter camping. Faced with the reality that I lack both the experience and the cold weather gear for such an endeavor; not to mention the strain that would put on my wife (six months pregnant with our first child), I settled on a better plan: renting a cabin. We chose "The French Canadian" After scanning online adds for over an hour and passing over scores of "cabins" that boasted such features as 70" televisions and high speed internet, I finally found exactly what I was looking for about thirty miles north of Two Harbors, MN. Run solely by its good-natured owner and his receptionist Willie (an aging golden retriever), Snowshoe Country Lodge was the perfect mix of civilized and rustic. Although cell service was completely non-existent, according to a printed sign, there is free wifi if you are willing to stand in the cold over near the well-house. The same well house includes a hand ...

This is something that is really easy to do, but many people aren't aware of, including, apparently, the previous owner of my house. Simply lower the blinds all the way, pop off the little plastic covers on the bottom, and cut the strings off. It's a little scary,  but just make sure they aren't too short and you'll be fine. I also took this opportunity to take out the broken slats from my blinds and replace them with extras from the bottom that I cut off. Retie the strings at the bottom of your blinds, making sure the pull cords are even. Cut off the extra string, and burn it with a match if you're worried about fraying. That's it. Clip the plastic plugs back in and you're ready to go.