Easiest Way to Take Apart a Pallet Using Power Tools

Ready to get started on some free or cheap pallet projects? Once you have all of your pallets brought home get ready for some frustrating disassembly!

In this video I briefly discuss the method I have been using to take apart pallets to get useable wood. There are many other ways to do this very same thing but this has proved to be the quickest and easiest for me.

The first step is to just lay out the pallets on a flat surface and start making cuts on the inside of the outermost supports. Using a jig saw or circular say is best and you can quickly have those outside supports removed from the pallet. As with any pallet project, make sure you check for nails ahead of any cuts!

The next step is to use a Sawzall or reciprocating saw to free each slat from the middle support. I find this to the quickest way to get the most useable wood as long as you dont mind the nail head being left in the center of the board. Rock the slat back and forth to free up a small gap and slide the saw blade (metal cutting blade) between the slat and the support to cut the nails.

If you prefer to pull the center nails just slide in a pry bar to pop the slats off and then pound out and pull those center nails. Either way works just as well but I prefer to pull less nails!

Using this method you are left with a selection of 36"-39" slats that are ready to be used in any pallet project. Now if you are going to do more finishing on your final product like sanding or planning you obviously need to make sure to pull the center nails instead of cutting them with the Sawzall.

There are many other options out there such as pallet pullers and special pry bars. My suggestions is to take the money you would spend on that specialized tool and get yourself a good wonder bar or used Sawzall instead. These tools can be used for much more than just pallets and are a necessity for any homeowner.

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Create a Raised Bed Garden Using Pallet Wood 100 Free!

We are finally getting our square foot gardens setup.  I needed ways to save money and build some nice raised beds for the backyard. In this video, I go through the process that I used to tear down some pallets and create a couple of 3 x 6 raised-bed gardens. This is one of the first projects that I have done that was truly 100% free!


Please let me know if you have any questions.

Todd


For more on square foot gardening please visit  - http://www.melbartholomew.com/





This post has been shared on:  The Homestead Barn Hop, Simple Saturdays Blog Hop
, The Backyard Farming Connection Hop, HomeAcre Hop, Simple Lives Thursday

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Aquaponics Using a Swirl Filter to Remove Solid Waste

Ive been having a lot of problems with uneaten fish food and fish waste building up in our grow beds.  We have used old nylons to capture the waste, but they needed to be cleaned often.

I decided to construct a swirl filter to filter out the solid waste.  This particular type of filter allows solid waste to settle to the bottom, only needs to be flushed out once a month, and the waste can be used as fertilizer for our garden and houseplants.

In this video, I discuss the importance of filtering solids from aquaponics systems as well as show you my swirl filter design. I also discuss how the swirl filter works and show you the effects of not using one (not pretty).

Thanks for watching!  Let me know if you have any questions.
Todd





This post has been shared at:  Homestead Barn Hop, Simple Saturdays Blog Hop

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Outdoor Wood Burning Garage Heater Heat Your Garage For Free Using a C

 

Recently I made a homemade outdoor wood burning boiler system to heat our garage. I have been excited to get this put together ever since I built our wood burning pool heater earlier this spring. I realized that with the same setup I was using for the pool, I could also heat water for an indoor heat system. All I needed was some sort of indoor radiator and fan and some underground tubing to cycle the water through. 

I am planning to expand my small garage wood shop this winter and did not want to have to run an electric heater all the time to heat the garage. My other options were to purchase a small propane heater, kerosene heater, or some other type of more powerful heat system but those can be expensive.  So, I decided on the wood burning heater instead. In most cases people will just put the barrel stove right in the garage, and that is a very efficient way of heating. However, my insurance company would not allow any wood burning stove (especially a homemade stove) inside the home. So this is where the wood burning boiler system design works the best. Although it is not quite as efficient as having the wood burner right in the garage it works very well to heat up our small insulated garage.

 

Weve been running it for approximately three weeks now, and with the temperatures dropping like they have, were really happy with the results.

 

For information on how I built this system, watch the video below.  Thanks for watching!

 

 

 

 

 

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Suburban Aquaponics Using Compost Worms to Break Down Solid Waste

Check out this video to learn more about using compost worms in an indoor aquaponics system. I have been waiting for quite a long time to have enough worms and the right conditions to start adding my red wigglers to the aquaponics grow beds. Today is that day! I started a very basic worm bin almost a year ago and have although it started out pretty rough it has really started to be a constant source of worms and worm castings for various gardening projects around the homestead. I have learned to pace feeding the worms to a minimum until the population is big enough to consume everything you are throwing in the bin. So, with the bin working well and the worms multiplying like, well, like worms, it is time to start taking some out and taking them to the water park AKA the aquaponics system.

I am just going to be adding small amounts of worms to the grow beds each month. This will give the worm population in the worm bin a chance to recover and for more organic "stuff" to build up in the beds for them to feed on. I am excited to get the worms going in the beds as I have heard nothing but great things about this additional symbiotic relationship. The worms are going to help plants grow even better and work as an additional cleaner for the water and grow beds.

The idea with the compost worms and aquaponics is that you are always going to have uneaten fish food, dead roots, fish waste, and other organic material that build up over time in the grow beds. Over time this can cause quite a mess and cause you to have to empty the entire bed and clean things up. With the worm in there doing their work the time in between cleanups should be much greater and in the meantime the worms are breaking down that extra waste into more nutrients for the plants.

Many people have suggested that the worms should be used in place of a swirl or radial flow filter and that is something that I do not agree with. There is just too much waste that would get into the grow beds too quickly for the worms to keep up. I think that the ultimate solution to the solids waste problem in a flood and drain system is to utilize both some kind of settlement filter and the worms together. I have demonstrated in several videos just how much waste builds up in the beds in just a short amount of time and I just dont think that worms alone, as awesome as they are, can keep up with the cleanup duties.

 

 

Check out the Simple Suburban Living General Store

for more products used and recommend by the SSL Family

 

 

The worms can be ordered here:

250 worms:  http://amzn.to/1wRsKuP
500 worms:  http://amzn.to/13FJR9m
2000 worms:  http://amzn.to/1sN6NyX

 

 

 

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How to Truly Speed up an Old Computer Using an SSD

Computer starting to run slowly? As computers age it seems with each passing year they become slower and slower but why? As programs are installed, hard drive space becomes filled, updates are applied, and newer technology requirements become the standard older computers just get slow. So what is the trick to extending the life and speeding up your old system?

You might be surprised to know that the slowest part of most computers, especially laptops, is the hard drive. Many manufacturers will tout the biggest and baddest processor, more and more memeory, and larger hard drive space but what are you really getting? The hard drives in most laptops are the slowest produced, starting with 4200 RPM drives and maybe getting 5400RPM with a premium model. So with that being said what can we do about it?

The easiest and highest impact improvement you can make is to switcxh out that stock hard drive with what is called an SSD (solid state drive). these drives are made with simialr technology as a flash drive (or thumb drive, usb stick, whatever you want to call it). the benefits are a much much faster read and write time as well as lower power consumption and shock resistance. Replacing your current hard drive with a solid state drive and you will be surprised at home much faster that old computer can be.

The process consists of four easy steps:

1.  Remove the old hard drive from the computer. Whether laptop, desktop, or all-in-one, this process may vary. In the video below I show how to do this with a laptop.

2.  Once you have the old hard drive out it might be a good idea to purchase a hard drive enclosure. This will allow you to hook up the old hard drive with all of your data on it to the computer to use as extra storage.

3.  Install the SSD. The drive is very easy to install and should look just like the one you took out (except desktops and older all-in-ones which have a larger drive). If you have a desktop you might need an adapter bracket to mount it in the same spot or you can screw it to the framing anywhere you see fit. These drivers are shock proof and do not need to be oriented in any certain way. Just throw it in there if you want( although not really recommended).

4.  Using an operating system disc or the recovery media that came with or was pcreated from your computer when purchased you will now need to reload the new hard drive. This process is fairly automated on new computers but you may have to do some installing of any other softwre you use such as office, security software, or others.

Once this is done you now have a computer that will last you many more years and might even run faster than the day you bought it!

Solid State Drives (SSD) -

120 GB - http://amzn.to/1Eso06r
240GB - http://amzn.to/1UdIw1K
480 GB - http://amzn.to/1NOHmVd

Hard drive enclosures -
Laptop SATA Hard Drive Enclosure - http://amzn.to/1DlVoZr
Desktop SATA Hard Drive Enclosure - http://amzn.to/1yQ8U1Z

All of these products and more recommended items from the SSL Family are available at the Simple Suburban Living General Store

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How To Make Bread Using a Bread Machine

Do you have a bread machine just sitting around in your cupboard or basement like I did?  I received mine as a birthday present from my husband a few years ago and rarely ever used it.  I walked into my neighbors house several weeks ago and noticed she had a bread machine on her counter.  We got to talking and she explained to me that she never buys store-bought white bread.  She only bakes fresh bread for her kids lunches. 

 

Hmmmm....that got me thinking about that lonely little machine in my cupboard. 

 

That also got me thinking about all the ingredients (chemicals) that are in our $1 loaf of grocery store white bread.  And why doesnt bread mold anymore?  Its just got to be all those preservatives.

 

Its been about four weeks since Ive started baking bread daily for our family.  Yes, daily for our family of five.  You may be thinking, "thanks for asking me to fit one more task into my day."  Well, thats what I thought, too, and thats where the machine comes in. 

 

This recipe for basic white bread only uses seven ingredients and it only takes 5 minutes to put the ingredients in the machine and turn it on.  Four hours later, you will have a beautiful loaf of fresh bread.  Its very simple, the bread tastes much better, and our home always smells like fresh bread. 

 

And I have peace of mind knowing my girls lunches are a little healthier.

 

Basic White Bread Recipe (extra large loaf)

 

Dry yeast 1 1/4 tsp

Bread flour 4 1/2 cups

Salt  2 tsp

Dry Milk  3 tbsp

Butter  2 1/2 tbsp

Sugar  1 1/2 tbsp

Water  400 mL

 

Ingredients go into the machines loaf pan in the order they appear in the recipe.  No need for mixing!

 

When the timer goes off, your machine will automatically shut off so its okay if youre not home when the bread is done baking.  Take the loaf pan out of the machine, shake out the loaf onto a cooling rack.  Wait until the bread is done cooling to place in a bag or cellophane.  Thats it! 

 

Cleaning the machine is super easy, too.  Just wipe the loaf pan out with a dish towel and place back into the machine, ready for your next loaf.

 

You will want to make sure you have your ingredients on-hand if you plan on doing away with store-bought bread like we did.  We have 50 lb. bags of flour and sugar that we picked up from an Amish store over the summer.  We also ordered a 2 lb. bag of dry yeast from Amazon.  And to make things a little easier, you can also stock up and make extra loaves and freeze them. 

 

I have enjoyed this lifestyle change so much that I had to share it with all of you.  I hope you give it a try!  Let me know how it goes. :)

 

 

Watch this video to learn how to make bread using a bread machine! 

 

 

 

            

 

Also available at Best Buy

 

 

This post has been shared at:  The HomeAcre Christmas Hop, Simple Lives Thursday, Front Porch Friday, Homestead Blog Hop, Homestead Barn Hop, Country Fair Blog Hop


 

 

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How to Expand Your Wireless Range Using an Old Router

Check out this tutorial to learn how to configure an old router to expand the wireless in your home, garage, pole barn, or greenhouse. I have used this process for many years both professionally and in my own home. This is a great use for that older router that you may have replaced with a new one or picked up from a garage sale or resale shop. Routers have become almost disposable after a few years so they come cheap. The newer routers will offer a better wireless extension and also better security so if you can find one that is at least 2007 or newer that is preferred.


Using an old router to expand your network is a cheap and easy way to at least double the wireless range in your home. It is also a great way to get wireless to outbuildings or other areas that are outside of your homes wireless signal. This method does require that you have an Ethernet cable run from your main wireless router in your home to the location where you would like to setup the second router (access point). In our home I have one wireless access point configured on each floor and staggered from one end of the home to the other. This means that no matter where I ma in the house I can always connect to a nearby access point and have full signal strength. No buffering, no lag, and in most cases speeds as fast as a wired Ethernet connection.


Here are the basic steps to follow but I would recommend watching the accompanying video to fully understand the process.


1. Reset router to factory default settings
2. Take note of your current network configuration (192.168.1.X
3. Create a new ip address for the access point 192.168.1.220 (example)
4. plug a computer into the newly reset router
5. log into the router using the default ip - normally 192.168.1.1
6. Configure the wireless network name and security
7. Turn off DHCP (take away the routers ability to assign ip addresses)
8. Configure the router to the previously picked ip address - 192.168.1.220 (example)
9. Connect the router to an Ethernet cable coming from your main router.

Tip - Do not use the "WAN" port at all on this new access point.


Now I know that someone is going to say it so I will answer this question up front. Yes, you can just plug the router into your existing setup using the WAN port on the second router without changing any settings on the router. This will work in most cases however you are setting yourself up for problems down the road as this is not the correct way to configure a second wireless router on an existing network. This is what is called double NAT or network address translation and is like having a double firewall. This will not allow any computers connected to the secondary router to communicate with wireless printers, other computers, will block many gaming sites, vpns and other connections. Although it is easier and may work for basic internet browsing it will be slower and will cause other issues down the road.

 

Recommended Wireless router

 

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Expand Your Wireless Network Using the Two in One HomeScreen Router

A Short time ago I did a video on " How to expand you wireless range using an old router" and I have had a very positive response. Along with that has come a flurry of questions and comments directed at various setup options and how to configure various wireless situations. The one comment I have received most often was how can I extend my wireless range without running an Ethernet cable to the new access point. In other words, how can I easily extend my wireless network wirelessly. I came across this device called the Two in One router from a company called HomeScreen that will work perfectly for this purpose. This is a new product that looked very promising and so I contacted the company to offer to share the product with you.

The HomeScreen Two in One router is both a regular everyday dual band wireless router and also a wireless range expander or wireless repeater. But this is no everyday router, this is a completely new design with a touchscreen and the footprint of a deck of cards. Having been in the networking industry for many years I have never seen a device so easy to use and setup and still contain all of the advances features that Geeks like me cant live without.

The device has all of the features of a standard router including wireless isolation, guest networks, dual band AC wireless, user restrictions, content restrictions, DMZ configuration, time restrictions, and full advanced configuration. But it also has some goodies that only a router with a touchscreen can offer. The device contains a small screen that display the weather, acts as a digital photo frame, can be used as a clock, and also control other smart home devices that can be added to your HomeScreen account. The device has easy to follow wizards for setup and comes with a stylus for ease of use. The device can also be configured and maintained using the HomeScreen app available for Android and IOS.

The setup of the router is as easy as answering a few questions. In my case I wanted to set it up as a wireless range extender in my home. Step one, power it on. Step two, select Range Extender. Step three, select your network from the list. Step four, enter your network password. Step five - Done. That is all it takes to expand your wireless network in your home. This can be plugged in anywhere in between the area of low signal in your home and your main router and it will pickup the main signal and rebroadcast it. I tested the device in various areas of my home and it outperformed my Linksys and Netgear routers for signal strength and allowed my to get full signal to the far end of our home above the garage.

HomeScreen was nice enough to let me test this product out and share my experience with you and I thought to be fair it would be nice to share that generosity with you. Starting June 24th, 2015 at 6:00 am  EST and ending on July 15th at 6:00am EST Simple Suburban Living will be giving this HomeScreen Two in One router away to one randomly selecting winner through a sweepstakes. All you need to do to enter is subscribe to the SSLFamily Blog to receive updates from us. You can unsubscribe at any time after the contest ends if you do not wish to receive updates from our site. Your email address will not be shared or sold to anyone and will only be used to notify you when a new blog article is released. If you are already subscribed to the blog please email us directly that you would like to be entered at sslfamily5@gmail.com. Only one entry per person will entered. United States and Canada only please.

Click here to enter the HomeScreen Two in One Sweepstakes

Check out the video review and demonstration here

Sweepstakes official rules

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.
The “HomeScreen Two-In-One Router Contest” is sponsored by Simple Suburban Living  (“Sponsor”)This contest is governed by these official rules (“Official Rules”). By participating in the contest, each entrant agrees to abide by these Official Rules, including all eligibility requirements, and understands that the results of the contest, as determined by Sponsor and its agents, are final in all respects. The contest is subject to all federal, state and local laws and regulations and is void where prohibited by law.
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, YouTube. Any questions, comments or complaints regarding the promotion will be directed to Sponsor, not YouTube.

ELIGIBILITY
 
The Contest is open to legal residents of the United States and Canada where not prohibited by law, who are eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of entry who have Internet access and a valid e-mail account prior to the beginning of the Contest Period. Sponsor has the right to verify the eligibility of each entrant.
SWEEPSTAKES PERIOD The Sweepstakes begins on June 24th, 2015 at 6:00am EST and ends on July 15th, 2015, 6:00am EST. (“Sweepstakes Period”). All entries (submissions) must be received on or before the time stated during that submission period. Sponsor reserves the right to extend or shorten the contest at their sole discretion.

 HOW TO ENTER 
You can enter the Sweepstakes by signing up to receive updates from the Simple Suburban Living Blog. You can find the application information at www.simplesuburbanliving.com. Entrants must fill sign up on the blog to receive email updates and may cancel at any time after the contest period has concluded. After signing up for email updates and providing a validated email address, the entrant will receive one (1) entry into the drawing.WINNER SELECTION
 
All eligible entries received during the Submission Period will gathered into a database at the end of the Submission Period. A winner will be chosen at random. The winners will be announced on or about July 20th, 2015 on or about noon EST. Announcement and instructions for prize will be sent to the e-mail address supplied on the potential prize winner’s submission. Each entrant is responsible for monitoring his/her e-mail account for prize notification and receipt or other communications related to this sweepstakes. If a potential prize winner cannot be reached by Administrator (or Sponsor) within fifteen (15) days, using the contact information provided at the time of entry, or if the prize is returned as undeliverable, that potential prize winner shall forfeit the prize. Upon the request of the Sponsor, the potential winner may be required to return an Affidavit of Eligibility, Release and Prize Acceptance Form and IRS W-9 form. If a potential winner fails to comply with these official rules, that potential winner will be disqualified. Prizes may not be awarded if an insufficient number of eligible entries are received.

PRIZES:
 
Grand Prize: (1) Two-In-One HomeScreen Router as displayed in the associated video. ALL FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL TAXES ASSOCIATED WITH THE RECEIPT OR USE OF ANY PRIZE IS SOLELY THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNER.
ADDITIONAL LIMITATIONS
Prize is non-transferable. No substitution or cash equivalent of prizes is permitted. Sponsor and its respective parent, affiliate and subsidiary companies, agents, and representatives are not responsible for any typographical or other errors in the offer or administration of the Sweepstakes, including, but not limited to, errors in any printing or posting or these Official Rules, the selection and announcement of any winner, or the distribution of any prize. Any attempt to damage the content or operation of this Sweepstakes is unlawful and subject to possible legal action by Sponsor. Sponsor reserves the right to terminate, suspend or amend the Sweepstakes, without notice, and for any reason, including, without limitation, if Sponsor determines that the Sweepstakes cannot be conducted as planned or should a virus, bug, tampering or unauthorized intervention, technical failure or other cause beyond Sponsor’s control corrupt the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper play of the Sweepstakes. In the event any tampering or unauthorized intervention may have occurred, Sponsor reserves the right to void suspect entries at issue. Sponsor and its respective parent, affiliate and subsidiary companies, agents, and representatives, and any telephone network or service providers, are not responsible for incorrect or inaccurate transcription of entry information, or for any human error, technical malfunction, lost or delayed data transmission, omission, interruption, deletion, line failure or malfunction of any telephone network, computer equipment or software, the inability to access any website or online service or any other error, human or otherwise.

INDEMNIFICATION AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY BY ENTERING THE SWEEPSTAKES, EACH ENTRANT AGREES TO INDEMNIFY, RELEASE AND HOLD HARMLESS SPONSOR AND ITS PARENT, AFFILIATE AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES, ADMINISTRATOR, ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONAL AGENCIES, AND ALL THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, REPRESENTATIVES AND AGENTS FROM ANY LIABILITY, DAMAGES, LOSSES OR INJURY RESULTING IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, FROM THAT ENTRANT’S PARTICIPATION IN THE SWEEPSTAKES AND THE ACCEPTANCE, USE OR MISUSE OF ANY PRIZE THAT MAY BE WON. SPONSOR AND ITS PARENT, AFFILIATE AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES DO NOT MAKE ANY WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO THE CONDITION, FITNESS OR MERCHANTABILITY OF THE PRIZE. SPONSOR AND ITS PARENTS, SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONAL AGENCIES, AND ALL THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, REPRESENTATIVES AND AGENTS DISCLAIM ANY LIABILITY FOR DAMAGE TO ANY COMPUTER SYSTEM RESULTING FROM ACCESS TO OR THE DOWNLOAD OF INFORMATION OR MATERIALS CONNECTED WITH THE SWEEPSTAKES.

PUBLICITY
By participating, each entrant grants Sponsor permission to use his/her name, likeness or comments for publicity purposes without payment of additional consideration, except where prohibited by law.
 
SWEEPSTAKES SPONSORS
This sweepstakes is sponsored by:  Simple Suburban Living 

Any questions regarding this Sweepstakes should be directed to Simple Suburban Living - sslfamily5@gmail.com

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