A Larger Homemade Rocket Stove

I made this larger rocket stove from the inside of a hot water tank.  I will  use this in my shop this winter.  I just need to work on the pipe for venting to outside.  I think it will work nicely.

Homemade Rocket Stove

I have seen articles about Rocket Stoves in various magazines and I have wanted to build one.  I finally got around to building one. It boiled water in 15 minutes and we tried it out to cook burgers.  We used a cast iron pan and the burgers cooked up nicely.  You need very little wood to keep the fire going.  It makes a nice backyard cooker or one we can take camping.  It is also a good emergency stove since anyone could probably gather enough wood around the yard in a pinch.

Homemade Compost Trommel

We make our own compost and Ed built this so that we can sift the dirt down to a good size for starting seeds and using on the garden.  We have a large pile and it is never all ready at once, so we will sift it and let the rest continue to decompose.  The way he built this trommel/sifter is so you can shovel the dirt in the higher end, the drill press motor rotates the 1/4 inch screen sifter which is on roller blade wheels for good spinning because it has bearings.  The dirt will sift through into a wheelbarrow that will be placed under the screen to catch the dirt.  The larger pieces will continue down the chute and back into a pile to continue.  It is similar to the idea that gold prospectors use to classify their material.

Homemade Easels

Although these are not made of metal, I made them for my wife and son. My wife likes to paint and didn't have an easel. My son wanted something to use his iPad on where it could stand up. Rather than purchase something for them, I wanted to make them. They came out nice and they appreciated the handmade gifts.