In the beginning, there was a Pecan Tree

I contacted the folks I got the pecan log from.They are nice enough to share some photos and a GREAT story on how this almost 100 year old pecan tree became the log that we struggled to get into my trailer.

In their own words:

“The first two pictures are the first time the tree fell in May of 2011. It covered over 90% of the house. We were in the process of remodeling the house. The tree gifted us a new metal roof and a whole lot more construction. This was also right before my daughters birthday, which we promptly moved to a friends house. My wife called me at work and said, “hurry home, a branch fell on the house…” I didn’t understand how bad it could be since it was just a “branch”. When i got home I said, honey, that is a tree, not even close to just a branch!
I wish I had a picture, but at the base of the tree there is a water spigot that the tree grew around. Little did we know that the pipe was active and at one point there was a “spring” flowing out of the top of the tree where the two large branches split. The squirrels were drinking out of it. We promptly got a plumber out to cut off the pipe! But this led to the trees demise.”
Pecan tree fallen across the roof of the house in 2011

Fallen pecan tree covering most of the house roof

Large pecan tree branches after falling on the house
Pecan tree trunk and branches down across the property
Pecan log sections cut from the fallen tree
Thank you again for letting me share the story.  I believe what we picked up was the log on the far right of the photo.

Counterflow Homebrew Chiller

I then un-coiled my 50 feet of 3/8 inch OD copper tubing, measured and cut a 25 foot piece. I am thinking about using the other 25 feet for a pre-chiller / Emerson Chiller. The ground water is pretty warm here in the summer. I also cut 24 feet of garden hose.
Then I coiled it around a 10 gal corny keg
Then I put the ends on and loosely zip stripped it together.
Next thing is to test it and make sure everything is water tight. Looks like it passes!

Shop Dust Collector – Harbor Freight 2HP Collector

I picked up the very popular Harbor Freight 2 Horse Power Dust Collector for about $150.00 bucks. I think Wood magazine usually has the coupon in it.

Harbor Freight 2 Horse Power Dust Collector, freshly unboxed

I am not the original designer of this modification, you probably ran across a few others before you got to this site. This is just my implementation. After unpacking, the first thing I did was paint it up.

Painted Harbor Freight dust collector with the impeller intake guard cut out

As you can see in the picture above, I cut out the guard in the impeller intake. I read in several places that they had issues with it getting plugged and I did not want to take it apart latter. I will be using a cyclone as well, but that will be a separate post.

Wynn Environmental 35A Series Cartridge Kit installed on the dust collector base

I put the base together and added the new Wynn Environmental35A Series Cartridge Kit

Dust collector motor and impeller housing mounted on plywood with vibration damping mounts

Then I mounted the motor and the impeller housing on a piece of plywood mounted to the wall. I also used vibration damping mounts I got from McMaster.

Dust collector mounting holes lined up on the wall-mounted plywood

When mounting it up, I made sure the holes lined up.

5 inch hose sealing the dust collector housing

Sealed it up by cutting a piece of the 5 inch hose that came with the dust collector

Harbor Freight 2 Horse Power Dust Collector fully assembled and tested

Here is a shot of the Harbor Freight 2 Horse Power Dust Collector all assembled and tested. The gaping whole will be filled with a Thein Cyclone, I will cover that in another post.

Finished dust collector setup with the gap left open for a future Thein cyclone

Home Brew Pre-Chiller

Sometimes the tap water is just not cold enough to do the job required to cool the product. Here is what I did to create a pre-chiller. The idea is to have the water run through the copper coil that is packed in ice.

I spooled up 25 feet of 3/8 inch Inside diameter copper tubing around a corny keg. I left one piece long so I could pull it up from the bottom.
I then created all the angles I needed, I made the top bends to hang on the top of the Gotts cooler. I also pulled the coils apart a bit to try and get better efficiency.
 I added hose lines making sure that the in line was connected to the line that goes to the bottom.
  I put it in the cooler to make sure everything would fit.
  Here is a close shot:
Now to check and see if it is water tight….Looks like it is.
 Enjoy!

Zero Clearance Porter Cable Table Saw Inserts

Here is what I did to make table saw zero clearance inserts for my Porter Cable PCB270TS
First I cut some scrap ½ inch plywood to the same basic dimensions as the factory insert. Using small screws attached the insert to the wood:
Plywood blank cut to the same dimensions as the factory table saw insert, temporarily screwed together
I then trimmed the corners and using my router table and the factory insert as a guide, cleaned up the ½ inch plywood to have the same outside dimensions as the factory insert.
Trimming the plywood insert blank on the router table using the factory insert as a guide
I then made a template to mark the leveling screw holes. I drilled the holes from the top, if there is any tear out it will be on the bottom.
Leveling screw holes marked and drilled into the plywood zero-clearance insert blank
I then routed out about 3/8 inch material from the bottom leaving about 1/8 for the top. I used the factory insert as a template, so It is not exact. I went about 3/8 inch in around the ends and ¾ inch in from the sides.
Underside of the insert routed out to leave a thin top layer, using the factory insert as a template
This is not necessary, but I put on a coat of schlack and sand down.
Zero-clearance insert after a coat of shellac finish and sanding
I lowered my blade all the way down, inserted the insert, placed the fence over it and slowly raised the blade slowly until it was completely raised and through the insert. I had to use a 7 ¼ inch blade and then a 10 inch. The 10 inch would not lower enough to allow the insert to seat. Make sure your blade will not hit the fence when it comes up.
Table saw blade slowly raised through the new plywood insert to self-cut its kerf
I like the knife behind the blade. So using a ¼ inch bit, the smallest I have. I drilled out an area long enough for the knife.
Clearance slot routed into the insert for the table saw's riving knife
And there you have it:
Finished shop-made zero-clearance insert installed in the Porter Cable table saw

Partial / Mini Mash Tun

I wanted to create a partial / mini mash tun and stop using the grain bags I had. I also wanted to learn a little more about the all grain process, while using recipes I already knew. Here is what I did:
1 – 2 Gal cooler
1-  stopper
1 – Stainless steel braided water line
½ “ – OD copper line
2 – Hose Clamps
Remove the spigot:
Cut 3.5 inches of the copper line and cut the ends off the stainless steel line, and then cut yourself about 6 inch section. Slide the steel braiding off the plastic tubing and assemble everything as show below:
  When you get ready to mash, put the stopper over the copper line and seal the drain hole with it, placing the big end of the stopper inside the cooler:
You then need about 12 inches of tubing and a tube pincher (your brew store will have them) attached to the outside of your coolers copper tubing:
I have been using the old 1 ¼ quart of water per pound of grain measurements.
I would like to give a very special thanks to James Spenser @ www.basicbrewing.comthis is his idea, and they have some really good pod and video casts!
Partial / Mini-Mash Tun mash instructions:
Put your mini-mash tun together and carefully fill it with hot water to make sure there are no leaks. Using hot water also preheats the mash tun. At the same time bring 1 1/4 qts of water per pound of grain to 155 degrees*. Empty the still hot water out of your mash tun and pour in the measured water you just brought up to 155 degrees. Add in your milled grains and stir. Close the lid and set your timer for 45 min. After 45 min. timer goes off, move your brew pot to a location lower than the valve on your mash tun and open the valve allowing the liquid to flow from the mash tun into the brew pot. Pour 170 degree* water evenly over the grain using approx. 1 quart of water per 2 lb of grain. and wait until nearly all the water has dripped out; tipping if necessary. Put your brew pot back on the burner add enough water to get it to 2 1/2 gallons and turn on the heat. Stir in your malt extract and continue heating until boiling.
Continue to brew like you normally do….

* Varies by recipe

Bowl Blanks Part 4 – Sealing the ends

Last night I went ahead and put 1 coat of Anchor seal on the edges of the blanks. I put the second coat on this morning. I must have done a good job on the first coat, the second coat beaded up quite a bit.

Freshly cut wood bowl blanks with a coat of green Anchor Seal wax applied to the end grain
Second coat of Anchor Seal beading up on the sealed end grain of a wood blank

So far I am pretty happy with Anchor Seal. I still have a little left in the quart I purchased. I put 3 coats on both ends of the log and I am on the second coat of the blanks. I got it for $16.00, it is a bit more than the Latex Exterior paint I saw at WalMart. The only slight concern I have is the heat, I dont think it will be an issue but I will let you know.

Kegerator Build

Here is what I started with. Just a basic freezer that you can pick up just about anywhere, Craigs List, Used appliance store, I got mine at HD for $168.00
Basic chest freezer used as the starting point for the kegerator build
I made the 2×8 frame using the guide of the inside lip, which is about 2 inches wide. I then added the pine facing using the outside lip as a guide, which is about 1 inch wide but is slightly higher that the 2×8 frame. This offset the pine facing (basically I was using the original freezer as a jig) This allowed for a nice seating of the freezer door.
Wood collar frame built to match the freezer's inner lip
Wood collar frame with pine facing added
Wood collar frame test-fit on the freezer
I screwed it all together recessing the screws so I could putty them up later for a clean finish.
Collar frame screwed together with recessed screw holes
To get the lid to seal right I had to cut back some of the 1×8 to get the hinges to fit against the 2×8 and the lid to seal properly.
Trimmed collar wood to seat the freezer lid properly
I then drilled the holes for the taps. I placed them all to the right so all the lines will be out of the way of the kegs and let me store the liquid lines out of the way.
Holes drilled in the collar for the beer taps
Tap holes drilled along one side of the collar
 I then sanded the heck out of the frame and applied the first coat of the “shiny mix”
First coat of finish applied to the sanded collar
Here we are after about 5 coats, sanding after each coat had dried.
Collar frame after five coats of finish, sanded between coats
When the frame dried, I set it back in the freezer applying some kitchen adhesive between the frame and the freezer. When it dried a couple of hours later, I set the lid back on and set the hinges to the closed position and screwed them in the collar with some 2 inch screws.
Finished collar frame reattached to the freezer with hinges
 I then got the plumbing done. The CO2 lines can be cut to short convenient lengths. I made the initial mistake of cutting the tap lines to nice, short, lines for that clean appearance. Wrong! The tap lines need to be 5-6 feet long, It makes a huge difference!
CO2 and tap line plumbing installed on the kegerator
I placed the probe in the center of the 4 kegs.
Temperature probe placed in the center of the four kegs
Here is the completed kegerater. I still wanna dress it up a little, maybe add a bottle opener, Drip Tray, who knows. The possibilities are endless.
Completed kegerator with wood collar and four tap lines
The beauty of using the wood collar is it can be removed to restore the keezer to a freezer. Just in case you need to sell it and buy a bigger keezer.

Bowl Blanks Part 3 – The Borax treatment

To protect my freshly cut pecan bowl blanks and other blanks that are not bowls from bugs, I created a Borax solution loosely based on this article. I created a mixture of 1 pound 14 ounces 20 Mule Team Borax and 3 gallons of warm water.

Bucket of Borax solution mixed for treating freshly cut pecan bowl blanks against bugs

I then dipped the blanks in the solution, pulled them out and let the excess drip back into the bucket.

Pecan bowl blank being dipped into the Borax solution, letting the excess drip back into the bucket
I then set the blanks on some metal racks that I have to continue drying. Later tonight or tommorow I will Anchor Seal the end grain.
Borax-treated pecan bowl blanks set on metal racks to continue drying

Homebrew Yeast starter

Yeast Starter How-To
A yeast starter is used as a preliminary method to begin yeast fermentation. For high gravity beers, the yeast starter is necessary for an active fermentation. This procedure will take approx. 12 – 18 hours. Be prepared to either brew, or refrigerate the yeast mixture until ready to brew.
SANITIZE EVERYTHING FIRST!
Remove the yeast at least 6 hours prior to pitching into flask. (White Labs)
Yeast Slap the pack 24 hours before you want to start.
  1. Make sure everything is clean to the eye. Then clean and sanitize using your normal sanitizer the way you normally would.
  2. Bring 3 cups (720ml) of water to a boil and turn off heat.
  3. Add 1/8 tsp of yeast nutrient, either Fermax or Wyeast
  4. Add light Dry Malt Extract (DME), 3oz (approximately ½ cup) Or 3 table spoons of the malt extract you are going to use for batch. Stir until everything is dissolved. Return the solution to a boil approx 15 minutes.
  5. Careful not to burn yourself, remove the solution from the heat and pour into the 1000ml Erlenmeyer flask. Imerse the flask into an ice bath and cool to approximately 70 degrees, about 10-15 minutes.
  6. Prepare you yeast
    1. White Labs: Shake the yeast container to breakup the solid yeast bed. Open the container.
    2. Wyeast: Open the shake and then open the packet.
    3. Dry Yeast: Prepare using the instructions on the packet.
  7. Pitch the yeast into the room temperature water/malt mix in your flask.
  8. Swirl the mixture aerating it well.
  9. Fill your sanitized air lock with water or vodka.
  10. Put the sanitized air lock and stopper in the mouth.
  11. Allow the mixture to set in a dark place at room temperature.
  12. Your airlock should start bubbling in about 12 hours. Fermentation has started.
  13. When fermentation is evident, the yeast starter is ready.
  14. Pitch the yeast starter as you normally would when you brew. Remember to swirl the yeast mixture in the flask very well to re suspend all the yeast from the bottom of the flask.
!!!Be prepared for highly vigorous fermentation – Blow-off setup recommended!!!
For Mead:

Honey Starter (For all meads):

  1. Make sure everything is clean to the eye. Then clean and sanitize using your normal sanitizer the way you normally would.
  2. Warm 3 cups (720ml) of water and turn off heat.
  3. Add 1/4 tsp of yeast nutrient, either Fermax or Wyeast
  4. Add 1 cup of honey from the batch you are going to brew. Stir until everything is dissolved.
  5. Careful not to burn yourself, remove the solution from the heat and pour into the 1000ml Erlenmeyer flask. Imerse the flask into an ice bath and cool to approximately 70 degrees, about 10-15 minutes.
  6. Prepare you yeast
    1. White Labs: Shake the yeast container to breakup the solid yeast bed. Open the container.
    2. Wyeast: Open the shake and then open the packet.
    3. Dry Yeast: Prepare using the instructions on the packet.
  7. Pitch the yeast into the room temperature water/honey mix in your flask.
  8. Swirl the mixture aerating it well.
  9. Fill your sanitized air lock with water or vodka.
  10. Put the sanitized air lock and stopper in the mouth.
  11. Allow the mixture to set in a dark place at room temperature.
  12. Your airlock should start bubbling in about 24 – 48 hours. Fermentation has started.
  13. When fermentation is evident, the yeast starter is ready.
  14. Pitch the yeast starter as you normally would when you brew. Remember to swirl the yeast mixture in the flask very well to re suspend all the yeast from the bottom of the flask.