I love projects. My wife loves blogs. Hence, she made a blog for me to document my successes (and failures). It's more for us than anyone else, but if we can help spark a few "Hey, we could do that..." thoughts for anyone else out there, then that's great.

I like to make things out of what other people would consider "junk". I inherited the trait from my dad and grandpa, from the years I spent helping them out on the family wheat farm. When the equipment breaks down mid-harvest and the parts store is closed, you make it work with what's in the scrap pile.

Part of the fun is seeng what can be made for free or at a lower cost (which doesn't hurt when money is tight). The rest is in working through the project and, of course, sitting back and admiring the finished product. I try not to come off as a hoarder, but I like to keep things that I would consider eventually useful. I rarely turn down anything free (so if you're even thinking about getting rid of that metal bedframe, you be sure to let me know).

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Landscape Rake

I enjoy a bit of yard work when I get the chance. With 99% of our landscaping unfinished, that "yard" work currently consists of weed control and rock removal, since 1) that seems to be all we have in our yard, and 2) it's something that can be done for relatively little money. That said, my dinky "normal" rake just wasn't cutting it, and I couldn't justify paying $45 or more for a real landscaping rake, so I figured I'd make one. What do you think?


3 inch screws weren't quite long enough for an effective rake, so I ended up buying some 4 inch (20 penny) nails for about $7. I pre-drilled and countersunk holes every 3/4 of an inch along a board about 39 inches long, then screwed another board to the back of that board (to keep the nails from falling out). Other boards were added as shown below.






I can now cover the ground about three times faster than when I was using the old rake, which is good because this picture only shows about a quarter of our lot. [Insert comment from Patrice: "You're the one who wanted a big yard..."]

Yes, I am, and someday it will be awesome...


P.S. The vinyl fence in the background is the reason none of the other landscaping has been done.

P.P.S. That little rock-planter-box area is the 1% that's finished (another post, maybe).

Materials:
     Scrap Wood
     Screws
     4 Inch Nails ($7)

Cost: $7

Time: About an hour
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