Slick Tips and Handy Hints (2)

A handy tool for clearing leaves, straw, and pieces of ice from tanks and water troughs can be made from an old pitchfork. Just weave the tines through a piece of 1/4"-mesh hardware cloth that's big enough to cover the entire business end of the tool, and fasten the sieve-like material down with hog rings or baling wire.

To remove a large tree stump safely and with little effort, lay brick in a loose, circular wall all the way around the "molar". Put down a bed of charcoal briquettes, coal, or other slow-burning fuel inside the barrier, light it, and cover the smoldering blaze with sheet metal or non-combustible wallboard. The fire will often last for several days, and one burning is usually enough to char the stump to six or eight inches below the ground. Fill the hole with sod, and plant flowers or grass!

Don't throw those broken hacksaw blades away! Next time you need to cut metal that's in a difficult or tight place, simply clamp a section of the "scrap" in a pair of vise-grip pliers and saw away!

If you're carrying a chain saw in your pickup or car—or storing one—you can protect the tool's cutting edge with a simple device made from a section of rubber hose equal to the length of the chain. Split the piece on one side, and slip it over the sharp links. Fashion large elastic bands from an old inner tube, and loop them over the whole works to keep the guard in place.

In order to quickly find the right wrench for the right job, paint each arm of every wrench a different color . . . and paint boltheads in corresponding colors on machinery where the wrenches are used. This'll not only save you time when you're looking for tools, but—more important—it'll ensure that you never deform a bolthead by applying the wrong wrench to it.