Labor-Saving DIY Projects for Any Homestead

By Skyhorse Publishing
Published on February 7, 2011
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Homemade Contrivances and How to Make Them is a must-have guide to completing useful, labor-saving projects to make life easier. A perfect book for any homesteader, backyard gardener, handyman or self-reliant enthusiast.  
Homemade Contrivances and How to Make Them is a must-have guide to completing useful, labor-saving projects to make life easier. A perfect book for any homesteader, backyard gardener, handyman or self-reliant enthusiast.  
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Make this simple, homemade basket for gathering crops or to use in the barn.
Make this simple, homemade basket for gathering crops or to use in the barn.
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Growing strawberries in a homemade barrel container makes it possible to produce your own juicy, red fruits — even if you only have a small backyard.
Growing strawberries in a homemade barrel container makes it possible to produce your own juicy, red fruits — even if you only have a small backyard.
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Build this convenient open-sided feeding shed for your animals.
Build this convenient open-sided feeding shed for your animals.
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This pitchfork holder is a quick way to contain all those sharp ends!
This pitchfork holder is a quick way to contain all those sharp ends!
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Try growing strawberries in a barrel for a new way to produce this tasty fruit.
Try growing strawberries in a barrel for a new way to produce this tasty fruit.

The following is an excerpt from Homemade Contrivances and How to Make Them(Skyhorse Publishing, 2007). Read simple plans for building your own hayrack, manger, a basket for gathering crops, a strawberry barrel and more in this self-reliant homesteader’s project guide. Be sure to check out the image gallery for helpful illustrations to accompany the DIY projects and explanations in the excerpt.

Hayrack and Manger

The front of the manger should be of oak or other hardwood plank, 2 inches thick and 1 foot wide. The lower edge is placed about 2 1/2 feet from the floor, and the bottom should be 1-foot wide. The side of the hayrack is 1-foot wide, the front is 18 inches wide, the top and bottom being of the same width so that hay will not lodge. The bottom is made from 1 1/2-inch hard board, and is placed 1 foot above the top of the manger. Two guards, 1 inch in diameter and 1 foot in length, are placed in an upright position across the opening. At the front of the manger is a swinging door that opens into the feed passage. The manger may have one end partitioned for feeding grain. All corners should be smoothed and rounded off, and to make it durable, attach a thin, flat bar of iron to the upper edge of the manger using screws or rivets. 

A Barn Basket

A barn basket or box can be used in the barn or in gathering crops. It is made of two pieces of light board, 12 inches square, for the ends and fastened together by laths 16, 18 or 20 inches long, for bottom and sides. These are securely nailed. The handle consists of a piece nailed to each end, and connected by a light bar. This box is quickly made and will be found very handy for gathering many crops in the field, as it may be made to hold exactly one bushel, half a bushel or any other definite quantity, by changing the size. To hold a bushel, which is 2,150 cubic inches, the box may be scant 20 inches long, 12 inches wide and 9 inches deep, or scant 18 inches long, 12 inches wide and 11 inches deep. For half a bushel: scant 18 inches long, 10 inches wide and 6 inches deep; or 15 inches long, 9 inches wide and 8 inches deep. For a peck: 10 inches long, 9 wide and 6 deep; or 8 inches square, and scant 8 1/2 inches deep. 

An Open Shed for Feeding

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