Posts Tagged ‘hobbies’
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
Some people avoid home improvement power tools because they are afraid of hurting themselves. Safety is often a matter of common sense; all it takes is awareness of what basic power tools do and how to use them properly.
There are six basic home improvement power tools that should be in everybody’s toolbox, regardless of gender: a power drill, power sander, reciprocating saw, power stapler, power nailer, and compound miter saw. By using these tools, women and men can gain confidence and do basic home repairs.
Power drills are simple to operate. You put in the proper size drill bit and turn it on to drill a hole. With some practice, you can easily learn what size hole to drill for various projects.
Similarly, power sanders do exactly what their name implies. They save you from having to put hard work into sanding furniture, walls, or wood by hand. Be sure to wear protective goggles when using a power sander, as the machine kicks up a ton of dust.
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Tags: family, gardening, hobbies, home improvement, homes, information, other, power tools, shopping
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Monday, September 21st, 2009
Preserving and Staining Your Teak
It genuinely isn’t all that necessary to defend teak furnishings. Teakwood is really exclusive in the fact that if you leave it in its organic state, it really doesn’t require any care. If you leave your teak furniture outdoors 24 hours a day seven days a week 365 days a year and not have to worry about it, this is even if the weather conditions in your area are extreme. It is because of this that people really love outdoor teak furnishings.
It is true that after being exposed to the sun for a lengthy period of time that teak wood will start to turn a silvery gray color, but this is a inborn process and doesn’t harm the structural integrity of the wood at all.
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Tags: crafts, furniture, gardening, hobbies, home furnishings, home improvement, home repair, how to, imports, landscaping, maintenance, outdoors, self-help, yard and garden
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Sunday, September 20th, 2009
The method of wrapping copper or aluminum wire around the branches or trunk of a bonsai tree to shape it is known as wiring. In order to create basic bonsai styles, you need to wrap the trunk and branches with the proper thickness and length of wire. There’s no requirement for wrapping if you want your bonsai to grow in the formal upright style, but the cascade needs meticulous wiring for a period of a few months or longer.
Wiring puts stress on the tree’s trunk and branches. Because of this stress, you need to be extremely cautious and patient so as not to damage the tree. Improper technique could easily result in broken branches or even worse, a damaged trunk that causes the tree to perish. Another error is to wrap in too constricting a fashion or in the wrong season. This will lead to damage from scarring that could take a long time to heal, or it could even kill the tree.
Before you tackle your actual tree, practice with a basic wooden pole or small tree branch. You’ll get experience holding the branch while concurrently wrapping from doing this. As soon as you’re at ease hanging on to the branch one-handed while wrapping with your other hand, not pulling or bending anything expect the wrapped part, you may then move on to the bonsai tree.
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Tags: bonsai, bonsai tree, bonsai wiring, gardening, hobbies, indoor gardening
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Friday, September 18th, 2009
Having a compost pile in your backyard is good for you but it is also very good for the environment. It is not troublesome or time consuming if done right. There is also a misconception that compost is smelly and messy , but if the pile is put together right this is not the case.
There are some that would rather buy their fertilizer and soil amendments from their local garden store. I believe it is best to stay as natural as possible, stay away from chemical fertilizers. There really is no hassle in making a compost in your backyard from items that were destined for the garbage can.
When you begin a kitchen composter program the materials that you will need and the items that you will use are free. The cost of chemical fertilizers and other items from the local gardening store are constantly on the rise. With a little bit of time and the right ingredients you can produce the best fertilizer known to man in the convenience of your own backyard.
Compost will provide more of the nutrients and minerals that your plants need. The effects of natural compost will last longer than store bought fertilizers.
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Tags: compost, compost crock, compost tumblers, compost waste, envirocycle composter, family, garden, gardening, hobbies, home and family, home and family:gardening, home and family:hobbies, kitchen compost, outdoors
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Wednesday, September 16th, 2009
So you have probably heard of iRobot’s Roomba and the Scooba robot floor cleaner. But have you heard of an incredible robot lawn mower called RoboMower? This amazing robot mower is best described in one word: killer. No more doing the same old boring “mow the lawn” chore. No more having to pony up to your kids to mow the lawn or worse, a professional gardener. This amazing robot lawn mower will hook you up.
What can the RoboMower, robot lawn mower do that is so impressive?
*This robot lawn mower can automatically cut your lawn grass.
*You will not have to do the tedious task of collecting the lawn clippings after its finished mowing the lawn.
*This robot lawn mower is not like your gas engine mower. It has an electric motor which means it is so quiet you can hardly even hear it!
*This robot is good for the environment. No more having to deal with toxic and flammable gas, oil, or exhaust. This robot is quiet and efficient.
*This lawn mower is the easiest lawn mower in the world to use. You hardly do more than turn it on and let it go about its business.
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Tags: gardening, hobbies, hobby, robot, robot lawn mower, technology
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Thursday, August 27th, 2009
by Rhonda Abrons
Worm excretion, also known as Vermiculture, is an excellent way to fertilize your garden organically. Listed below is a step by step guide to get you started on creating your own worm compost fertilizer.
Get a Container
For best results, acquire a container that is eight to twelve inches deep. In addition, wood is an excellent material for your worm compost as it absorbs moisture and insulates the worms. There are some who prefer a rectangular shaped plastic container; however these tend to make the compost soggy.
Have Plenty of Holes in the Bottom
It is important to drill holes at least two inches apart all across the bottom of your container. If you are using a plastic container, it will need several addition holes. Once your holes are drilled, place the container on bricks to lift it off the ground. This will allow air flow to circulate under and through the container. It is also very important to keep a tray underneath your container in order to catch any excess moisture. This excess liquid can be used as liquid fertilizer. If you notice your compost seems extra soggy, simply add more holes to the bottom.
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Tags: compost, diet, fertilizer, gardening, gardening tips, health, hobbies, organic gardening, vermiculture, worms
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Sunday, August 9th, 2009
by Chris Channing
Gardens are expensive. At least, they are initially when you are buying all of the supplies needed to build it, maintain it, and harvest the fruits of your labor. Don’t frown just yet, you can still have your cake and eat it to. Cutting costs in building a garden is easy so long as you know your way around the gardening world.
The first step is to design your garden. If you are completely new to the world of gardening, be prepared to take in a lot of information at once! You can get free books and audio discs regarding the subject at your library if you have a pass. Otherwise you can use the Internet to find free websites or magazines that will give you the help you need during the planning stage.
Think about where you could go to buy a plant. Odds are you thought of your local nursery or garden center. This is usually the worst place to go, since the prices are steeper than what you would pay elsewhere. The only benefit they have is that they have a large variety, and also have large discounts for products that are out of the current season.
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Tags: a, advice, all, articles, d, e, etc, f, family, food;drink, g, gardening, general, h, hobbies, home, home & family, home improvement, i, internet, l, n, o, r
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Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
by Jessie Walters
Hypertufa is something like an artificial stone which was invented as a substitute for the natural volcanic rock called Tufa. It’s a tufa resembling material used to make a wide variety of garden art objects. In this article we will see how easy it is to make hypertufa at home.
Hypertufa is made from various ingredients and was developed to replicate the real Tufa rock. It’s a mixture of Portland cement, peat moss, sand, perlite, vermiculite, and water. There are a number of recipes you can mix up. The most basic recipe is sand (or perlite) mixed together with cement and peat moss.
It’s quite amazing what you can do with hypertufa. It’s great for plant containers, pots, planters, troughs, stepping stones, pedestals, columns, leaves, garden spheres, fake rocks and boulders, sculptures, totems, and so on. A great way to spruce up your garden.
Making hypertufa is not much different than a child making mud pies. It’s equally fun. You need a mixture and a mold. For molds you can use all kinds of items you can find around the house. Tupperware, pans, pots, various containters, cardboard boxes, wastebaskets, even halloween masks can come in handy.
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Tags: crafts, diy, garden art, garden decor, gardening, hobbies, hypertufa, landscaping
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Sunday, July 12th, 2009
by Ryan Henders
As a woodworker, the tools and equipment you use is what defines you. Most of the tools and not cheap to purchase. Furthermore, if you do not maintain them well, important tools will become blunt and rendered useless.
Keeping the woodworking tools sharp does not only make for precision work it reduces the possibility of accidents as well. This means that you are going to have to invest in some tools just to do the job of keeping the others sharpened. The problem is how do you know which ones to buy for what tool. What you are going to need will also be determined as to the type of woodworking you do. Each specialized area has its own tool requirements. For example, if you do woodcarving or construct wood furniture then your needs will be different.
There are some tools that you can hand sharpen but there are others that will require power sharpeners. You will need to learn about each one of your tools then determine what will be needed to sharpen them.
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Tags: diy, garden, gardening, general, hobbies, home and family, home improvement, landscaping, outdoor, recreation, shed, Shed Plans, woodworking
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Friday, July 3rd, 2009
by Ryan Henders
Don’t you just hate it when the neighbor comes over to borrow one of your precious paintbrushes? Then a day or two later he lets you know that he returned your brush back to the workshop. You go to use it a week or two later and it’s hard as a rock. Simple answer it wasn’t cleaned properly.
No doubt if you are into doing a lot of various painting, you have a good selection of brushes and probably some more expensive ones as well. The first thing you need to learn is to clean and maintain your paintbrushes properly.
Even if you clean your brushes but do an improper job then the paint job you do with them is going to be inferior as well. All too often, a novice painter will blame a poor paint job on the paint when the real culprit is a poorly cared for paintbrush. If you don?t get yourself into the habit of cleaning your brushes properly then you might as well throw your money away because you are going to have to toss the brushes.
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Tags: diy, garden, gardening, general, hobbies, home and family, home improvement, landscaping, outdoor, recreation, shed, Shed Plans, woodworking
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