[TheForge] new topic

[Walter Mullett]

Any extra insulation around the house will obviously help but I don't think
I would want a compost pile against my house.  I've opened mine up too many
times and have seen the glowing embers.  Even the wet manure pile will go to
ash in the middle.  I like the stacked straw bales around the foundation
better.

The compost / manure pile heater has some possible merit as supplemental
heat but it would take a lot of work to manage. 

Walt 

-----Original Message-----
From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of David E. Smucker
Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2005 8:04 AM
To: artgawk at thegrid.net; Sponsored by ABANA
Subject: Re: [TheForge] new topic

Peter is a 100 percent correct on manure around foundations.  My grandfather
used to do this when they farmed with horses.  He was in north central
Illinois.  Each fall they would put manure and straw around the foundation
of the house and each spring it would go on the garden.  As a boy it was my
Dad's job to get the horses out of the pasture (summer time) for the field
work.  He hated that in the wet grass -- used to say that is why he became a
engineer because he sure didn't want to be a farmer -- yet in his last years
he sure loved his garden.

As to shop size I like big and am dividing mine into a "clean" area and
"dirty" area, about 1/4 clean and the rest dirty.  Gas (propane) in the
small area, wood heat in the large area.  In the clean area are my machine
tools, bench, and tool and part storage (nuts, bolts, small hardware).  In
the dirty area are the forge, power hammer, welding bench and area, large
wood working tools and drive in area etc.  The wall between the two areas is
framed, but not finished yet.  I have to balance finishing the shop and work
on the house you know.

Dave Smucker