| Celebrating International Picnic Day? 4 Nifty Ways to Chill Beer Without a Fridge Posted: Ever been on a backpacking or camping trip, or on a picnic in a hot place and the beer you brought is warm? Getting cool beers without a fridge or a cool box is possible provided you have access to a few natural elements and a little patience. Steps Wind and Sock Method - Buy your beer in glass bottles rather than cans. Glass bottles work best for the wind method.
- Place the bottle in one of your socks. A single adult sock should fit perfectly, and even up to 1 litre/40 oz bottles will fit.
- Cool the beer. Wet the beer-in-the-sock completely. Do this either in a stream, river, under tap water, with bottled water, etc.--just make sure it's completely wet! Place the beer in an open place where it will receive lots of wind (the stronger the wind, the colder the beer will become).
- It is best to hang it - use a fence post, tree branch, wing mirror, etc., to get a flowing breeze moving around the bottle.[1]
- Without a strong breeze or a good amount of wind, this method won't work particularly well on a hot day.
- Let the beer stand for a good 20-30 minutes to cool down. The longer you leave it, the cooler it should become. Have a nap while you wait.
Newspaper Method - Tear the newspaper into longer thin strips.
- Wet the paper.
- Wrap paper around each bottle.
- Leave for the water to evaporate from the paper and cool the drinks.
Water Method Cans cooling in the river - Insert the beer bottle or can into the sock, if using.
- Dunk the beer-in-the-sock, or bare bottle/can, into the water of a stream, lake, river, etc.
- Be sure to anchor the beer to something, or nestle the bottle into rocks, to avoid losing it.
- Check after 10 minutes, as this tends to cool beer faster than the above methods.
- Once the time is up, remove the bottle from its windy or watery spot and peel off the wet sock. Crack open the beer and enjoy!
Salt and Ice Method This method will cool your beers faster and works with cans as well as bottles, but is effective only if you have salt and ice handy. It's described in further detail in How to Chill a Drink Quickly. - Fill a bowl (the thicker and/or more insulated the better) with water and add ice to it. Add as much ice to the water as you can, but not so much that it prevents the entire beverage container from being submerged into the water. A 50/50 mix of ice and water is a good rule of thumb.
- Add table salt to the ice. A small handful should do. Adding salt lowers the freezing temperature of the water. That means that the water can get colder than the normal freezing temperature (32F, 0C) without turning into ice.
- Place your drinks in the ice water solution and rapidly stir them all around for 2-5 minutes. By stirring, you're using forced convection to speed the transfer of heat out of your drink and into the ice water solution.
Video Tips - As stated above, with the "windy option", the windier the place you put it, the cooler the beer. The water is evaporating and the heat exchange causes the beer to become cooler.
- Lay your sock out to dry for the evening. If it's your only sock, use a different item of clothing to provide the wet-cooling effect.
- Use smaller beer bottles for women's socks.
Warnings - Be prepared to have to dry a sock or two the next day. If possible, try to use a clean sock...
- Always take all of your trash with you after being in the outdoors. Don't leave bottles, cans, lids, or plastic holders out for wildlife to ingest.
Things You'll Need - Sock
- Bottle of beer
- Water
- Wind or stream, water body
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| How to Build a Sawbuck for Cutting Firewood Posted: A simple rough sawbuck or sawhorse may be built in the woods for a camp or lodge. One of the most useful tools for cutting firewood is a good "X" shaped sawbuck. The rustic form shown here can be made in the field from available materials. A sawbuck is a special kind of sawhorse framed for holding rough wood so you can saw it into lengths suitable for use in a stove or fireplace. The sawbuck basically consists of two "X" forms -- one at each end -- which may be stabilized by a third (central) "X". The long firewood to be cut is placed in the top ("V") part of the "X" pieces where it may then be sawed. Steps You can shorten the base and/or the "V" if it's too tall. - Cut the "V" form portion at an angle as shown.
- Place the middle of the "X" a little taller for use with a chainsaw rather than for a bow saw, if you prefer.
- Design the sawbuck/sawhorse as shown in the illustrations. Tailor the design as you desire or require.
- Use suitable boards for your project. Nominal 2X6s or 2X4s of pine (southern yellow or lodgepole or white), or spruce will be fine.
- Decide the taller height that you think you may want, namely, cut the "X" pieces about 48 inches (1.22 meters) long.
- Adjust the height according to what feels right to you.
- Consider starting with one (the first) "X" temporarily attached together with two nails/screws to see how tall and wide that you want to make it.
- Take it apart and angle-cut and trim the angle of the "V" as shown in the photo above. This angled cutting of the "V" will make it less top-heavy.
- Use this as your pattern for the rest.
- Feature: the "V" part allows you to nestle and cut two or more narrow poles or tree limbs (around 3 to 8 feet (91.44 cm x 44 meters) in length) with a chainsaw, to make your firewood quickly.
Cutting poles or split wood for firewood using bow-saw or bucksaw and a special "X" shaped sawbuck/sawhorse. Heavier bracing than this may be needed to be durable. This one is of a low height based on 36 inch (91.44 cm) uprights with a possibly weak cross-bracing. - Caution: A lightweight sawbuck might lead to an injury if it falls over while cutting. Don't use a smaller sawbuck for chainsaw work.
- Make the sawbuck fold if wished. One way to connect the sawbuck together is to use one big bolt of about a 4 inch (10.16 cm) long, and 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) in diameter. Put it in the exact same placement at the center of each "X", using extra-large washers, so that it can be clamped together and loosened to fold for storage. Consider screwing on a leg spacer-brace on each "X". Then unscrew the end spacer-brace to allow the "X" to fold.
- To build a non-folding sawbuck, simply connect the "X" forms together, and use 4 to 6 nails/screws driven permanently into about the center of each "X".
Video
This is another kind of "sawbuck" for extending a miter saw table to support long pieces of wood/lumber for cutting with the miter saw. You could be able to cut straight limbs and poles for firewood with this kind of sawbuck for a "miter saw".
Tips - For a sawbuck left outdoors in weather, you might prefer lumber that is pressure treated to resist rot and insects.
- Possibly start with a demo, "prototype" version: Consider a temporary first version -- perhaps smaller and simpler than it might be ideally, with old scrap lumber from shipping pallets or other 1x4 or 1x6 boards, just to give you the chance to try out a design and height.
- Add some extra bracing near the bottom and across the end of the legs for strength, weight and stability.
- Then, in a year or two, try a new improved design with 2x4s or 2x6s.
Warnings - Avoid tipping the sawbuck over due to chainsaw kickback while cutting. The base should be built heavily enough to be stable.
This setup is a professional approach to safety.
Things You'll Need - Circular saw or handsaw, tape measure, square;
- Hammer
- Zinc-galvanized nails, 3.5 inch (approx);
- Or: Electric drill
- Zinc-galvanized screws, 3.5 inch long;
- Lumber, of the type you prefer
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| How do you like to celebrate Father's Day? 7 Ideas: Posted: Father's Day has been celebrated for over 100 years. It's also an event celebrated in many countries around the world, although at different times of the year. In North America and the United Kingdom, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June. [1] Here are some tips to help you celebrate Father's Day in a special way. Steps - Help dad to enjoy the day. Perhaps you'll let him sleep in this morning, or perhaps you won't badger him to be somewhere on time, for a change, Whatever it is, let it be his day. Some nice ways to start it include:
- Make it a family event. Father's Day is by nature a family event. Use this opportunity to get everyone in the family together for a fun day. Think about including all the dads in your family, not just your own father. Could your celebration include husbands, would-be future dads, your uncles, and brothers? If so, do it—the more the merrier! And don't forget step-fathers—they're important too. You don't have to remain at home; you could go to the beach, a local park, a favorite spot of dad's!
- Consider building the celebration around an activity you all can enjoy. Some ideas include:
- Be creative. When it comes to making gifts for Father's Day, perhaps steer clear of the traditional store-bought gifts of tie and socks. He's probably still got last year's socks stuffed at the back of the drawer. Expensive or typical gifts are not necessary, but the time and effort you put in to create a personalized tribute, will be deeply appreciated. Instead, let your own creative abilities shine and make him something special:
- Celebrate your shared experiences. Look at old photos of you and your dad doing fun things together. Take a walk down memory lane by creating either a photo album or a photo slideshow. You may be surprised at how many things you both have forgotten about and how much they mean to you.
- Especially if he doesn't talk much about his life, consider recording his voice or taking notes as you talk about old times or old photographs. Make his words and memories part of the family history.
- Acknowledge the importance of fatherhood. Being a father is a tough job. Dads are responsible for at least one half of the financial and emotional well-being of the family. A thoughtful card, a letter, or short speech that expresses your love will benefit both you and your dad. Giving dad a heartfelt speech, toast, or card of genuine, loving words at the dinner table, or at some other point when all the family are around (siblings especially), will make this a poignant occasion. Here are some ways to prepare:
- Make the day joyful. The most important aspect of the day is that you are present and attentive. It does not take material presents to make a dad happy—it takes showing your love, and reassuring your dad that you're proud of him and all he's done for you. For many fathers, the most rewarding part of being a father is feeling that your children love you, and the knowledge that each child is on a path to a successful future, no matter what age, coping well with the problems that life inevitably throws at us all.
- End his "Fun-filled day by telling your father you love him. Don't forget his hug and kiss!
Video Tips - Don't forget the camera. Pictures will help you remember the day in the future.
- While your relationship with your dad may not always have been perfect, it shaped some elements of your life today. There will be inevitable conflict as a father tries to guide you to adulthood. You may resent times when your dad may have been strict but appreciate his efforts to steer you in a good direction. Fathers guide us in many ways: some we understand clearly at the time, others we may not appreciate until much later.
- Understand that becoming a father requires learning on the job. No one is born knowing how to be a great father.
- If you feel that you've let your dad down in past, now might be a good time to tell him that you're sorry for past hurts. Remember that just as your dad was not perfect, neither were you. Use Father's Day as an opportunity to tell him that you love and appreciate him. When he is gone, you will wish you had.
Warnings - Avoid arguing. This is a special day, not one for bringing up upsets.
Things You'll Need - Handmade gifts
- Homemade food
- Place to celebrate
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