We made this basic and cheap maple syrup evaporator for less than $50, and it took less than an afternoon to put together. So you can file it under “cheap” and “easy” — but you can also file it under “effective.” We used it to boil down a season’s worth of sap from 18 taps […]
How-To
Making Maple Syrup: A Reasonable Reading List
Our approach to learning new things — like, say, making maple syrup — could fairly be called a “Learning-Based Approach,” and could perhaps more honestly be described as “slightly willy-nilly.” It goes generally like this: Get interested in new hobby or skill Read just a little bit online Buy the requisite materials — or the […]
Rustic Standing Desk Design — Under $100 and Easy to Build
I’ve now built two rustic standing desks for a couple of Annie’s colleagues. There are supposedly health benefits to a standing desk and there are plenty of “hacks” to give yourself a standing desk equivalent. But shouldn’t it look good, too? This simple rustic standing desk design is easy and remarkbly cheap and adapted from things […]
How to Build Solid, Simple Sawhorses in Under an Hour
A good set of sawhorses is indispensible. Somehow, though, we made it through summer working on sawhorses that are old, rickety, and too short. Now that we’ve built these cheap, rock solid, and simple sawhorses, we’re wondering why we insisted on suffering for so long. This post is short because this project is short (and […]
How to Clean an Aquacera Ceramic Water Filter
The Aquacera Traveler XL water filter is ridiculously easy to clean and maintain, and the ceramic filters themselves are easy to replace when it comes time. For starters, the filter is sturdy and solid but easy to deconstruct. The lid sits atop the top (unfiltered) reservoir and this top reservoir tank sits nestled into the […]