Houseworks: Tips for all around the home

Even small chainsaws made for pruning require oil in a reservoir to keep the cutting chain lubed. You won’t see much of this oil on the chain, but all it takes is a little. Photo by Photo Robert Maxwell Article content

Q Should I see oil on the cutting chain of my DEWALT cordless mini-chainsaw? With my other chainsaws you can see lots of oil on the chain, but with this one it’s only a tiny amount.

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A I’ve used many regular, gas-powered chainsaws, and I’ve noticed a big difference in the amount of oil dispensed by various machines. One of my saws actually kicks visible oil off the chain if the saw has been idling for a few minutes before a cut. But my newest saw only puts the tiniest amount of oil on the chain even with the output adjustment turned all the way up. The good news is that it only takes a little oil to keep the saw chain happy. If the oil level in your reservoir does go down with use, then I think you’ll be fine. If you can see even a little oil on the chain, then that’s all you need.

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Buying wheat for home-ground flour

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Q Where can I buy wheat to grind into flour?

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A That’s a great question, and there are several options. Amazon has a large offering. You’ll also find “wheat berries” (that’s what unground wheat is sometimes called), at most health food stores. The quality from these sources will be high, but so will the price. If you can find a farmer who grows wheat, you can get an 80-pound bag for less than a 10-lb. bag from retail sources. This is what I usually do for wheat I grind at my place. If you’ll be baking bread with your flour, go for hard red spring wheat. If you’ll be making pancakes or pasta, soft winter wheat will give you better results.

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Finishing a wooden stool

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Q What are my options for a simple wood finish on a stool that needs minimal protection?

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A My go-to finish for situations like yours is wipe-on polyurethane. This gives moderate protection, it’s easy to apply well, it dries faster and harder than many types of wipe-on oil finishes. Although it’s called “wipe-on” poly, I prefer to apply it with a brush because it’s easier to get into nooks and crannies. You don’t have to be neat about it, just get the wood thoroughly wet with the liquid. Let it sit for about 15 minutes, then it’s time for the next step.

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You’ll find some areas are dull, having soaked up all the surface liquid, while other areas still have liquid on them. Use your brush again to move the extra liquid to the dry places, then let things sit for another five or 10 minutes before wiping.

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I use paper shop towels to gently remove excess finishing liquid that hasn’t soaked in. Let the whole thing dry overnight, sand lightly by hand with 220-grit paper, then vacuum the surface and repeat the application process.

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Wipe-on poly is easy to use, but it does take more coats than regular urethane to deliver meaningful protection. I consider three coats a minimum and four is better. Don’t sand after the last coat.

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Small portable welders like this one are revolutionizing what handy people can do in home workshops. Photo by Photo Robert Maxwell Article content

Better welding results

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Q How can I get my welder to work better? I have a Kicking Horse F130 MIG welder, and the results aren’t all that great.

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A MIG welders are a type of machine for joining metal, and they work by auto-feeding wire into the weld area as an electric arc melts the wire and the surrounding metal. I own the F130 too, and it didn’t work well at first until I figured out the trick.

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All MIG welders use spools of thin wire to make weld joints strong, and I initially used the spool that came with the welder. When results weren’t as good as I’d hoped, I put some name brand Lincoln MIG wire in the machine and it made all the difference.

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Steve Maxwell is using his welder these days to modify some pallet forks to work on his tractor. Visit him online at baileylineroad.com for free access to thousands of hands-on how-to articles and videos Steve has created over the years.

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