Comments by "Ray caster" (@raycaster4398) on "KYLES CABIN" channel.

  1. I would have been tempted to leave the bees alone because they do such good things in nature believe it or not, but eventually that nest, at the end of the summer, might get huge -- the size of a football or more and that would be dangerous. The best time to take out a nest like that is in the dark of night when the insects are inactive, particularly if the air temperature is below 50 degrees.
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  2. Hey Kyle are you a writer? Storyline: young intrepid winter hiker from MN finds downed balloon and metallic capsule with extraterrestrial markings deep trail. That night ....
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  3. TWC had a little weather ditty on the approaching snowstorm headed Minnesota way. Northern Minnesota specifically and photos thereof. They showed a big black bear, a bobcat and foxes.
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  4. And I hope it's adjustable with the low solar declination in the North. Angle adjustable and directional adjustable.
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  5. Interesting the freeze-dried camp food. I know fresh is best, but for backpackers humping fresh food is outta the question because of the weight of WATER. Other camper's foods, high in calories, tasty, inexpensive, easily packed and very low in water weight, are peanut butter and jelly, and dried sausages/salami.
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  6. I'm glad you are getting a professionally dug well. I was the "bring in the 'letric line too guy". I hope you are staying home rather than heading Alaska way. Would Cierra consider tall 4-tier wire kitchen shelving?
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  7. We like the cabin, but we're glad you're focusing on the homestead.
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  8. "You are smart and coo," Kyle!
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  9. You're gonna have to put in some crawlspace vents to ventilate out the buildup of humidity and moisture from the bare damp soil beneath the house. Also, it'll be a good idea to staple 1/4" hardware cloth to your bottoms with 90° angled pieces buried out maybe 12-16" to discourage burrowers.
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  10. Peg board
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  11. Que taco bueno!
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  12. That shoveled chicken manure makes for great soil amendment, but compost it first. Add leaves, weeds, grass clippings, water. Wood, say one forming the base of a wood pile should NEVER touch soil or ground (dampness=rot). Get some bricks, stone or concrete block to set your bottom row of 2x4s or 4x4s or whatever.
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  13. Time to get that 'XL' size 'kindling cracker' firewood splitter to make the firewood a good fit in the stove.
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  14. You are an industrious fellow. No doubt. Why not just take a wire type vegetable peeler, an old serrated bread knife, or utility knife (ex. Olfa L-2) and slice off the gobs visible on the inside, smooth it out, I'd leave it as its natural color.
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  15. That synthetic sealing (chinking) foam gonna soften
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  16. When ya gonna scrape 'em? And how ya gonna pile 'em, and for how long ya gonna cover 'em, and dry 'em?
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  17. ​ @1956vern  Vernon, you're the shift railroad switch operator. A fast moving freight train arrives early. There are five kids on the track unaware. You can pull the switch on to another track but there's a big fat drunken slob on that track, but you would have to pull the switch. What do you do?
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  18.  @KYLESCABIN  Good
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  19. Intrepid
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  20. This is not an elevated (2nd floor) deck, but poured concrete footings ideal, with coated steel connectors from footing to posts. Then instead of side nailing joists (weak) to posts, either notching of posts and lag bolt fastening, or direct load placement on post tops with galvanized metal connectors, better and safer.
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  21. You still need the hurricane tie-downs for your roof gables. And most importantly, auger ground anchors to prevent catastrophic foundation movement/damage. We talked about that before. I'd add that 1/4" hardware cloth stapled to your foundation floor joists to keep gnawing critters out. Just last week Eye kidded here about "Ray's bear fort" system and the nutty idea of a periscope up top the outhouse to espy critters. I now retract that joke and re-issue my bear warnings. I still think you should devise the patented "Kyle Off-grid survival tool belt." That is, one that has a holster for your large-bore hammer, a pocket for a large can of bear spray, perhaps ammo pouch, a loud police whistle, and some noise-making firecrackers. I'd add a few slots for roman candles for which to pepper the bear with missile incoming. And a sheath for a Bowie knife. And posts for spare toilet paper rolls (never get caught without). One loop for an ice cold 12oz. The Great Eye of Ray ... sees ... ALL. A Great Eye in the sky, lidless, wreathed in flame ... always watching. Its gaze pierces cloud, shadow, and earth ... even flesh.
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  22. Ray 😌
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  23. If you were in a clime with more sunshine and much less snow I'd say solar. But utility electrical power would electrify(!) your homestead in so many ways, reliable, long-term bullish for a future family. Luxurious even. Bring in electrical power, yes. They make clear tarps that you can leave over your panels when you're gone. Shake off, boom.
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  24. Well said.
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  25. And ...? lol
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  26. Then Kyle, there's the old "tongue clean," here in Bachelorville. And what else. I was usually first calling dibs on "lick the bowl" when Mom was baking. And when going out for a ride, I called dibs, "middle left window." This was the safest seat in the car because when dad was driving ... with me directly behind him his long arm couldn't reach me there!
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  27. You both could be project managers for manifesting all your accouterments! And intrepidity off the charts. Nuthin' like fresh grilled campin' fish.
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  28. When ya gonna build the bear fort!? Maybe build a safe walkway from the cabin to your out buildings. Rows of poles stuck in the ground either side with sharpened ends so the bear comes along, gets poked in the eye. "OUCH!! I'm gettin 'outta here!" Rows of poles sticking outward. Hundreds, maybe thousands. Maybe toss out an M-80 before you head out to do yer business. 3am: >>BANG<< Cierra: "CHEE-ZUSS, Kyle goin' to whizz, harrumph!"
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  29. 'Zackly.
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  30. Th0ught you said you'd build in some good support for your new addition joists against snow load.
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  31. Sharp
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  32. Great trim work and butcher block build. "hah-la-payn-yos" Was gonna say your pails and garden needed watering then you made it rain. Yeah, some soluble fertilizer for your pails. Please build out those compost piles now to add layers of leafy "greens" alternate with dead "browns" (leaves). Utilize pulled weeds(!), throw in chicken manure in between. No branches, twigs, dry stems or weeds with seed heads. Keep moist, turn over weekly with hay fork. Never add fresh manure to growing plants, compost first till matured, or work into beds in Fall AFTER crops spent and removed. You can sauté lettuce and kale, etc., or all that is great in Chinese wok cooking. Your lettuce has "bolted", you'll find milky sap in stems, with a bitter taste. Time to pull out, chop up and add to compost pile. Yeah, your onions need water #1, and next year your finished compost will help for organic matter, and water-holding properties. Some granular 10-10-10 will help very much, dug in. Yes, tomatoes should be "staked" and "tied up" and pruned carefully early on. Great fence, I didn't see animal damage though looks like some light insect damage, you can buy "insecticidal soap'' in hand spray bottles, cheap, very safe chemically. Hi, Cierra!
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  33. Yeah, I agree but didn't want say anything, again. I was the one that suggested sunken poured concrete foundation piers, so the house literally won't fly away or be moved off its foundation with strong storm uplift. Likewise the joist cross bracing. I see only two cross braces, so far. The roof rafters need tied in. And steel "hurricane clips" connectors all around.
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  34. Evidently white birch bark well dried is very flammable and is good for fireplace kindling when you run out of your newspaper. Removed carefully from a live tree, it doesn't hurt the tree. I'd have me a digital carbon dioxide detector that measures carbon dioxide on the screen. It should always read zero. If I built such a cabin, I think I would devise a solar panel setup, maybe 10 or 20 ft from the cabin. On some sort of metal or wooden rig that could be pointed towards the direction and declination of the sun and adjusted a couple of times during the day. Simply adjusted, the panels would be easily cleanable by brush rather than ever climbing on the roof.
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  35. Right, sloped porch framing with a head ledger board high attached to 2x4s in house wall; rafters down to porch head beam with bird mouthing AND hurricane clips; Two additional posts up front each secured to individual concrete footers. Some rafter ties, maybe some post bridle supports. Steel roofing. Hmm, where do ya then put the egress window, very much needed?
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  36. Yeah, Kyle you need a tarp covered wood pile right outside the door. A tarp over your solar panels would help gettin' ya started up again. Get that kindling cracker I recommended. How that ol' truck starts up in that cold is beyond me. One powerful battery. Maybe like the Germans did on the icy snowy very cold Russian front in World War II. They started up their tank engines every so often to keep them warmed up.
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  37. Yes, more planning, less rush.
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  38. I'd look carefully at the water report, and what laboratory did the testing, before drinking the water at all. You may need a formal water filtration system for safety.
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  39. SEVERE storm warning your area
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  40. Take down the trees. Promise to transplant saplings.
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  41. You need a large-wheeled (log) carrier to haul stuff
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  42. I'm in favor of the "Kyle survival belt", a tool belt with holster and your loaded large bore hammer, pocket for bear spray, pocket for satellite phone, pouches for ammo and big firecrackers to scare away bears, flashlight 1000 lumens rechargeable, beer can holder
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  43. Before the snowfall, run a stout rope across your addition roof, side-to-side, as far up as the smokestacks. Rope ends hang down at the sides. When youve got 6 inches of snow or so, two of you pull on the rope down and off the roof slicing off the snow. This would have worked better with a steeper roof to get gravity assist for the snow to slide off.
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  44. No sheathing, but perhaps your planned metal roofing can take a snow load? Dunno about tarp. Snow storm approaching. Gravel floor.
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  45. Good comment. Utility power, no question. If you CAN, do it! So sayeth The Eye.
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  46. Wow, industrious. Dreams of chicken dinner 10:50
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  47. You already made the decision.
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  48. To scientists the world appears exactly as it should with no God.
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  49. Air horn, ahh, yes.
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  50. Great job. Now, maybe permanent solar power panels on adjustable swivel racks. A concerted effort to bolster your energy infrastructure. I should also like to see a solar heated rooftop hot water shower setup. Ahhh, a hot shower. Don't even get me started on grey water (and black water) discharge.
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