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Create This Rustic Reclaimed Wood Coffee Table

Looking for something to make out of those old palettes lying around your homestead? Why not make a rustic coffee table! This diy project has handy craftsman written all over it!

Check out Create This Rustic Reclaimed Wood Coffee Table at https://homesteading.com/repurposed-pallet-furniture-make-wood-pallet-coffee-table/

Rustic Reclaimed Wood Coffee Table

Isn’t it always better when you can find a way to repurpose something instead having to throw it away? We love this pallet coffee table that is made using only three wood pallets. The unique design of this table is sure to be a conversation piece. The top of this table is stable, smooth and flat, unlike many pallet furniture projects we have tried. This piece is a statement, but definitely still useful and would make a great addition to any rustic space.

Cool pallet Coffee Table Cool pallet Coffee Table
Beautiful staggered look.

Supplies for this wood pallet project:

  • 3 Wood Pallets (amount will vary based on your size and number)
  • Hammer
  • Chisel
  • Nail Remover (or a reciprocating saw if you know how to use one)
  • Circular Saw (or a handsaw if you’re old-school)
  • Basic Drill
  • 4 Clamps (C-Clamps or any other variety)
  • 5/32 inch drill bit
  • 2 ½ inch screws (small box)
  • Wood Glue (see tutorial for recommendations)

You can watch the video tutorial here from DIY Ready:

Step 1 – Deconstruct Pallets

First, get yourself some pallets. The more pallets you have, the bigger the table you can make. We only had three pallets lying around, so we decided to make a low sitting coffee table.

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Start by deconstructing the pallets. You could use a power saw for the fastest deconstruction. But if you don’t have one, then you can use a hammer, a chisel and a nail remover to pry the boards apart.

Select the board you want to remove from the pallet and place the tip of the chisel in the crevice between the board and one of the side rails. Lightly tap the back end of the chisel with the hammer to wedge it between the two pieces of wood. Get the chisel in deep enough so that it will stand on its own without your support.

Now, using the rail as leverage, pry the board from it.

Repeat this process for the middle and the bottom sections of the board until the board detaches completely.

Once you have a pile of boards on the floor with nails sticking out of them, use the nail remover to pull the nails out.

Use the hammer to strike the tip of the nail until you create enough space to fit the nail remover between the nail and the board.

Insert the nail within the notch of the nail remover.

Use the bar for leverage to pull the nail out. The nail will bend as its being removed.

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When all of this is complete, you will have a pile of nail-free wood to make your table out of!

Step 2 – Prepare legs for assembly

Set aside the four best looking boards and two rails. These are going to be used later on to make the legs of the table.

Glue two of the boards together to make a single board with double thickness. Do this with the other two boards as well. When the glue dries, you will have a pair of double-thick boards that you can cut your legs from. You’re going to need some clamps and some glue. For our table, we used Gorilla Glue, but any high quality wood bonding agent will work.

Place glue on the inside edge of one of the boards and stack the other on top of it. Repeat this with the other two boards.

Place the two glued pieces side by side and clamp them together.

Step 3 – Cut the rest in half

While the legs dry, take the rest of the wood and cut it in half. Use a measuring tape to find the midway point of the board’s width and mark that spot with a pencil. Make another mark at the same length somewhere further down the board.

Connect the two dots by making a line between them with your pencil. You can use another board as a straight edge to guide you.

Once you have your line drawn, you will need to cut the board in half along the line. We used a power saw to cut our board in half, but if you don’t have one then you can cut it with a handsaw. If you’re using a power saw, you can stack the boards and cut many at one time. Repeat this step for all of the boards. The cuts do not have to be perfect since they will be on the underside of the table.

Step 4 – Glue the table top together

Once all the boards are cut, arrange them by color and size. Position them into a configuration that you like – this is going to be your table top.

Flip the boards over so that your tabletop is now facing the ground. The part facing you may look uneven, but don’t worry. The other side is flush with the ground and will look great after you glue the pieces together and flip it over.

With your vice grips, determine how many boards you can clamp at one time and split the table top into the least number of sections that you will need to get all the pieces glued together. With our vice grips, we had to break the table top into four sections.

Once you have the tabletop partitioned, take one of the sections and glue all of the touching pieces together. Keep in mind that if you’re gluing two pieces that are different sizes, you should put the glue on the smaller piece.

When the table legs have finished drying, remove the clamps and use them to clamp the first section together. Start your clamping at the middle and work your way outward, spacing the clamps as even as you can throughout the piece. This will help you to get a straight and tight fitting chunk that should hold shape after the glue has cured.

Flip the clamped piece over and wipe all excess glue away. If you used Gorilla glue like we did, it will continue to seep out and foam up even after you’ve wiped it away. You can wipe the glue away periodically, or chisel off after the after it has dried.

Step 5 – Assemble legs

Once the glue has cured, repeat the same steps for the remaining sections of the tabletop. In the meanwhile, you can assemble the table legs.

Begin by taking one of the rails that you’ve set aside and measure out a length that’s approximately the same width as the table. Repeat this with the other rail. Our table was narrow enough that we were able to cut both sections from one rail, but you’ve set aside two just in case.

Cut these sections from the rails with your saw.

Take the two boards that you made and measure out how tall you want your table to be. We decided to cut ours right down the middle which was at about 19 inches.

The legs can be whatever length you want. However, they all need to be the same length and so making additional cuts may be necessary until you get the lengths as close to perfect as you can.

Take one of your legs and screw it into one of the rail sections that you’ve cut. To ensure that the leg is properly aligned with the rail, you may use scrap pieces from the pallet that you didn’t use (or even one of the other legs) to do this. Just make sure that the leg and the rail are flush with the surface of the scrap wood on both sides. Use the other rail section to prop up the foot end of the leg so that it is level with the rail you are fastening it to.

Begin by drilling two pilot holes through the leg and into the rail section. We used a 5/32 drill bit for this.

Take your screws and use the drill to fasten the leg onto the rail.

Repeat these steps to attach the other leg to the opposite end of the rail. Then repeat these steps to build the other leg section.

Step 6 – Attach legs to tabletop

Once your legs have been assembled and all of your tabletop sections have cured, place the tabletop sections in the order that you want to assemble them in.

Push them together so that they appear to be a single piece.

Flip them over and place the legs on the bottom side of the tabletop exactly where you want them. Make sure that the table pieces stay pushed together.

Fasten the legs to the tabletop by driving screws through each rail and into each of the four sections of the tabletop, securing them into place. Start by attaching the two middle sections of the tabletop. Use a 5/32 drill bit to drill the pilot holes.

Fasten the rail with a 2 ½ inch screw.

For the corners of the tabletop, drill the screws through the rail at an angle as shown.

Drill a diagonal pilot hole.

Fasten a screw through the leg and into the tabletop.

Do this on the inside of the rail as well. If you did this correctly, you should have used 6 screws for each set of legs.

Repeat these steps for the other three corners until both leg sections are firmly secure. If the legs feel wobbly at all, don’t hesitate to add more screws for extra stability.

Now flip your table over and enjoy it!

If you want to remove any uneven sections from the table top, you can use a plane shaver to shave it flat.

You can hide the underside of the table if you want by taking a piece of scrap wood and screwing it to the front of the table.

Now you have a cool table with a staggered top made from pallet wood! Sand it and stain it for you living room, or stack tools on it in your garage.

Happy Table Making!

Now you can start using your gorgeous new reclaimed wood table once your stain, sealer, or paint has set. Enjoy!

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Originally posted on December 9, 2015 @ 9:00 AM

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Self Sufficiency

NYC Adds Nearly 4,000 People Who Never Tested Positive To Coronavirus Death Tolls

New York City added nearly 4,000 people who never tested positive for the coronavirus to its death toll Tuesday, bringing coronavirus-related deaths in the city to around 10,000 people.

The city decided to add 3,700 people to its death tolls, who they “presumed” to have died from the virus, according to a report from The New York Times. The additions increased the death toll in the U.S. by 17%, according to the Times report, and included people who were suffering from symptoms of the virus, such as intense coughing and a fever.

The report stated that Democratic New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio decided over the weekend to change the way the city is counting deaths.

“In the heat of battle, our primary focus has been on saving lives,” de Blasio press secretary Freddi Goldstein told the Times.“As soon as the issue was raised, the mayor immediately moved to release the data.”

The post New York City added nearly 4,000 people who never tested positive for the coronavirus to its death toll appeared first on Daily Caller

This Article Was Originally Posted On dailycaller.com Read the Original Article here

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Self Sufficiency

How To Make Lacto-Fermented Sauerkraut In A Mason Jar

The thing about homesteading is you get to create your own ingredient right from scratch! Cheese, yogurt, butter and now sauerkraut, a delightfully sour and crunchy ingredient you can use on your meals — or consume by itself — while on a homestead, or while facing this health crisis!

This homemade sauerkraut is a great meal because it has a long shelf life. You can either make plain sauerkraut or mix it with herbs and spices. In this tutorial let us make Lacto-fermented sauerkraut that preserves all the good probiotics in a jar, good for your guts.

So how to make sauerkraut in a mason jar?

RELATED: How To Make Buttermilk On Your Homestead

Delicious Sauerkraut Recipe Every Homesteader Should Know

Why Make Sauerkraut?

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Not only does sauerkraut spoil a long time, but it is also a meal in itself, and it is also easy to make! You don’t need to be an expert cook, all you need to do is follow these simple steps.

So let us get started. Here are the steps in making sauerkraut in a mason jar.

Ingredients:

  • 1 head of cabbage or 2 1/2 lbs cabbage
  • 1 tablespoon of salt

Tools Needed:

  • knife
  • bowl
  • mason jar
  • smaller jar
  • rubber band

Step 1: Wash & Clean the Tools & Ingredients



Wash all the equipment and utensils you need. Wash your hands too.

You don’t want to mix your sauerkraut with bad bacteria, anything that is going to make you sick.

Next, remove the faded leaves from your cabbage. Cut off the roots and the parts that don’t seem fresh.

Step 2: Cut the Cabbage Into Quarters & Slice Into Strips



Cut your cabbage into quarters and remove the core. Then, slice it into strips.

Step 3: Place in a Bowl & Sprinkle With Salt



Put the stripped cabbage into a bowl. Sprinkle the cabbage with 1 tablespoon of salt.

TIP: Use canning salt or sea salt. Iodized salt will make it taste different and may not ferment the cabbage.

RELATED: Homemade Yogurt Recipe

Step 4: Massage the Cabbage



Massage the cabbage for five minutes or more to get the juice out.

TIP: You’ll know it’s ready when you see a bit of juice at the bottom of the bowl and will look similar to coleslaw.

Step 5: Press Cabbage Into the Mason Jar



Add the cabbage to the mason jar gradually. Press it in hard to allow the juice to come out. Do this every time you add about a handful of cabbage.

IMPORTANT: Food should be covered by the liquid to promote fermentation. Add any excess liquid from the bowl to the jar.

Step 6: Press a Smaller Jar Into the Mason Jar



You want to squeeze every ounce of that juice from the cabbage. To do this place the mason jar in a bowl and get a smaller jar.

Fill it with water or marble to make it heavy. Press it into the bigger mason jar. Allow any juices to rise to the surface.

Step 7: Cover the Jars With Cloth & Tie With Rubber Band



Leave the small jar on. To keep your jars clean from annoying insects and irritating debris, cover your jars with a clean cloth. Then, use a rubber band to tie the cloth and the jars together, putting them in place.

Step 8: Set Aside & Check Daily

Set it aside in a cool dry place, away from direct sunlight. Check the water level daily. It should always be above the cabbage.

Step 9: Taste Your Sauerkraut & Keep at Cool Temperatures

Homemade Sauerkraut Cumin Juniper | How To Make Lacto-Fermented Sauerkraut In A Mason Jar

After about five days, you can taste your sauerkraut. If the taste is to your liking, tightly cover it with the lid and store in the fridge or cellar.

NOTE: If after five days it’s still not your desired taste, leave it for a few more days. This will allow the fermentation process to continue.

You can now enjoy your sauerkraut in a mason jar. Enjoy its goodness! You can use it as a side dish or mix it with your favorite sandwich.

Things to Remember in Making Sauerkraut

  • Store away from direct sunlight and drafts.
  • Colder weather will make the process longer. Spring is the best time to make them since the warmth helps activate the fermentation.
  • Always make sure that the cabbage is below the water level during the entire fermentation process.
  • If the water level decreases during the fermentation process, you can make a brine and add it.

Let us watch this video from Kristina Seleshanko on how to make delicious Lacto-fermented sauerkraut in a mason jar!

So there you have it! Making Lacto-fermented sauerkraut in a mason jar is as easy as slicing the cabbage into strips. Remember that as long it remains unopened, your sauerkraut can last for months. Best of all, you can partner this sauerkraut in many recipes.

What do you think of this homemade recipe? Share your best sauerkraut recipe in the comments section below!

Fellow homesteaders, do you want to help others learn from your journey by becoming one of our original contributors? Write for us!

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Self Sufficiency

9 SPRING VEGETABLES FOR YOUR GARDEN

Having plants in the house will bring peace to people. Having a little garden with vegetables is even better! You can grow these vegetables in your backyard garden easily as well!

RELATED: Microgreens Growing Guide

In this article:

  1. Tomato
  2. Eggplant
  3. Beet
  4. Spinach
  5. Pea
  6. Carrot
  7. Radish
  8. Cauliflower
  9. Asparagus

Growing veggies in your garden will give you an opportunity to understand what you eat and value it more. Early spring is when most vegetables are being planted. Keep reading to learn about 9 spring vegetables that anyone can grow in their garden!

Tomato

Tomato is the most popular garden vegetable in the States! There are different varieties to choose from. Tomatoes need to be planted in early spring because they won’t survive a frost.

Because tomatoes are consumed daily, try adding them to your garden! They’re not difficult to grow either.

Eggplant

Eggplants are known to have low-calorie, vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. Plus, they are delicious! So why not plant them in your garden?

Eggplants shouldn’t be planted too early because they won’t be able to survive a frost. So you could consult an expert in your area before you plant your eggplants.

Beets

Beets are known to be a superfood for its various health benefits. They’re easier to grow in the garden, usually around late March or early April.

If the weather is always cool, beets will keep getting bigger and bigger. Once the weather starts to warm up, you’ll need to harvest them, or they’ll go to waste.

Spinach

Spinach is a delicious early spring veggie, and it’s also very beneficial for health. And it’s not difficult to grow spinach in your garden!

Spinach needs cold weather to grow. Getting spinach to grow is easy, but keeping it growing will require some extra care.

Pea

Peas are usually planted in late April. Peas will die in freezing temperatures, but they also won’t survive the heat either. So make sure you plant your peas in early spring.

Peas are widely used in many different ways, and there are different types of peas. The soil you’ll be planting your peas should be suitable for them, so make sure you ask while buying seeds.

Carrot

There are different types of carrots, but regardless of their size and color, it’s a fact that carrots are both delicious and rich in vitamins.

They’re root vegetables, so with proper sun and watering, they can be picked up as baby carrots as well.

Radish

A radish is an excellent option for beginners because it doesn’t require too much care. Radish is easy to harvest.

Radish grows fast, so it’s better to keep an eye on it after a few weeks. Radish usually is grown pest-free, but there’s always the chance of unwanted guests, so watch out for worms. Radish can be eaten raw or can be added to garnish recipes.

Cauliflower

Cauliflower isn’t the easiest vegetable to grow at home, but it is very popular.

Cauliflower grows better in colder weather, so before you plant it, consider the climate of your garden. Cauliflower can be eaten raw or cooked, and it is known to be very beneficial for health.

Asparagus

Freshly picked, tender asparagus is very delicious!

Asparagus plants get more productive with each harvest, and mature asparagus harvest can last for months! Make sure you plant them at the correct time, or else they might go to waste.

All the vegetables listed above are great for your healthy diet, and it’s fun to watch them grow. So don’t miss out on the opportunity to grow your own veggies and eat healthy this spring!

So tell us which veggies will you be growing this spring? Tell us in the comments section!

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