Book/Resource Needed

[Mortblanc]

Accomplishing these projects is as much an art as it is a step by step process that one can write down, and the variations are endless.

Say a project calls for 1/4" angle iron and that is not in your scrap pile. Can you substitute 3/8" flat stock?

That depends on the situation. Perhaps angle iron was absolutely required for that application, but perhaps not. Do you stop work because you have no angle iron?? Not on your life!

I have often been forced to substitute wood for steel when building racks to hold water butts, and I now routinely substitute PVC pipe for galvanized and copper because of cost. I am at the point that I keep a box full of couplings and fittings and 20-30 feet of the pipe on hand for any occasion.

You never know, I might need to make a pvc bow and arrows some day as well as reworking the plumbing!

Say you are building a tractor and the plan calls for a Toyota engine and all you have is a Ford engine and that requires a complete change in the wiring schematic.

What if the plan calls for welding, and since you have neither welder or electricity to run it on you are forced to salvage old bolts and clamp it together. Will that hold under the stress?

I am a big "project person" and I keep some contraption scattered over the grounds almost constantly. Many times they are built just to see if they will work and cobbled together from scrap as it is available. Odd thing is, most of the time they do work! And it always amazes me.

One thing I can guarantee is that you will never have a build go according to plan, even if you buy a commercial kit with the plan included!

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Just yesterday I had a collapsible cart delivered to the house. Before I even assembled it I looked at the fasteners and declared them unfit. I drove to town and bought a bag full of 1/4" bolts and washers and the contraption now lives in the back of my SUV, waiting for the proper wing nuts to spin it into use.