Homemade Contrivances and How to Make Them: 1001 Labor-Saving Devices for Farm, Garden, Dairy, and Workshop

The traditional American devices contained in this intriguing compilation date from an era long before milking machines, pesticide sprayers, and industrial hay bailers.  Yet the simple inventions described for doing everything from managing young bulls to protecting drain outlets can be just as useful for today’s farmer as they were for the homesteaders of over a century ago.  Discover how to make such items as a movable nest for hens, a ribless boat, a contraption to extricate a mired animal, a farm cart with adjustable racks for larger loads, a wire fence tightener, a fruit picker, a grindstone set and frame, and much more.  This book is a boon for the rancher, farmer, or anyone who loves the rural life.

Rating: (out of 4 reviews)

List Price: $ 14.95
Price: $ 9.54

Homemade Contrivances and How to Make Them: 1001 Labor-Saving Devices for Farm, Garden, Dairy, and Workshop Reviews

Review by Bob Fitzsimmons:

This book is a boon for gardeners, farmers, or anyone who likes to tinker in a toolshed. Gates, boats, sheds, fences, tools… you name it, you can learn how to make it. The devices here stem from the early days of American farming, when things were made to last. Charming, practical, and over six hundred pages, this book is a real bargain!

Review by J. Runaas:

First of all, I have not read this book (only the first pages shown on Amazon), but I have read several other reprints of 100+ year old “how to” books. Judging by the reviews on here, I feel some explanation may be in order. When these books were originally written, almost all the intended readers made a living doing things by hand; building what they needed as they needed it. People were very handy and were used to figuring out problems on their own. As such, “how to” books of this vintage are very vague by modern standards, because the authors assumed that each reader would modify the ideas to suit their own specific situation and the materials at hand. As an example, here is a quote from pg 57 of “Farm Equipment & Hand Tools” edited by George Martin (an excellent book, I might add) “…consists of a piece of hickory or white oak bent into a half-circle, and the ends passed through a somewhat larger rod of the same kind of wood, and wedged fast.” That one sentence, along with a single drawing of the completed object, is the complete set of instructions for designing and building a wall mounted device to hold open bags to be filled with grain. No measured drawings, detailed, illustrated step by step instructions on assembly, only an overview of construction and the few details that your average 19th century handyman wouldn’t have thought of on his own. Other common phrases are “a good oak stick about 18 feet long, or whatever length is needed” and “thus constructed, it is used in the usual way.” It is just assumed that if you are reading this book, you have to know your way around a workshop and understand how these gadgets are supposed to work. Judged in this light, these reproduction books are excellent, as they really are filled with ingenious ideas and solutions to problems many people still face (especially gardeners and homesteaders). BUT, if you aren’t comfortable figuring out all the stuff the original author assumed you would know, the books are pretty useless except as entertainment. For an excellent example of the flavor of these books, read in the “first pages” shown on the Amazon website; that really sums up the way these books are written.

Buy Homemade Contrivances and How to Make Them: 1001 Labor-Saving Devices for Farm, Garden, Dairy, and Workshop now for only $ 9.54!

Bye Bye Standby BBSBUSA Energy Saving Kit

Bye Bye Standby is a brand new energy saving solution designed to reduce the daily energy consumption of electrical devices. Bye Bye Standby works by completely cutting power to the devices plugged into it when they’re not in use, thus saving the power that these devices would otherwise have consumed in Standby Mode.

Bye Bye Standby is a new way to save energy, carbon emissions and money.The Bye Bye Standby Energy Saving Kit is a completely new way to reduce the energy consumed by electric devices in your home or office. Plug your computer, printer, or stereo into a Bye Bye Standby adapter and instantly save money on your electric bill. These smart devices will completely cut power to your gadgets when they are not in use, and you don’t have to unplug anything! There’s even a handy remote with a coding system that allows you to control multiple Bye Bye Standby modules. This kit includes two wall adapter sockets and a remote control. Bye Bye Standby offers:Elimination of phantom power to help save money.Included remote control that controls up to three zones.A one-year warranty.

A handy coding system allows one remote to control multiple outlets. View larger.

Bye Bye Standby lets you save money and protect the environment. View larger.Get Control of Your Gadgets
Bye Bye Standby is the perfect accessory for all of your appliances that have standby modes, such as your TV, printer, or wireless router. When you’re out on the town or asleep in bed, your appliances are sucking energy–even though they are not turned on. With Bye Bye Standby, you can put an end to this needless energy waste. Just press a single button on the included remote control to disconnect your stereo or other device from anywhere in the room–no more crawling around under desks and behind entertainment

• Fully cuts power to your electrical devices at the flick of a switch
• Reduces your monthly electric bill by turning off electrical devices left on standby
• Prevents the release of carbon emissions by shutting off appliances not in use
• Easy plug-in installation
• Includes convenient remote control of electrical devices

Rating: (out of 58 reviews)

List Price: $ 24.99
Price: $ 19.99

Bye Bye Standby BBSBUSA Energy Saving Kit Reviews

Review by Sherrye S. Fuentes:

I have had my Bye Bye Standby for several months and think it’s just GREAT. I only wish I could find additional outlet adapters to use with the remote control switch I got – it will accommodate up to three zones, but only comes with two outlet adapters. I am getting another set and will just keep one remote control upstairs and one downstairs for those nights I might forget to push the button before retiring. I need a couple more outlets so I can switch off my office equipment in one fell swoop. I haven’t actually measured how much energy I am saving, but I DO know that just powering off one printer alone will save 5-6 dollars a month, and we have 2 printers, 3 computers, and a fax. . We currently use BBSB to kill the juice going to the TV, VCR, & DVDs in two rooms, but can still leave the DVR on to record. It’s great and the remote works all over the house – I checked.

Review by A. Branson:

These things are great! I have purchased two sets, and have one remote at the front door, and one in the bedroom. The distance is pretty good, I tend to make sure I am close enough to hear the click sound made, when I turn things on and off. You can see that the remotes only have 3 switches on the front, but there is A/B/C/D on the back. On the units plugged into the wall, you select A-1/2/3 B-1/2/3 C-1/2/3 D-1/2/3, so by default you have have A set in the back and control three units, moving the back control to B allows you to control another set of three. I currently use it for my tv setup in the front, pc in the back, wireless router/internet box, and tv in back room.

This is the best power conservation hardware I could find, not to mention the awesome price. I know these will pay for themselves within a month or two!

Buy Bye Bye Standby BBSBUSA Energy Saving Kit now for only $ 19.99!

Labor Saving Devices 80-400 Apprentice Wire Running Kit

This kit contains the basic essential tools from Labor Saving Devices Inc. to get started as a Professional Installer.

• Connects Up To 3 High-Definition Video Sources Into 1 Hdmi Port On Hdtv
• One 1/2″ X 36″ Premium Freeform High-Speed Steel Drill Bit For Most Basic Drilling Needs
• One 3-Ft Extension For 3/16″ Shank Drill Bits
• One 3/8″ X 24″ Spear-Zit¿ Directional Drill Bit
• 2 Creep-Zit¿ 3 Ft Threaded Male/Female Connector Fiberglass Rods

List Price: $ 129.99
Price: $ 75.99

LSD Flw18 Ultra Bright LED Flexible Light Wand

This bright LED torch provides 360 degrees of directional, brilliant, high intensity light. Perfect for wire and cable installation applications, the flex shaft retains its shape and can be inserted into small access points (approx. 1/2 dia.) to illuminate between walls, between joists or in other confined spaces. Flexible shaft is approximately 12 in length. The powerful long life LED light chip and diode light source provides up to 100,000 hours of light and is cold burning (will not heat up). Runs on a single AAA battery (included). Precision made by Coast with shock proof and water resistant construction.

• LSD Warranty

Price: $ 27.99

LABOR SAVING DEVICES 53315 Level & Template

Time-saving Device Makes Installing Old Work Electrical Boxes Easy & Efficient Accurately Mark & Cut Precise Holes In Paneling Or Drywall For Single Or Dual Gang Plates Includes Vertical & Horizontal Vials To Square Tool In Either Position

• TIME-SAVING DEVICE MAKES INSTALLING OLD , WORK ELECTRICAL BOXES EASY & EFFICIENT , ACCURATELY MARK & CUT PRECISE HOLES IN , PANELING OR DRYWALL FOR SINGLE OR DUAL GANG PLATES , INCLUDES VERTICAL & HORIZONTAL VIALS , TO SQUARE TOOL IN EITHER POSITION

Rating: (out of 1 reviews)

List Price: $ 19.99
Price: $ 12.95

LABOR SAVING DEVICES 53315 Level & Template Reviews

Buy LABOR SAVING DEVICES 53315 Level & Template now for only $ 12.95!

PLX Kiwi OBDII Scanner and Fuel Saving Device

The PLX Kiwi is new fuel saving device that helps users maximze their fuel economy and reduce their impact on the environment. The Kiwi monitors your driving habits over four parameters: Smoothness, Drag, Acceleration & Deceleration. The Kiwi calculates your efficiency over these parameters and gives you an instant “Kiwi Score” between 1-100, the goal is to keep your score as high as possible in order to increase efficiency. Kiwi makes driving green fun! You can also view your instant and average MPG, identify trouble codes should your check engine light become illuminated, upload custom images that will change as your driving improves, get a summary at the end of a trip telling you gallons used, dollars spent & dollars saved and greatly improve your driving skills with Kiwi’s 20 lessons! Kiwi is equipped with so many features that will help drivers become aware of bad driving habits and change them. With Kiwi, users can save up to 33% on fuel consumption and this can add up to a savings of hundreds of dollars per year! The Kiwi can also help users reduce their carbon footprint by 2 tons per year, that is equivalent to planting 80 trees. Save money and reduce your impact on the environment with Kiwi!

• Monitors your driving habits across four parameters to help you save fuel and money
• “Drive Green” mode shows users how to maximize fuel economy
• Checks for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs), clears the codes, and can turn off the “Check Engine” light
• Displays instant and average MPG values, dollar amount of gas used and saved, and can scan 26 different engine parameters in real time
• Compatible with all 1996 & newer vehicles including: gas, diesel, ethanol, CNG, E85 & hybrid

Rating: (out of 7 reviews)

List Price: $ 299.00
Price: $ 284.05

PLX Kiwi OBDII Scanner and Fuel Saving Device Reviews

Review by Gadgetlover:

I have owned a Kiwi when it first came out into the market in June, and I say I am very happy with it. I think Kiwi designer has put in a lot of thoughts into the product. Kiwi is more than a simple gas saving device. Its concept is to bring conscious and responsibility to the driver to be aware of his/her driving habit and to change it to drive more greenly.

I found many useful features builded in with the product. The neatest thing is it reports the cost of each trip for the driver to be conscious not to spend worth of gas just to go buy a a pack of gum. It’s also pretty intellegent that it automatically detects different OBDII standards in the cars and automatically adjust itself to work flawlessly with it, a truely plug-n-play. Once installed, it goes to sleep and wake up automatically every time you drive the car. It also give ability to keep track of previous several trips to show improvement or lack of improvement in MPG and your driving behavior.

I found that high MPG is not everything! For example you can take 3 different routes from home to work. Though you can take a freeway with report highest MPG but you have to drive longer, you may not necessary save gas more than the city route with slightly lower MPG. With Kiwi, I can drive 3 different routes and compare what it actually costs me in each route, so the route that saves most gas can be selected over the route that saves most time, and vice versa.

I’ve already used Kiwi to reset my engine check light twice. I have an old Honda Prelude and a few months ago the engine check light came on. Kiwi reported a troble code P0113. I Googled it and found P0113 is air intake temperature problem. Checking the wire around AIT, I found a broken wire that goes to the AIT sensor. I reconnected the wire and reset the code with Kiwi, the problem went away.

Last week another code showed up when my engine check light came on again! Kiwi reported trouble code P0141 which is a problem at 2nd O2 sensor (after catalytic converter). I checked the wires, cleaned the plugs (with the hope that I do not need to replace the expensive O2 sensor) and used Kiwi to reset the code, the problem went away. The 2 incidents would have costed me several hundered dollars if I went to a garage and have someone diagnosed and reset the code for me. My Kiwi pays for itself after the first incident, and I feel my money was well spended on the Kiwi.

Review by Mopar Maiden:

A friend had mentioned he had a KIWI and I thought it would be interesting to try it out on a recent road trip. It’s marketed as ‘fun’ so I wondered if it would be helpful in any way. Much to my surprise I found that I adjusted my driving style quite often to keep my ’score’ up which meant I was increasing my MPG. It’s extremely easy to install, use, read, etc and is 100% portable from vehicle to vehicle. For those who do a lot of driving it would certainly pay for itself in a relatively short amount of time!

Buy PLX Kiwi OBDII Scanner and Fuel Saving Device now for only $ 284.05!

Spear-Zit Directional Drill Bit 3/8 Inch, 12 Inches Long

This unique diamond-shaped Spear-Zit bit won’t “walk” like spiral bits do. Just seat the sharp “spear” tip of the Spear-Zit bit into your wood target surface, angle your bit to the desired direction and drill. The patented drill bit head is designed to drill a straight line path allowing you to start and drill holes even at an angle. Caution: Use proper safety techniques and equipment when using this product.

• Fabricated from hardened steel
• Will not catch or unravel carpet fibers
• Easily re-sharpened with a file
• Caution: Use proper safety techniques and equipment when using this product.
• Designed to drill a straight line path.

Price: $ 5.95