Upcycled/repurposed projects (MANY)

I LOVE the license plate idea!!! Farm, I was just showing pics of this coop on BYC for someone who is designing their own coop and wanted to know about feed and water. Showed them the pic of your outside water tank and such....told them you sell the plans for it also.

I love these kind of recycles where you can actually see the old item(the license plates)in the build and it isn't camouflaged with paint....adds some whimsy to the whole thing.
 
Well my main reason to upcycle/repurpose and recycle is easy ... I am CHEAP! :lol:

Where else could I get a metal roof that would last as long as that one will for the price of a few nails??

:D

As for the other coop, I think I was as excited to use up all of the old lumber bits and bobs laying around as I was to get a new chicken coop. We also more recently build my D1 a City Biddy and in the process I got rid of a 3/4 inch sheet of plywood leaning in my basement that had been the Geek's electric train set up when he was little. Again that situation made me happier to use the 'in the way' plywood that it did saving the money for new lumber.
 
4407_savonius_windcatcher.jpg


Here's an idea that's been around for a while. I've seen these wind turbines built from 45 or 55-gallon drums, of either metal or plastic material. A steel drum might often be the best choice for longer-term rigidity, but some plastics are probably alright.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UPe6A_UVPc&feature=relmfu

The above vid is Part-1... you can see Part-2 (where they attach the pump to the rotary system) as a choice on the right-hand side. Numerous other uploads of vids on the same design approach and similar used materials also show up as choices.
 
4407_hybrid_stove_two.jpg
This video shows an outdoor cooker built from four repurposed steel pails (they look like five-gallon ones, or so - I'd say). The cooker is highly efficient. As an example, the vid shows the process of cooking 52 servings of pinto beans - using, for fuel, one real modest-size chunk of hardwood that would fit in your hand. Very slightly more than one pound of hardwood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_7eRdIv_oU&feature=related
 
4407_pallet_garden_cart.jpg
Here's a step-by-step vid about building a garden cart from a repurposed pallet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTQ8lp_7Jzo

This cart is good - but basic. I'm sure many of us could figure out how to put on a tow rope. Better yet, a handle from some junked old D-handled shovel or kid's wagon onto this basic design - then it would be like a plant-nursery cart. Also, the designer/builder of this cart used brand-new wheels, and a lot of people might be able to scrounge some wheels (giant casters) somewhere or other.
 
Dawn419, one of our co-contributors here (and one of the SS mods), posted a great repurposing project story and set of pics a while back. I just had the chance to look at her post, so I'm going to draw attention to it now.
ry%3D400


Dawn's is post #3 on this thread:
http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=11765&p=1

The project is a space heater used in a greenhouse. Dawn's partner, dr gonzo, made the heater from two 55-gallon steel drums and some other parts welded together. (Thanks to Dawn for giving me permission to link to the post, and use a pic from it.)
 
Joel,

it just occurred to me looking at that picture (i built that quite a few yrs ago) the "barrels" are actualy fuel tanks from an old semi truck. it's a slightly heavier gage of steel than a typical 55 gal drum. everything was salvage but the stove pipe.

doc
 
doc_gonzo said:
the "barrels" are actualy fuel tanks from an old semi truck. it's a slightly heavier gage of steel than a typical 55 gal drum. everything was salvage but the stove pipe.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the correction on that fact... repurposed fuel tanks, rather than ordinary 55-gallon drums. Yeah, the heavier metal in those tanks probably make for more durability.
 
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