For a first project I wanted to create something unusual, fun and also practical, and so, using my Ryobi drill and circular saw combo, I set out to build a corn sheller box and a wagon that will carry it. A few weeks ago I towed my kids in their spacious new wagon with the sheller on top to a local corn harvest, where we piled it up with corn that we gathered. We even shelled some of the corn right there in the field! Needless to say, both worked like a charm.
My budget is limited, so I set a goal of building them without having to buy anything other than the 1800's cast-iron corn sheller that I found on an auction site for a bargain. I succeeded in building the sheller box and wagon entirely from reclaimed materials:
The box is made from discarded wood from a local maker space and the wagon from broken up crates a piano mover threw out. Even the canvas straps for hoisting the piano crates were reclaimed to use for pulling the wagon. Wheels off a broken tricycle went on the rear, and two slightly mismatched caster wheels I found went on front. Other than four bolts for the wheel posts, everything is mostly held together by old nails that we pulled, straightened and reused, and wood glue from left-over tubes that came with a bunk bed kit.
The sheller sits neatly at either end of the wagon. I made the wagon ends lower so that the handle can be cranked with good clearance while the box is on the wagon.
The kids learned a lesson in thrifty project construction, got a wagon they can ride in, and I got their help in building an emergency food supply :)
For a first project I wanted to create something unusual, fun and also practical, and so, using my Ryobi drill and circular saw combo, I set out to build a corn sheller box and a wagon that will carry it. A few weeks ago I towed my kids in their spacious new wagon with the sheller on top to a local corn harvest, where we piled it up with corn that we gathered. We even shelled some of the corn right there in the field! Needless to say, both worked like a charm. My budget is limited, so I set a goal of building them without having to buy anything other than the 1800's cast-iron corn sheller that I found on an auction site for a bargain. I succeeded in building the sheller box and wagon entirely from reclaimed materials: The box is made from discarded wood from a local maker space and the wagon from broken up crates a piano mover threw out. Even the canvas straps for hoisting the piano crates were reclaimed to use for pulling the wagon. Wheels off a broken tricycle went on the rear, and two slightly mismatched caster wheels I found went on front. Other than four bolts for the wheel posts, everything is mostly held together by old nails that we pulled, straightened and reused, and wood glue from left-over tubes that came with a bunk bed kit. The sheller sits neatly at either end of the wagon. I made the wagon ends lower so that the handle can be cranked with good clearance while the box is on the wagon. The kids learned a lesson in thrifty project construction, got a wagon they can ride in, and I got their help in building an emergency food supply :)
