Hand Tool Safety
May is National Hand Tool Safety month, but good hand tool habits should be practiced year round. Nearly ten percent of the injuries suffered by do it yourselfers and home contractors are caused by hand tools, and these injuries are largely avoidable. Hand tools should only be used for the jobs they were designed to do. Trying to make do with an incorrect tool can be dangerous. This also goes for using tools that are damaged, worn out, and poorly maintained. Hand tools should be repaired when damaged and discarded if they cannot be fixed.
When using hand tools, the item you are working on should be held steady with a vise or clamp, not your hand. If the hand tool has a cutting blade or surface, this should be kept well sharpened so that you don't have to strain or use a lot of force to get good results from it.
Lawn Decor Variations for Your Home
Lawn decor can put your yard a step above the neighbors and help showcase your unique personality and tastes. Lawn decor can be purely ornamental or it can serve some useful purpose outside of its attractiveness. Wooden, metal or cement benches are a popular and practical form of lawn decor. They can create a place to stop and rest along a garden path or give you a place to sit and enjoy the beauty of your lawn and flowers.
A pond or fountain is a distinctive piece of lawn decor that can offer a gardener a chance to try their hand at aquatic plants, animal lovers can stock their pond or fountain with fish, and anyone can enjoy the soothing sounds of running water.
Bird houses and bird baths are also pieces of lawn decor that can help add the element of sound to your yard by attracting song birds. Bird houses and bird baths come in a variety of materials and every color you can imagine so you can easily match the color of your home or garden. Attracting birds will also cut down on the bug population around your home, eliminating mosquitoes and pests that could destroy your garden.
Plant Supplies for the At-Home Gardener
Your backyard garden might consist of some flowers or a vegetable garden so you can enjoy some home grown food. Both flower and vegetable gardens can use three types of plant supplies starting off. The first of the plant supplies you'll need is a spading fork. This will help dig up the Earth where you want to plant. When the ground is looser it is easier to mix in fertilizers and other nutrients the soil might be lacking. It will also make it easier to plant your seedlings.
When it comes to acquiring the actual plants, you have several plant supply options. Seeds can be purchased for very little money and grown yourself, indoors, before they are ready to be transplanted outside. You can also buy plants that have already begun to grow, called seedlings. Most people prefer this option because they feel assured of getting healthy, well started plants or they have a short growing season and want flowering plants for the spring. Most often flowers are bought as seedlings from a garden supply store and vegetables are grown from seed.
If you would love to have fresh flowers or vegetables, but don't have a yard to grow them in you can always container garden on a porch, patio, balcony, or even a sunny window. All you will need, on top of plants, is a container to grow them in and some potting soil.
Safe Apparel for String Trimmer Projects
String trimmers are an ideal way to edge along walkways, fences, and to edge your lawn. A string trimmer is a great tool if you have areas that are uneven or too small for a traditional mower to comfortably fit. You may find that your string trimmer has an optional blade attachment that truly makes this an all-in-one piece of lawn equipment. Don't let the name fool you - these aren't any mere light duty strings. A string trimmer works by quickly whipping corded plastic strings around its base. These plastic strings spin at about four hundred miles per hour. They can cut small trees, through electrical wires, and even through flesh and bone. You should always use caution when using your string trimmer.
Goggles should be always be worn to protect your eyes from flying debris and dust stirred up by your string trimmer. They can also be quite loud so most people prefer to wear ear protection when using a string trimmer as well. Long pants and heavy duty work gloves will finish off your safety string trimmer apparel. The work gloves will keep you from getting blisters as you work and the long pants will protect your legs from anything the string trimmer can kick up while it is going.
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