Saturday, June 6, 2026

308 Caliber Sabot | Accelerator Type Precision Reloading

Fire .223/4 bullets at high speed from a .308 rifle: https://eabco.com/accelerator-type-sabots-for-30-caliber-cartridges-100/

Friday, June 5, 2026

Used Cars That Cost Far Less Today Than Three Years Ago

Most of these are still over $30k, but that’s a big drop for most of them. https://vehq.com/budget-friendly-used-cars-expensive-three-years-ago/

Thursday, June 4, 2026

DIY Sawhorse Plans for woodworking

How to Build Stackable Sawhorses:
    https://www.homedepot.com/c/ah/how-to-build-stackable-sawhorses/9ba683603be9fa5395fab901ec2f5bf1
"Build reusable and stackable sawhorses with five 2 in. x 4 in. x 8 ft. boards and a pound of screws."

3 Budget-Friendly, DIY Sawhorse Builds:
Some good looking designs ...

30 DIY Sawhorse Plans:  https://theselfsufficientliving.com/diy-sawhorse-plans/
The descriptions for these plans open links to other sites - lots of variety including multiple stackable designs.

9 Sawhorse Plans You Can Build This Weekend:
NOTE: The actual plans are on Etsy for a fee ...

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Wednesday, June 3, 2026

Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Home & Community Mesh Networks


Community Mesh Networks:
"... what if your neighborhood could create its own independent, resilient communication grid? A simple, low-cost, and powerful network that you and your neighbors own and control, one that stays up even when everything else is down. This is the promise of a community mesh network."

"Building a mesh network sounds expensive and complicated, but new technology has made it incredibly accessible. We’re going to focus on a specific, beginner-friendly platform called Meshtastic. This open-source project is designed specifically for creating the kind of off-grid, long-range networks we need for emergency communications."

"To build your first node, you only need two things:
  1. A LoRa Device: These are small, all-in-one circuit boards that cost between $30-$50. They come with a LoRa chip, a small screen, an antenna, and often a GPS. Excellent, affordable options for beginners include the LILYGO T-Echo or the HELTEC LoRa 32 V3. You can find them on Amazon or from online electronics retailers.
  2. A Smartphone: The free Meshtastic app (available for Android and iOS) uses your phone’s Bluetooth to connect to your LoRa device. You use the app to type and read messages, just like any other texting app."
Beginners Guide to Home Wi-Fi Mesh Network Systems:
"Wi-Fi mesh kits from Google, BT, Amazon etc make creating a large extended network very simple and usually don’t involve using cables.
They aren’t really designed to extend an existing Wi-Fi network, but to replace it.
They comprise 2 or more Wi-Fi nodes that work together to offer a single Wi-Fi network (one SSID), and devices can hop seamlessly across the nodes as they move within the network."

How to Set Up Mesh WiFi 2026: Complete Setup Guide:

Wednesday, May 27, 2026

The Best Used EVs (2026)

The Best Used EVs You Can Buy Right Now - 
New electric cars are expensive, but there are plenty of great budget-priced used EVs whether you're looking for a cheap runabout or something with more range:

The Tesla Model 3 (2017–2026) is one of the few that could easily make 260 mile daily round-trip commutes with it's EPA-rated range: 310–358 miles.

The Chevrolet Bolt (2017–2023) with an EPA-rated range: 238–259 miles is one I might not have considered but should.

If the Hyundai Ioniq 5 (2022–2026) is immune to their recent internal combustion quality problems, it's EPA-rated range: 221–318 miles could be useful.
Likewise, the Kia Niro EV (2019–2025) with it's EPA-rated range: 239 miles may be worth considering.

The Nissan Leaf (2011–2025) has been around for many years, but it's EPA-rated range: 73–212 miles, especially for older models, limits it to local use.