Desert Musings

Sunday, June 14, 2026

Using refurbished small form factor PCs as home network appliances: Whole-network ad blocking and DNS filtering

Note that Raspberry Pi’s can do the same tasks using less energy, but they cost considerably more: https://www.howtogeek.com/turned-cheap-e-waste-pc-into-lightning-fast-local-dns-server/

Sunday, June 7, 2026

6.5 Grendel Rifle Build

https://www.brownells.com/the-trigger-times/how-to/rifle-builds--installs/6.5-grendel-rifle-build/

"The 6.5 Grendel remains one of the most capable long-range AR-15 cartridges available ..."

"This build uses a standard AR-15 lower receiver paired with a custom upper featuring a Ballistic Advantage 16-inch 6.5 Grendel barrel, Samson SXT handguard, SureFire muzzle device, and Nightforce NX8 optic."

"The primary differences between a standard 5.56 AR-15 and a 6.5 Grendel build are:

Barrel
Bolt
Magazine
Optional dedicated firing pin

Caleb explains the importance of using a Type 2 6.5 Grendel bolt, which has become the industry standard. Older Type 1 components can create compatibility issues if mixed improperly.

The build also uses DuraMag 6.5 Grendel magazines, which are known for reliable feeding and compatibility with both 6.5 Grendel and 6mm ARC cartridges."

6.5 Grendel Range Report

https://www.brownells.com/the-trigger-times/how-to/rifle-builds--installs/6.5-grendel-range-report/

"By the end of the session, the rifle had no trouble producing repeated impacts from 100 to 500 yards. The build proved reliable, accurate, and fun to shoot.

...

If you are considering a long range AR-15 build and want more energy on target than standard 5.56, the 6.5 Grendel continues to be a cartridge worth considering."

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:

https://www.familyhandyman.com/project/sawhorse-plans/

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:

https://www.bobvila.com/articles/sawhorse-plans/

NOTE: The actual plans are on Etsy for a fee ...