What do I do with all this leftover OSB?

As you may know, I'm quite averse to throwing things in the trash that can either be reused or recycled for something useful.  Lately, along with my father-in-law, we've been building a new shed and as part of the aftermath of that project (which I'm sure I'll post on later), there was quite a load of OSB scrap.  If you don't know, OSB stands for oriented strand board and it's become the building industry's predominate choice for sheathing of smaller buildings.  You don't want to burn it since it's pressed together with chemical-laden glue but it can be safely shredded with other wood products.  Even thought that's better than letting it go straight to the land-fill, I know there has to be better things to do with it than that.  So, the bed of my truck is currently a home for several different pieces of medium-sized OSB waiting to be used for something good.

What's in the box?

One project I'm sure I'll repeat was the Tuna Tier cat tower (see previous post).  In the meantime, there was something else I needed to do.  While I've really enjoyed using my new Porter-Cable jigsaw (thanks Dad & Mom!), it didn't come with a case and I've been toting it around in it's cardboard box.  Unfortunately, during one work session on the shed it started raining and as you can imagine, corrugated cardboard does not do well when wet.  So, I devised a plan to build a case for the jigsaw using the OSB and leftover pallet scraps (see other previous post).  Using screws, glue, and hinges that I already had on hand, the box was pretty much complete.  We made a trip to the Rebuilding Center for a handle and a latch to keep it closed and came back with the handle at least.  I'm sure I could have found a latch had there been more time but if you've ever been to the Rebuilding Center, you'll know that the organization of the hardware section leaves something to be desired.  So, the box is nearly complete, all that's needed is some inserts into the blade holes so they're not too deep (I'll cut some from some blocks of expanded foam that are still sitting in my basement) and a latch.  OSB used - check.  Carrying case for jigsaw - check.

Thanks to Mon Ami for the lovely coffee cup
to help fuel my projects

Now, I still have a lot of OSB left in the truck that needs to be put to use.  If anyone has some good ideas, please leave me a comment!  I have a few shelves that I need to build, maybe reorganize the shed here at home but other than that, I'm open to some new ideas.

Explorations In Cider Making

Bubbling in the basement
at a steady 68 degrees

With the local scene (a.k.a. my neighborhood) replete with home-brewers, I've been feeling the need to join the fun for quite some time now but I've never made the time to get properly started.  Well, a couple weeks ago when I had some free time and money I finally committed to going and buying a full-on brewing kit from the local brew supply store, Bader Beer & Wine Supply.  To get buy-in from my wife, I told her I would start by making hard cider instead of beer.  Since this wasn't the season for ripe apples nor do I have ready access to a cider press, I decided to start with store bought soft cider as my stock to convert to hard cider.  Without the necessary brewing steps required by beer, this was a pretty easy undertaking and the results were well worth it.

I tried to find a local cider but since I'm not much of pre-planner, I had to find whatever I could in a pinch and used TreeTop's three-apple blend since it wasn't from concentrate, had no additives, and was already pasteurized.  Even though it was still pasteurized, I still brewed it just below simmering for about an hour.  One thing I learned in that process is that it takes a long time to heat up five gallons as well as letting it cool down.  I added three cups Muscovado brown sugar during the brew process for flavor and to up the alcohol content.  In the end, I'm not sure how much affect this had on the flavor but the final ABV was approximately 6%.  It took nine days to ferment and then I let it clarify another seven before bottling.  At bottling, I added another 1 3/4 cup honey and water mix to get some fizz once in the bottle.  Of course, I wanted to taste the fruits of my labor right away but the first bottle was just okay.  However, after letting the cider bottle age for another week or so, it has sweetened up and the carbonation is nice and light.  

Only $7.80?  Sold!

I'll be starting batch number two very soon and experimenting some more but I have to say this was pretty fun and having 27 bottles of cider ready to give away or consume is pretty cool.  With the initial cost of the brewing kit, sweet cider, and yeast, I figure it's only going to take me about 55 bottles to break even which is only two full batches compared to retail hard cider costs of around $4 per bottle.  After that, it should only cost me around $1.30 for each full bottle, what a deal!