Tools
One great advantage of concrete, so far as the farmer is concerned, lies in the fact that, generally speaking, it necessitates no outlay for tools, for it so happens that most of the tools needed for forms of concrete construction are the very ones every farmer uses—
Shovels—One for each man on the job.
Wheelbarrows—At least two, preferably those with sheet iron bodies.
Rake.
Water Barrel.
Several Water Buckets.
A Tamper or Rammer—This is made of wood with handles nailed to it, as shown in [Fig. 2]. The measurement is 4 inches by 2 inches by 2 feet 6 inches.
A Garden Spade.
A Sand Screen, made by nailing a piece of ¼-inch mesh wire screen, 2½ feet by 5 feet in size, to a frame made of 2-inch by 4-inch scantling.
In addition to the above tools you will require a Mixing Board. This is simply a water-tight platform. It should be (for a two batch mixture and for two men to work on) about 10 feet square. Make it out of 1-inch boards 10 feet long, surfaced on one side, using 5 cleats to hold the boards together. The cleats should measure 2 inches by 4 inches by 9 feet. If 1-inch by 6-inch tongued and grooved roofers can be obtained, these will answer very nicely, provided they are fairly free from knots. The object of having surfaced boards is to make the shoveling or turning easy. The boards should be so laid as to enable the shoveling to be done with and not against the cracks between the boards. The boards must be drawn up close in nailing, so that no cement “grout” will run through while mixing.
For a larger job, a slightly larger mixing board will be needed.
In setting up your mixing board, choose a place giving plenty of room near the storage piles of sand and stone. Block up your concrete board level, so that the cement grout will not run off on one side, and so that the board will not sag in the middle under the weight of the concrete.