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.
Wheelbarrow “Runs”
You will also have to make wheelbarrow “runs” leading from your mixing
board to the spot where the concrete is to be placed. Do not use, for
these runs, any old boards that are handy. Make a good run—smooth,
and, if much above the ground, at least 20 inches wide. This one
feature will lighten and quicken the work to a remarkable extent.