Hand Splitting Stone and Making Charcoal Biochar for my Off Grid Homestead

Hand splitting river stone with chisels and a maul for stone veneer to install on my chicken coop, off grid log cabin and workshop. Making biochar to add carbon to my vegetable gardens, orchards and food forest.
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Hi, I'm Shawn James. I am a passionate outdoorsman living the life of my dreams in a log cabin that I built by myself in the Canadian wilderness. Join me and my golden retriever, Cali and listen to the sounds of the forest in this relaxing wilderness setting. I prefer to keep my talking to a minimum and let the natural sounds of nature make you feel as though you are there with me.
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200 Manitoba St., Unit 3, Suite 415
Bracebridge, ON P1L 2E2
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2022 OFF GRID CABIN LIFE: • 2022 Off Grid Cabin Life
OFF GRID LIVING: • Log Cabin & Off Grid L...
COOKING: • Cooking at the Cabin
BUILDING LOG CABIN WITH HAND TOOLS: • Building a Log Cabin A...
BUILDING OFF GRID SAUNA: • Building an Off Grid S...
BUSHCRAFT & SURVIVAL: • Bushcraft & Survival
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My Self Reliance/Shawn James
200 Manitoba St., Unit 3, Suite 415
Bracebridge, ON P1L 2E2

[@zeamays]

I've seen a lot of people talk about permaculture, and charge money to lecture about it, but other than talk, it seems like many of its proponents treat it as a big secret that can't be freely displayed in practice. You are doing permaculture for all to see. You are indeed a serious man.

[@jameskniskern2261]

There are no secrets to permaculture. All of the information is freely available... In books.

[@CosmosArchipelago]

The secret is in books.

[@the.santos.lives.]

Open a book

[@globetrotting2628]

@@jameskniskern2261 Books cost money, which is what the OP was getting at.

[@elsazulemapineiro2177]

Hola Soy Elsa de Buenos Aires Argentina y me gusta mucho su programa 🙌🤗 es muy interesante para trabajar lo felicito

[@baritashorts]

I love this side of youtube. No hate, no drama, no fast-living modern world. Just a dude having fun with his hobby in silence and peace😍

[@bhringer]

Even after 50 years of splitting wood there's still something so very satisfying as the sound of the crack and ring from the axe.

[@stephanieluigon5192]

My Dad used to do the dry stone walls, usually as a decoration or to assist in soil retention on a grade. I recall he always seemed to enjoy the process, but was rarely happy with the result, feeling it was not very well done. I always thought he was too hard on himself, but, to be sure, the creation and fitting of stone is an artform unto itself, and one where experience is the only path to consistently good results.

[@janamathis4729]

Splitting stone is very difficult. Never done it but the power behind it looks awesome! Woodworker, metalworker, stone worker, gardener, chicken keeper, forest management, hunter, fisherman, cook, builder.......I know I'm leaving something out!!!!

[@marrio7150]

Eres magnífico. Quiero un hombre así 😊. Saludos desde Argentina 🇦🇷

[@John-Adams-Can]

Cameraman/editor

[@janamathis4729]

@@John-Adams-Can Family man, survivalist and definitely a great videographer!

[@timepasses3380]

In addition to the activities in front of the camera, he's very good at running his My Self Reliance brand behind the camera --- the videography, editing, producing and managing all the business owner activities like sponsors, merch, collaborating/podcasts/etc, researching, interacting with viewers. He has said he's not an expert at anything ---- he's an expert at diversification, a cornerstone of self reliance.

[@Nummey]

US Navy veteran, as a Canadian.

[@jimgriffiths9071]

The mud on her head is just adorable! She is quite a dog! 🐕

[@leannemori9688]

I don't think that's mud. I think it's ashes.

[@Nummey]

Oh my goodness! Had no idea you could do that with the rocks up here. Awesome.

[@thorstenschell214]

I'm a big fan of Shawn James. Shawn please keep it up. Greetings from the Westerwald in Germany from Thorsten

[@denisfrancine3221]

It's amazing how those stones split so smoothly! Beautiful!

[@fgb3126]

Looking at many of them they have natural layers that run throw the entire stone. Those will cleave easily and cleanly. I'd like to know what type of stone they are. This isn't just your run-of-the-mill rocks. There's something special about these.

[@unSteerable256]

Watching Shawn beat those rocks reminded me of being in the Army peeling potatoes...a never ending pile...stay motivated my friend

[@danielluma2948]

Your chickens are so blessed to have you as a care taker

[@froggie211]

This is like me, looking for fossils. I wish I could be there checking all those split rocks for fossils 😊 You are such a hard worker, Shawn, I don't know how you do it all. It keeps you in good shape!

[@cookingprincess327]

Thank you for sharing this video with us.

[@aliceschmid9697]

I adore cali.

[@whitaker2107]

these are the videos i love not just because you are working your ass off but informative

[@ericb330]

Good morning Shawn, This was an interesting episode, my compliments. The beautiful images you create give me peace. It now has become a life’s work. Keep it healthy and enjoy.

[@marianfrances4959]

LOL Cali's bath tub! 😅 Awesome to see the stone work again. Wow, things are shaping up. Beautiful! 👍🇨🇦📸🐾🌼

[@jangrahame4891]

Ahhh the age old art of making big rocks into little rocks! Well done!

[@giselecontassotdesayvre3965]

Matinée Shawn aujourd'hui, sur grand écran et petit écran. .physique casser des cailloux et rochers..isolation pour le poulailler qui va perdurer dans le temps. Autonomie dans tous les domaines. En fait vous savez tout faire. Très belle vidéo pour notre plaisir, bon courage et bonne continuation.

[@daneshepherd5534]

well done shawn full stop

[@downtonviewer]

That same little pail used to make biochar for several years now. Ooo. Franken-tea!

[@not2tees]

You deserve every one of your subscribers. High quality videos.

[@adventureswithedna]

Those rocks have existed since the beginning of time Shawn: "hold my moose chops...." 😂

[@georgiagardengirlshomestea1560]

I so agree. I hear it each day. Come winter when its cold and the wood isburning and the house is cozy and warm. We'll be thinking about cutting more. The circle continues until....

[@senorjp21]

An easy way to make biochar is to just pile brush on a fire. The pile of coals forms a cone and only the surface of the cone gets oxygen and burns. The inside of the pile turns into char. Then you spray water on to put it all out. It isn't very efficient on wood, but limbs and brush are easy to come by. If you use small diameter twigs you may not even need to grind it up

[@Kreivos]

And additional benefit is that dousing the hot coals with water opens up the pores in the charcoal, making it more receptive for all microbes to roam in. Also the open flame method helps in that. I throw in also bones and such, they make great biochar as well.

[@amylilleydesign]

I bought some Biochar from our local farmer and have added it to my Modular gardens, raised beds and potted herbs, it’s still too early to chime in on how great it’s working, but, I know for certain that it is an excellent addition to the soil, hence the quality of the crop, please keep us up to date on how you are using it in the garden!

[@marcomcdowell8861]

Mighty fine chicken fort you have there!

[@bubeo1]

ive been working on the chain gang all the live long day

[@dreamart3395]

Sorry to be so wordy today ... Your biochar stew reminded me of a time some 65 years ago when my father was tending his homemade brew of hog slop. He had a fifty gallon barrel cut in half for a cauldron to which he added windfall, rotten, overripe fruits and vegetables along with a few buckets of grain. He cooked the hog stew over a fire pit made from cinder blocks. He used a manure pitch fork to stir the fire. My little sister and I helped ... lol. We all went in for lunch. Little sister finished her tomato soup and bologna sandwich first and took off out the door. A few minutes later we could here her scream. We ran out the door towards the work area only to be met halfway by little sister. She was crying and in pain. She had found the pitchfork laying on the ground and tried to stab it back into the ground as she'd seen our father do countless times ... only she stabbed it into her foot pinning herself to the ground. She pulled the fork out of her foot and came screaming/running back to the house. In those days you could actually call your doctor and even on a weekend day as this situation was he'd meet you at his office and tend to your wounds or illnesses. Sister survived but you can still see a little white scar where she drove the fork through her foot.

[@LuvGd2]

Loved the story, and so glad she healed!

[@HamSandwich277]

It's really shaping up to be an exciting summer on this channel!

[@chrislloyd4984]

This one made my back sore.

[@doublesharp5795]

My favorite part of Friday!

[@georgiasmalley8984]

Love to see the rock work.

[@Anaisa77]

Sigo o canal desde o começo. Você é pura inspiração. Você é um ser muito iluminado💫 Deus o abençoe a cada dia, a cada projecto. 🙏💖

[@LynnMacKenzie-w2s]

When splitting granite with a obvious grain; go around the rock with light hits like cutting the shell of a hard boiled egg.... It produces cleaner and straighter faces.

[@hanneken4026]

You can see he's done so, the light grove is visible in some shots before he delivers the final splitting blow.

[@naughtyzerozeroseven]

Thank you for the beautiful video

[@truthreigns7]

I am certain that as you look over all your work and the area in which you live that you helped change, that you are very proud.

[@stephenabril7084]

Love the Callie tub lol.

[@knolltop314]

After that experience splitting rocks, you're on your way to knapping some of your own points! 😉

[@carladejonge4951]

You do quality work, my friend! Love your vision!

[@markrtoffeeman]

@ShawnJames the chicken run and house looks very smart. The black/light colouration looks brilliant

[@arlen1630]

Everyone must get stones 😊

[@MedeniFilm]

Odlicno 😀

[@loupiscanis9449]

Thank you , Shawn . 🐺Loupis Canis .

[@giselecontassotdesayvre8090]

😁 " pierre qui roule n'amasse pas mousse.." j'admire..

[@gmiller1524]

That was a enjoyable episode, the rock splitting was very interesting! and i see you learned long ago "never enough back butter on the rocks", and as always the pictures are crisp and beautiful.....Well done Sir!.

[@BluBeatle]

Great Life you are weaving , Thanks for sharing. 🙏😎 🙏

[@tgtg4512]

It's nice that Cali doesn't chase the chicken!😅

[@julietwright9590]

Doing a good job you have a wonderful pet...it takes a lot of energy, to take care of the dog, and continue, working on fixing the house, and the garden, good job...😮

[@randybryant9936]

Hello from Cincinnati

[@joaoborges5364]

Você é gênio. Felicidades que Deus esteja sempre no controle de tudo que você faz.

[@nopelindoputraperkasa5869]

Nice sharing Vidio 🇮🇩😍💓

[@stephenreiner1523]

Nice rock cutting Shawn.

[@marygordon3032]

Hey Shawn it’s awesome to see how you make your projects work, wow! 👏👏👏🤩🤩🤩💯💯💯

[@remystraub6990]

merci JAMES

[@marydingus4360]

You are simply amazing!😮❤

[@kastah]

I really liked that stonewall

[@jacobkomnath7961]

whats nice about biochar too is you can really make it out of anything thats organic. Wood obviously is a great choice but I'll also use bones

[@MichaelCaraway-e1k]

As soon as I started this video I got a thought in my head of those old prison movies of all the prisoners in the yard making little rocks out of big rocks.

[@almathees3839]

Beautiful landscape surrounding the cabin!❤

[@dreamart3395]

I was fascinated by your efforts to split rock along its natural grain. I am artist. In addition to typical 2d surfaces I began painting on the extremely flat/smooth surfaces of rock veneer a few years ago. I am especially fond of painting on bitterroot veneer from Montana. I paint wildlife as well as wildflowers and landscapes. I have come to appreciate the beauty of natural rock and have found myself up to my armpits in hundreds of pounds of it. BTW … I had to chuckle as you sledged your pile of rock. I was humming … “I’ve been working on a chain gang’”

[@BrLambert]

It's interesting looking at the rocks, they have a natural area to split, hadn't thought of that before until now. The last time I watched you set stone was in your previous cabin behind the wood stove. What lucky chickens!

[@melissahoffman4687]

Wow! Great job putting those split rock on the concrete! :)

[@melissahoffman4687]

People, Shawn is wearing safety glasses while splitting rocks. Look closely.

[@dawnlawson7720]

Have you watched Bogdan in the forest on you tube. He is an amazing bush crafter just like you!

[@halbertking2683]

" 1491 " has a chapter about somewhere in the Amazon , a long time ago , they built the soil up with charcoal , food scraps and pottery .

[@juliefall2892]

Terra prita

[@Legendary-lp5dg]

A wonderful and blessed day to you Shawn, take care.😊

[@truthreigns7]

That looks like a splitting maul for rocks, cool. I have not seen one of them. I use a splitting maul for wood.

[@algirdas302]

Very nice to see you.

[@vevenaneathna]

reminds me of the fireplace backwall you did way back

[@rebeccamercer4160]

Enjoyed the video! Learned my watching you split stone! Can’t figure out what you were doing with the charcoal! I am willing to learn! God bless!🕊️🕊️🕊️❤️

[@RedfishInc]

Bro is looking cut! Congrats Mrs. Reliance 😉

[@joanntucker2742]

What ever you're doing good job 👏👏🤗

[@raymondheckard234]

Shawn working on the rock pile, you breed black and white striped clothing. Seeing you work with the sledge hammer reminded me of when I was a child and we drove by the correctional institution by Granite Oklahoma and the convicts was breaking rocks in the 1960’s.

[@c.rogers____]

It amazes me that you come up with so many good ideas,!

[@MrDralibaba]

now all that is missing is a nice wooden observation tower building by you!!

[@iris1501]

WELL DONNE JAMES,,,WE LOVE YOU"""

[@leekent3325]

Wow lots of work! Most of my property is made of rocks, great idea… Thanks ❤

[@bennyt.christensen3970]

Needless to say that i am happy to see you use PPE. 😎

[@robertlemoine3500]

Thankyou 😊

[@nouseforaname5378]

It’s amazing what we could accomplish if we didn’t need to work for a paycheck . I appreciate you and all your hard labor. I’d rather be busting rocks for a façade for a house I built than making money for someone else every day.. you’re a lucky guy..

[@mariasilveira278]

Great job

[@joem.7621]

That's really cool.😁

[@kaboom-zf2bl]

btw a good stain bug treatment ... boil a pouch of cigarette tobacco and then spray the water on the bricks or wood ... the nicotine is a poison for the bugs and it adds an oak like stain as well ... about 5 gal per 100g pouch for medium yellow ... 10gal for light and 15 for mostly clear ... but lots of bug protection

[@kaboom-zf2bl]

that is going to be one bucket load of nutrient dense water for sure ...

[@jonathangibson9098]

good to see you are wearing eye protection when splitting those stones

[@Michael_Scott_Howard]

NOTHING FINER THAN DOING WORK AND A CLOCK NOR ANYTHING ELSE IS MEASURED --OTHER THAN YOUR PLEASURE.

[@naturemyeyes]

This is a great video, really well done. Wish you success!

[@ajitsadhu8183]

Hello

[@DosMasTequila]

Nice job charging the bio-char.😊

[@noiseosoutros]

VERY GOOD...

[@jazmynrule1726]

i think you would like to see how traditional Cornish hedgerows were built. No cement used and still up hundreds of years later. check it out.

[@MySelfReliance]

Yes, they’re beautiful. They use an immense amount of stone though

[@lupettozonzolante]

Complimenti per il video, è davvero bello e interessante.🐺

[@rawstarmusic]

Oh my god, hand splitting stones to install in my chicken soup. Oh, my chicken coop" phu.. You are a manual for all works on earth.

[@albertscheller485]

Hallo wie geht es euch beiden denn so ich hoffe gut und danke für deine schöne Videos

[@mikepower8208]

That seems like a lot of work for such a minimal ROI.

[@maryhernandezwalker1528]

😊

[@stephanieo3653]

Chicken castle! 🙂

[@zindi1138]

should gather strawberry runners for tea

[@kirbygulbrandsen4507]

I’m sure you read a lot but did you know? They did a study on plants and animals and they found that when the birds wake up and start singing, the plant leaves open up. So the song birds are harmonious with the trees and plants. It makes you think, what has God created that we haven’t even touched on. Things like plants for medicine. Makes you wonder, it’s a shame our minds as younger people think about things that motivate us and once we’re old it’s almost too late.

[@terrycairns6255]

Use a half oil drum filled with sand as a bench for cutting stone

[@ronsafreed2400]

Wow,what a chicken roost