The companion podcast to the Greenhill Forge YouTube channel, where the experiments meet the real world. Alternative energy, wood heating, metal fabrication, off-grid engineering and homesteading — the workshops, the tools, and what it actually takes to make DIY dreams real.
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10. Hole-y smokes it’s boring! Making holes in metal
Episode 10
Friday, November 6, 2026 • Duration 01:11:11
This week we’re talking about making holes in metal— twist bits, step bits, annular cutters, hole saws, mag drills, and plasma cutting for steel, plus the tips and techniques for smooth cutting.
In this episode:
Choosing twist drill bits in mild steel, including how to avoid binding or snapping bits
Differences between high-speed steel, cobalt, and coated bits and which we prefer for shop vs. job-site work
Using cutting fluid (oil-based vs. water-based)
How step bits work for enlarging holes and deburring, including practical thickness limits
Using annular cutters (and mag drills) for larger-diameter holes
Hole saws for thin sheet and larger openings, including limitations on precision and thickness
Thermal methods (plasma, laser, oxyacetylene) for cutting holes when drilling isn’t practical
Basic layout, punching, and other ways to keep bits from walking
Alternative approaches for oversized holes (angle grinder, chain drilling, dies, and traditional blacksmithing methods like punching or slitting and drifting)
Practical notes on drill speeds/feeds and reading chip color as a temperature indicator
Listener question on how to get started with alternative fuels for engines
_______________________________
Welcome to the Greenhill Forge Podcast, with Eric from the Greenhill Forge YouTube channel, and my buddy Amal, a fellow builder of many trades.
In this podcast we’ll talk about where the real world meets experiments in alternative energy, wood heating, metal fabrication, off-grid engineering and self sufficiency, so expect discussions about workshops, tools, fabrication, building, homesteading, and what it actually takes to make those dreams real.
01:03:32 Listener Question: Getting into Alternative Fuels
9. How to survive the Zombie Apocalypse (Happy Halloween!)
Episode 9
Friday, October 30, 2026 • Duration 01:16:21
This week we’re celebrating Halloween by talking about how we’re planning on surviving the hypothetical zombie apocalypse!
In this episode:
Water- practical ways to store and filter it
Rule-of-threes survival priorities and the hardest seasonal months
Best animals for long-term food and work
Community and the need for specialists who produce surplus calories
Food production and calorie-dense crops
Food preservation methods that work without electricity
The importance of salt
Overlooked basics
What we’ll run out of
Mental fortitude, physical fitness, and outdoor practice versus pure gear-based prepping
_______________________________
Welcome to the Greenhill Forge Podcast, with Eric from the Greenhill Forge YouTube channel, and my buddy Amal, a fellow builder of many trades.
In this podcast we’ll talk about where the real world meets experiments in alternative energy, wood heating, metal fabrication, off-grid engineering and self sufficiency, so expect discussions about workshops, tools, fabrication, building, homesteading, and what it actually takes to make those dreams real.
8. Absorption refrigerator: cooling with fire, water, and salt
Episode 8
Friday, October 23, 2026 • Duration 01:02:16
This week we’re talking about Eric’s recent video on his absorption refrigerator design that uses water as the refrigerant and calcium chloride (road salt) to absorb the vapor, powered by heat instead of a compressor. We’re going through how the cycle works, the main components, the practical limits, and what it takes to keep the system running.
How an absorption refrigerator cycles water as the refrigerant with calcium chloride as the absorbent
Why calcium chloride is used instead of regular salt or other common absorbents like lithium bromide
The roles of the generator, absorber, condenser, expansion valve, and evaporator
How vacuum lowers the boiling point to produce cooling and why the system stays below ambient pressure
Temperature limits of water as a refrigerant and why making ice is difficult
How the U-bend and pressure differences create directional flow without a compressor
Practical considerations for off-grid use, including supplementing a root cellar and managing heat input
Power needs for pumps and fans, and options for using solar heat on the generator
Challenges with scaling evaporators, absorber capacity, and monitoring pressures and temperatures
Structural and vacuum-related details that affect building and operating the system
_______________________________
Welcome to the Greenhill Forge Podcast, with Eric from the Greenhill Forge YouTube channel, and my buddy Amal, a fellow builder of many trades.
In this podcast we’ll talk about where the real world meets experiments in alternative energy, wood heating, metal fabrication, off-grid engineering and self sufficiency, so expect discussions about workshops, tools, fabrication, building, homesteading, and what it actually takes to make those dreams real.
7. Alternative energy alternatives: biofuels & more
Episode 7
Friday, October 16, 2026 • Duration 01:19:28
This week we’re talking about alternative alternative energy — ways to run engines and produce power that aren’t the usual solar panels or wind turbines. We go through waste vegetable oil and biodiesel, wood gasification, small-scale ethanol, methane digesters, and a few mechanical systems like wind pumps, water wheels, trompes, and Stirling engines.
_______________________________
Welcome to the Greenhill Forge Podcast, with Eric from the Greenhill Forge YouTube channel, and my buddy Amal, a fellow builder of many trades.
In this podcast we’ll talk about where the real world meets experiments in alternative energy, wood heating, metal fabrication, off-grid engineering and self sufficiency, so expect discussions about workshops, tools, fabrication, building, homesteading, and what it actually takes to make those dreams real.
00:00:14 Overview of alternative fuels and mechanical energy systems
00:00:58 Running older diesel engines on waste vegetable oil
00:02:02 Cleaning and filtering waste vegetable oil
00:03:30 Dual-tank veggie oil conversion with preheating and purging
00:05:07 Making biodiesel from waste oil
00:06:35 Sourcing methanol and its cost for biodiesel
6. How to choose a wood stove
Episode 6
Friday, October 9, 2026 • Duration 01:25:40
This week we're talking wood stoves. We've both heated with wood for decades, so this is the stuff we actually weigh when we're buying and using them.
_______________________________
Welcome to the Greenhill Forge Podcast, with Eric from the Greenhill Forge YouTube channel, and my buddy Amal, a fellow builder of many trades.
In this podcast we’ll talk about where the real world meets experiments in alternative energy, wood heating, metal fabrication, off-grid engineering and self sufficiency, so expect discussions about workshops, tools, fabrication, building, homesteading, and what it actually takes to make those dreams real.
A practical guide to turning a yard-sale bike into a power takeoff, built around an upcoming wheat thresher
How much power you can expect and
Where to begin the design process
Gearing, freewheels, flip-flop hubs, steel frames, and how to tension a chain that is never perfectly round
Belt drive with inner tubes versus chain, including the old chicken rotisserie as a gear-reduction example
Standing the bike up, bike trainers, a sideways shaft, adult trikes, and the simple option of chaining straight off the front ring
Multi-person setups, Appropedia, and why twenty people still only add up to a few kilowatts
Why direct mechanical drive beats pedaling into a battery, and the kosher thresher they built years ago
A listener question on eco-friendly building materials, plus a shop note on weld order and distortion
_______________________________
Welcome to the Greenhill Forge Podcast, with Eric from the Greenhill Forge YouTube channel, and my buddy Amal, a fellow builder of many trades.
In this podcast we’ll talk about where the real world meets experiments in alternative energy, wood heating, metal fabrication, off-grid engineering and self sufficiency, so expect discussions about workshops, tools, fabrication, building, homesteading, and what it actually takes to make those dreams real.
We’ll answer a question each week, so send yours to us at
4. Builders debate the houses that last 20 years vs 500
Episode 4
Friday, September 25, 2026 • Duration 01:31:50
This week we’re talking about building for longevity — what actually makes a house last 20 years versus 500. We compare modern American stick framing, European masonry, traditional stone, and natural building methods like cob, rammed earth, and straw bale, and why water, airtightness, climate, and skill matter more than the material itself.
In this episode:
Why old buildings are still standing and modern ones often aren’t
How American stick framing works, and how it has changed
Tight houses, moisture, mold, and the “Ziploc bag” problem
HRVs, wood stoves, negative pressure, and indoor air quality
Rain screens vs older tar-paper-and-siding assemblies
Repairability vs 25-year wall warranties
Speed, year-round building, and the trades skills gap
Why buildings fail as systems, not as single products
Modern European masonry and brick-as-rainscreen construction
Dry-in time, cost, and US vs UK labor
Brick veneer problems, window upgrades, and out-of-plumb stone walls
Maintenance: masonry vs wood siding
Long-lasting roofs: slate, clay tile, and standing seam
Traditional stone, field stone, and lost mason knowledge
Laying stone on its natural bed, and orienting wood the way it grew
Natural building / “hippie building”: cob, rammed earth, straw bale, earthships, earthbags, and papercrete
Thermal mass, overhangs, drainage, and climate-specific design
Permitting, insurance, and hybrid builds
Question of the week: the tool you most regret buying
Tip of the week: spend money on tools that need to be precise
_______________________________
Welcome to the Greenhill Forge Podcast, with Eric from the Greenhill Forge YouTube channel, and my buddy Amal, a fellow builder of many trades.
In this podcast we’ll talk about where the real world meets experiments in alternative energy, wood heating, metal fabrication, off-grid engineering and self sufficiency, so expect discussions about workshops, tools, fabrication, building, homesteading, and what it actually takes to make those dreams real.
3. Tractors & diggers: choosing small machinery for your property
Episode 3
Friday, September 18, 2026 • Duration 01:04:52
This week we’re comparing the small machines that actually get used on homesteads, hobby farms and small properties: compact tractors, skid steers, walk-behind tractors and mini excavators.
We’ll go through the real jobs — clearing, grading, digging, gardens, compost, firewood, moving material — plus what to rent vs buy, implement cost and swap time, PTO vs hydraulics, fuel, maintenance, where these things get tippy or annoying, and what we’d buy first if we could only afford one.
In this episode:
Which machines are usually rented vs purchased
Compact tractor (about 25-40 hp) as the most practical first machine
Mini excavator as the strongest second machine for digging and tight garden work
Why mini skid steers / dingos rarely earn their keep on a homestead
Walk-behind tractors for small-scale market gardening
Implement storage, used market and DIY builds
Dealer vs cheap import, plus the US sub-25 hp emissions cutoff
Listener question: starting welding
Tips of the week
CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro: best small machinery for homesteads, hobby farms and smallholdings
00:51 - Start with the job: raw land vs established property
01:26 - Heavy clearing and big root balls. Rent, don’t buy
04:46 - After infrastructure: when owning a machine starts to make sense
09:51 - Compact tractors, skid steers, walk-behind tractors and mini excavators
11:00 - Mini skid steers / dingos: great on job sites, poor homestead fit
13:55 - Tipping and stability (mini skids, then tractors)
14:13 - Compact tractors: Swiss Army knife, balance problems, counterweights
19:01 - Walk-behind tractors: cheap entry, high labour, fast implement changes
2. Skills for beginners and where to start
Episode 2
Friday, September 11, 2026 • Duration 01:12:37
This week we’re talking about the most valuable skills that we've learned along the way, and we answer a listener question about buying tools as a beginner.
_______________________________
Welcome to the Greenhill Forge Podcast, with Eric from the Greenhill Forge YouTube channel, and my buddy Amal, a fellow builder of many trades.
In this podcast we’ll talk about where the real world meets experiments in alternative energy, wood heating, metal fabrication, off-grid engineering and self sufficiency, so expect discussions about workshops, tools, fabrication, building, homesteading, and what it actually takes to make those dreams real.
Welcome to the Greenhill Forge Podcast, with Eric from the Greenhill Forge YouTube channel, and my buddy Amal, a fellow builder of many trades.
In this podcast we’ll talk about where the real world meets experiments in alternative energy, wood heating, metal fabrication, off-grid engineering and self sufficiency, so expect discussions about workshops, tools, fabrication, building, homesteading, and what it actually takes to make those dreams real.
This week we’re covering our favorite metal shop tools and answering a listener question about insulating old stone buildings.
43:53 - How implements are powered: PTO vs hydraulics
45:39 - Maintenance, parts and how hard each machine is to work on
48:45 - Buying strategy if you can only afford one machine first
52:51 - Size, emissions (sub-25 hp) and dealer vs import brands
55:45 - Audience question: how to start welding
01:00:51 - Weekly tips: stop procrastinating simple jobs + make test pieces
01:04:37 - Wrap-up
_______________________________
Welcome to the Greenhill Forge Podcast, with Eric from the Greenhill Forge YouTube channel, and my buddy Amal, a fellow builder of many trades.
In this podcast we’ll talk about where the real world meets experiments in alternative energy, wood heating, metal fabrication, off-grid engineering and self sufficiency, so expect discussions about workshops, tools, fabrication, building, homesteading, and what it actually takes to make those dreams real.
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