Farmer "Recycles" School House

Farmer "Recycles" School House BUILDINGS Houses 29-1-39 When Dale Flohaug went to school in a one-room school house as a young boy, he never dreamed he'd spend hundreds of hours in the building later in life. But that's what happened because he uses the tiny one-room white school house, which is about the size of a single car garage, as his farm shop. The school's annex, which once served as the cloak, boot and wood room, sits a short distance away and now houses lubricants and miscellaneous tools. Flohaug's father, Clarence, moved the buildings to his farm in the 1960's when the school closed. The elder Flohaug also made sure that the original windows, lighting and interior siding remained intact. He put strong wire mesh over the windows to protect the glass, attaching hooks through the mesh to hold tools and small parts. Dale and his wife Gail have added their own creative touches to make the shop even more workable. • On one side of the shop an old clothes washer cabinet houses the arc welder. The top surface is plate steel with edging made from worn combine rasp bars. "We made this to save space, and with the heavy top and sides, we could hit it with a maul and not do any damage," says Dale. • "Changing big truck or wagon tires was always a problem for one man," says Dale, "and we're always concerned about safety. That's why we mounted a bead breaker to the frame of the shop. It gives one person extra leverage and it's a lot safer than doing this with a maul and bar." • "Plastic tool bins are good, but metal ones are better because they don't crack and break," says Dale. "My dad made these bins 40 years ago from cups that were riveted on a grain belt. They're still in perfect condition today." • Gail Flohaug doesn't do as much canning as she used to, but her jars and lids are put to good use. By mounting the lids to the underside of shelves, she and the hired help don't have to spend as much time looking for odd size nuts and bolts. Says Dale, "I started my education in this building more than 40 years ago, and I'm still learning how to do a better job repairing things today. I guess it's only right that we can preserve this ælearning' heritage and have the building serve us as a great farm shop." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Yellow Rose Farm, Dale and Gail Flohaug, Aneta, N. Dak. (ph 701 322-5677).

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