brookefox, how did you manage jigs without a lathe to make them precise?

@margaret99 nailed it with that third hand comment. That's exactly what it feels like. I think a lot of us have that one tool we swore we'd never touch until reality smacks us upside the head. It's like when I swore I'd never use a cordless impact for lug nuts because my Snap-on air gun was all I needed. Then a buddy's Milwaukee took off a stuck bolt that my air gun couldn't budge. Next day I had one on my truck. The funny thing is once you use it you can't imagine going back. It's like that with a lot of shop stuff. You build up this idea that the old way is the only way then one job shows you how much time you wasted. The Haimer is just a fancy example of the same pattern.

yeah pine needles are way too light for that, they just blow away or pack down too thin. straw actually traps air which is what keeps the ground from heaving. needles just kinda sit there and let the cold get through.