Hello, Chef, and welcome to the Forums.

If you do a search for "studded" you'll find several threads on this subject. Here's one, for example:

Snow Riding Website

Personally I don't think DIY studded tyres are worth the trouble, but I know people make them and enjoy the ride (which is the only thing that matters). I ride almost all my mileage on road and I would not expect a homemade tyre to last long on the mixed conditions (hard snow, soft snow, ice and plain pavement) or offer a comfortable ride. Off-road may be a different story. Anyways, I use Nokian Hakkapeliittas and I've heard Schwalbe makes a good studded tyre for commuting purposes, too.

--J