We had rain and cold temps at the Carmi Rifle Club, and a small turnout, but we had a good time anyway. Half of the day was indoors on the rimfire pistol range, then we had some great cheeseburgers off the grill, and shooting all afternoon. The sun came out to take off the chill, finally!
I won't be switching. Working up firewood by hand takes energy, and then you have to go pick up another load and do it all over again. Dad told me that if you have a good hand shucking corn, you unload for him. If he shucks and then has to unload, he won't be able to shuck like he did on the first load. I gave up splitting by hand at 58 because my right elbow couldn't stand it anymore. This is a beautiful axe, though. It's hand forged and made just for splitting wood. The handle is hand made, by splitting the hickory rather than sawing. That insures that there is no runout in the grain, which can wreck your day on a tough chunk of wood. Anyhow, if you look up this axe on line you will see that one can be yours for $600.
Suggestions from Merle. Thank You, Merle!
Susan and I have seen exactly one mill like this, in Michigan. I wonder how many there are in the U.S.
Back To The Old Grind!
Update: I found the original video on YouTube>
A lot of gas, but there is some steam in there, too. From Someplace Or Another.
The Birdsall engines are different from other traction engines you will see. They use a driveshaft to move power, which is unique as far as I have seen.
Here's a really good look at the driveshaft side of a Birdsall.
Turkey vultures are enjoying themselves at our place. They circle around over us throughout the day. Our timber provides a good updraft when the wind is moving, and they surf the edges. Every morning they will roost in this dead tree to sun themselves. We admire from afar!
