Autumn Views

Lazy Man's Load

 All split and stacked tonight. The splitter is back in the barn because of the coming rain.

Boiler Explosions- What Can Cause Them?

 Here is some great discussion for any steam fan.

Tuesday Torque: Tangye Engines

 I have seen the name, but know nothing about Tangye engines. The only place I remember seeing them is in the model engine field. They are from the UK, made by Sir Richard Trevithick Tangye's (1833-1906) company in Birmingham, England. Start Googling and YouTubing to learn about them. That is what I will be doing over coffee in the morning! Many Thanks, Merle, for finding the good ones!

Happy Heavenly Birthday To Dear Old Aunt Bessye...,

...  born on this day in 1892. The only reason I always remember her birthday is that Dad was born on October 27.

Sixteen Is A Scary Number For Schip People

 

We had three sixteen year old Schipperkes in the house at the same time recently. Old Buster has been with us for more than a year as a permanent foster, and he is now showing signs of dementia. Sapphire, on Susan's lap recently lost her owner, and friends of the family are fostering her. We had her for twelve days and gave her royal treatment because she was suffering from heart failure. Blayde, also sixteen is suffering from a collapsing trachea, so he requires a gentle touch to keep him going. Two days after we returned Sapphire to her regular foster, she apparently had a stroke and soon passed. Our old Skipper made it to eighteen, and we hear of a few Schips that get past twenty, but sixteen is the number that puts me on edge.

Plenty To Do!

 

We pulled all the posts and trellises out of the garden, burned the cardboard mulch and dry vines, tilled it for next spring, and put away all the hardware in the north barn. Today Susan has been cutting peppers and vacuum sealing them for the freezer. Tonight we split a load of firewood after sunset.  We are rapidly building our stacks of wood, and maybe we can coast through January and February. We will be cutting more black cherry and cherrybark oak this week, and we have three standing dead black oaks with dry wood up in the tops. Those should make some good chainsaw videos.  "No rest for the wicked, and the righteous need none." so Back To The Old Grind!

Weekend Steam: Case 150 Pulling The Sled

 Pulling a load is the whole idea behind the design of the Case 150. You really need to watch for Kory Anderson's posts and take in a show with his big engine. I wonder when he will begin marketing casting kits so steam enthusiasts can build more of these beasts. Thank You, Merle for the pick!

Cleaning Off The Garden

Susan had a great garden this year and we picked a bunch of good peppers to enjoy today before we pulled the plants. The posts and trellises are all out and the fence is opened so we can bring the tractor in for Fall tilling. There is still plenty of work to do. We have many loads of wood that we need to work up to store at the house and out in the barn, and we will be mowing leaves to bits soon.

The Last American Power Tool Company, Dayton, Ohio

Jay Leno's Cadillac

 

Morning Visitor

 A herd of deer will break and run if the dogs start barking at them, but a single deer doesn't really care as long as I don't make any funny moves.

We are getting some colors now.

Tuesday Torque: Leon Bollee La Voiturette Motorcycle

 This rare beast is the 1897 model, with electric ignition. Earlier models had a burner at the head for hot tube ignition. Rare beasts, indeed! Thank You, Merle!

Here is an 1896 model, with hot tube ignition.

Busman's Holiday

Here is a big sweetgum tree at the Carmi Rifle Club that went toes up on us last year, and we have been waiting for grass cutting to be over and done with before we cut it. Trees have to be cleaned up immediately if grass needs to be cut, so we let it stand through Summer.

Mike Rowe Photo

Mowing is all over with for the year now, and the weather has been perfect for working outdoors, plus one of the club members volunteered a tractor to push wood around. This weekend was the Free Range Days that the Carmi Rifle Club does every Fall, so we had an audience, too!  Free Range Days gives hunters a great opportunity to use the range for sighting their firearms, and it introduces people to the range, which is a great place to shoot with a bunch of good people. 

Mike Rowe Photo

This tree had a significant branch making back weight, so it was not without risk, given the shelter that resides between the cargo containers. We cut a plug out of the trunk of the tree to verify that the wood was solid and strong before we started in earnest.

                                                                            DMW Photo

There was not enough room on the west side of the tree to bore cut with the saws, and the tree was a bit too wide at the stump for the 28 inch bar on 572 XP. I made diameter reduction cuts on the west and east sides so I could reach through, and I still had enough length on the open face for a proper hinge, which needed to be 20 inches long or a bit more. It came out at 21. The tree diameter at breast height was 24 inches, so a hinge thickness of 2 inches or slightly more was needed. 

  

                                                   DMW Video

How far back was this tree balanced? We had 30 inches behind the hinge to the back of the stump, so the tree segment size is 30 inches. The tree stood a bit over 70 feet tall, but those upper branches were dead dry, so I rounded down to an even 70 feet. There are 840 inches in 70 feet, divided by 30 equals 28 segments. That means for every inch you raise the bottom segment, the top of the tree moves 28 inches. We started out with several single wedges, then double wedges, and the final wedging as we approached the balance point was two 1 1/2" wedges, plus a third wedge of 1 1/4" inch, minus the 3/8" saw kerf, or almost 4 inches total. That is 112 inches give or take, or 9 feet that we moved the top of the tree before it went over. The absolute limit for a 50 segment tree with good wood is around 10 feet of back lean, and a 30 segment tree is more than that, around 12 to 14 feet if you have enough wedges and endurance to swing a maul.  Nine feet was enough for me.  Store these lessons in wedging away for future use.  Always measure and run your numbers for back leaners before you start cutting. 

                                                                              DMW Photo

 Grade your stumps and be critical. The hinge thickness was 2 1/4", so we had plenty of strength for wedging over.  The cuts from opposite sides did not quite meet, but bypassed so the tree went over OK. Susan did not shoot video, but kept watch to be sure all the spectators stayed out of the danger zone.  Many thanks to Dawn and Mike for the photos and video. More chainsaw is planned for Monday, so, Back To The Old Grind!

PS: The dry top wood went into the annual bonfire and wienie roast Saturday evening.

Weekend Steam II: White River Antique Show, Elnora, Indiana

 Another great engine show video by Brian of Someplace or Another YouTube Channel.

Weekend Steam: Waterous Fire Engine, FDNY

 The vehicle is a Waterous petrol driven fire engine with a steam powered firefighting pump. It was supplied new in 1910-11 to the New York City Fire Department ... note the initials F.D.N.Y. along the top of the hood.  Many Thanks, Merle!

Pipeline Improvement

 The pipeline gets wooly through the summer, plus it is now growing a lot of autumn olive and bush honeysuckle. The pipeline company bush hogs it every fall, and that makes it easy to travel on foot or utility vehicle. 

Down on the south 1/4 mile it looks a bit better. We put wildlife food plots on that portion, and we don't have the invasive plants trying to take over there. I am thinking that I need to start discing the entire length and sow wheat on it. 

This plot was sowed to wheat last fall and clover was added in the spring. There is a little plot of corn just north of it. Turn around and look the other way and we have a freshly tilled plot that is now sowed to wheat. Autumn olive and bush honeysuckle are along the edges where I can spray it easily to control it. It sure looks better than having invasive brush taking over every summer. 

This Show Is Over

 Goldenrod, ironweed, boneset are all done. Frost has hit the tops of the trees around us. Walnut is mostly down, persimmon is dropping as soon as it turns. Oaks are still green, and hickory is dropping without becoming gloriously yellow like it usually does. Red maples aren't saying much, and sweetgum is mostly dull purple instead of its brighter statements. Our sumacs were glorious but now are bare.

Hang Up And Drive

 Westbound I-64 is undergoing construction, and it goes for many miles. This guy ran up on us too close a couple times, finally backed off. You have to watch your back as much as the road in front of you.

Under The Car: Backroad Consequences

Last week the clutch pedal stayed down a couple times in the old Nissan pickup, but a little kick and it popped back, until last Thursday. It popped back, but could not be depressed. The little truck was dead in the water! I ordered a master and slave cylinder immediately, and installed them today. The slave cylinder was really stuck and rusty inside, and still wet from driving down our country roads on rainy days. I guess that is not too bad for a truck that is old enough to drink, and has over 200 grand on the odometer. I will be pulling the boot off the new one occasionally to rinse the outer bore with brake fluid. The new cylinder is made of aluminum, so it won't be making any red rust, but aluminum corrodes, too, so preventative care will be done occasionally, especially after driving flooded gravel.

Tuesday Torque: Daimler Marine Engine

 Have none survived? I would love to see a video of this engine running. Thank You, Merle, for the link. From Facebook, Iconic Rides.

"1890s motorboat fitted with an early Daimler 1.5 horsepower narrow angle (17 degree) V-twin engine. These engines used a 'hot tube' ignition system, which was kept hot by a small Bunsen-type burner attached to the side of each cylinder head.

This ignition system wouldn't allow the engine to rev much past 600 RPM, but it was generally reliable, and there was nothing electrical to ever fail. The engine would run as long as there was fuel in the tank and the flames remained lit. No word on how resistant to sea spray the ignition system proved to be, but at least it wouldn't short out on a wet day.

Daimler engines proved popular for both boats and stationary use during the last decade of the 19th century because the company developed the design enough for it to be (relatively) reliable before they offered it to the general public. The thermal ignition system was also more familiar to the average user, who was already used to lighting fireplaces, steam boilers, gas lamps, wood stoves, etc. Some Daimler engines were built and sold in the USA, as well as in Europe. This engine ran using the familiar Otto (4-stroke) cycle we still use today."

Beautiful Bur Mill...

 ...at the American Thresherman show at Pinckneyville. I do hope they put a guard on the motor assembly for the sifter before a shirt or a hand gets wrapped up in it. It sure does look grabby.

Back To The Old Grind!

Weekend Steam II: The Quickest Way Down Mt. Washington

 Merle sent a nice little snippet. How did crew members come down Mt. Washington quickly when working on the cog railway? The Devil's Shingle is what they called it, and I don't think anyone is doing that today. Maybe sneak up there at night when nobody is looking, and come down in the dark at 60 miles per hour...Thank You, Merle!

Weekend Steam: Boonville Indiana, This Weekend!

 Yup, the fall festival at Boonville is here right now. Hit the road.

Birthday Girl Hits The Jackpot!

 Susan completed another orbit of the Sun and got a couple of beautiful new tools to use in her garden. Rogue Hoes began as fire fighting tools, but now are being used by many others than wildland fire fighters. These babies can sure break and turn the soil!

 I went out in a stand I thinned one year ago and began cutting firewood. This looks promising! I will be checking oaks I cut in the near future.

Working Ahead

 This wood is going to the barn.  It's wet and it needs a year of drying.

Brilliant Colors Coming On

 The sumacs are lovely right now, the surviving sassafrases are turning orange, persimmon is yellow, and black gum is scarlet. The sweetgums are going yellow, purple, and red. It looks like a great fall for forest colors. 

Tuesday Torque: Recycled Motorcycle Starts Old Engine

 Oilfield pumpers rigged up starters similar to this for firing up engines on pumping units. Those gadgets were hooked to the battery on the pumper's truck and utilized a rubber wheel and a lever, almost like this gasoline powered rig. Thank You, Merle, for spotting!

Thirteen's Unlucky, Let's Go Find Another!

 

The Jakes put on a good show this morning. They gathered under the white oak in our yard to gobble up acorns.

Hammer Handles Are Best Bought In Person...

 Order your hammer handles online and you do not get to pick and choose. Go to your local hardware stores, inspect and compare the handles. Buy only the best.

Back To The Old Grind!

Weekend Steam II: Little Case Engine At William's Grove

 Thank You, Merle. That is great stack talk!

Everybody Wants A Hawken

Jeremiah Johnson greatly increased the interest in hunting with muzzleloaders back in the 1970s. Manufacturers and importers are still benefitting from that movie. Hawken rifles evidently did not have a large role in the fur trade, but that does not make them any less desirable for enthusiasts today. A fifty caliber roundball rifle will do a number on a deer with a reasonable charge of powder, and will typically punch all the way through the heart/lungs to the hide on the other side. Modern muzzleloaders have a faster twist than the originals and can use Minie balls, saboted pistol bullets, or other "long" bullets cast of soft lead. Those projectiles will easily go completely through a deer. There is some interesting and informative history in the following videos. I need to warm up my bullet molds!

A Little Bit Of Heaven

Here we have Atlas, Poppy, Vinnie, Sophie, Mina, and Buster. Ranger is not in the photo. That is a lot of Schipperkes! Jack passed recently and is no longer with us, though we still feel like he is here. Poppy goes up to the northern Illinois border to her new home next week. Atlas and Sophie have not found their new homes yet, so we need to repost them on Midwest's F-book page.

Here's Atlas getting a pedicure. The dogs accept a grinder much easier than clippers.
 

Bur Oak ID...Still Learning

Bur oak is a tree that has not been common for me. I learned it more than 50 years ago, and it is easy to identify by the bark, stout twigs, distinctive leaves, and distinctive acorns. It is not as common as the other oaks in my life, so this dead one made me look a bit to verify what it is. I checked a live bur oak with a pocket knife, and the bark under the surface is a reddish brown with thin ivory layers. The dead one is exactly the same. It is in the utility vehicle now and will be split in the morning. The growth rings are wide, so I hope that it has dried most of the way while standing dead. Wide growth rings on oak are dense and dry slowly, so a moisture check is in order. Stay tuned!

Weekend Steam: Case 40 HP With Steerable Tender,

 and pulling a Townsend gasoline tractor!  Thank You, Merle, for the pick!

Chestnuts!

 We are picking up enough for snacks and to start a few seedlings next year. The deer are getting most of them. Deer noses must be tough!

If Soda Commercials Were Honest....

 Carbs are poison...

Another Sassafras Bites The Dust

 Here is the fourth nice sassafras tree that has gone toes up on us. Curse these imported diseases!

Watch for my mistake! Nothing bad happened, but it is a lesson to remember. A saw chain can really grab!

Tuesday Torque: Model A Ford High Wheeler

 Merle spotted this beauty. This Model A would be just the thing to deliver mail down rutted mud roads. Grinding along in first gear would be tiresome, but you hardly have to touch the steering wheel when the ruts guide you! Model As and Ts were great mudders, with lots of room around the wheels. Later models built up mud in the wheel wells. Cars with bigger engines were prone to breaking axles while fighting mud. I've visited with old oilfield hands who remembered the 30s and 40s, and winch truck drivers typically carried a  couple of extra axles on the headache rack of their trucks. Ford V-8 winch trucks could really throw the mud when digging in to winch heavy pulls, but they could also bust an axle when doing that type of work. Truck drivers were good at self rescue back then. Don't leave any bits of axle in the housing when replacing an axle. They will get in the differential and then you will be done.