Grass Versus Trees Again

 I am covered up right now putting together plans for tree planting next spring, and part of every plan is a section telling landowners to kill fescue before they plant their trees.  Some listen, and some don't.  The ones that have fescue in their projects make good examples to show other landowners why killing grass before they plant is important.  The top photo is a tree planting project that was installed in crop stubble, with no weed control.  It has nearly 100% survival, and good form in the trees because of competition with weeds, and the natural concealment from deer.

This sad looking planting project is right across the road from the first planting, and it was actually planted before the other, in Hamilton County, Illinois.  This project was a fescue field, and the owner never got around to controlling the fescue grass.  White pine is one of the few trees that seems to be able to fight it out with fescue and survive, but they would have performed better if instructions had been followed.  The hardwoods were essentially a 100% failure.  Very few of these failed cases ever call to rectify the problem, so I assume that these folks weren't terribly interested in the first place.

Your Mileage May Vary With This Gizmo

 We are making more barn timbers out of one of the trees we had to drop, and I used a Beam Machine from Bailey's Logging Supply, just to see how it would do on a big job.  The Beam Machine uses a straight 2" X 4" as a guide, and you pull the saw through the log.  A 2" x 4" is not a very big base, and the challenge you face is keeping you saw squarely oriented throughout the cut.  You will have some roughness in the faces with this gadget, because you pull the saw back, rotate down, and repeat.  It did pretty well, though, and the inexpensive price makes it a fair investment.  In this photo the 2" x 4" rail and the Beam Machine have been removed to finish the cuts.

 Finishing the cuts.  You can see the Beam Machine on the left side of the photo.  It attaches to the bar of the saw with two set screws, and is easy to install and remove.

I cut firewood sections out of the slabs while the top log was still attached, then cut the half finished cant from the butt log.  We will finish this into a timber for use in our old barn, and have a few boards to boot.  I plan to use our Alaskan Mill to finish this job.

The Alaskan Mill will do a better job of making smooth cuts, but of course it costs more.  These milling attachments are more versatile than the inexpensive Beam Machine, but they also require more muscle as you have to push the saw through the cuts.  Read up on the various attachments that are available for your saw so you buy the right tool for the type of work you need to do.

You need to have a fair understanding of filing your teeth if you plan to use a chainsaw milling attachment.  The teeth are filed differently for ripping, but you won't have any trouble if you already know how to file a chainsaw blade.  Take a look at Chainsaw Sharpening Tips for hints on filing.  Ripping chains will have two teeth filed at about 25 degrees, and then two teeth filed at 0 to 10 degrees.  Chains filed for cross-cutting will have all the teeth filed at 25 to 35 degrees.  You can buy a chain already made for ripping, or file a crosscut chain to do the job.

Before Fuel Injection; Before Floats and Needle Valves...

Engineers and other inventors have been coming up with new and more efficient ways to deliver fuel to the combustion chamber ever since the first internal combustion engine.  This little video offers a good look at one of the early systems for regulating the amount of fuel in the carburetor bowl; an overflow and return to the fuel tank.  This method worked well and was used on many of the early gas engines and tractors.  Follow this link to have a look inside a Secor-Higgins carburetor, and to read of all its virtues.  The Secor-Higgins system was used in Falk gas engines and Rumely Oil Pulls, and it was a  major advance from more primitive mixing valves.  If you look closely at the diagram you will see that it, too, used the overflow system to regulate the fuel level in the carburetor. 



In the last segment of this video you will see the interaction between the magneto and ignitor on this engine. Ignitors have a stationary and a movable point inside the combustion chamber. The points are closed, completing a circuit, and then released. The spark occurs when the circuit is broken.

Time To Start Getting In The Mood

More Videos From Ruger Firearms

We will get back to Ruger's 'History Of The Gun," but we need to post the latest in Ruger's new carbine series, and one from Ruger's new Competition Series. In the first video, Dave Spaulding takes a look at some of the many accessories you can add to your tactical carbine, and he offers some darn good advice.



The next video introduces us to Steel Challenge shooting, a wonderful sport that is great fun for all participants. Mike Briggs does a great job explaining the basics of Steel Challenge, and the quote you should remember is "When you do it, you're smiling a lot." Having sampled steel shooting at the Gun Blogger Rendezvous, I have to agree. Everyone has a good time, whether they are shooting or watching. One of the bloggers at Reno was shooting a Walther P22, and hitting an 18" x 24" target at 100 feet during one of the stages; color me impressed! It is a sport that you can enjoy with off-the-shelf equipment, and at your level of skill, even if you are a novice.

The Mondays Won't Let Up

What do you do when your corn cracker jams up? Poking with your fingers could be painful, and who wants fingers in their cornmeal? Keep a cob handy, and Safety First! Back To The Old Grind!

Not My Victrola: What's Old Is New Again

This video of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor was over on Roberta X, and it is fascinating to watch the histogram pass by as the music plays.



Fascinating, but having spent many happy hours pedaling a player piano, it was very familiar, even if the orientation is wrong for a player roll. Here is the same piece played on an 1895 Aeolian player reed organ. When a hole is uncovered in the tracker bar, air goes through a tube, opens a valve, and a vacuum operated pneumatic opens the valve for a corresponding reed.



If you sat through all of the reed organ, you deserve a bonus!

Bonus e-Postal Time!

Manfred is extending the deadline for the November Mr. Completely e-Postal contest until December 12, and Cheaper Than Dirt is extending the season long Zombie Shoot until December 6.  If you haven't entered these contests already, or have another gun you would like to enter, print out the targets and head to the range.  Both of these contests give you a chance to win a $50 gift certificate, generously donated by Cheaper Than Dirt, so you may win more than bragging rights.  Everyone who enters is a winner in these contests, because you will have the satisfaction of shooting with other enthusiasts, and getting in some much needed practice. 

Weekend Steam: Winter In Southeast Iowa

Mt. Pleasant, Iowa draws steam enthusiasts even in December, when the Midwest Central Railroad hosts the "North Pole Express."  I just checked the North Pole Express page, and all the scheduled rides are sold out for this Christmas season.  Click here to have a look at photos from 2008, and watch for info about 2011.  Evidently, you must sign up well in advance to have a seat.  Steam and railfans are welcome to come and watch Number 9 pull the train around, and if you get lucky, you may get some video of the train running in snow.
The above video was posted courtesy of steamairman, one of the many volunteers who make this railroad run.

Crankin' It Up

This week and next we have a couple of lively dance numbers. Lovin'Sam is by Bennie Krueger's Orchestra, and was recorded sometime in 1923. This rendition has a great saxophone part, so be sure and listen for it.