Old Threshers At Mt.Pleasant, Iowa...

 ...is happening now through Labor Day. Likewise, the Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Show at Rollag, Minnesota. There is more to see at either show than you can take in during one visit.

A Heavy One, With A Minor Inconvenience

Here's a big one I took down today. It would have been easy to go with the weight, but I needed it to go in a hole I had made, and not on trees that I want to save and grow. While I was pounding wedges, the wedge that held the head tight on the axe handle popped out. I had made it from a section of plastic wedge, and it did not stay put. As soon as this video is uploaded I am going to reattach the head with Plan B.

Every Tree A Lesson

Tuesday Torque: 1913 Titan 45 Horsepower Tractor

 Your videographer screwed up just a little bit. The guys were dinking around with the pony motor, and shut it down. Meanwhile, steam engines were going by behind me, so naturally, I turned around to shoot video of the steamers. Then I heard the Titan rolling over. It was catching when I got the camera back on it. Oh Well, or words to that effect. 

Buzz Sawing, Pinckneyville, Illinois American Thresherman Show

 The engineers burn both wood and coal at Pinckneyville, and much of that wood comes from the slabs at the sawmill. This is how it is processed to be firebox ready.

Back To The Old Grind!

Weekend Steam III: Pinckneyville Engine Sampler

 Susan and I made a quick visit to Pinckneyville, spending most of our time on Gas Engine Hill. These are the steamers we saw in action on our walk in and out. 

Weekend Steam II: Millersburg Ohio Steam Show

 Thank You, Merle!

Weekend Steam: Engine Shows In Full Swing

 No idea where this one is. Little engines are fun to watch, probably are not appreciated sufficiently. It takes time, skill, and plenty of money to build one of these. Occasionally you will see a 1" = 12" scale model, but those are really tough builds. 2" = 12" is big enough to pull you on a little cart, but the 3" models are nicer to operate. 6" = 12" models of Case 65 HP engines are very popular, and they can run a buzz saw or shingle mill with ease. I still think that Kory Anderson's Case 150 is the best traction engine model ever built. 12" = 12" of the biggest traction engine ever built is a model that will probably never be made again. Thank You, Merle!

It's not what you usually picture when you think of scale models!

Genie Garage Door Opener Major Malfunction Cured!

 

One of our Genie openers refused to run. It would start and then reverse immediately, whether going up or down. The rheostats that adjust the power limits made no difference when we adjusted them, so we removed the cover and looked around inside. Mud dauber wasps had stopped the "Optical Interrupt Wheel" from turning. If it does not turn, the motor immediately reverses. It is part of the safety built into a door opener. The mud dauber nests were removed, the wheel was re-installed, and now the opener runs again. That was an easy fix!

Safety Rules Save Your Skin, Save Your Chin

Remember to always get away from the stump when you turn a tree loose. Bad things happen at the stump! Wood slings back from treetops that your falling tree contacts, and trees can make unpredictable moves when the hinge breaks.

Dusty's trail camera caught me walking by, and note that the bar is behind me. That is where you want the bar if you trip and fall, so you don't land on the sharp teeth.There is a safety rule for everything when you have a chainsaw.

 Some decisions are easy no-brainers, and some require a big-boy hard hat. I will have to get up in the woods this fall and make firewood from this pecan. No smoke smells finer than pecan!

Tuesday Torque: Starting A 10-20 Titan Tractor

 Making the leap from horses to tractors had to be a perplexing task for many farmers. Today we just climb on and turn the key! Many Thanks, Merle, for spotting for us.