Hillbilly Engineering

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Yeah, still have an old blade on the 30 inch bow saw that I suspect will outperform many of the new. That is if you can even find a replacement 30 inch. I can online but it would be nice to look it over first, see if it looks usable and/or can be made usable...

I have a couple two man versions too but not worth the trouble getting them sharpened up. Kinda hard to use by yourself. You would not believe how many people stopped and offered the use of their chainsaw when I cut up the big spruce in front that blew over. The look on their faces was something when I told them I had three chainsaws but preferred doing it by hand :)

Dad's old farm he grew up on is now a housing project :(

I have a brush scythe (new, aluminum handle) and the old grass scythe my Dad used. He would have liked this aluminum one with the brush blade. Works quite well for clearing weeds and light brush, brambles. Cost me ~$110. You don't find those in the big box stores...

They do look quite similar. It may have been this I was thinking of:

They mention it the description that parts are swappable with certain Stihl models. I looked at quite a few, curiosity after your original post awhile back.

No thanks, my Husqvarna 350 gets heavy enough after a few hours. I'm not the sort who liked freehanding the M60, tho I did fell a tree with my M16.

Around here the competitors use dirt bike or snowmobile engined hotsaws.

Crazy stuff for sure. Always someone else with a few more dollars or bigger balls to knock the wind out of your sails... I'm well past that point in life, although some people never seem to get there :)

Some even crazier saws:

Condolences on buying one of those. For $20 less, you can get a proven 14" Remington (fair quality) which won't be much heavier, and it includes a bar and chain (another $20 for the Farmertec goods). Good luck finding parts for a Farmertec.

Paying too little for something is always a greater risk than paying too much - - - -

That said - - - I've gotten over 20 years out of a used Remington I paid $30 for. It is getting old enough that finding parts is likely to be getting more difficult but I haven't needed much. If it doesn't work I have an old Partner I paid $15 for at a yard sale.

I wanted a light-weight arborist (top handle, one-hand) saw to cut fallen branches and slabs on sawbucks while bracing and feeding the long sticks with the other hand. That saw is light enough to hold out to the side where it won't hit me if it kicks back. The sawbuck X frame provides a guard between my other hand and the saw.

The sawmill gave me half a cord of thin sticks left from cutting 2x4s from the outer slabs. My other saws, including a Remington electric, tend to grab a thin stick between the teeth and whip it back. This one also does to a lesser extent but its manageable when I'm holding the wood down with my free hand.

I tried a foot pedal and strap to clamp the wood to the sawbuck but it leaves me balanced mostly on one foot while running the chainsaw.

I've had less trouble from cheaper saws than from my Husqvarna and Stihl, probably because I work them much harder.

I have a book titled "Hand Tools" by Aldren Watson, 1982. Covers very many including squares, chisels, hammers, many types of planes, and how to maintain, sharpen, and use them. I learned a lot from it I didn't learn on the farm / cropdusting service.

Pete Keillor

  I have 3 saws (and some extra power heads) , 2 were given to me and one I paid 75 bucks for . Guess which one gives the most trouble ? The Poulan that I bought - probably 15 years ago now - used at a pawn shop . The free Stihl 025(16") is my best cutter , it has a new aftermarket engine now because I wore the original the rest of the way out . The Homelite (14") has never been touched except bars and chain , finicky to start the first time but runs great after that . The Poulan (18") won't start ... fuel delivery problems , maybe needs new fuel lines (again) . I haven't really needed it lately so haven't taken the time to diagnose .

That's a curious concept - a new engine for a chain saw. I mean, the engine IS the chain saw, with a couple of attachments. Whatever works for you.

   Bob , that replacement motor is the heart of the machine , yes . But there are a lot of other things that make up a chainsaw . OBTW , that motor cost me less than 40 bucks . A new saw comparable to mine runs (right now , on sale) for 3 bills . A couple of weeks ago the drive sprocket shit the bed . Cost me almost as much as I paid for the motor - thru the local only-game-in-town Stihl dealer - for the parts to repair it . Should I have bought that new $300 saw this time too ? And I gotta tell ya , that saw runs like a fornicated primate now . Go ahead and throw your money away on new junk , I'll keep repairing my old quality tools as long as I can buy or make parts (the bottom front isolation mount has parts I machined in my shop to replace worn out originals) to repair it . I sharpen my own chains too ... this is why I have a machine shop !   Coming soon : Re-gearing a GM 10 bolt rear axle . 3.42's are replacing the 2.73's in the '86 GMC 1500 .

The Permatex is like modeling clay or chewing gum, stiff enough as mixed to bridge over the hole without support. I was concerned that it might not conform as tightly to the edges of the hole and seal as well as a more fluid epoxy, but it hasn't leaked.

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Thanks Pete :)

I have several similar books, had to take a quick look to see if I already have it. Don't think I do but it was still pretty dark where I was looking. Made a note of it to investigate farther when I get the chance...

Holtzapffel #2 is a thorough description of hand tool theory and practice, available to download if you missed the chance to buy from Lindsay.

Its age is no hindrance. Hand tools have changed little since the Roman era.

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Yeah, I have the whole set on the computer here for reference, looking up stuff. They are useful.

So true. It is interesting nowadays when some "old" tool with a few minor tweaks becomes a hot new item once again :)

In the 60s I used Permatex Hi-Tack -- candy-apple-red gasket sealant in an aerosol can -- to seal gasoline-exposed joints. It was great for that purpose. Gas wouldn't cut it, had to use lacquer thinner to clean it up.

Left the automotive trade. Fast forward to circa 2004. Sealed a glass gas filter float bowl with it. Leaked like a sieve. Various tests showed it was easily soluble in gasoline.

The Permatex engineers were unable to help, even sent me a free can of their Candy Apple Spritz in case mine was uniquely defective. No better.

Anybody know if Permatex has changed the formulation? Or if there are now additives/components in gas (as sold in Atlantic Canada), ones not present in the 60s, that would explain this? Exactly what has changed?

Vexed that my favorite, gold-standard gasket sealer isn't any more.

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Suspect it has ethanol added. You may be able to find gas without it using this website:

As you probably already know it is hard on older gaskets and such that were not made for it...

"most grades of Petro-Canada fuel may now contain up to 10% ethanol."

This is what I used:

package doesn't warn against use on plastic tanks. Hardly anything bonds to polyethylene.

I used some 3M 4693H recently to bond a couple of pieces of polyethylene together so they formed a large enough piece to machine the final item, worked fine and no special prep other than making sure the surfaces were clean. The material was slightly rubbery when dried. I have seen some adhesives require plasma or flame treatment of the surface to activate it so the adhesive would stick, none required with the 4693H. No idea about petrol tolerance but it seemed to be a solvent based adhesive so it might be an issue.