Nice trip through the museum, Ralph. Looks like a very interesting attraction.

Checked your weather this morning and saw it had taken a big nose dive. We were still warm here yesterday and today. Got to 55 this afternoon with 45 MPH winds, changing from southwest to northwest this evening. It it now 35 at 6:15 and going down to mid teens by tomorrow night. Looks like winter may be on the way now.

Gene

You topped ours, Gene.  We made it into the high 40's today, but the wind moved in about 7 PM with more rain.  We lost a lot of snow yesterday and today, but not all of it.  We are aiming for 20 tomorrow AM and into the teens tomorrow night.  All of the commotion going on out there is the result of the jet stream moving from our North to our South once more.  I heard something bang on the side of the house a while ago.  We will probably have some tree branch clutter on the ground come daylight.  

They sure have a lot of old iron in that museum, Ralph.  Thanks for posting it.

Charlie

I picked up the limbs yesterday afternoon. Then raked and shoveled the gravel off the grass I had pushed off the drive last week. Othen than the strong winds, it wasn't bad working outside at 55 drgrees.

Wind was so strong as I was watching my dog standing on the sidewalk. He was standing crossways to the wind and was listing to starboard from the wind. Was a comical sight.

Temp this morning is at 25 degrees and just a skiff of snow overnight. Still windy with 20 mPH winds.

Gene

As predicted, we have some clutter under the trees.  On the far side of the driveway from the house, I still have two very large silver maple trees.  At their advanced age, some dead branches are always up there waiting for a good wind to prune them out.  Last nights wind was good enough.  The official gust recorded at the R-MC airport was 79 MPH, so in the 80's or higher could be likely out here.   Some of the windfall branches are three inches or more in diameter.  Until our ground is frozen enough to drive on I will just pick them up and make a pile near the driveway far enough back to not hamper snow plowing.  On the bright side, a distant glance reveals that all of the silver tarps on tractors, etc. still are there.  We gained a light dusting of snow, probably similar to what Gene has.

Well, western Ohio finally had a little more snow last night. Got up to about 5 inches on the ground and 15 degrees. Not much wind, so drifting wasn't bad. Got the Case 644 loader tractor out and cleared some paths so I can get to the barn and wood pile. Put the snowblower on the 222 yesterday and put it in the heated shop. Still have to finish the hookup for the belt and spout linkage, then the tire chains. Probably do that in the morning and clear the driveway. Forecast for more warm weather for tomorrow and first of the week. predicting 50 degrees for Sunday, so may just let the snow melt. Probably get too wet to blow by the time I get around tomorrow.

Looks like Ralph is warming up nicely, but the wind is still raw. Charlie may be getting some lake effect snow?

Gene

Charlie;

Did you notice we have over 90,000 hits on this thread? Be nice if we got this moch interest in the rest of the site.

Gene

Good Sunday Morning,

Not bad on the snow front, Gene.  Much of the eight inches or so that fell the week before last melted away.  New snow accumulation Friday night amounted to only 1 1/2 inches more or less.  A few very light flurries drifting down last evening which may have been lake effect.  Actually not enough wind passing over Lake Ontario or Erie to keep the snow machnine running well, let alone carry snow much further inland than the lake shores.  Cold!!!  That is another story.  Much of last night showed +6 degrees.  

I am guessing that with all of the good indoor weather, Gene, that new wall is all trimmed, painted, and has photos of your favorite tractors hanging on it.  ??  I know Ralph is staying occupied converting old movies to digital and uploading to Utube.

Charlie V.

Charlie;

Did you notice we have over 90,000 hits on this thread? Be nice if we got this moch interest in the rest of the site.

Gene

The number keeps growing, Gene.  Speaking of weather, here is a not too colorful photo of the window screen on the East side of our kitchen a week ago Friday Morning.




Charlie V.

Weather guesser missed by a big margin today. Morning forecast was for a high near 5o degrees. High for today has been 33 degrees. Just made the snow wetter and heavier. Strong wind had drifted my paths closed again. Had to get the little loader tractor out to reopen the path to the wood pile. Decided to get some dry wood from the barn instead. Had the little snowblower out early and cleared the driveway and some of the barnyard. Had to be careful and watch the wind. First tried to clear in front of the shop door, but the wind was like a whirlwind there and blew the snow back onto me. Worked alright out in the open.

Forecast for tonight is freezing rain now through Monday night. High wind warning out till Monday evening. Looks like another stay in day

The wall is still not done. That bronchitis really held me down for 2 weeks and the thought of breathing plaster dust with infected lungs didn't appeal to me at all. Got the room usable for a bedroom and been lazy getting back to it. My new memory foam mattress has really been nice and comfortable. No more morning pains. Getting in a cold bed, the mattress is instantly warm. One of my better buys.

Gene

Looks like my neighbours to the south have more snow than I have here in Sask. for a change. Its true, we have warmed up considerably. I think it hit near +15F today. Yesterday was a little miserable with that strong south-easter and maybe +10F but it didn't bother us at all as we sawed up firewood in the shelter of the big evergreen trees at my brother's place. Plenty warm enough for that job. And the old saying is true that wood warms you several times before you are done with it.
Funny how this thread gets so many views and only 3 people putting anything into it?

Sorry about Ohio missing the 50 degrees, Gene.  The good news is that I found it for you.  It took a wrong turn and came here instead.  The snow that we had is pretty much history now.  Today we are back to mid 30's with some breeze but still pretty good for late January.

Ralph, did your buzz saw ever have a sliding of tilting table on it for the log to rest on as you cut.  Maybe I asked this another year but I cannot remember that I did.  Yours is the first saw I have seen without a moving table.  Great picture of men in action.

Charlie V.

Charlie, there was no table on that saw or either of the other two that I have worked on. There is a spare one parked at my brother's place that he was given and it does have the tilting table. I don't think he has ever tried it. We grew up around the open front saw where you just pushed the log into the blade. Not saying which is better but its what we are used to. Here is one of my favourite wood cutting pictures from about 25 years ago. My Dad at the saw.

Good pictures, Ralph.  Having grown up cutting without a table, you are most likely good at it.  It has to take some practice to keep the log on a straight line as the cut progresses, avoiding binding.  I have two, both having tables.  Tables make it easier for an operator with less practice to make a straight cut.  With the log firmly held against the back wall of the table, table travel provides the line of cut rather than the operator.  Back in the day when our wood for buzzing had to be cut with a cross cut saw, most of the logs were 12 feet long and harder to handle.  I recall my father at the table with my older brother on the far end of the log as an outboard support.  My task was normally to gather cut wood away from the blade and load it unto the truck. (Little brothers never have much fun on most jobs.)  I always had to pick chunks from the ground as Dad felt it would be too dangerous for me to take them directly from the saw blade as they cut loose.

Charlie V.

As a youngster, my dad bought a brand new. C.A. Mc Dade buzz saw. This had a table that ran on 4 roller bearing v-shaped wheels on steel runners. Was a wide and fairly long table. We built a ramp to let the blocks slide down away from the blade to keep a safe distance. Was a really nice saw to operate.

We always called the person who piled the cut wood as the"off bearer". We also cut with a crosscut 1 or 2 man saw, so only cut small enough for two of us boys to handle. Spent a lot of time on those handles in the hot sun. Was nicer cutting in the shade in the woods. Cut a lot of elm after the dutch elm disease killed them all off. No wood splitter there, not even a splitting mall. Was done with a 2 blade axe and sledge hammer and wedges. Good thing there were many of us boys.

More rain in Ohio. Been raining all day here. Warnings posted for areal flooding. Second day of rain this week and with the melted snow, we are still satureted. Would welcome a hard freeze for a few days. More rain forecast through Friday, then snow for Saturday. Where is winter?

Spent the day working on my new bedroom. Building a closet on one end with hangers rods and shelves. Hope to get it finished tomorrow if I can get to town and get more lumber and plywood. Been a long day of it. Still no more progress on the wall.

Gene

Gene

The only type wood sawing I've known here is the open front (no table) buzz saw. When I was a kid I remember the crew of neighbours that would gather to help Dad saw up the year's wood supply. Then Dad would take his turn helping at several different neighbours. In those days everyone needed their firewood for heating and cooking. By the time I was big enough to help, not many folks burned wood anymore. My Uncles did though, right up to the last it would be a winter time ritual helping out at the saw with the old JD AR on the flat belt. We would usually get by with 3 guys, sometimes 4. The wood was not big but long poles.
Stay tuned for a video showing our most recent wood sawing with a big crew, six of us. I watched it in HD on a big flat screen tv tonight and was very impressed with the video quality and sound. I just need to edit and splice a bit ......
I hope I haven't posted this picture already. Its my Uncle Don resting on the woodpile after we finished cutting. I think it was the last time.