I’ve been a fan of the Optimus 8R camp stove since I saw my Scoutmaster using one on backpacking trips over 30 years ago. They aren’t as light as modern backpacking stoves they don’t require a pump or compressed gas canisters which makes them super reliable. They also look great with the brass fuel tank.
If you like old power tools, you should definitely read about vintage Porter Cable belt sanders. They are prized by woodworkers for their balance and power and are often referred to as ‘locomotive’ sanders due to their styling. The Syracuse Project blog (Blog 1 — The Syracuse Project) seems to have a plethora of information […]
The American Society of Civil Engineers maintains a list of historic landmarks. If you want to find some near your home, they have a map of all the sites. One historic site that I’ve visited recently is the Crozet tunnel.
Electrical resistance strain gauges have a metalic foil in a pattern encapsulated in a substrate material. They are bonded to bonded to components under test or used in various types of transducers. As the material they are bonded to strains under load the resistance of the foil increases. This change in resistance can be measured […]
A boring machine, which I’ve also heard called a barn drill or a beam drill, was used for creating mortises and other activities in timber frame construction. The replaced the older t-handle augers. They were operated by placing them on the beam and sitting on top of the wooden base. A lever released the bit […]