Prior to the widespread adoption of chainsaws, two-person crosscut saws were common. Today their use is rare, partly because sharpening them requires expertise and some specialized tools (Saw Tools Archives – Crosscut Saw Company). The people who knew how to do it well are also rapidly disappearing. Here’s a link to the US Forest Service […]
A Hydraulic Ram Pump is a mechanical device that uses the water hammer effect, or the pressure spike that results from rapidly closing a valve on flowing water, to pump water uphill. Below you’ll see a video of one in action as well as a video from Practical Engineering, one of my favorite YouTube content […]
In 1966, an English teacher in Georgia decided to create a magazine with their students. Many of the articles were based on interviews with ‘old timers’ and covered skills that were being lost to time like wagon making or making a tub wheel. Some of the articles were collected into a series of books (The […]
Crowned pulleys used to be a common way of powering stationary farm implements with flat belts before the Power Take Off (PTO) became standard. The shape of the pulley was key to keeping the belts from falling off. Why do crowned pulleys keep a flat belt on track? – tec-science
A good explanation of why Hit and Miss engines work and why they exist. http://hpwizard.com/hit-and-miss.html Here’s an example of a very slow running hit and miss engine.