Thanks for sharing this, Mike. In todays throw away society it gives me great pleasure seeing things repaired.
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Thanks for sharing this, Mike. In todays throw away society it gives me great pleasure seeing things repaired.
Amen about a throw away world these days.
Course my kids may not even want this stuff one day, but to me, for history sake, these pieces all mean something.
And most are damn comfortable too compared to todays memory foam and vegan soy filled alternatives.
No time for razors at this time, but as I get back on them I have some really nice projects lined-up!
Always going through my pile of things and making hay when the sun shines to improve my lot in life.
I remembered I have some chain saws scattered around which would be a nice thing to have at the ready should a tornado/hurricane come to visit (heaven forbid!). Getting things right when they are needed most would be a big issue.
I have learned that a saw or a pressure washer are things which I would never loan again. EVER!
2 such creatures were still dormant from my previous generosity. One is a Shindiawa 450 which a buddy fried the bar and chain on. He had the decency to buy a new bar and 3 new chains to give me as he returned it, but he missed the mark on fitment. I found a bar and chains on Ebay for a good deal which would fit and made certain it ran great, dumped the gas/oil, and fired it, choking all the fuel out. Shindiawa's are like the Lexus of saws. No plastic covers, built tight and solid with great insulated controls. Lovely to use. Got this mid-sized puppy going easily and have it dry and mothballed.
The other is a little Echo which really just needed a sharpening. It is also dry and ready for activation at a moment's notice.
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Remembered a beastly old saw buried under a shelf in the back of the shop next to a shared wall with a millwork shop.
Slightly dusty after 13 years being there.....Never worked right after loaning it out. Chain was loose/tight. Strange?
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This one is a rude, crude McCulloch 7-10 from late 60's. So much compression you literally cannot pull the rope.
It starts with a compression release and after cleaning it up, it started up right now. 71cc's and no concern of emissions or any of that wussy stuff! Mean! :)
Did some research and apparently the old big nasty saws like this are very desirable. Worth a good dime if in good shape still. Found that it was set up for an old oddball size bar, chain, and sprocket in a fairly obsolete gauge and pitch which could be remedied, My issues with it back when were the result of my 'loanee' slapping a totally inappropriate chain on.
So after studying, I found that a new bar, chain, and sprocket to update it would be the ticket.
Found a bar/chain combo at Lowes that would work and a few appropriate sprockets and new chains off the bay along with a gnarly bucking spike I just could not resist. High and dry. Mothballed for an occasion I hope never comes! :eek:
Thing is loud and STRONG!
So my 3 saws are ready, waiting for 3 plastic bar sheaths from the bay and looking for appropriate boxes to seal them up in. Spare chains, spark plugs , etc are bagged-up for each. All info on chain links, gauge, pitch, and spark plug numbers are engraved on the bars of each.
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So a bonus occurred as I found that the new bar/chains my friend bought for the Shindiawa saw (which would not work) would work excellent on my Wife's grandads old 60's Sears electric saw which is all I normally need around the Casa.
Cuts a treat! :)
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Most fun was had as I discovered Buckin' Billy Ray Smith on Youtube as I researched. Dude is a chainsaw enigma! HAR!
Very entertaining and his trucks and saws are the bomb. I think I have a few hours watching his videos.
Check this one...Just like us honing razors, he gets super excited to catch a burr coming off a chain! Nutz!
(And YES! He is your friend!) Man is quite an authority. Entertaining as hell!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-3i...7BillyRaySmith
Anyway, ready as I can be for the next disaster. God Forbid! :rofl2:
You have some serious tree felling hardware there Tom.
Nice work bringing them back to good nick.
I’ve only got a couple of saws here myself, and nothing as big as those Oregon blades!
And that shed of horrors in that video you shared,, wow. That man has saws!!
Saws are handy things to have around. I still have a couple. One is for cleaning up the yard and the other has a Granberg mill on it. At some point I should get back to milling in the bush. I need to build an addition on my shed and lumber isn’t getting any cheaper.
The truth, Mike! I saw that Mercury pickup and wondered where in Canada he was? Search 'tree spit back' and watch that one.
He can set a big tree right where he wants it despite an extreme opposite lean. Very interesting!
Another video shows him extolling the virtues of long bars (IF your saw is stout enough!). Going from a 14 to an 18 on my little electric made it ever so much handier!
I settled on a 20 for the big saw. Bucking Billy Ray, I ain't! :nono: Those 125's he uses are no joke.
I checked-out a Granberg mill, Shaun. Pretty neat! :tu
It’s a great skit.
I ran the same McCulloch, while working on the farm. Yeah, had to literally stand on it, to start it. Hearing protection a must, cause that beast didn't shut off till the job was done, or to fill up with fluids and change blades. Kept a dozen or so on the wagon, ready to go.
Great memories come to mind...like poison ivy....thanks for post, Tom.
That brings new meaning to the term "lumber-sexual" don't it?
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Still have to attach mounting brackets but you get the general idea.
Paul, looks like you are getting ready to some heating and hammering.
Looking forward to see what happens once you’re all set up.
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:w....:w....:w....:w....:w
You sure are crafty Paul!
I knew it! What’s the project Paul?
At the moment making a lot of noise and trying to keep from getting the neighbors PO'd.
Currently just working on basic techniques, right now drawing out. This is what I managed before the "WTH is that fool banging on," hour came last night.
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This steel is unknown but based on the spark pattern it is some kind of high carbon steel. Also it has a pronounced ring to it.
So I did some business with Vern (TinTin) the other day. He had a Clauss blade that I was interested in. Well, I bought it from him and to my surprise he sent me a note stating that he was having a two-for-one sale and included a Boker blade as well. They are both 5/8, I believe. Anyway, I put the Clauss in a set of black carbon fiber scales and the Boker in a set of bamboo scales that I had. Here they are all finished and ready to go.
Here's the Clauss. I honed up very well and it shaves a dream!
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Here's the Boker. It honed very well too. Haven't shaved with it yet but it's very promising!
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You see, this is why I stay on this site with you guys. You are all extraordinary gentleman and I value your friendship, knowledge, and exemplary kindness. It's not often that I get to deal with you guys on a personal level. It's mainly reading and answering posts. But when I do do get to deal with you on a one on one basis, it it always a win/win scenario. I'm grateful for what you do for me!
Now ya have the little brother to your USMC :tu
Looks great! Almost makes me wish I'd have kept them :)
Got some ebony wood and will be making a couple of scales out of them soon, after I finish my other family woodworking projects ;)
Next project will probably be making some small dovetail boxes to store my razors and hones.
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:tu...:beer1:
Alright, I was going to wait and spring this in the custom built and restoration thread once I have better pictures than what I posted in the SOTD but this is more about the process than the end result so here goes. The above project was bladesmithing. I have wanted to do this for a long time but felt like I needed more time to explore the nuances since my first attempt at making a razor from an old file failed miserably. I posted about it somewhere. I have learned a lot since then and have gotten a lot more experience at restoration. Hopefully this time I have redeemed myself. As previously mentioned I have no ideas what this steel is. Instead of sacrificing steel I paid money for it seemed wise to use something found for a test piece. To remove the mystery the attempt was a razor. As you can see I started out just drawing out the steel. After early success with that I started to pound out a tang and tail
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As I took my time on this my concept grew and I decided I wanted it to have a humpback and a monkey tail.
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I also knew early that I wanted it to be 8/8+ and have a smiling bevel and a spine to match.
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The whole process would need a whole thread of it's own but to cut to the chase it went forge,
rough grind,
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Stamp,
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(That's my DBA name and logo by the way which I created and had a stamp made for. A little hint here: this also explains my icon)
Pick final shape,
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(I started with French point but there was a really deep hammer depression I didn't think would grind out so I decided on Spanish point)
Heat treatment,
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(That was a forge heating to bright yellow then motor oil quench)
Final grind and assembly...
Running out of space for pictures so here is the final shape.
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I decided that this style name would be "Arabian" since it has a sort of scimitar shape and instead of a "monkey tail" I called it a "baboon tail" since that is the kind of monkey found in Arabia.
So the shave was fantastic. I love the shape for sweeping, scything strokes. It has a wicked edge and in fact I over shaved a little on my neck and exfoliated a bit. Whatever that steel is it is hard, hard , hard. It took me almost literally all day to hone it from no bevel at all but is now a master shaver.
I welcome thoughts and comments. I know I have a lot to learn but, for a test razor and my first attempt at forging anything I was pleased with the results.
That is inspiring. I've wanted to try making a razor but have put it off for fear of failure and lack of a proper grinder. Maybe someday.
Be brave Tintin. "Audentes Fortuna Iuvat," or "fortune favors the bold." I just decided I wanted to throw caution to the wind.
Heck of a first go Paul. Hope you enjoy the shave.
Very well done! :)
I like the shape a lot. The fact that you have made it to the shaving stage is excellent.
Yes, honing a handmade razor is a long process. Best to start out with diamond hones to reduce the time requirement.
I am impressed Paul. Pretty amazing for a second go at forging a razor.
Bloody hell Paul, thats really impressive. Great work. :tu
Well done, Paul.
From trash to treasure.:bow
What an incredible first razor! Very, very impressive. I love smilers and the way they shave, and the overall shape of the razor. Congratulations.
Richard