Bucephalus
Member
- Joined
- Jul 5, 2016
- Location
- Fremantle, WA
My cousin, Master Shipwright Bill Leonard, worked on the Duyfken, HMB Endeavour and the vessel in the movie “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.”
New lawnmower
- Thread starter r377
- Start date
That Masport is a beast, but surprisingly the contracters were a bit heavy for me
Gargravarr
Our resident snake charmer
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2020
- Location
- lutruwita
Isn't it a small world? IIRC Bill did quite a bit more than merely "working on" that project...
Bucephalus
Member
- Joined
- Jul 5, 2016
- Location
- Fremantle, WA
He MOST certainly did! He served his apprenticeship at Ailsa Shipyard on the Clyde in Scotland. I cannot recall his wife’s forename but do remember she’s a GP. His name appears in the Credits at the end of “Master and Commander”.
Gargravarr
Our resident snake charmer
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2020
- Location
- lutruwita
I only met him a couple of times. I was mostly dealing with a maritime archaeologist attached to the project, whose name seems to have been written out of their official history for some reason. It all made a lot of work for me. Hard physical work in front of a forge burning at 1500º under a tin roof on a 40º day for 12 hours a day was not much fun, and in the end I was happy to leave the remainder of the blacksmithing to someone else.
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2019
- Location
- Darwin
Hi @Gargravarr as a blacksmith have you made any of your own straight razors? I bet you don't mind being in front of the forge during Tasmanian winters
Gargravarr
Our resident snake charmer
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2020
- Location
- lutruwita
I haven't worked as a blacksmith for about 20 years, though I still have all my tools. I went back to Uni, studying biotech, and fell into cheesemaking. I've thought any number of times about making a str8, but as a head shaver, and especially one who has long been in the habit of shaving mostly by touch (even when I do have a mirror), I have sort of come to the conclusion that might be a project for another life.
I have, of course, seen YouTube clips of people shaving their heads with straights, but none of them have inspired much confidence.
That aside, the actual making of straight razors would be fairly simple, particularly because one wouldn't have to worry too much about temper; you can pick a decent quality basic tool steel say .75% to .8% carbon, fuller it into shape (much better than grinding) and give it the most minimal light straw tempering so it can be ground and honed without chipping.
sorry to revive an older thread,
In the last couple months I have bit the bullet and went all electric with my Kit..
18v AEG whipper snipper
18v Ozito Edger
82V Victa Mower (Briggs and Stratton 82V motor).
Honestly, I am genuinely surprised on how much kick the 82V mower has. It absolutely carves through my lawn with ease and when it gets to the thicker spots it amps up the power and makes sure it wins.
In the last couple months I have bit the bullet and went all electric with my Kit..
18v AEG whipper snipper
18v Ozito Edger
82V Victa Mower (Briggs and Stratton 82V motor).
Honestly, I am genuinely surprised on how much kick the 82V mower has. It absolutely carves through my lawn with ease and when it gets to the thicker spots it amps up the power and makes sure it wins.
I got the AEG 18v whipper snipper as a 10 year present from my employer. It's an excellent tool. It absolutely sh*ts all over the 18v Ryobi one that I bought myself only 6 months prior.
My only gripe with it is that the head isn't very durable and it's pretty much stuffed after 12 months of use, so just keep that in mind if you hit it on a hard surface to dispense more cord.
funny you mention it..
Ryobi and AEG shaft accessories are interchangeable as they share the same parent company..
The head.. the last bump feed I had I installed a nut and bolt through the bump section and the bolt head was a rounded off type that had the flathead slit in it. So when I bumped it, the bolt was taking the brunt of it.
Maybe I should look at doing the same? (although, majority of the time I'm bumping it on the grass)
I find the AEG bump head is easier to use as well. I think the reason why my last whipper snipper lasted so long was because the bump head didn't like automatically feeding so I had to stop it, push the head down with my hand and pull the cord out. The AEG head feeds really well but I think bumping it on my pebblecrete driveway just killed it in a short amount of time. Thankfully you can get replacements at Bunnings for $50. Once replaced I think I'll only be bumping it on the grass from now on.
Honestly I've always loved my 2 and 4 stroke gear.
I had an Echo 2 stroke snipper which I removed the bump feed and replaced it with the steel spindle and a Briggs 4 stroke Victa mower.
The old are still using both and still start like clockwork.
Only reason I went with the 82v Victa was that it was a 21 inch base, RRP $900 and got it on clearance for $450... they've now gone down the route of 2x18v vs 1x82v battery power.
AEG because all my power tools are 18V AEG and so is my blower.. edger I got as Ozito because it's an edger. It exceeds expectations for the price.
On a side note looking at your Avatar, the new Jeep Grand Cherokee looks 10/10.. still wouldn't buy one as it's a chrysler, but looks good!
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2016
- Location
- The "Wet Lord of Voodoo" Boogie Man
Honestly I've always loved my 2 and 4 stroke gear.
I had an Echo 2 stroke snipper which I removed the bump feed and replaced it with the steel spindle and a Briggs 4 stroke Victa mower.
The old are still using both and still start like clockwork.
Only reason I went with the 82v Victa was that it was a 21 inch base, RRP $900 and got it on clearance for $450... they've now gone down the route of 2x18v vs 1x82v battery power.
AEG because all my power tools are 18V AEG and so is my blower.. edger I got as Ozito because it's an edger. It exceeds expectations for the price.
On a side note looking at your Avatar, the new Jeep Grand Cherokee looks 10/10.. still wouldn't buy one as it's a chrysler, but looks good!
Gargravarr
Our resident snake charmer
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2020
- Location
- lutruwita
Down here I need something a bit more serious that can cut through sawgrass, shrubs and small trees. Just a few weeks ago I literally threw away my Stihl FS250 brush cutter, a supposedly "pro" machine that has been the bane of my life since day one. Like all Stihl machines I've ever used, this bastard used to take half the day just to get it started, by which time I would be half-knackered for the actual job. Its death sentence came when the starter return spring broke, probably as a result of the above overuse. I ordered a new spring, but it never came.
I've replaced it with a Husqvarna 535-XT that's better in every way. It doesn't vibrate your hands off, the bump feed works flawlessly every time (and stores miles of trimmer line), is much better balanced with the saw or grass blade, and comes with an intelligently designed and comfortable harness. And it starts every time. Over the years, I have replaced all my chainsaws with Huskies and never looked back.
I've replaced it with a Husqvarna 535-XT that's better in every way. It doesn't vibrate your hands off, the bump feed works flawlessly every time (and stores miles of trimmer line), is much better balanced with the saw or grass blade, and comes with an intelligently designed and comfortable harness. And it starts every time. Over the years, I have replaced all my chainsaws with Huskies and never looked back.
You ever considered the Jap options?
I don't really push my stuff too hard but Echo and Shindaiwa (think they're the same company) always came up with top reviews. Just not sure if they make Saws though
edit: Echo certainly does- https://www.echo-australia.com.au/en_au/
I'm in between on Husq, you either hear glowing reviews or people wanting to throw them in a lake.
Honestly I've always loved my 2 and 4 stroke gear.
I had an Echo 2 stroke snipper which I removed the bump feed and replaced it with the steel spindle and a Briggs 4 stroke Victa mower.
The old are still using both and still start like clockwork.
Only reason I went with the 82v Victa was that it was a 21 inch base, RRP $900 and got it on clearance for $450... they've now gone down the route of 2x18v vs 1x82v battery power.
AEG because all my power tools are 18V AEG and so is my blower.. edger I got as Ozito because it's an edger. It exceeds expectations for the price.
On a side note looking at your Avatar, the new Jeep Grand Cherokee looks 10/10.. still wouldn't buy one as it's a chrysler, but looks good!
I love my 2017 Grand Cherokee but do miss my old Wrangler, it was unbeatable off road.
I was looking at the new Grand Cherokee, but Jeep have decided to only include low range in the top model, I'm not paying $100k for a vehicle that I do take off road so the next one might be a Ford Everest. I'd love another Wrangler but the reason I sold my last one was because they aren't a comfortable tow vehicle. Ford are selling the F150 here next year so I might have to get the wife interested in something larger
Gargravarr
Our resident snake charmer
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2020
- Location
- lutruwita
Echo have quite a good rep here, they fill a useful gap at the semi-pro end of the market, ie they're great if you're not hammering them all day. It helps that there's a very good dealer/service agent in LST. Pro tool users tend to be fairly evenly divided between Stihl and Husqvarna, and you can hear some really silly arguments in country pubs about that. Sort of like Ford vs Holden. Stihl tools typically have a good power to weight ratio, but even some of their most die-hard fans can be heard to admit they start reliably "on the 30th pull", and complain about white knuckles. Husqvarna tools are engineered for comfortable, reliable use day in, day out.
Not to harp on about my love of japanese vs anything made in america...I love my 2017 Grand Cherokee but do miss my old Wrangler, it was unbeatable off road.
I was looking at the new Grand Cherokee, but Jeep have decided to only include low range in the top model, I'm not paying $100k for a vehicle that I do take off road so the next one might be a Ford Everest. I'd love another Wrangler but the reason I sold my last one was because they aren't a comfortable tow vehicle. Ford are selling the F150 here next year so I might have to get the wife interested in something larger
The Toyota Tundra is coming here in 2023!!
Think of it as a Feather blade vs Derby
I'll take comfort and reliable starting all day every day.
The AEG snipper is balanced really well, they actually took the time to balance it with a battery on it rather than some of the cheaper models where the battery throws it off balance and you're constantly battling it.
AEG also make a great battery powered chainsaw.
I never thought a battery powered chainsaw would be so good until I was lent one at a property I was camping at. I'm seriously considering ditching my Ryobi 2 stroke saw for an AEG battery powered one now.