Remembrance Day

 Remembering the Canadians at Dieppe.

Know your American Four-Cylinder Touring Car

 

Gravely 526 Two wheel tractor

  This past summer we were removing rosebushes and cutting down some brush and vegetation that had gotten out of control. A friend happened by, saw the job and said "I have a solution". That solution was this 1974 Gravely 526 2 wheel tractor with rotary cutter. It is indeed the solution. This device is not a spectator sport, the bits of branches etc. fly out with enthusiasm but it sure is an awesome destruction machine. Sturdy cast iron construction and the 8 hp Kohler is as basic as it gets, look at that starter, condenser and coil.

Still works as well as it did when it was new. 

 

Tramontina #2 plane

  I came upon the name Tramontina a couple of years ago when I found a hatchet made by the company. The Brazilian company makes quality housewares, pots and pans, kitchen knives and accessories, but this small block plane was a surprise, I did not know they made woodworking tools.

One of my vices is vises, Bison

  Interesting vise from Poland. Tighten normally, then a cam action clamp does the final securing. Good for repetitive work. These vises are still being made. More here.

Shingling hatchet head

  The Crucible Cast Steel stamping is the only marking on this well-used shingling hammer. It appears there were several companies that stamped Crucible Steel in their edged tools, referring to the process of melting iron with carbon in a crucible which resulted in a high quality steel. 

 It's likely the head shown was either C. Hammond of Philadelphia or Isaiah Blood of Ballston, NY who made premium shingling axes and tools that regularly used "Cast Steel" or "Crucible" on their tools . A little googling shows both manufacturers made shingling hammers of this shape. 

Sidecar Sunday

moto guzzi inline 4 1951

 Moto Guzzi management wanted to replace its aging 500cc 120 degree V twin racer in 1951, this advanced four was the result. It featured a watercooled 4 cylinder engine mounted longitudinally in the frame with shaft drive. The motorcycle was first raced in 1952, it was not very successful as the center of gravity was considered to be too high and the torque of the longitudinal engine affected handling. It lasted till 1954 and was replaced by the famed V8.

Two strokes are the future!

So said Elmore in 1910... 

The company had been manufacturing bicycles in Clyde, Ohio for 7 years when they started building cars in 1900. The cars were among the lowest priced on the market and originally featured a mid mounted single cylinder two stroke engine.  By 1908 the single had been developed into a three cylinder engine.

 The two stroke power caught the eye of Charles Durant who purchased the company for General Motors in 1909. Durant was forced out of General Motors a year later and the Elmore was discontinued soon after. 

 

We used to make things in this country,#382 IEL Pioneer chainsaw

  This is another pre-diaphragm carburetor chainsaw. In this design, the engine and bar remain solidly connected while the tank and carburetor are rotated as a unit to keep the float oriented correctly. 

 IEL is Industrial Engineering Limited, based in Vancouver BC from 1940 till it was purchased by Outboard Marine Corporation in 1956, which eventually moved manufacturing to Peterborough, Ontario.