From high technology to low technology

[British Red]

There is nothing wrong with hand tools - we built a civilisation with them!

Something that I like a lot is the old Yankee screwdriver

Yankee 131B Screwdriver by British Red, on Flickr

They used to have proprietary bits

Yankee Screwdriver bits by British Red, on Flickr

BUT some clever soul invented an adapter, so they can now take modern hex bits

1/4" Hex Adapter by British Red, on Flickr

I see Yankee screwdrivers at car boots for £5 or less. Often the spring feels soft but invariably it's just gunk in the works. Quick squirt of engine degreaser, few pumps and good as new.

These were pricey things back in the day, and they still work brilliantly.

[GillyBee]

I love my treadle sewing machine and we have a vintage Spong coffee grinder which takes about the same time to grind the coffee as the kettle takes to boil. I get annoyed when I have to keep replacing electricals - and find myself looking for more durable alternatives - which are usually vintage or low tech.

[ForgeCorvus]

I use hand drills (x 4), a couple of hand braces and two handcrank pillar drills
I'm slowly learning to sharpen hand saws and have about a dozen or so (some much better then others).
Errm..... Yankees Six (I think) and counting, all with Hex adaptors.

Got two handcrank sewing machines, one 1915(?) Singer and one Under-licence clone from about the 30's. I leave one threaded with black and the other with white..... The eyeballs aren't what they used to be

[Vitamin c]

Nice sunny day all day today (about time ) but how to dry you clothing in winter without tumble dryers and filling a room with moist air that can lead to mold this could be important to a big family.

[ForgeCorvus]

Nice sunny day all day today (about time ) but how to dry you clothing in winter without tumble dryers and filling a room with moist air that can lead to mold this could be important to a big family.

As long as its windy and not below freezing stuff should dry, I remember reading an article written by someone who was staying somewhere remote on the Falklands (doing a bird survey just after the invasion, I think). She said they had to stamp on their jeans to fold them after line-drying

[British Red]

I'm slowly learning to sharpen hand saws and have about a dozen or so (some much better then others).

I'm gradually building my saw kit. It's taken ages for the big crosscut saws. Still want to find a large spider. The saw set is amazing. You hit it with a hammer

[Yorkshire Andy]

The Yankees are bloody leathal with slotted screws I mullered my finger years ago with my grandads


But with the 1/4 drive adapter I bet the more modern torx headed twin thread self piloting wood screws it'll be a much better way to use them....

[British Red]

Bet you made it spring out like a flick knife too

Agree on the slotted screws

[rik_uk3]

Hand mincers are well worth having and these days you can pick one up on ebay for £11 and that includes a sausage filling tube.

Making sausages is fun, you can play about with the ingredients/flavours to suit your taste (my nine year old granddaughter loves making 'bangers'). Good article on storing sausage casings here

https://cookingchops.com/how-to-store-s ... ull-guide/

[jansman]

Hand mincers are well worth having and these days you can pick one up on ebay for £11 and that includes a sausage filling tube.

Making sausages is fun, you can play about with the ingredients/flavours to suit your taste (my nine year old granddaughter loves making 'bangers'). Good article on storing sausage casings here

https://cookingchops.com/how-to-store-s ... ull-guide/

Making sausage is fun when you don't do it for a living. Made 300 lb this morning,and Ill have to repeat that Saturday. That pneumatic filler is my nemesis.