If I Only Knew How to Fix it.....

I decided that, since the temps were supposed to be in the upper 50's today, that it would be a good time to start working on the fence again. Not TOO much, but just enough to get a start.

I started out the morning by placing 4 end braces in where I needed them. The posts were already there, just no braces. I had the brace pipes all laid out, but not cut to length.

So, I grabs my tape measure, figure out how long I need the pipes and haul them up to the neighbor's house to cut them to the proper length. When I get to his house, he is outside working on a "carriage" for cutting logs to the proper size before he splits them. I pull over to where he is working and ask if I can use his cut-off saw. He gives me an odd look, and says "come on, lets go to the shop".

As soon as I get to his shop, I see why he gave me a funny look. There on the bench sits a brand new DeWalt Cut-off saw!

He proceeds to explain that his older Makita "smoked" on him earlier this morning. He decided that he'd just buy a new one, instead of fixing the old one. He was going to throw the old one in his scrap pile, but tossed it into my pickup, instead.

I haven't had time to delve into it yet but, I think it is probably one of 3 things - the armature, windings or brushes. I'll have to take it apart pretty soon so I can try to figure it out. Hopefully it is something easy, quick and CHEAP!

This afternoon, he came over to our place with his heavy-duty "weed-eater" that he has a carbide saw blade on. He uses it for cutting those obnoxious Eastern Red Cedar weeds....er....trees. It works WONDERFULLY on ones about 2" diameter or less, but will cut up to a 4" pretty quick.

We went out into my hay field - and the other part of the pasture that I am opening up as hay this summer. It only took us about an hour, but we cut several dozen trees. I drove his John Deere Gator, while he rode in the passenger seat and zipped them off. Worked rather well.....

Over the past month or so, I had brush hogged the new hay field, then cut down the dozen or so, trees that needed removed. There are still lots of "sticks" that need picked up, but at least it is CLOSE to ready.

What I need is a "Pig Twicker"...

Yeah, there's a story behind that....

Years ago (way back in the early 1990's), when I worked for the Kansas Department of Transportation as a Construction Inspector, I was assigned to work on a bridge project in Manhatten, Kansas. We were doing TONS of fill, and overseeing the placement and compaction of it all. One day, myself and one of the other KDOT workers - Dan - was out on the fill taking a look at it. We found it LOADED with sticks and twigs, so we called the Superintendent of the Earthwork company over.

Good ole' Dan pipes up and says:

"Hey, you all need a good Pig Twicker out here!"
Superintendent: "HUH?"
Dan: "You need a Pig Twicker."
Superintendent: "A WHAT?"
About this time, my mind kicks in and figures out what Dan was TRYING to say, so I tap him on the shoulder and ask: "Don't you mean TWIG PICKER?"

Dan begins to blush slightly and says "Yeah, that's what I meant - a Twig Picker!"

Dan was a good guy, but sometimes he had a way with words....