|
Re: Home and garden projects
Originally Posted by Pulaski
(Post 11974906)
Mrs P e-mailed me when I was on my way home last night - our nice round, symmetrical, and relatively large flowering pear tree had shed about a quarter of its branches into the road. A neighbour had severed the torn end from the trunk and used his truck to drag it out of the road, so traffic could pass.
It has taken me two evenings to cut up the branches with bow saws. The rest of the tree is going to have to come down too, as there is a nasty split in the trunk, sufficient for the remaining three quarters of the tree to split fairly evenly and fall down in two clumps of branches. I envisage it keeping me fairly busy in the evenings for the next couple of weeks.
Originally Posted by Boiler
(Post 11974914)
What wrong with your chainsaw?
Originally Posted by Pulaski
(Post 11975123)
Using bow saws is good excercise, also almost of the branches were so small that a bow saw is as quick, and safer than swinging a chainsaw.
I will be removing the branches from the rest of the tree while up a ladder, so using the chainsaw would be a huge no-no. Obviously I will be using my faithful Husqy to fell the trunk and chop it up. I have dragged probably three quarters of the limbs round to the vegetable garden and burned them - except for the thicker branches 2"-5", which I have stacked to burn later, and maybe cook over the fire. It has rained quite a bit recently, so it has been convenient (and safe) to have fires each weekend to get rid of the pear tree debris. This afternoon I climbed up onto the sun room roof, which is nearly flat, to start the long-overdue task of painting it. It has leaked for a while, and roof sealer applied to the roof panel seams hasn't helped. :( Hopefully the roof paint-sealer will do the trick. It is also brilliant white, so should help keep the sunroom a bit cooler too. |
Re: Home and garden projects
My JD JS63C walk-behind mower needs a new engine. I bent the crank on the original one, about ten years ago, and now the replacement engine has died. :( ..... It was warmed up nicely and running at full-chat when it coughed and died. It had fuel, I cleaned the air filter, and tried to restart it, a few minutes later, then again an hour or so later, and also the next day, all to no avail - no hint that it wanted to fire, but by the end there was an ominous rattle from somewhere deep inside the engine - I suspect something valve-related had broken. :eek:
I ordered a new motor this morning, a "professional" series Briggs & Stratton, which is supposed to be quieter, easier to start, and with a longer life. With a bit of luck it will be here by the weekend. :) And before anyone asks, so long as you are up to removing the screws that hold the blade mounting to the engine and the three bolts that hold the engine to the mower deck, it is cheaper to replace the engine (with one bought on-line and shipped from out of state) than buy a new mower. Labour plus a "regular" price for a locally supplied engine would make an engine swap cost-prohibitive. |
Re: Home and garden projects
Originally Posted by Pulaski
(Post 11994614)
My JD JS63C walk-behind mower needs a new engine. I bent the crank on the original one, about ten years ago, and now the replacement engine has died. :( ..... It was warmed up nicely and running at full-chat when it coughed and died. It had fuel, I cleaned the air filter, and tried to restart it, a few minutes later, then again an hour or so later, and also the next day, all to no avail - no hint that it wanted to fire, but by the end there was an ominous rattle from somewhere deep inside the engine - I suspect something valve-related had broken. :eek:
I ordered a new motor this morning, a "professional" series Briggs & Stratton, which is supposed to be quieter, easier to start, and with a longer life. With a bit of luck it will be here by the weekend. :) And before anyone asks, so long as you are up to removing the screws that hold the blade mounting to the engine and the three bolts that hold the engine to the mower deck, it is cheaper to replace the engine (with one bought on-line and shipped from out of state) than buy a new mower. Labour plus a "regular" price for a locally supplied engine would make an engine swap cost-prohibitive. |
Re: Home and garden projects
Originally Posted by Nutek
(Post 11994686)
Shoulda used the one out of your truck. :)
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BTYSpE8TPe...odaLawnMow.jpg Of course if I'd had a Mini, I could just have attached a mower deck underneath it. :lol: |
Re: Home and garden projects
Originally Posted by Pulaski
(Post 11994693)
Of course if I'd had a Mini, I could just have attached a mower deck underneath it. :lol:
|
Re: Home and garden projects
GFCI update
Just in case this happens to anyone else, and to allow everyone on the forum to finally take another breath, the mysterious missing voltage in the kitchen socket has been solved by going through the circuit breaker panel and flicking all breakers to off, then on again. A friend had mentioned that sometimes when these trip, they don't flip right over and might only move a fraction such that you can't see they have tripped |
Re: Home and garden projects
Originally Posted by newadventure
(Post 11999766)
GFCI update
Just in case this happens to anyone else, and to allow everyone on the forum to finally take another breath, the mysterious missing voltage in the kitchen socket has been solved by going through the circuit breaker panel and flicking all breakers to off, then on again. A friend had mentioned that sometimes when these trip, they don't flip right over and might only move a fraction such that you can't see they have tripped Anyhow, I am glad that you found the problem and resolved it. :) |
Re: Home and garden projects
Thanks Pulaski, and thanks for your helpful tips for resolving it
|
Re: Home and garden projects
Originally Posted by Pulaski
(Post 11994614)
My JD JS63C walk-behind mower needs a new engine. I bent the crank on the original one, about ten years ago, and now the replacement engine has died. :( ..... It was warmed up nicely and running at full-chat when it coughed and died. It had fuel, I cleaned the air filter, and tried to restart it, a few minutes later, then again an hour or so later, and also the next day, all to no avail - no hint that it wanted to fire, but by the end there was an ominous rattle from somewhere deep inside the engine - I suspect something valve-related had broken. :eek:
I ordered a new motor this morning, a "professional" series Briggs & Stratton, which is supposed to be quieter, easier to start, and with a longer life. .... |
Re: Home and garden projects
Originally Posted by Pulaski
(Post 11999781)
Update: the new engine is scheduled for delivery this afternoon. The old engine has been drained of petrol, the blade and blade adapter removed, and the engine unbolted and removed from the mower deck. All I need to do is sharpen the blade and I'll be ready to install the new engine. :)
It is also the quietest mower I have ever owned, and it makes a lowe pitch noise. In fact, if I needed to buy another mower, I would sooner buy a used one and swap the engine for another one of these than buy a brand new mower. :nod: |
Re: Home and garden projects
Has anyone replaced their own shingles? We have one side of our house which gets the full brunt of those infamous Nor'easter storms and some of the painted shingles are warping, flaking their paint, and have holes from woodpeckers.
Our hardy New England native neighbor has just replaced her own shingles with help from her teenaged son. Her house has unpainted shingles--they're called cedar shakes--and she's been encouraging the husband and me to do the same for this side of our house--i.e. tear off the old painted shingles and replace with the plain cedar shakes. (Lots of houses in our area are done like this, the "bad" side has the plain unpainted shingles, and the other sides have regular painted shingles.) Two drawbacks to this proposal. First, that side of the house is on a hillside, and scaffolding and ladders would be precarious, IMHO. And probably less importantly, the husband would really prefer painted shingles to match the rest of the house, which neither of us is confident we can handle. We might need to contract this job out, but the local estimates are coming in rather high (both for painted & unpainted shingles).... Just wondering what if any experience any of you have had, either doing it yourself... or having someone else do it....? |
Re: Home and garden projects
I had a building shingled, shakes are different.
Need some skill. |
Re: Home and garden projects
I've been lurking on this thread for a while, and finally I can contribute. A little.
Today I made my first two irrigation ollas out of 78c terracotta pots and some silicon-like sealant we already had. |
Re: Home and garden projects
Originally Posted by Ozzidoc
(Post 12009543)
I've been lurking on this thread for a while, and finally I can contribute. A little.
Today I made my first two irrigation ollas out of 78c terracotta pots and some silicon-like sealant we already had. And before you ask, my subscription to Google has expired and I haven't mailed the renewal form and a cheque yet. :( |
Re: Home and garden projects
An olla is a ceramic jar, often unglazed, used for cooking stews or soups, for the storage of water or dry foods, or for other purposes. Ollas have a short wide neck and a wider belly, resembling beanpots or handis.
|
| All times are GMT -12. The time now is 9:40 am. |
Powered by vBulletin: ©2000 - 2026, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.