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A Nebraska power farmer, who employs a large circular saw each winter for getting stove wood in shape, finds other uses for the machine. During the haying season he removes the saw and puts the grindstone in its place. Of course, the drive shaft is turned at low speed, about 150 r.p.m., by putting the belt onto a 4-in. pulley on the 4-hp. engine which is used to drive it. Another use to which the saw frame is put is for twisting cable for fence-corner braces. The frame is braced against end strain and the several strands are attached to the shaft. The other ends of the wires are fastened to the rear end of a heavy farm wagon. As the wires are twisted together, the over-all length is reduced. A man stands in the wagon with his hand on the brake and as the tension grows stiff, the brake is loosened just enough to permit the wagon to be drawn slowly toward the saw frame. When the wires have been twisted enough, the belt is thrown and a block of wood is held against the fly wheel to prevent too much back spin. Sometimes long pieces of cable, 100 to 200 ft., are twisted at one time and are later cut up into smaller lengths of proper size.—Dale R. Van Horn, Walton, Nebr.

 



The secret of stirring up paint to its best consistency is to churn the contents of the can thoroughly so that all the ingredients are completely mixed. This cannot be done with a stick except by long patient effort. A device that will do the trick in a much shorter time can quickly be made from a short length of stiff wire cable. Wrap some cloth around one end for a handle. Then open the strands near the bottom and bow them out in the form of a hollow ball, as shown in the drawing. Such a stirring rod will pick up all the solid matter at the bottom of the can, and the separated strands will churn it into a good mixture—L. B. Robbins, Harwich, Massachusetts.

¶ A cork can be made to do the work of a glass stopper by placing it in a metal vessel and boiling it in vaseline; when dry, it is acid-resistant, unaffected by jamming it into a bottle, and will last indefinitely. 