Antique Drag Saw [Restoration] - Part 1: Problem Solving
In this restoration I tackle the largest project I have done to date! This is a 1920s drag or log saw made by the Ottawa Mfg. Co. of Ottawa, Kansas, USA. This is a TE model with a 5HP 4-stroke engine on it. The saw mimics the sawing action of two people using a non-powered crosscut saw. The saw blade itself is 5ft long.
I have not dealt with 4-stroke engines very often in my restoration history, so it was a lot of fun learning along the way.
The tool itself shows signs of many repairs over its ~100 years, including a lot of brazing due to large frost cracks and completely broken castings in other places. The wooden base is rotting away and is cracked in many places as well. The magneto does not produce spark and the piston is stuck as well!
In this video I tackle the disassembly as well as make new parts or repair parts when I can.
In the final video I will paint parts, reassemble, and test it out on a log!
I would like to thank Evapo-Rust for sponsoring this video.
Wrenches are now for sale at www.handtoolrescue.com
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Podcast (with Jimmy DiResta and Andrew Alexander) - anchor.fm/fitzall
I was today years old when I realized he narrates videos. Newest Patron!!!
Truth or Dare!👏👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍👍👍 Truth: "I normally don't like the over used generic music that I hear in most videos nor do I like chatter from someone who tries to come off as something of an expert when they don't have a clue as to what they are talking about, they forget the fact that there are people who view these videos who have far greater knowledge. To the point: I've watched most of..if not all of :Hand Tool Rescue videos, this is by far my favorite! Why you ask? I've had the rare privilege of listening to honesty and the prefect approach when trying to fix old machinery, with no user manual nor any available new or used spare parts. How far does one go when trying to refurbish something? At what point do you stop and say, this works, that will be fine and here's what I'm trying to accomplish. All too often, we are more critical of our own work than others. I like the honest approach that was taken here, it makes a lot of sense when it comes to economics, priority and not getting in over your head. I especially liked the cast iron dust in the epoxy, and the explanation, that works for me. I respect all that you said. You sir have a good easy listening voice and in possession of good work ethic when entering unchartered territory) learn as you go, honest approach, I can see why you get along so well with other KZheadr's that I follow. You are indeed a young man but you have a old soul. Keep up the awesome work, always looking forward to the next video
Wow thank you so much!
I'm also impressed you typed this all and didn't have to edit anything. Good job.
@@HandToolRescue No..Thank You HTR for providing such good watchable and enjoyable content, you never fail to impress.
Well said. It’s always worth waiting for the next project. (Expect HTR to slip you a nice bonus)
This is the best possible way one could word it. But I have something to add to this statement. HTR i do have to point out that you have been doing well to slip in small jokes here and there were other tubers would have made it feel out of place so well done sir
Always enjoy seeing stuff made by The Ottawa Engine Company, since it's just down the road from here.
I’ve been here so long you didn’t talk in your videos, for free... this is my fav restore channel 😭 I’ll go back and watch old videos again
Haha, I am only narrating for this tool.
Its good to hear you voice! Excellent job on the babbitt!
There's so much about this video that's like.. A post-Canada-day gift or something. Thanks for all the hard work, the narration is honestly spot-on.
love those old thumpers, great job so far,
Mustie1 I love seeing one of my favorite KZheadrs comment on another of my favorite KZheadrs videos.
Thanks! It shall live.
@@HandToolRescue А ты на русском не умеешь говорить)?
@@kotborka I doubt he knows Russian cyrillic.
@@rverro8478 there is always google translation, if you want know all commands.............. i love it, it opens complete internet, and there ways to let it translate complete automatic, had intrest in something in spain , so you can look also on spanisch sites, of if you love chinees of from japan, , al you need is translator, here there can say whatever there want, but so you can look on a local newssite as example , withouw you need learn chinees or russia, ............... else is "A said to hear from B that C was xxx... and know for sure dat "D" was there and E.........................and at end you still not know who tell the truth of them all but use you a translator, you can say" the local news said.........xxx and you have more , that a know from b that c .............. once you know how to translate you no longer need to trust elite that there tell you wat really happens , you look direct to there sites, ........ you can even make a translated youtube from site from there and no "a b c d story where al sais "i told the truth it where the others that now you can say, here is local news and all lied.......... or so and so you can see also what sites can be trusted to translate what there really said, its like the so " true" story, but " changed in a love story.............. as example, in orginal king arthur, there was no queen guinivere, of "camelot" ......... so there was no cheating wife that betray the king ......... there so much crap that none know, but translation is same, is as go to a museum to look orginal text and it not maters if it is un rusia or latin, you make your translation and meaning of it, and none tell you a lose translation to "keep story intresting, to find out , nothing what was said is in the story......... you see so you know all members , and not only your enlisch followers
I loved the narration, you should do it more as it gives us some info about the tool, and for those of us who know nothing about fixing things its interesting to listen too.
He saves that for Patreon.
As a restorationist I, must say, as much as I loved your previous silence, I liked this even more. You deserve to be heard. A new level of excellence. I do however miss your subtle sense of humour. Part 2 throw in some laughs.. You are a very smart man. We Know this. But please. Do not stop making us have a good chuckle. Thanks man.
Really enjoy when you talk / explain what’s going on like your IG video, I think your commentary is brill and funny 😂👍 PLZ more 🙏🏻
I restored a 1940's 20-30 HP Easthope engine for my 40 tug restoration I had on the go at the time, many years ago. Pulled it out of a boat shed half on its side. Hadn't run in 30+ years and was frozen solid. The flywheel was probably over 120lbs. Ran great when back together. Took 7 months of off-time! However, sadly after 18 years and almost at completion, I had to donate the boat with engine installed to a museum. It just came down to lack of cash and, well, life. I love your videos and would sure get a kick out of touring your museum of restored artifacts. Top work! Cheers.
I remember your telling me that you do as much research on these projects as you possibly can; but, I have to say that your depth and range of knowledge and understanding of machinery, tolerances, and the various intricacies of gears, bearings, babbitts, and fabrication of replacement parts belies both your age and normal ability of any one person. Thanks for your sharing the knowledge....best wishes and stay healthy.
FINALLY! The drag saw!
Only took 3 years!
My thoughts exactly you beat me to it because you got the video 24 hours before I did
I'm digging the narration, might have to learn to use patreon. Still the best intro on youtube.
Ikr lol.
When I am sad I watch his intro and I feel so much better.😄
Agreed! He should mention narratives under his patreon link!
@@rosemarshall1219 reminds me of 8bit guy I think same track
Defs not same track on 8Bit. But the into is the best, true that :D
The voice over is really cool. I like learning about what you are restoring. Puts more value on the work and item.
So glad I live in the age of battery powered chainsaws! You men had a rough and dangerous life in the woods all those years ago!
The reason to use wood for the arm that transfers the rotation into a linear motion is to protect the engine and gear assembly if the saw gets stuck. Same system as why wood is used on paddle steamers. Wood is the weakest part and is easy to replace.
some sickle mowers use wood, still sell them at our farm store
Andrea B yep my sickle mower for my farmall cub has wood, you sell online? I could make one but I have zero time
Agreed, it was an early safty feature to keep the machine from tearing itself apart in case of a stoppage.
He guessed that right in the video.
Just like the soft aluminum key in a lawnmower flywheel. When you hit a stump with the blade, you shear that key off, instead of breaking the flywheel.
Loving the resto as always and you should do more narration like this. It's great to hear your thought processes on repairs etc and it's educational, especially on antique equipment.
'Right said Fred both of us together, one each end and steady as she goes...' Wonderful song and wonderful video. Thankyou.
No, this dude talks just enough that it isn’t annoying. He’s actually funny. No dad jokes, just funny jokes like the sushi gag. Makes me wonder if he has a nice sushi restaurant nearby or if it was gas station sushi. Either way, I normally hate silent or faceless KZhead videos but this guy talks and shows his face just enough that it’s one of the best channels on KZhead.
"I'm trying to braze bronze into bronze brazing that was previously brazed". This sentence right here is why I will never fix anything.
Lol!
Braizeception
Yo, dawg, I heard you liked brazing so...
"Yo Dawg" I heard you liked Brazing Bronze Blazed Brozne....."
It sounded clear as mud to me 😂
Linkage might be wood as a tension break point incase you hit something hard, that part would break before it causes damage.
I think that is the reason for the wooden part, when I was a kid helping on my grandparent’s farm mow hay with an old style cyclebar mowing machine they had a wooden pitman arm that transferred the power to the fingers that did the cutting , like a pair of hair clippers. It would break if you hit something that couldn’t be cut, it kept from breaking the cutting teeth off.
@@johnpierce1720 we still have one with Massey Ferguson 35. Had to replace wooden bar when someone had tossed iron wire to bush and it snapped. Also had to replace 2 blades, but nothing major
something i learnt recently, things with designed fail points are much better than ones without, (in the sense that if the thing breaks, it'll break on a replaceable part, rather than destroying something unreplaceable. like an accessory belt on a car, if the accessory seizes up, the belt breaks, and not the brackets, bearings or the internals, sure you could have a steel belt/chain, and never have your belt snap, but something else certainly will in its place
What is being described for sickle bars we called ‘Pittman arms’, and prevented breaking the sickle components. Always had a spare made on hand, as they always seemed to break when you were trying to get the field cut before rain.
Well even workin a steam train, I never knew it was called a pitman arm. I heard the term but after 25yrs, I finally know what it is. Things fail, if you can control that failure, youre ahead of the game
Your narration is wonderful. It brings your audience closer to you. Keep it up where you feel it is appropriate.
This resto-save was incredibly awesome!
Wooden mechanical fuse maybe? If the saw gets jammed that board splinters instead of fucking up the engine.
@@LordPrecision Wasn't there a case where they found code in the chipset of a drill (i'm saying drill, but it's been a while so i don't remember what exactly it was, cordless hand tool, anyways)that would "disable" the battery after a certain number of uses?
Yes, but the clutch also slipped when the saw binds for safety.
my guess would be weight savings. Replacing this piece of wood with metal of the same bending/shear strength would significantly increase the weight of the piece. This would then need to be counterbalanced with larger weights to offset vibrations etc. In the end it would significantly increase the weight of the machine without providing much benefit to improve the overal functionality. We also have to keep manufacturing abilities and capabilits of the 1920ies in mind when this machine was made and cutting a price of wood was simply easier and a lot more cost effective than fabricating a piece of metal.
I think it would also absorb any shocks and smooth out the stroke. Plus field replaceable.
@@silentepsilon888 That was my thoughts. That would be big heavy piece of metal flying around otherwise.
My wife and I love your restoration videos- they're super relaxing with just the tinkering noises and it's hard to find KZhead videos that don't have commentary. The drag saw that you restored here was an amazing piece! We understand why you put commentary on this episode, but we can't wait for your next video that's back to normal! Keep being amazing :-)
Man I love your videos no matter if you talk or not .. I can at least say you have a soothing voice ... Nice to listen to , quite relaxing ..
Nice to see the restoration of an old hit and miss engine
Eric, I think this is going to be my favorite video of yours. I really love the way your thought process works and how effectively you verbally translate that to us. I normally mute videos, but I had the volume on today, and it was fascinating. Very awesome, I can't wait to see the final result.
Please narrate more like this. You have a good voice for it, and you explain what your doing. It helps the viewers understand lol
I love this channel because I'm too poor to have my own shop but I can fix stuff vicariously through you
This old beast has more nuts, bolts, and washers than a Model T! Thanks. It prompted me to read more about babbit bearings and the alloy it is made of. Cheers!
my gods, you have a voice! and a nice one at that. i normally skip through videos without voice in 30 seconds lol.
Honestly I figured he was maybe from another country and didn't speak good English but I'm surprisingly impressed by the quality of the narration so I think I'll become a patron
and a very calming voice at that
The channel is awesome...but is it just me that enjoys the "silent" videos? Thanks for the all the hard work and knowledge, need more like you in this day and age.
I like the silent ones better.😁🇳🇱
Your narration really enhances the overall impression watching the restoration. Thanks for this! 👍
Great video! The little purple axe was amusing. I think that it should be in every video, but never plainly obvious. It'd make a great easter egg
any time you grind/hone parts you need to finish cleaning with soap and water - dish soap and paper towels will do just keep doing it until the towel comes out clean - you think you got it clean with solvent but you will be shocked to see how much grit you get with the soap - tip from a oldddd mechanic
Doug MacLean. Thanks Doug, that’s a great tip that I will use from now on. Cheers Stuart 🇦🇺
Cool tip.
Funny you should mention good old "soap and water". I was installing cabinets at a veterinary office. We use permanent marker on the laminate and clean it off with lacquer thinner. We clean EVERYTHING with lacquer thinner. Lol. There was a brown stain on the white melamine inside that I scrubbed, and scrubbed until I broke a sweat, with little results. My boss, Mr Experience, starts chuckling at me and tells me to get soap and water. Wiped of effortlessly. A bottle of Dawn now resides in my shop chemical cabinet. He watched me scrub, hard, for 10 minutes. Some days being the greenhorn sucks.
Soap is a surfactant & so is wd-40 & diesel. All will work for cleaning
Automatic transmission fluid also works well. Highly detergent, and stuff doesn't rust immediately after cleaning.
Sooooo much work.This is fabulous.
Thanks!
Watching your videos has made me excited to be in my shop again. Thanks for that.
Some of the "stuff" you talking about I have no idea, but thank you, so much I always enjoy your presentation.
Yeeeey!! Been watching on instagram the whole restoration each day and now the first part is finally up, and: narrated with that “sensual voice that soothes us”. Outstanding project, looking forward to the second part of this “documentary” almost. State of the art restoration!
Wait a minute! A guy in Canada, is restoring a tool from Ottawa, KANSAS? I call shenanigans on this one.
It's borderline blasphemy.
@@HandToolRescue HERESY! BURN THE WITCH!
Wait.. so it's not from Ottawa, Ontario?
@@MiFFiL that's what i thought, too.
it's GLORIOUS. Absolutely GLORIOUS
This looks like how I learned about everything I had to repair onboard ship. Old equipment they didn't have replacement parts for, let alone a repair manual.
The Blue Balls! Was so excited to see then entire restoration!
Oooooo, that was evil, not saying, "PART 1" in the title. Seriously, I love your videos and your techniques and all the old tools you use. Definitely a massive project and I can't wait for Part 2...and maybe Part 3. Cheers from beautiful Wayne, NJ USA!
WOW. that is old iron that needs reviving...good work, stay safe..
This is the only real restoration channel. Not some toys-polishing-powder-coating-stuff. Real restoration made it with knowledge. keep going!
Franchement, j'adore le générique. Un canadien formidable se doit de parler un minimum le français aussi, non ? Cette chaîne KZhead est vraiment un must. Bravo !
like this project your pronunciation is so cool that even I, an ordinary Russian guy, can understand you perfectly you have amazing technical knowledge and skills waiting for next part)))
Pretty cool as always. I guess I have to do the patreon because I like the narrative version.
Good to see you posting! What ever you do don't paint it orange, I'd hate to see you kick yourself out! Stay safe, stay healthy!
Very cool tool and repair. Thanks for making , sharing, and teaching!
You know its serious business when he brings out the TF2 engineer wrench.
I spilled my tea out of my nostrils when you started talking!
I like the narration. Especially since I don't know why your doing what your doing but I like watching you work. Thanks
A set of 8 point sockets and your usual long breaker bar can be your best friend when you are restoring something built with square nuts. Well worth the investment when you do this kind of work more than rarely.
Sweet narration, bro. seriously I really like it :)
My grandfather restored a 1919 Titan tractor before he passed away it's on a museum now. we were the first farm in our area to own a tractor. It was a 1918 Titan it was dual fuel too start it off on gas and switch to kero my great grandfather drive it from Richmond VA to the farm (about 45 min drive today) I can only imagine how long that took they sold the original my grandfather said that was his biggest regret selling that 1918.
Those titans are awesome. Almost looks like a steam engine with the barrel radiator.
As the Flywheel Turns.... That's a soap opera I'd watch!
Love the narration wish it was on all videos. Love the site. I would love to see a video about yourself and frequently asked questions.
YOU CAN TALK ?
You can breathe
Akella socially distant pile of garbage on the floor is narrating.
@@MarquisDeSang op een beetje beetje beetje 🤏🤏 pppppppppppppppppp
@@MarquisDeSang ñpintura nbn
@@daniloschell2949 stroke?
I wonder if his wife will give a similar reaction when he gets this running as she did with the flame thrower?? I still chuckle when I think of that... 🙃☮️
About time you gone back to your roots. What made your channel. This is what I am expecting from a professional like yourself. This is a real restoration project.
40 mins plus. Yes yes yes I love you hand tool rescue!!!!
AS EVERYONE said, the wood linkage is a safety feature BUT, there's more to it, it's also a vibration/tension damper. There are bicycles out there that don't use chains to transmit the motion of the pedals to the rear wheel, rather levers and linkages. One or two of such bikes, of which there are few, few survivors have the linkage made entirely out of wood. The bike i saw was on a Polish forum, and my Polish is abysmal at best, so i don't know the species, but i do know they talked and talked about the fact that it would soak up the vibrations (in relation to how a crank/level and linkage works, that small acceleration post peak rotation or the small drag just before peak). SO, i suggest that the wood be replaced with a piece that's both stout, but also flexible, to give the system some slack. Edit: another place where you'll find wood linkages, Singer sewing machines. Wood linkage in the early machines when they didn't have the best of technology.
Sounds like you're talking about treadle bicycles? Technically they have treadles, not pedals.
@@mattgies Well, yes, but the part in question is similar in function.
In Jimmy Diresta's Voice "thank You!"
Trying to braze bronze into bronze brazing that was previously brazed. What an intense sentence friend. Well spoken
You're killing me! I don't want to wait! JIM
9:52 I would imagine that the wooden piece acts as a kind of a mechanical fuse. So if the sawblade gets stuck or something, this piece fails before the engine tears itself apart.
Hand Talk Rescue. thank you talking hands.
Yes it's good to hear your voice. I think you actually explaining what your doing helps relate to people how the restoration goes. Good video, enjoyed it very much Hope to hear you explain more of your video, s. Thank You.
Well, I like the narration on this one, but I think I prefer the usual way. I'm just used to it and it's great and relaxing. Just watching your hands do their magic.
The piston was probably settled up from lack of use and I know it sometimes happens to things that sit for too long from lack of use or just could have been jammed maybe from internal dirt . But either way anything is possible.
If you need to store an engine for a long time there's a product called "fogging oil" that you can spray in the cylinder to coat the internals.
We use a fluid film spray for the atvs and dirt bikes we tear apart
You can also pack it with grease
That saw looks like a beast. You are doing a great job on restoring it, way beyond my meager skills. Can't wait to see the finished project. For piston ring compressors you can use the band clamps like you did or use a piece of flashing and band clamps to wrap the rings in before sliding in the piston.
Never, ever, change your opening. It is too iconic. I look forward to it every video.
My cat finds the brazing very interesting - pawing at the screen.
Aw
talking in a "old rusty thing restoration" style video by the OG!? brain no function no more
I love the narration. Wish more restoration videos were narrated.
I've already watched PART 2 and I had to go back to PART 1 to see the disassembly. I have moved Eric's site to the top of my list of KZhead videos. I love them!
You don't sound nearly as creepy in real life as you look...
Wow, you can talk?!😂
Unpredictable 😂😂
SURPRISE!
He has a really nice and calm voice. I hope it's OK to say it 😁
Only if you pay him!
😂😂😂😂😂
Sorry if I'm late in viewing the video here because I wanted the time to enjoy it. The fact that you narrated it only added to the enjoyment. It's nice hearing some things explained right enough, where guess-work or sub-titles would fail to put forward what a magnificent amount of work that's involved with that and 'second-guessing' the previous repairs et.c. We all can look forward to the next video, whenever time permits. Thanks for posting it m'man. Your knowledge and know-how is fascinating. Cheers! Stay Safe and Keep Well, sir.
Wow, hearing your voice through the sound of restoring is actually a real good combo! Well done!
I like the way he explains what he is doing. There is no annoying music to get on your nerves. The editing is perfect. The only complaint I have is that I have to wait until the next video to see how it all turns out.
Good to hear your voice, I needed that explanation! Regards from The Netherlands.
Very informative your voice over was spot on ,thank you. Cheers from AUSTRALIA
This is great. Enjoying the narration. From one Lad from Ontario to another!!
You are doing a good job on the engine. There are a few places mostly in the US that have a lot of engine parts, especially mag parts. I have restored 40 to 50 engines over the years. I hope that you enjoy as much as l have.
I love the Verbal Walk through! Thank you!
I'm liking the narrated video a lot. Please, more narration.
I usually dont like restoration channels that have narration but found myself enjoying yours, do more
Wow! I did not know that Babbit was so pricey. A friend that used to work at a marble quarry traded me about fifty pounds of Babbit when they re-poured the massive bearings on the trommel there.. He was able to take home the old babbit bearings and was making diving weights from it when I came along and traded him some pure lead for the babbit. I can’t wait for the next video!
Good job on the Babbitt ,the rest of the project as well!👍
Fantastic video and a very professional narration. Well done old chap. Apparently that's how we all speak here in the UK. 😀
Awesome work Eric, looking forward to the next part! 😃👍🏻👊🏻
That voice is not what I pictured. Love your videos man!!!
Great job brother! Can’t believe I just watched for 40 mins. Felt like 5😉👍🏼. There so much awesome content here. Can’t wait for the next part.
Cool project😃. Really large-scale. Very interesting🤔. Please continue. Be sure to start the engine and show what it can do. Greetings from the USSR😉👍
Old inefficient engines are so charming. I was lucky enough to see parts of a old John Deere dozer restoration that was a single poison of about the same size. It may not be fast, but it definitely moves earth.