In the days before whipper snippers, there was the garden machete...

Gi=oing by the video, should I ever encounter cardboard zombies, or large cardboard tubes, I'll be, metaphorically, fixed for blades.. ha ha...

I wouldn't mow an acre in an afternoon with it, but it'd come in handy for clearing round the garden, or further afield.

It's something else to add to the wish list, ha ha...

Not only do you get a bit of exercise with it, but it's a good way to take out your frustrations, ha ha...

🙂

Ecar,  I googled. 

At $55 you'd have to want it pretty bad.

And that's on sale.

I don't want to show you the garden machete fail videos, take my word for it, they're nasty.

Stick with the wish list - forever.

At first glance it's not a tool for the faint hearted, but then I've known people who were a distinct liability with a butter knife in hand, ha ha...

I've watched blokes, with horrified fascination, wearing thongs while pushing lawn mowers around...

For me, it's steel cap boots and heavy gloves, and not swinging the thing around like a stockwhip...

Lawn mower, or machete, ha ha...

Anyway, it's less cumbersome than a scythe, and a great deal easier on the lower back than a sickle.

Years ago I made a tool similar to the garden machete from a suspension leaf spring -

As in a leaf from one of these...

I cord wrapped a handle at one end, and sharpened it at the other, but it wasn't that long, which meant bending at the waist to use it, and that's hard work on the lower back.

A cordless whipper snipper, courtesy of Bunnings'll set me back $109, so, comparing prices it's not too bad a deal.

Bladed tools are not to be taken lightly, but in capable hands they're a good and useful tool.

And yes, I consider my hands to be capable, ha ha...

If I didn't think I could handle a machete like that safely, it'd be just another object of curiosity to look at in a catalogue.

🙂

When I was in primary school I shared a class with a boy who had been blind since birth.

We talked about braille, and he told me the story, from a nine year old's perspective, of the history of braille.

Okay, I'm sure that the Wikipedia entry would be more concise, and detailed, but in short, little Louis Braille's father was an engraver in the early 1800's, back when engraving involved carving into blocks of wood.

He had a workshop full of razor sharp chisels and knives - his working tools.

When Louis was small, there was an accident in the workshop and he was blinded as a result.

The story takes one of two turns, from here - A triumph over adversity - Louis goes on to develop a written language for the blind, and, just as importantly, I think, that sharp tools are something to be treated with the utmost respect.

Aside from the set curriculum, I learnt other things at school, as well, ha ha...

🙂

You know the old adage about not judging a book by it's cover?

Buyer beware? ha ha....

🙂

The Ancient Crafts and Rare Trades expo is on, come the end of October.

But it's to be held in Gympie, Queensland, and that's a bit out of my way, ha ha...

There'll be a fair bit to see, going by their blurb -

I'm hoping that's a typo... and that they mean Luthiers rather than Luthers, although it would be entertaining to spend the day in the company of a Theologian, much as I might be interested in the crafting of musical instruments... ha ha...

It's not a good year for travel, but no worries, something similar will no doubt pop up over this way.

There's always the annual woodworking show to look forward to...

🙂

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fH9bQlZCQg

Brilliant Baybizz.  Thank you

I'll second that Briliant, Baybizz.

🙂

I was in the supermarket a couple of days ago and they had so much toilet paper that they were stacking on the floor in front of the already filled shelves.

I got to thinking, maybe this glut of toilet paper could be put to good use...

It's just a thought, ha ha...

Keep well, people...

🙂