Americade 2026

 

I rented a motorcycle from RiderShare for the 4 hour ride.  It's like AirB&B for motorcyles.  This is a 2011 Suzuki Vstrom 650.  When his son is not riding it, he rents it.

He had a phone mount & 12v plug and USB adapter.  I have a 7" Carpuride screen to do Android Auto/Carplay that mounted right on.  

The Vstrom 650 is known for buffeting.  The windscreen needs  to be adjusted for each rider and at 6 feet tall, I couldn't adjust it fully.  Before I lowered it, my head was getting shaken from side to side.

I tried the Vstrom 800 (83hp/507) twin and had a similer issue.  I guess I'm not a windscreen kind of guy.

It used to be that you could not try motorcycles before you bought them.  Americade does demos, more than any other rally and that's why I went 20 years ago and went this year.

 The Vstrom 650 is based on the SV650 (73hp/437lb) 90 degree V-twin at left.  I 1st tried it at a previous event and tried it twice here.  It's a great bike that I'm considering. 

I tried 12 different bikes this year.  Some for my ego.  I tried a Yamaha MT09 SP this spring at the dealer.  I left the parking lot, turning left & I was on the ground.  I probably grabbed too much throttle, TC was on sport and it probably spun the tire on the yellow line on the road.  So, too spicy and my idea of getting a "bike that scares me" was dead.

 This bike, an Aprilia Tueno V4 was for my ego, bruised by the MT09.  The MT09 is 117 hp & 425lb.

 This is 180 hp at the rear wheel and makes the MT09 seem a little tame.

When I tried it, the lead took off, suddenly 200 yards ahead, the 2nd guy had full track leathers on & followed.  I tried speeding up and decided I didn't have the skill to not crash.

There was a big gap behind me, so I felt I had *some* skills.  I was able to feel the bikes powerband, in 1st gear.  When it hit, I suddenly went from 50mph to 80mph.  It could probably do 100mph.

 Definitely spicy. It was good for the ego, but wayyy too much.  This bike, a Yamaha MT03 was more like it.  41hp/373lb, 300cc twin, as agile as my KTM 200 Duke (25hp/330lb single) and able to go 80mph.  I could wring its neck and not be in serious trouble.  I have some doubts about passing on back roads.  Not enough grunt.  But it was fun.

 This is the CFmoto 675nk 95hp/416lb 3 cylinder.  Not quite as agile as my KTM though.  I really like triples and fours.

I really wanted to like this Honda CB650R (95hp/456lb) four.  My 1st street bike was an '83 GPz550 four.  I didn't feel anything special.  Plus the idiot in front of me kept slingshotting, slowing to 20mph at the start of the corner so he could speed up on the following straight.  I also couldn't get used to the electric clutch on 

I tried the Yamaha XSR700 (70hp/410lb).  The Yamaha 700 twin is a very nice motor.  I decided it was "too naked' for me.

The MT-07 (74hp/400lb) has the same motor and is a nicer package IMO.  It's got traction control, etc.  Everyone is making a 270 degree parallel twin in 700cc and higher.  The days of the fours are limited because of emissions.  I'd rather have a triple in this size.

 The Aprilia RS457 (44hp/385lb) twin is a sportbike with all the track stuff.  I had so much fun on the V4, I had to try another.  It's not going to be comfortable for a longer ride.  I kept hitting the rev limiter, but that's me.  It handled better than every other bike.

Except this one. The RS660 Factory (89.9hp/403lb)  This is made for track days and racing.  I think that 80-100hp is the sweet spot for general riding too.  Like the other Aprilias, it was fun to ride.

 I tried the CFmoto 450NK (50hp/364lb) twice as well.  It's a small bore 270 degree twin (the MT03 is a 180 degree) and had lots of punch, is agile and was as fun as the MT03 and Aprilias.  Maybe more because they were too much for me at backroad speeds.  

 

Of course, there was more to see at Americade. 

 When I came 20 years ago, I rode an '82 CB900f (94hp/580) that was black.  I think this is an '83 that someone is still riding.  Notice how much heavier they were.

 This '83 CBX  (98hp/544lb) is a *six* cylinder bike someone rode to the event.

 Charlie, a beagle-basset mix rode on the back of the bike shown.  He wasn't the only dog I saw riding.

 There were trailers to pull behind your bike

 

 Someone restored a 1982 Maico 250 and it went on sale on eBay after the event.  I competed against someone in '82 with the enduro version of this (he finished ahead of me in the series too).

Lathe and Shavehorse Alternative

I was reading Peter Follansbee's Subtack  Holding Stuff For Drawknife Work and made something like it.  He said it's one of Jennie Alexander's experiments in making woodworking more accessible.  IMO it's another of Jennie's wonderful shop widgets.

I was using my vice to hold my work for drawknife and spokeshave work.  I could bring my folding shavehorse in after clearing space.  Then it's in the way when I try to reach anything else in the shop.

This is a very useful device and is easy to use.  It takes up much less space than the horse and is much faster than the vice.  Thank you to Jennie for thinking of other ways of working.  And also to Mr Follansbee for showing us Jennie's notes, etc even if it isn't something he'd want to use! 

I took a pipe clamp and scrap wood.  In this case, its one of the foundation pieces of a pallet and is a nice piece of red oak that is 2x4.  I had once used this clamp instead of a screw in a leg vice for a time.

I cut 2 ~ 9" lengths and bored a hole for the pipe.  In my case, a #18 auger bit.  I started w/ a brace and switched to my MF #4 T handle for most of the work.  Much easier than my 12" brace.  When the bit started to come out the other side, I switched to the brace & cut the other side.

 I drilled holes in the pipe clamp to run screws into the wood so they'd stay in place.

At the top, I drilled a small hole just smaller than a nail 1/2 way into the wood clamps from the inside.  Then drove the nail in and clipped the end off so only 1/2" or less is sticking out.

 Then I center my stick on the nails and clamp it.

 I have a corner vice that I attach to the end of my bench.  It's great for holding when I crosscut.  Or when I chisel/mortice because your work is resting on the bench.

The vice and the the wood uprights hold the apparatus in place.

Clamping pressure has been enough to hold the sticks from rotating when I drawknife or spokeshave.

 If the wood is wonky, it can rotate a bit.  I might add some sandpaper around the nail to increase friction.

 It's been a game changer for me! 

Restoring and Repairing a #4 Ratchet T Auger Handle from Miller's Fall

 

I recently found one with a non working ratchet.  

The handle on the left (that can rotate) is cracked.  When I bought it, it had friction tape around it to prevent it from rotating.

This disassembly is after a bath in Backyard Ballistics homemade rust remover substitute for evaporust.

 This is fully assembled.  The rotating handle can be mounted in line with the chuck and that's why it was made rotating.

 

 The ratchet is missing a part :-(

 I think it is a spring.  I'm hoping I can find someone else's disassembly pictures so I can see what I need to make. 

Maybe there is a brace with a similar mechanism. 

 The chuck is quite robust. The jaws can stay parallel which should enable modern bits in addition to the square taper bits,

 If I want to use it before the repair, I could tape the ratchet jaws closed, 

 

Fix it Restore it on youtube repairs this same tool and is also missing the same part, a spring.  So I have a solution!

Making Fresh Milk Paint

 

I've been reading the excellent Make Fresh Milk Paint by Nick Kroll and have made my 1st batches.

 This is 1 coat on a pine panel from the box store.  

I used Ceya Mica Powder, Pine Green from Amazon and followed the book closely.

1st tip, don't use a paint mixer.  There was a bit of powder puff.  I got a $30 immersion blender.  They have cheaper ones too,

 

 This picture is still wet.

2nd tip, don't use a random plastic container from the recycle bin to mix in.  I found 1 quart mason jars.  With the blender, its way better.  Make sure your blender can fit the opening.  Mine can.  My 2" paint brush, not so much.

 

I had it too thick, and a bit lumpy.  I only needed one coat to cover.  I'm happy with it.

 

This is the top desk.

 I used Limino Mica Powder Pure Pearl Epoxy Resin Color Pigment, Blue.  We'll see how it lasts.

I had the blender & jars for this one.  Less messy.

I should have added water.  It was like painting with PVA glue! And you can see the how far I got.  Definitely will thin out.

 

I've  been using this double desk setup w/o finishing for awhile now. I'm not one for finishing, but I have used BLO and Tried & True food safe finish. 

My son made Soft Wax 2.0 for a cutting board he made and I've used that.

I decided to try the milk paint.  The non-toxic part appeals. I prefer making it to going to the paint store & getting something mixed.

My basement workshop is under everyone's bedrooms so the idea of no VOCs is another plus.  It's also January in Massachusetts so outside isn't an option.  Finally, I find its easier to clean up than latex paint.  I can do it all in the bathroom sink, safely.

 It's removed all the barriers for me.  I think I might be painting more in the future.

 Update in March

After a few months, my 1 coat w/o a top coat is holding up well enough.  Some has flaked off because I didn’t sand before applying and there were finger oils, etc. It brightens the room and I’m happy.  There was a furniture fad to make things distressed by scraping/sanding corners, etc.  That's what my desk looks like.

When I was making the green, I knocked over the mason jar on my bench.  Not wanting to waste it, I scooped as much of it as I could back into the jar before painting.  Some sawdust was added I'm sure. 

   
 Finally, Lucy, here trying to look innocent, has found something interesting in the paint.  I've caught he chewing on my desk leg to her left.  I've never seen her chew any other furniture.  Must be something in the paint.

 

Since I got a Miller's Falls #5 hand drill, I've been interested in eggbeater drills. 

 The MF #5 is smooooth and it doesn't break small bits like an electric.  Maximum capacity is 1/4"

This is much as I found it for $3.  I just wiped the sawdust off for the 1st time.  Notice the sticker hasn't worn away. 

It's almost as good as the restored ones by http://www.wktools.com

 

I picked up a #98 a few years ago.

 It's a 2 speed.  There's a knob to change speeds.  Miller's Falls made these from 1913 - 1922. 

I just started cleaning it up and I just need a crank handle.  
 

 The next one was a North Brothers "Yankee" breast drill.  

 

I think this is the 1555 which was their largest.

Most breast drills are 2 speeds.  They were used by mechanics for drilling metal.  

 In addition to 2 speeds, this has a ratchet and a forward direction only setting. 

North Brother's Yankee line include the Yankee spiral screwdrivers, push drills and the finest brace ever made, the 2100.  Eventually Stanley Tools aquired them and kept producing them.

Bell Systems issued the 2100 braces to its line workers, so you'll see then with Bell System stamped on them.

I have the range of screwdrivers, many push drills and a few of the braces and use them all the time.

 I like to make nailed boxes with thin 1/4" wood so I need to predrill for the nails.  The bits are under 1/16".

 Hand drills are easier on the bits, but the #5 on the right is too big for the smaller bits.

Fiskars makes a plastic pistol grip drill that works nicely.  I got one & used it for awhile until I found these smaller ones in the middle.  They are not as smooth like the MF, but better than most modern hand drills.

The one on the left is a Goodell-Pratt.  I think its a #53.  It is like a smaller #5 and just as smooth.  They made them from 1905 until MF bought them in 1930 and rebranded them. 

Goodell-Pratt seemed to work closely with MF before the purchase.  Their drills are every bit as good as the MF. 

This is an early MF. I think an 01.

The chuck is spring less but I'm missing the 3 upper jaws.  

Because of this, I probably won't be able to get it running.  Chuck parts are hard to find and a whole chuck will cost more than the $3 I paid for this.  😞

Maybe I'll get lucky and find another. 

Instead of a 2nd gear, it has a screw that rides against the crank wheel to keep it in line.

A later method was to have a adjustable bent tab opposite the pinion gear.  

 Even later was a roller that was used on #2 before they added a 2nd gear to it. 

 

This is my latest $3 purchase, #2A version of the legendary #2.  They made the #2A from 1957-1968.

The chuck has a maximum capacity of 3/8".  Better for larger bits than the #5.  I think the #98 has a slightly larger chuck.  The chuck mount is ~ 1/32" larger and not interchangeable.

 Like my 01, this chuck isn't working either.  I have all  the parts, but one of the springs is broken. I am getting some 0.8mm spring steel to make my own.

I had a tough time opening up the chuck.  I took a 2x4, cut a chuck sized hole, cut it in 1/2 and clamped it in my vice.  I read lots of recommendations for a homemade pin spanner.  I even bent a cheap commercial one.  Not even a budge.

I put the chuck into a small container and filled it with Liquid Wrench to try to loosen it. While waited, I found https://madebyjohn.blogspot.com/2015/02/restoring-millers-falls-2-hand-drill.html  used a Park Tools SPA-1 pin spanner for bikes so I bought one. 

After a day or 2, I put the chuck back in the vice and used the spanner.  It was tough and probably would have bent the other spanner, but the Park Tools one fit well and eventually the chuck started unscrewing.

Lots & lots of sawdust was inside.  Now it's clean with a thin layer of oil and ready for me to make a spring. 

Green woodworking tools

 The gas company was clearing brush from the gas line and left them long.  They were mostly chokecherry, up to 2.5" in diameter at the base and 6-15' long. Perfect for bean poles in the garden.

I tied them up to a wheel & axle and dragged them home.

Its very important to strip the bark off.  Birch will rot in a year if you leave the bark on.  Chokecherry contains cyanide in the bark that can make it last a bit longer.

The best way to get bark off is with a drawknife and shave horse when it is still green.  The critical part is that the head & platform be close to parallel.  I have the head on a pivot

If you have longer sticks, a shave horse isn't the best.  I saw the Sussex Knee Vice in Woodland Workshop by Ben Law.

 

It works pretty well.  I think I could have done better with my leg angles.

I need to stake down the log of the vise or it will move around.

When the sticks are crooked, its harder to clamp.  Moving the pivot further up the knee board will help. 

This has the advantage of being really portable.  Its also comfortable to use.

Before shave horses, there was something called a paring ladder.  Peter Follensbee talks about one on his blog.  The book above by Ben Law also talks about it.  I am going to try making one and leaning it up outside.

You can see some long planks in the background.  I had a long soft maple log fall down 2 years ago & split it into 4 quarters.  I cut one int those planks with a chainsaw.  I used a beam mill but its clamp broke.  Those 2 were done freehand and took ~ 20 minutes per pass,   Splitting is ~ 15 minutes IIRC. 

This winter, a spruce tree fell in the yard so I cut it up.  This section is 13" diameter on one end and 10" on the other.  Its 14' long.  A log weight calculator said it is around 420lb. I was able to move it with the log arch I built for the maple log.

Staked furniture

 It's been awhile.  I've been reading lots of Chris Schwarz and his Anarchist series.  Great books and I think 2 are also available as a free download. The physical book is quality and there's a story  of  one surviving a flood.  They're not cheap paperback; they'll last a centuryor more.

I've wanted to build a chair or stool.

Wheelwrights used to use a spoke pointer, on the right and a hollow auger on the left.

You set the blade on the hollow auger to make a size up to 1" or so.  It will cut the stick to that size,but you need to taper the point so it fits.

I have lots of choke cherry that grew on the fence line.  After you cut down, the stump will send up new shoots.  Doing it on purpose is called coppicing.

These sticks are 4 years of growth and 1-1-1/2" around at the base. Its almost thick enough to make spoons.

 

The board I glued together is from older trees that were 5"-6" around.  It may also regular cherry that I found.

 It was supposed to be a stepstool, but it creaked when I stepped on it.  So its a plant stand.

 

The stick that has no bark on it in the middle picture split after 2 week.  One of the issues with choke cherry