How did the old timers handle the heat?

Re: How did the old timers handle the heat?

john l. blue

>They had a block of ice overhead contained by a mesh net drippin'

on them all thru the summer, as the cool drops hit they would ev-

aporate, but it would keep them cool, either that, or they just

didn't think about such things like air-conditioning, and just plain

got it done.

Re: How did the old timers handle the heat?

Michael Recchione

>My grandfather was one of those old-time carpenters, and the way he dealt with it was to sweat. I never saw a man sweat like he did. Until I tried doing what he did. I guess it must run in the family. :-)

Get acclimated

Phil Joines Krum, Tx

>Turn off ALL of your AC for a few months. Use fans :>)

I'm going through 3 shirts a day doing yard work. 90+F and 95% Hum. in the afternoons. It's not bad in the shade. I try to stay inside between 2 and 7. Once it starts hitting 105+ I try to get it all done by 10AM.

There's lots of folks who work outside all day around here and a lot of the warehouses and factories are worse, most don't have AC.

Re: How did the old timers handle the heat?

Todd Hughes

>My take is that today most people are "soft" so the heat bothers them more.

.... I worked for years doing blacksmith work and I sure didn't stop doing forge work when the temperture hit 80 deg !.....I spent many hours working in the forge with the temperture would be in the upper 90s outside. Was i hot? of course! You do try to do your forge work early in the morning when it is cooler but not always possiable. I used to keep a thermometer on the wall of my shop above my anvil and after seeing it hit over 105 deg. more then a few times decided I would feel better not knowing exactly how hot it was where I was working and took it down....Will point out that I had seen it down in the 20s too when I was working in the winter.

....Today I still don't have any AC in my house. Yes Maybe it would be more comfortable to have AC but to tell you the truth it would make me more uncomfortable using it thinking all the time that i was wasting money and getting soft. I do have a couple fans I found in the trash and I get by fine with them I think. I live on the water in the woods now so that helps I suppose...but never had AC when I lived in a house with no shade either.

...I have AC in my car and have probably used it maybe 2 or 3 times and then only when girlfriends bitched about it being to hot.

I guess it comes down to is that if you don't get used to somthing then you are not going to miss it when you don't have it .....Todd

Re: How did the old timers handle the heat?

Moses Yoder in White Pigeon, MI

>I kind of doubt an old timer would have worked up a sweat just to dimension a 14" board ;) I am kind of wondering for instance how sharp your saw was, and how efficiently you plane and saw. When I worked in a shop without air conditioning the heat just slowed me down a little is all. You do sweat, and occasionally get drops of sweat on the wood. But the final sanding is done pretty quickly which removed any spots and I don't recall having sweat dripping onto the work while sanding.

Re: How did the old timers handle the heat?

Warren in Lancaster, PA

>A fellow planing boards on a hot day will be somewhat wet, but "dripping wet" sounds more like an athletic event than laboring. I suspect you were working harder than you could sustain for 40 hours a week. Exercising several hours a week will keep you healthy, but does not teach you how to pace yourself to get the most done in a weeks time, or to work smoothly enough so as to avoid overtaxing.

When I was in my thirties a stonemason friend offered me a job. I was surprised because I did not see myself as muscular enough for that kind of work. When I asked him about it here is what he said.

"You're older and know how to work. I get a lot of young guys who are weightlifters. For their first hour they are really enjoying themselves throwing rocks around. After a few hours they are dragging. Some say 'I can't believe anybody does this for a living.' Most of them leave at lunchtime and never come back."

Re: How did the old timers handle the heat?

Sgian Dubh

>I moved to Houston, Texas in 1993. After ten years I still hadn't acclimatised to the heat and humidity. I usually felt ill at work every day from March until November-- about nine months in every 12. I couldn't stand the climate any more, and simply moved back home to the UK.

I haven't got a clue how immigrants from northern Europe managed to do furniture and joinery, and other hard labour jobs in such a climate. I'm not even sure how Houston born residents coped with it either, but many seemed to be able to for the most part. I was lucky. I could get out by just hopping on an aeroplane. I know I'll never willingly live in Houston again even though my wife, who is from there, is always on about moving back. Slainte.

Re: How did the old timers handle the heat?

s.mackay@worldnet.att.net

>It was like hitting your toe with a hammer in order to forget the thumb you just hit. Old time workers just thought about feeding thier brood waiting at home. Drove all thoughts of the heat right out of their minds.

Re: How did the old timers handle the heat?

Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native, Presently Away

>got to agree with Todd, about people these days being "soft". I've been saying it for years how people are getting softer and softer. I was really shocked to see how soft folks where down here in Florida, as compared to New England. I came to the the conclusion that it was due to living most of their lives in A/C'ed climates. Everywhere you go, home, auto's, shopping centers, movies, everywhere is A/C'd to the point of freezing. I don't play that game, We do run the A/C in the house, but keep it on 78 degrees. If it was just me living here I probaly wouldn't run it at all, but than again, it does remove moisture from the air, which if not removed will cause mold to grow, so I might run it to avoid the mold problem,but other than that I stay out of it as much as possible. The A/C in my S-10 works great, but I never use it. there ain't no friggin way this Yankee is going to become a softie. I spent most of the day out in the garage and it was in the 90's, but I plugged away, Now mind you, the only thing I was wearing was a pair of shorts, which certainly helped, and I did have a fan going. I drink lots of water and I contribute that to keeping my pores clean and open, which I think helps in letting the heat escape. I soaked the shorts I was in, but I can't say that I was miserable, which is really saying something coming from a heat hating Yankee.

Also, I think you'll find that building where designed a bit differently in days of Yore than they are now. Ceilings where taller to allow the hot air to rise, and up near the tops where either windows or slits to allow the hot air to escape and not just build and eventually fill the room up with hot air.

Dom, you mention that you "work out", do you do it in an A/C'd environment?

I heard on some Health show a few weeks ago that folks who spend toomuch time in A/C'd spaces tend to be heavier because their bodies are not burn calories in the effort to cool itself, which does make sense, and I found to be of interest.

T.O.

Thanks for the responses

Dominic Greco in Richboro PA

>Thanks for all the responses. I must admit that the garage I was working in was closed up all day, and stayed hot well into the night. I was not running a fan. I believe that would have helped me a lot. But for some reason, I could not find (or was too lazy to look for) that dang extension cord I need to run that ^&*%@ fan! :>) I did have the doors opened, but the breeze wasn't helping all that much.

And as I will readily admit, I'm not an expert at using hand planes. My techniques are those of a base novice. So I probably WAS expending too much energy to get the job done. I always have a limited amount of time in the shop and try to get the most done while I'm there. However, I do get the point about working more on my technique so that the tasks become easier. I guess that will come in time.

What I was interested in knowing was HOW old timers coped with the heat. I know they were tougher than we are today. But they must have worked up a heck of a sweat on hot days. From what I read here, it's all a matter of pacing oneself and getting acclimated to the hot temperature.

Thank you for all your input.

Most of them died by age 42

Stephen Shepherd in the State of Deseret

>

Re: How did the old timers handle the heat?

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>We've never lived in a house with central a/c (apartments need a/c though, bad ventilation), simply don't like it, a little timid about things like legionaires' disease. Austin fortunately cools down quite nicely at night, about a 20� difference; unlike the east coast when often the nights would be so hot it was tough to sleep. It's also a bit less humid in Austin than on the east coast, although we have had a lot of rain for the last couple of months.

However, on those 100-110� days, it's a nice relief to drive to the dog park with a/c running; and it's normally much cooler at the parks with their big creeks and shady paths. It seems that getting a couple hours of relief allows us to cope.

Pam

Interesting topic

Jim in Burlington On

>My Uncle is a real live of the land kinda guy. Born in Hungary farmer/lumberjack he dresses for every season. He wear's a undershirt all year round just of different thicknesses. He heat's his house with wood and has shade around all doors and window's. He get's up when it's light out and go to sleep when dark. As he tell's it and my grandmother told it you did what you needed to do to survive. Most of us work 40 hours a week and complain but it wasn't that many years ago you worked 72 hours a week and walked or rode a bike everywhere you went.

Wax is your friend

Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native, Presently Away

>Dom,

Remember to wax your saws and planes frequently, this will reduce drag, thus reduce excersion, thus reduce some of the sweating. It really does help tremendously. I use common parrafin wax that is used when canning and can be found in any grocery store. I've heard tell that beeswax is even better, but I can't confirm that.

Find that cord sand get that fan blowing, it really helps to stand in front of it when taking a break, or trying to make a decision. don't expect to be in front of it all the time tho, as it never seems to be just where you need it to be. }:~[. Am oscallating fan does do pretty good at "following" you a little, but if your like me, you'll get tired of knocking it over and go get one that sits on the floor and will tilt up and down. Soon you'll get tired of tripping over it or it's cord, but so it goes. Plus it will circulate the air a little. I only open my garage door about 1/3rd of the way to help keep out the direct sun, and to keep out prying eyes as my garage faces the street, and I have some undesireables close by. I insulated the inside of my overhead garage dor with styrofoam sheets, which also helps keep it a bit cooler in the summer, and warmer in the winter. I know in the winter there is a 10 degree difference.

sounds like your really digging the handtools tho, so go get some wax and see if that makes a difference for ya'.

T.O.

Re: Most of them died by age 42

Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native, Presently Away

>What period in Time are you refering to Stephen? I'm sure that advances such as refigeration to control food bacteria and medicine made a difference as well.

I think even into the early 1900's Life Expentence wasn't that long. What was it at the beginning and middle of the 1700's, and 1800's, and of what country (s) are we refering too?

T.O.

Re: Most of them died by age 42

Warren in Lancaster, PA

>Life expectancies in the past were much skewed by infant and child mortality. A quick tally of my own male ancestors for 10 generations gave an average of 70 years and a median of 71. The figures included one man who died when a tree fell on him and another who was martyred in a Christian country that had no "separation of church and state". My grandfather, who grew up on a farm, worked in an office, and died of a heart attack at age 61, did not make the average.

Wax, eh?

Dominic Greco in Richboro PA

>Todd,

You wrote:

"Remember to wax your saws and planes frequently, this will reduce drag, thus reduce excersion, thus reduce some of the sweating. It really does help tremendously. I use common parrafin wax that is used when canning and can be found in any grocery store. I've heard tell that beeswax is even better, but I can't confirm that"

Thanks for the info on the wax. I was just reading PWW (Issue #163 August 2007) and saw an article on a "21st Century Plane Wick" by John Walkowiak. Basically is looks like a wooden base from a Waterstone, but meant to hold a block of parrafin.

I'm curious though. I know that you're only applying a really light coat, but doesn't that wax migrate to the wood? Isn't it possible to screw up the finish that way?

I found the extension cord last night. My wife STOLE it to use on the Xmas decorations and never put it back. The fan hangs from my rafters and blows air out of the garage (and creates a nice cross breeze). I usually have a Air Filter running when I'm in the shop as well. And that seems to help the air movement.

BTW, I didn't mention it in my original post but the chunk of cherry I was surfacing was rough sawn (really rough sawn!). So I had to use my scub plane first. That's where I really worked up a sweat. Just to try it out, I used my LV LA smoother. I've had this plane a couple months and I'm still impressed with how well it works.

See ya around,

Dominic

Re: How did the old timers handle the heat?

Chris Scholz

>I used to think Atlanta, GA was a hot and humid place. Spent a week and a half in SE Asia (mostly in private residences, as opposed to climate controlled tourist hotels). Today, many places have A/C but people hardly ever use them because of the very high cost of electricity.

Some people mention that food has a lot to do with how much you sweat, hot and spicy food being preferred in hot climates. In fact, there are specific summer dishes that supposedly reduce the body heat and specific winter dishes that help you keep warm (most places have heaters but rarely use them in winter). In that context, excessive consumption of beef is often associated with excessive sweating and body odor.

Chris

Galoot-Tools.com

Next to your honing setup....

John in New Mexico

>Wax is your best friend ever when doing a lot of hand planing. Might not help much with a scrub, but makes smoothing real easy. If you're worried about the finish, just don't re-wax as you get near the end. If you're really worried, go over the whole thing with acetone or alcohol when you're done.

John

Re: Most of them died by age 42

Verne in NJ

>I remember reading an article a while ago about life expentancy, and how average life expectancy grew during the 20th century. Public health experts attributed it in large part to personal hygiene - regular hand washing especially.

Disease killed a lot of people - especially the young.

Re: Most of them died by age 42

Stephen Shepherd in the State of Deseret

>Here is an article from an 1855 newspaper. I hope it is not too small to read.

Stephen

Didn't Civil War warriors wear full dress?

Tom Colligan

>I've always marvelled at any picture I've seen of they're being fully dressed in combat. As if their uniforms were a heavy wool, no?

Even more recently

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>I don't know what the thinking is now, but a decade or so ago, when I had some friends on the force, many police officers refused to wear anything but wool uniforms, regardless of season, arguing that wool would not melt in a fire (like polyester) and was tougher and less prone to getting ripped than cotton if you wound up in a fight while subduing an arrestee.