1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:05,240 Speaker 1: My Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, the production 2 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: of My Heart Radio. Hey, welcome to Stuff to Blow 3 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:18,560 Speaker 1: your Mind. My name is Robert Lamb and I'm Joe McCormick. 4 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:20,919 Speaker 1: And today we're going to be looking at an invention. 5 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:23,279 Speaker 1: This will be one of our invention episodes. And Rob 6 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:25,280 Speaker 1: I think this is an idea we've been kicking around 7 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:27,320 Speaker 1: at least for a couple of years now, and it's 8 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:31,120 Speaker 1: finally happening. That's right. We've been talking about doing the 9 00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:34,760 Speaker 1: invention of the chainsaw for Halloween ever since we were 10 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:40,240 Speaker 1: doing actual invention podcast episodes in a separate podcast feed. Um. 11 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:42,960 Speaker 1: Because the chainsaw, for all its merits as a useful tool, 12 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:47,680 Speaker 1: is also heavily associated with horror. I noticed something about 13 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 1: the chainsaw, which is that it has a even just 14 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 1: the evocation of the concept feels kind of obscene. Like 15 00:00:56,040 --> 00:00:58,279 Speaker 1: when I make reference to the idea of the Texas 16 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:03,520 Speaker 1: Chainsaw Massacre, even apart from any knowledge of the contents 17 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:06,520 Speaker 1: of the movie, just the fact that it involves a chainsaw, 18 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,759 Speaker 1: it feels like I'm talking about something that maybe shouldn't 19 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 1: be mentioned. Does that make any sense? Yeah? Yeah, I 20 00:01:12,959 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 1: mean we'll get more into like what the chainsaw is 21 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:19,960 Speaker 1: and what it comes to symbolize, particularly in American culture. 22 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:22,760 Speaker 1: I found a great source on that. I'm not not 23 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:25,760 Speaker 1: sure where where where we'll get into that in the discussion, 24 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: but if you just tackle the the invention from you know, 25 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:33,840 Speaker 1: just look at the name of of the tool chain saw. 26 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:36,959 Speaker 1: You know, your a combination of two already kind of 27 00:01:36,959 --> 00:01:43,039 Speaker 1: repellent or potentially repellent UH classifications of thing. One is 28 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 1: used sometimes to restrain or to you know, to to bind, 29 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:50,760 Speaker 1: to weigh down, and the other is used to to 30 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:53,960 Speaker 1: sever and to cut, and now they're they've come together 31 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:57,279 Speaker 1: into one item. So just on a you know, almost 32 00:01:57,320 --> 00:02:00,440 Speaker 1: like a you know, a very basement level of our 33 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 1: linguistic processing, it's already a kind of repellent concept as 34 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:08,240 Speaker 1: and also the fact that it is we talk about 35 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:10,840 Speaker 1: the blade of the chainsaw, it is it is a 36 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:15,840 Speaker 1: blade that that cuts, even if your intent to cut 37 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 1: is not you know, like it. You technically don't have 38 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:23,120 Speaker 1: to really bear down too hard to do damage with 39 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:26,519 Speaker 1: the chainsaw. So it feels almost like it is uh 40 00:02:26,639 --> 00:02:29,160 Speaker 1: embodying some of these ideas of like the sword that 41 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:32,799 Speaker 1: wants to cut, the sword that wants to drink, and consume. Yeah, 42 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:36,560 Speaker 1: it has an inherent danger, like it suggests that not 43 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:39,800 Speaker 1: much force need be applied by the person wielding it, 44 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:43,240 Speaker 1: that it has a cutting mind of its own. In fact, 45 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:46,720 Speaker 1: I think, though it doesn't really conjure the same grizzliness, 46 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:49,840 Speaker 1: you could accomplish the same kind of threat by calling 47 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:57,000 Speaker 1: it something like the Texas lightsaber massacre. Well yeah, uh yeah, yeah, yeah. 48 00:02:57,080 --> 00:02:59,320 Speaker 1: I mean when we're talking to just about like, yeah, 49 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 1: the there is a certain amount of similarity there the lightsaber, yeah, 50 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:06,520 Speaker 1: not necessarily requiring a lot of force to to do damage, 51 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:09,680 Speaker 1: to do a body, um and then at the same 52 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:13,440 Speaker 1: time being being fairly dangerous to wield to the person 53 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:17,800 Speaker 1: wielding it because that it literally cuts both ways there. Now, 54 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:20,359 Speaker 1: one of the big reasons, of course, that we associate 55 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:24,840 Speaker 1: the chainsaw with horror is the V four film by 56 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:28,880 Speaker 1: Toby Hooper, which centered around a family of Texas cannibals, 57 00:03:28,919 --> 00:03:32,239 Speaker 1: including leather Face, who runs him up with a chainsaw. 58 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:34,120 Speaker 1: Though it will be clear, and this is something that 59 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:36,560 Speaker 1: I think is sometimes lost on folks who maybe haven't 60 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:38,520 Speaker 1: seen the original film or haven't seen it in a while, 61 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:42,280 Speaker 1: um or if only absorbed Texas Chainsaw Masker through like 62 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 1: the public consciousness, because it's become one of those films 63 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:46,760 Speaker 1: where you don't really have to to have seen it 64 00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:49,840 Speaker 1: to have some idea of what it is. But leavis 65 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:53,280 Speaker 1: Face only murders one person with a chainsaw. You wouldn't 66 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 1: know that if you only knew Texas Chainsaw Masker from 67 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:59,440 Speaker 1: playing the Atari game. Oh yeah, I have not, do you? 68 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:02,120 Speaker 1: There's is leather Face, uh kill a lot of people 69 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:04,320 Speaker 1: with a chainsaw on that. No, it's just a sort 70 00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:07,440 Speaker 1: of clump of relatively large pixels that move around on 71 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:09,760 Speaker 1: a screen with sort of a barn background. From what 72 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 1: I recall, it's been a long time. So that's the 73 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:17,640 Speaker 1: only media from the TCM franchise that you have engaged with. 74 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 1: You're gonna have a very limited understanding. I think you 75 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:22,880 Speaker 1: may get some sort of beeps and boops computer sounds, uh, 76 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:26,200 Speaker 1: simulating the chainsaw noise. But again I'm a little fuzzy 77 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 1: on that. Yeah. So, and then the original leather Face 78 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 1: only uses it as a murder weapon once. Uh. He 79 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:36,360 Speaker 1: uses it in another case to dismember what is either 80 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:40,279 Speaker 1: a corpse or a common toose individual. I can't remember which. Um. 81 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 1: I think he may be dead at that point when 82 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:43,719 Speaker 1: he cuts him up, because most of the other killing 83 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:47,080 Speaker 1: that occurs in the film is there are other implements 84 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:49,440 Speaker 1: that are used, especially the hammer. That's the one they 85 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:52,279 Speaker 1: talk about. The hammer is is best. Oh yeah, and 86 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:55,320 Speaker 1: I think certainly for the most shocking attack in the 87 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:57,680 Speaker 1: movie when like he suddenly pops out from behind that 88 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:00,720 Speaker 1: sliding metal door, which is just God, just thinking about 89 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:03,479 Speaker 1: that gives me a shiver. Now. Um. But one of 90 00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:06,360 Speaker 1: the other weird things about the chainsaw is, as we'll 91 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:08,960 Speaker 1: discuss in this episode about the history of this piece 92 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:12,320 Speaker 1: of technology in nineteen seventy four, at the time this 93 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 1: movie was made, the widespread use of gas powered chainsaws 94 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:21,320 Speaker 1: was actually fairly recent. I mean, this was a technology 95 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:24,720 Speaker 1: again that had been around in some sort of prototype 96 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:28,000 Speaker 1: form for a long time, but the widespread use was 97 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:30,200 Speaker 1: within living memory. It had only been the norm in 98 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:33,680 Speaker 1: logging for maybe a couple of decades. Yeah, And that's 99 00:05:33,880 --> 00:05:37,320 Speaker 1: I think that's that's that's key to keep in mind. Um. 100 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:39,039 Speaker 1: And then, like I said, I have I have a 101 00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:41,599 Speaker 1: wonderful source on on some of this later, Like the 102 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:44,560 Speaker 1: cultural idea of the chainsaw is very much this this 103 00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:50,760 Speaker 1: twentieth century adaptation, but um as far as just chainsaws 104 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:53,320 Speaker 1: and horror movies, go. I was looking into this little 105 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:57,560 Speaker 1: bit because I knew some of the precursors here, but 106 00:05:58,160 --> 00:05:59,880 Speaker 1: I wasn't familiar with all of them. But believe it 107 00:05:59,920 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 1: or not, Texas Chainsaw Massacre seventy four was not the 108 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:06,679 Speaker 1: first genre film to feature a bloody chainsaw. Uh. Film 109 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:10,640 Speaker 1: historians often point to a pair of different Key four 110 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:15,400 Speaker 1: runners ninety Dark of the Sun in nineteen seventies, the 111 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:18,000 Speaker 1: Wizard of Gore. Now, were you familiar with Dark of 112 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:20,920 Speaker 1: the Sounja? No, I did not know this one, though 113 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:23,600 Speaker 1: I do know about Wizard of Gore. Okay, well we'll 114 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:26,200 Speaker 1: start with Dark of the Sun, just very briefly. Dark 115 00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:28,520 Speaker 1: of the Sun, which I have not seen, was an 116 00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:32,000 Speaker 1: adventure film about mercenaries during the Congo Crisis of nineteen 117 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:35,400 Speaker 1: sixty through NIX five, which, by the way, is also 118 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:39,919 Speaker 1: the setting of Warren Zevon's supernatural ballad rolling the headless 119 00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:44,480 Speaker 1: Thompson Gunner. In this film, though Peter Cartson plays a 120 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:47,559 Speaker 1: German mercenaries like I think he's the villain of the piece, 121 00:06:47,880 --> 00:06:49,760 Speaker 1: and at one point he's in this fight with our 122 00:06:49,800 --> 00:06:54,839 Speaker 1: hero played by Rod Taylor. Both mercenaries, and the German 123 00:06:54,839 --> 00:06:58,159 Speaker 1: mercenary grabs a chainsaw, so we have a fight featuring 124 00:06:58,400 --> 00:07:02,080 Speaker 1: a chainsaw. And the chainsaw was heavily featured in the 125 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:05,160 Speaker 1: both the trailer and the poster for this film. Now 126 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:07,960 Speaker 1: I wonder if it's significant that he's a German mercenary 127 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:11,239 Speaker 1: grabbing a chainsaw, because some of the big early manufacturers 128 00:07:11,280 --> 00:07:15,920 Speaker 1: of chainsaws were German firms, like like Steel. It's possible. 129 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:18,400 Speaker 1: The other film, The Wizard of Gore, this is a 130 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:20,760 Speaker 1: far more notorious film that I think a lot of 131 00:07:21,160 --> 00:07:24,480 Speaker 1: horror buffs might at least have some um knowledge of. 132 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:29,320 Speaker 1: Nineteen seventy splatter film by schlock legend Herschel Gordon Lewis 133 00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:32,760 Speaker 1: about Montag the Magnificent, who, in one scene cuts a 134 00:07:32,760 --> 00:07:35,760 Speaker 1: woman in half with a chainsaw. It's like a magic act, 135 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:40,080 Speaker 1: except uh, he's supposed to actually be cutting somebody in half. 136 00:07:40,640 --> 00:07:43,200 Speaker 1: This is a well known gonzo b horror movie. I 137 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 1: saw it many years ago, and it might be surprising 138 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:49,200 Speaker 1: since I love, you know, a good weird be horror movie, 139 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:52,480 Speaker 1: but I remember not particularly enjoying this film. I think 140 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:55,120 Speaker 1: it's just mostly about like a magician who who like 141 00:07:55,760 --> 00:08:00,400 Speaker 1: his magic tricks are that he like kills people. Yeah, yeah, 142 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:04,240 Speaker 1: it's mostly notable I think for being schlocked. Um. Now 143 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 1: this next point is interesting as well when it comes 144 00:08:06,760 --> 00:08:08,800 Speaker 1: to sort of you know that the hard directors of 145 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:11,640 Speaker 1: this era. We we generally give Toby Hooper all the credit, 146 00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:14,920 Speaker 1: uh for for Texas chainsaw Massacre, but it's worth noting 147 00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:18,480 Speaker 1: that Wes Craven's notorious Nino film The Last House on 148 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:22,440 Speaker 1: the Left also beat Texas chainsaw Massacre to the punch 149 00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:26,440 Speaker 1: with the chainsaw as horror weapon trope. There's at least 150 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:28,560 Speaker 1: there's one kill in the film at least that involves 151 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:31,760 Speaker 1: a chainsaw. Now that's That's also not a film that 152 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:34,800 Speaker 1: I've seen, nor one I'm I'm planning to see, but 153 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:37,360 Speaker 1: I checked in on it and read the synopsis and 154 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:41,000 Speaker 1: it's like, yep, okay, chainsaw kill, it happened. Now. Texas 155 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:43,400 Speaker 1: chainsaw Masacre, of course, really just blew the doors off 156 00:08:43,559 --> 00:08:46,600 Speaker 1: for chainsall horror. So in the wake of the first 157 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:49,760 Speaker 1: Texas chainsaw massacre, we just saw this reinforced time and 158 00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:53,520 Speaker 1: time again. Uh, certainly by additional Texas chainsaw massacre films, 159 00:08:53,559 --> 00:08:58,160 Speaker 1: but also by films and franchises such as The Evil dead. Uh, 160 00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:03,280 Speaker 1: phantasm especially phantasm who um. The Doom video games are 161 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:06,200 Speaker 1: often brought up because you can use a chainsaw in those, 162 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:09,280 Speaker 1: and we should also give special mention to the nineteen 163 00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:13,319 Speaker 1: eight film Pieces. Uh. This is a Spanish chainsaw film 164 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:17,400 Speaker 1: from the director of Slugs and the Pod People. Oh yeah, 165 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:21,280 Speaker 1: one Piker Simone And I think I've seen this one. 166 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:24,559 Speaker 1: It's been a long time, but I seem I think 167 00:09:24,600 --> 00:09:27,200 Speaker 1: I actually saw this one. Uh, And I don't think 168 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:28,440 Speaker 1: it made a lot of sense at the time, but 169 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:31,439 Speaker 1: it does feature a chainsaw and a chainsaw related plot. 170 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:34,960 Speaker 1: Now by mentioning the evil Dead at least, I don't 171 00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:37,040 Speaker 1: recall the first movie, but I assume this is the case. 172 00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:39,240 Speaker 1: It's definitely the case in the second movie. That sort 173 00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:42,200 Speaker 1: of flips the script because in these cases, it is 174 00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:45,640 Speaker 1: not the evil killer the villain of the movie wielding 175 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:48,360 Speaker 1: a chainsaw, but it is the hero of the movie 176 00:09:48,440 --> 00:09:52,480 Speaker 1: facing a bunch of sort of fluid filled demonic entities 177 00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:56,320 Speaker 1: that that must wield the chainsaw and self defense. Right, Yeah, 178 00:09:56,360 --> 00:09:58,200 Speaker 1: I mean, I guess you could make a case. I 179 00:09:58,200 --> 00:10:00,480 Speaker 1: think the last house on the left it's a revenge 180 00:10:00,559 --> 00:10:03,480 Speaker 1: murder that involves the use of a chainsaw, but still 181 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:06,720 Speaker 1: not quite the same as ash taking up the chainsaw 182 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:10,200 Speaker 1: as like the you know, the holy weapon against the 183 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:12,840 Speaker 1: dead eyes, right, this is what will unleash the green 184 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:15,719 Speaker 1: goop from the from the demons. Now, I know what 185 00:10:15,760 --> 00:10:17,120 Speaker 1: a lot of you are probably wondering at this point. 186 00:10:17,120 --> 00:10:20,000 Speaker 1: You're saying, thinking, well, this is all fiction, but how 187 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:25,400 Speaker 1: how often is the chainsaw actually used as a lethal instrument? 188 00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:29,640 Speaker 1: And how frequently? Oh, good Lord, is that what we're wondering. Well, 189 00:10:29,679 --> 00:10:32,440 Speaker 1: I was wondering it. Okay, no, no, it's a fair 190 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:35,480 Speaker 1: thing to wonder. Well, I think I h there was. 191 00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:38,920 Speaker 1: I remember when I was first sort of getting more well, 192 00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:40,400 Speaker 1: I don't know, I was first getting into it. I 193 00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:43,080 Speaker 1: was getting into her a bit more in the mid nineties, 194 00:10:43,720 --> 00:10:47,440 Speaker 1: and there was a chainsaw murder uh in the state 195 00:10:47,440 --> 00:10:51,240 Speaker 1: of Tennessee. I remember making the headlines. Yeah, so that 196 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:53,560 Speaker 1: might have you know. I think that was even at 197 00:10:53,559 --> 00:10:55,360 Speaker 1: the time I was like, oh, wow, this really happens. 198 00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:59,480 Speaker 1: There are actual chainsaw maskers, I guess from time to time. Um, 199 00:10:59,600 --> 00:11:01,840 Speaker 1: so I was looking into into this a little bit. 200 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:04,079 Speaker 1: And so for starters, there are a few obvious things 201 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:08,320 Speaker 1: about the chainsaw. Chainsaws are dangerous, tools, and you should 202 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:10,880 Speaker 1: all and they should always be used with care and caution. 203 00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:15,559 Speaker 1: Those chainsaws that haunted attractions, they are chainless, or they 204 00:11:15,600 --> 00:11:20,480 Speaker 1: certainly should be chainless. Um And I've often wondered, though, 205 00:11:20,679 --> 00:11:24,120 Speaker 1: could you just get rid of the chainless chainsaw entirely 206 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:26,679 Speaker 1: and have the the guys that the haunted attractions just 207 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:30,120 Speaker 1: chase people around with leafblowers instead. I guess that. Uh. 208 00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:32,480 Speaker 1: That raises the question is it important to see it 209 00:11:32,720 --> 00:11:34,840 Speaker 1: or is it important just to hear it? I have 210 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:37,840 Speaker 1: been here, it's hearing it. I barely see the chainsaw. 211 00:11:37,920 --> 00:11:40,760 Speaker 1: If it's leather face at the haunted attraction chasing you 212 00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:42,960 Speaker 1: around with a leaf blower or just a motor of 213 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:46,040 Speaker 1: some sort, wouldn't that work? I have been chased by 214 00:11:46,040 --> 00:11:48,760 Speaker 1: a chainsaw multiple times through I think a haunted corn 215 00:11:48,840 --> 00:11:51,600 Speaker 1: field and some haunted woods. Uh. I don't know. It's 216 00:11:51,679 --> 00:11:53,720 Speaker 1: it's fun to run from a chainsaw as long as 217 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:56,720 Speaker 1: you know that it's not actually gonna hurt you. But yeah, 218 00:11:56,760 --> 00:11:58,880 Speaker 1: I guess it's a pretty simple thing, though. I wonder 219 00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:01,120 Speaker 1: I've thought about the before. So you take the chain 220 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:03,440 Speaker 1: off to render it harmless, it's just, you know, it's 221 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:05,880 Speaker 1: just the bar there doesn't actually have a cutting edge, 222 00:12:06,120 --> 00:12:09,120 Speaker 1: and the motor is running without the chain. I wonder, 223 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:11,160 Speaker 1: from a maintenance point of view, is that bad for 224 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:13,320 Speaker 1: the sawt Is that going to burn out the motor 225 00:12:13,360 --> 00:12:16,280 Speaker 1: if there's no chain on there? I wish I thought 226 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:18,840 Speaker 1: I could have checked in with our contacts that another 227 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:21,800 Speaker 1: world in Atlanta and asked them, well, because I went 228 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:24,680 Speaker 1: this year and they had three chainsaws running outside of 229 00:12:24,679 --> 00:12:27,920 Speaker 1: one house. You know, you expect one, you you you 230 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:30,800 Speaker 1: demand one, you expect there might be a second, but 231 00:12:30,840 --> 00:12:33,600 Speaker 1: you don't expect three. So that that caught me off guard. 232 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:36,720 Speaker 1: So one compromise position is they could have one chainless 233 00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:39,240 Speaker 1: chainsaw that you can see, and that's enough to scare you. 234 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:43,600 Speaker 1: But then you hear plenty of leaf blowers after that. 235 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:46,679 Speaker 1: That's this sounds good, just leaf blowers in the vicinity. Yeah, 236 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:49,240 Speaker 1: So I was looking at a couple of sources on this, 237 00:12:49,520 --> 00:12:52,840 Speaker 1: as reported by Kohler at All in Death by chain 238 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:55,440 Speaker 1: saw Fatal kickback injuries to the neck in the Journal 239 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:58,640 Speaker 1: of Forensic Science back in two thousand four. At the time, 240 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:02,120 Speaker 1: they're reporting the two million new chainsaws were sold each 241 00:13:02,200 --> 00:13:05,000 Speaker 1: year in the United States, and this, of course would 242 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:08,440 Speaker 1: augment the exit the number of existing chainsaws already in use, 243 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:12,360 Speaker 1: and this helped bring about twenty eight thousand chainsaw related 244 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:16,800 Speaker 1: injuries annually. Again, chainsaws are are dangerous tools. You have 245 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:19,520 Speaker 1: to use them properly, and even so mishaps can occur. 246 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:23,040 Speaker 1: But even in the case of tools that require extreme 247 00:13:23,080 --> 00:13:26,040 Speaker 1: caution like this, most of these injuries were not fatal 248 00:13:26,840 --> 00:13:31,640 Speaker 1: correct um accidental chainsaw deaths. Their road were extremely rare. 249 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:35,319 Speaker 1: Only ten of the cases they were looking at involved 250 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:37,920 Speaker 1: the head or the neck area, and the rest were 251 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:40,440 Speaker 1: lower extremities or hands. That's where you tend to see 252 00:13:40,480 --> 00:13:43,840 Speaker 1: these injuries. But as the article points out via two 253 00:13:43,840 --> 00:13:48,880 Speaker 1: different case studies of fatal um injuries with chainsaws, kick 254 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:52,080 Speaker 1: back is the most common cause of injury and one 255 00:13:52,160 --> 00:13:55,960 Speaker 1: of the greatest potential threats that can result than an 256 00:13:55,960 --> 00:13:59,280 Speaker 1: accidental death. Kick Back is when the rotating chain of 257 00:13:59,360 --> 00:14:02,959 Speaker 1: the chainsaw is stopped by contact with a more solid 258 00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:06,560 Speaker 1: area or solid substance or something you know, and which 259 00:14:06,679 --> 00:14:10,120 Speaker 1: rapidly throws the saw back toward the operator. Right, So, 260 00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:12,320 Speaker 1: I'd imagine safety training that you'd go through if you're 261 00:14:12,320 --> 00:14:15,120 Speaker 1: gonna be operating a chainsaw would involve being able to 262 00:14:15,120 --> 00:14:18,200 Speaker 1: sort of predict and guard against this kick back. Yeah. 263 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:22,800 Speaker 1: Now I've seen some different numbers as well, um wasting 264 00:14:22,800 --> 00:14:24,600 Speaker 1: in a source that side of the US Bureau of 265 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:29,560 Speaker 1: Labor report from twelve saying that resulted in thirty five 266 00:14:29,640 --> 00:14:33,120 Speaker 1: hundred nine chainsaw injuries, with one thousand, four hundred resulting 267 00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:36,760 Speaker 1: in quote hospitalization or death. And that's about four point 268 00:14:36,840 --> 00:14:39,840 Speaker 1: six percent, and we don't know exactly what the fatality 269 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:43,160 Speaker 1: percentage of that would be. UM. Plus, these are all 270 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:47,080 Speaker 1: just chainsaw related, so I'm I'm assuming they can involve 271 00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:49,640 Speaker 1: other things as well, Like you're using a chainsaw on 272 00:14:49,680 --> 00:14:52,000 Speaker 1: a ladder and then there's kickback, and then you know, 273 00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:54,440 Speaker 1: someone falls off a ladder. Uh, you know that alone 274 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:58,760 Speaker 1: could be lethal without the chainsaw, ever actually touching your body. 275 00:14:59,800 --> 00:15:02,200 Speaker 1: And there may there may be some better numbers out there, 276 00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:05,280 Speaker 1: some more recent numbers, but I think these do illustrate 277 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:08,400 Speaker 1: a point. Chainsaws can be extremely dangerous or even deadly, 278 00:15:08,720 --> 00:15:11,200 Speaker 1: but fatalities are rare, and when it comes to their 279 00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:14,360 Speaker 1: use in crimes, we're probably best to think back to 280 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:17,560 Speaker 1: the original Texas chainsaw Masacre leather Face uses the saw 281 00:15:17,640 --> 00:15:21,400 Speaker 1: to dismember a dead body, but also in one murder 282 00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:24,600 Speaker 1: so in general, while the chainsaw is menacing and scary, 283 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:28,840 Speaker 1: it's generally not the most effective weapon available to an individual, uh, 284 00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:31,240 Speaker 1: you know, if they're going to go out and commit murder. 285 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:33,520 Speaker 1: There is a book that I'm going to reference in 286 00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:36,120 Speaker 1: this episode that that I used as as one of 287 00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:40,680 Speaker 1: my major sources. It's called Chainsaws, a History by David Lee, 288 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:44,720 Speaker 1: with some input by a chainsaw collector and historian named 289 00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:47,720 Speaker 1: Mike Acres. It's kind of a coffee table book for 290 00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:52,000 Speaker 1: chainsaw obsessives, with lavish photographs of those big, beautiful saws. 291 00:15:52,680 --> 00:15:54,680 Speaker 1: And so this book has a lot of fun in it. 292 00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:56,360 Speaker 1: But one of the things the authors point out in 293 00:15:56,400 --> 00:16:00,360 Speaker 1: the introduction is the chainsaw is actually not in ideal 294 00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:03,040 Speaker 1: weapon for massacres, first of all, because somebody would always 295 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:07,320 Speaker 1: hear you coming, that's right. Um. And sometimes it's hilarious 296 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:09,960 Speaker 1: in movies where you need to jump scare and they 297 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:13,360 Speaker 1: orchestrate a jump scare with a chainsaw, It's like, how 298 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:16,560 Speaker 1: do he started that quickly? Yeah? Yeah, wouldn't they need to? 299 00:16:16,640 --> 00:16:19,480 Speaker 1: You'd hear them like pulling the starter chain and stuff. 300 00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:22,160 Speaker 1: There was a video game years and years back called 301 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:26,120 Speaker 1: man Hunt that, uh, the rock Star games put out 302 00:16:26,360 --> 00:16:28,360 Speaker 1: and there's an individual that you end up encountering with 303 00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:30,360 Speaker 1: the chainsaw, and I seem to recall that was the 304 00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:32,960 Speaker 1: case there where he would suddenly jump out from behind 305 00:16:33,080 --> 00:16:36,520 Speaker 1: something at you, the chainsaw just going full throttle without 306 00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:39,280 Speaker 1: ever having to actually start it. I think more accurate 307 00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:43,440 Speaker 1: chainsaw enemy might be encountered in Resident Evil, for it's 308 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:45,280 Speaker 1: a guy with a bag on his head who's got 309 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:47,520 Speaker 1: a big chainsaw. He comes at you, but you get 310 00:16:47,520 --> 00:16:49,680 Speaker 1: to see him like starting it up. First, he's pulling 311 00:16:49,680 --> 00:16:52,160 Speaker 1: the chain and all that not the chain, yeah, the cord, 312 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:55,040 Speaker 1: the starter and and some movies that's that plays really 313 00:16:55,080 --> 00:16:57,200 Speaker 1: well because there's this, yeah, the revving. One of the 314 00:16:57,200 --> 00:16:59,680 Speaker 1: things that's scary about just the sounds of the chainsaw 315 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:03,160 Speaker 1: is that idea that it's like it's gaining an intensity 316 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:06,880 Speaker 1: and ferocity, you know, and so first it's starting under 317 00:17:07,119 --> 00:17:09,119 Speaker 1: and then and then it gets you know, just reaches 318 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:18,280 Speaker 1: this peak of insanity. Thank so, in the spirit of 319 00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:20,960 Speaker 1: the season, since we're starting off this discussion of talking 320 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:23,480 Speaker 1: about horror movies, I had to look up what is 321 00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:27,760 Speaker 1: the actual model of consumer chainsaw used in the Texas 322 00:17:27,840 --> 00:17:31,520 Speaker 1: chainsaw massacre. I found an answer to this according to 323 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:36,200 Speaker 1: the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum's website, if I'm ever in town, 324 00:17:36,240 --> 00:17:38,680 Speaker 1: I'll try to make it to that museum. Uh. They 325 00:17:38,680 --> 00:17:42,240 Speaker 1: claim that the filmmakers put a black piece of tape 326 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:45,600 Speaker 1: over the brand name to hide what it was, but apparently, 327 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:48,400 Speaker 1: if you know your chainsaws, it is clearly visible as 328 00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:51,919 Speaker 1: a Pooh lawn three oh six A. And so I 329 00:17:51,960 --> 00:17:55,600 Speaker 1: pulled up a screenshot from Texas Chainsaw Masker alongside a 330 00:17:55,640 --> 00:17:58,320 Speaker 1: shot for you to look at Rob, and I think, yeah, 331 00:17:58,359 --> 00:18:01,520 Speaker 1: that is definitely the same saw. Um. The one thing 332 00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:04,040 Speaker 1: I would not have been able to tell you was 333 00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:07,000 Speaker 1: was the answer to the question what color is the 334 00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:11,680 Speaker 1: chainsaw in the original TCM Uh. My my mind would 335 00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:14,159 Speaker 1: have been like, I don't know, beige. I mean I 336 00:18:14,400 --> 00:18:17,359 Speaker 1: guess like that's the dominant color scheme of the film 337 00:18:17,480 --> 00:18:21,120 Speaker 1: is beige and sometimes orange. Yes, exactly, So the original 338 00:18:21,200 --> 00:18:24,200 Speaker 1: the film that they used in the Texas Chainsaw Masker 339 00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:27,160 Speaker 1: looks like you can only really reproduce two colors. One 340 00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:30,080 Speaker 1: is the color of sort of orange blood and the 341 00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:32,640 Speaker 1: other is the color of like a rotting bale of hay. 342 00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:35,800 Speaker 1: And so that's what I would have said, but no, 343 00:18:35,960 --> 00:18:40,640 Speaker 1: actually it is green Uh, strange kind of unusual color 344 00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:42,520 Speaker 1: to to appear in the movie like this, And I 345 00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:44,320 Speaker 1: guess for some reason that just fell out the back 346 00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:47,639 Speaker 1: of my mind. But it is a notably green body 347 00:18:47,800 --> 00:18:51,360 Speaker 1: around the engine and then a long straight bar and chain. Uh. 348 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:55,639 Speaker 1: And so the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum website rights quote. The 349 00:18:55,680 --> 00:18:58,320 Speaker 1: pool On three oh six A was introduced in nineteen 350 00:18:58,359 --> 00:19:01,640 Speaker 1: seventy in produced until nineteen eighty. The pool On Company 351 00:19:02,200 --> 00:19:05,720 Speaker 1: was founded by lumberjack Claude Poulan in nineteen forty six. 352 00:19:05,840 --> 00:19:10,120 Speaker 1: The company was located in Shreveport, Louisiana, making the three 353 00:19:10,119 --> 00:19:13,040 Speaker 1: oh six A a nice local option for a Texas 354 00:19:13,119 --> 00:19:16,600 Speaker 1: chainsaw massacre. So this would have been a local saw, okay, 355 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:18,439 Speaker 1: because I was wondering when you said Poula, and I 356 00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:21,080 Speaker 1: was thinking, was this a French chainsaw? That seems very 357 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:24,120 Speaker 1: unlike the sawyer clan to to to use an import, 358 00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:27,600 Speaker 1: But I didn't think about the possible Cajun connection. They're 359 00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:31,800 Speaker 1: using Cajun technology, which certainly makes it a more local option. Yeah. Yeah, 360 00:19:31,840 --> 00:19:34,520 Speaker 1: As for actual chainsall murders, I'll just leave everyone else 361 00:19:34,520 --> 00:19:36,520 Speaker 1: to research that that on your own time. There's there 362 00:19:36,520 --> 00:19:39,680 Speaker 1: are plenty of like true crime articles and lists out 363 00:19:39,680 --> 00:19:41,919 Speaker 1: there that have more information on all this, and you know, 364 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:47,640 Speaker 1: it's all depressing stuff. But I did find it interesting that, uh, 365 00:19:47,680 --> 00:19:51,080 Speaker 1: that sometimes there's kind of a a fetishizing of the 366 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:53,640 Speaker 1: chainsaw even in this kind of in these kind of articles, 367 00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:56,200 Speaker 1: in this kind of coverage, I found one that you 368 00:19:56,320 --> 00:20:01,560 Speaker 1: talked about chainsaws as as as allowing um killing or 369 00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:05,879 Speaker 1: murder to take place quote on an industrial scale, which 370 00:20:06,680 --> 00:20:09,720 Speaker 1: is a description that that is, But I feel is 371 00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:12,840 Speaker 1: both right and wrong because on one level, I agree 372 00:20:12,840 --> 00:20:15,360 Speaker 1: with that, you know, like we're talking about the lightsaber principle, 373 00:20:15,440 --> 00:20:17,040 Speaker 1: you know that the machine is doing some of the 374 00:20:17,080 --> 00:20:21,000 Speaker 1: work for you that you know, it's an industrialization of 375 00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:24,480 Speaker 1: doing what a blade would do. But on the other hand, 376 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:26,800 Speaker 1: I feel like if you're talking about murder on an 377 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:30,399 Speaker 1: industrial scale, really, if you're if you're focusing on the 378 00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:34,000 Speaker 1: chainsaw and ignoring firearms and explosives in that discussion, and 379 00:20:34,119 --> 00:20:37,199 Speaker 1: you're completely off, Like, like I think firearms are the 380 00:20:38,040 --> 00:20:42,000 Speaker 1: are the true uh innovation that allows murder on an 381 00:20:42,040 --> 00:20:45,720 Speaker 1: industrial scale. Yeah, And the words scale there would imply 382 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:48,520 Speaker 1: like actual numbers of cases, which, as you were saying, 383 00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:51,480 Speaker 1: is not particularly the case. Though I can see, of 384 00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:54,520 Speaker 1: course the idea. I mean, it's what is again scary 385 00:20:54,560 --> 00:20:57,199 Speaker 1: about the concept of the Texas chainsaw masker. It is 386 00:20:57,240 --> 00:21:00,959 Speaker 1: the mechanization of violence, the sort of add adding the uh, 387 00:21:01,359 --> 00:21:04,400 Speaker 1: the internal combustion engine or the electric motor to the 388 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:07,919 Speaker 1: to the to the murderer's agenda. Yeah. But at the 389 00:21:07,960 --> 00:21:10,240 Speaker 1: same time, it kind of coming back to the impracticality 390 00:21:10,280 --> 00:21:12,399 Speaker 1: of the chainsaw as a weapon, Like maybe that's one 391 00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:15,760 Speaker 1: of the comforting things about this and other slashers. It's like, oh, 392 00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:18,920 Speaker 1: they use impractical weapons. They these killers love to kill. 393 00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:22,000 Speaker 1: But we'll probably hear him come in or have a 394 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:25,560 Speaker 1: good we'll have a better chance at outrunning them or 395 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:29,040 Speaker 1: somehow how smarting them if they insist on using their 396 00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:32,800 Speaker 1: these ludicrous killing techniques. I suspect the leather faces not 397 00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:35,800 Speaker 1: read his Poulan three oh six, a safety manual, and 398 00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:38,639 Speaker 1: is not following proper safety procedure. I don't think you're 399 00:21:38,640 --> 00:21:41,639 Speaker 1: supposed to run with the chainsaw revving. Hey, he pays 400 00:21:41,680 --> 00:21:47,080 Speaker 1: for it, doesn't he see consequences for that kind of recklessness? Yeah? Okay, Well, 401 00:21:47,080 --> 00:21:50,080 Speaker 1: I guess we should turn to discuss the invention of 402 00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:53,760 Speaker 1: the chainsaw itself, and one thing we always like to 403 00:21:53,800 --> 00:21:56,240 Speaker 1: do when we talk about an invention is to talk 404 00:21:56,240 --> 00:21:59,600 Speaker 1: about what came before, what was the state of affairs 405 00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:04,560 Speaker 1: that this invention had to come into to introduce new capabilities. 406 00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:08,160 Speaker 1: And though chainsaws can have of course many uses, there 407 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:11,720 Speaker 1: primarily today associated with logging. So I thought it would 408 00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:14,600 Speaker 1: be good to start with a look at logging before 409 00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:18,840 Speaker 1: the chainsaw. Uh So, a few notes on logging terminology. 410 00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:20,560 Speaker 1: I had to get this stuff straightened out so I 411 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:23,720 Speaker 1: would understand what say this this book by David Lee 412 00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:25,760 Speaker 1: and Mike Acres was talking about in other sources I 413 00:22:25,760 --> 00:22:28,760 Speaker 1: was looking at on the internet. So, um, So, logging 414 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:32,120 Speaker 1: involves more than just the process of cutting down an 415 00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:35,920 Speaker 1: upright tree. The term for cutting down an upright tree 416 00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:39,119 Speaker 1: at the base i've seen referred to as felling or 417 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:42,080 Speaker 1: falling a tree. But it doesn't stop there. You've also 418 00:22:42,119 --> 00:22:44,920 Speaker 1: got the process of limbing, which is very important. That's 419 00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:49,160 Speaker 1: removing limbs from either a a felled tree trunk or 420 00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:52,199 Speaker 1: a or a tree trunk while it's still standing. And 421 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:54,320 Speaker 1: then this is a big part of the business. There's 422 00:22:54,359 --> 00:22:58,040 Speaker 1: what's known as bucking. This is cutting a felled tree 423 00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:02,040 Speaker 1: into logs of a special defied length, and one reason 424 00:23:02,119 --> 00:23:04,320 Speaker 1: it's important to call it the difference early on between 425 00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:07,720 Speaker 1: felling and bucking is that when you imagine performing these 426 00:23:07,760 --> 00:23:10,919 Speaker 1: two tasks, the saw has to be oriented in a 427 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:14,440 Speaker 1: different direction for each one. So when you're felling a tree, 428 00:23:14,680 --> 00:23:17,480 Speaker 1: the saw has to go horizontally through the tree when 429 00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:20,199 Speaker 1: it's upright. When you're bucking a tree, to cut it 430 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:23,159 Speaker 1: into logs of a specified length, you need to go 431 00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:26,159 Speaker 1: up and down. It's a vertical cutting. This is, uh, 432 00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:28,480 Speaker 1: you know, pretty easy to do with a modern chainsaw, 433 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:31,720 Speaker 1: which is handheld and very maneuverable. But if you were 434 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:34,800 Speaker 1: to imagine, say an earlier age, where people were trying 435 00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:39,400 Speaker 1: to use um bulkier, more complex machinery that that had 436 00:23:39,480 --> 00:23:41,920 Speaker 1: more moving parts and was harder to move around, maybe 437 00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:44,880 Speaker 1: something you couldn't hold with just one person's arm strength, 438 00:23:45,280 --> 00:23:49,320 Speaker 1: than the difference between felling and bucking becomes very significant. Now. 439 00:23:49,359 --> 00:23:51,680 Speaker 1: Of course, even after that, after you've got a bucked 440 00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:54,919 Speaker 1: piece of raw timber, there's more work to do with 441 00:23:54,960 --> 00:23:57,359 Speaker 1: the sawing. Of course, you can maybe split that log 442 00:23:57,480 --> 00:24:00,919 Speaker 1: into lengthwise wedges, say for fire wood, or you can 443 00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:04,919 Speaker 1: do hewing, which is taking a bucked log and cutting 444 00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:07,399 Speaker 1: it to have flat surfaces for use in building. The 445 00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:09,760 Speaker 1: hewing is a sort of archaic term that I think 446 00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:11,960 Speaker 1: refers to a process in which you might use like 447 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:15,399 Speaker 1: an axe, and then of course they're sawing a bucked 448 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:18,359 Speaker 1: log into pieces of flat lumber that might be shipped 449 00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:22,240 Speaker 1: or immediately used in some way. Uh. There's another wonderful 450 00:24:22,359 --> 00:24:24,600 Speaker 1: term that I came across that I never knew before, 451 00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:30,200 Speaker 1: and that term is curve k e r f uh. Rob. 452 00:24:30,280 --> 00:24:32,000 Speaker 1: Maybe you knew this word, but I did not. It's 453 00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:36,280 Speaker 1: a word, yeah, I I always you needed a word 454 00:24:36,320 --> 00:24:38,159 Speaker 1: for this, and I didn't know what it was. A 455 00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:42,520 Speaker 1: curve is the cut that is made while you're sawing something, 456 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:46,200 Speaker 1: So it's that it's that unfinished cut through the wood. 457 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:49,639 Speaker 1: And and sometimes, say cutting down a tree will involve 458 00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:51,880 Speaker 1: things that you have to do to the curve, for example, 459 00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:54,560 Speaker 1: hammering a wedge into the curve to help make sure 460 00:24:54,600 --> 00:24:56,600 Speaker 1: that the tree is bending in the right way and 461 00:24:56,640 --> 00:24:59,640 Speaker 1: that it's not closing in on your saw and binding it. 462 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:02,240 Speaker 1: And one of the things that's been most interesting to 463 00:25:02,280 --> 00:25:06,840 Speaker 1: me about about researching this is the surprising fact that 464 00:25:07,040 --> 00:25:11,280 Speaker 1: well into the twentieth century, the most common tools for 465 00:25:11,359 --> 00:25:16,159 Speaker 1: sawing and bucking would were manually powered tools. So even 466 00:25:16,240 --> 00:25:19,520 Speaker 1: you know, within the memory of people who are alive today, 467 00:25:20,119 --> 00:25:22,840 Speaker 1: the most common tools you would find used in logging 468 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:28,000 Speaker 1: would be the axe, the wedge, the springboard, and the springboard. 469 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:31,240 Speaker 1: By the way, that this is an interesting uh device. 470 00:25:31,359 --> 00:25:33,880 Speaker 1: This is a thing where you would sort of like 471 00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:38,359 Speaker 1: cut a little uh notch into a tree, and you 472 00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:40,720 Speaker 1: would put a board up on the tree so you 473 00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:43,760 Speaker 1: could stand on it in order to better cut the trunk. 474 00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:47,200 Speaker 1: So it's like not having to chop at the area 475 00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:50,200 Speaker 1: it's wider around the roots. Right, Yeah, so you could 476 00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:53,000 Speaker 1: sort of position your body for for cutting or sawing 477 00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:56,000 Speaker 1: higher up. But oh, but I didn't get to the 478 00:25:56,400 --> 00:25:58,160 Speaker 1: to the last thing, which was by far, I think 479 00:25:58,200 --> 00:26:01,119 Speaker 1: the most important of all these tools. It was the 480 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:05,399 Speaker 1: hand powered saw, and for large trees this was often 481 00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:10,479 Speaker 1: the famous two man saw, known colloquially as the misery whip, 482 00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:13,360 Speaker 1: which in the felling of larger trees could be more 483 00:26:13,359 --> 00:26:16,000 Speaker 1: than ten ft long with a handle at each end. 484 00:26:16,040 --> 00:26:19,280 Speaker 1: So this would be worked by two sawyers, each pulling 485 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:22,639 Speaker 1: from their side, just taking turns going back and forth 486 00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:25,879 Speaker 1: to take down a redwood or you know whatever giant tree. 487 00:26:26,119 --> 00:26:29,000 Speaker 1: A lot of this logging was especially taking place up 488 00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:31,200 Speaker 1: in the Pacific Northwest, so a lot of the sawing 489 00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:34,800 Speaker 1: innovations happened in places like Oregon. But you can imagine 490 00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:38,240 Speaker 1: the giant trees there and two guys with a with 491 00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:41,479 Speaker 1: a ten foot long cross cut saw, one handle at 492 00:26:41,520 --> 00:26:44,679 Speaker 1: each end, and they're just working themselves to death on 493 00:26:44,720 --> 00:26:48,840 Speaker 1: this trunk. I feel like my my, my earliest and 494 00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:52,280 Speaker 1: still clearest, like mental images of this particular type of 495 00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:55,680 Speaker 1: saw comes from watching cartoons. I can't remember of it 496 00:26:55,720 --> 00:26:59,119 Speaker 1: was like it was like Looney Tunes or Disney, you know, 497 00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:03,000 Speaker 1: it was chip Bunks or whatever, But I remember like 498 00:27:03,160 --> 00:27:06,720 Speaker 1: cartoon depictions. It might even been like Woody Woodpeck or something. 499 00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:09,440 Speaker 1: I don't know, but there were cartoon depictions of people 500 00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:12,439 Speaker 1: using these saws and things getting out of control and 501 00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:16,080 Speaker 1: the saw like bunching up or pulling someone through the 502 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:19,960 Speaker 1: um what through the curve if you will. Yeah, I 503 00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:22,440 Speaker 1: mean some of the photographs you see of logging sites 504 00:27:22,520 --> 00:27:25,600 Speaker 1: at this time, with people, you know, posing with their 505 00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:28,760 Speaker 1: misery whips and their axes and everything, they look like 506 00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:31,160 Speaker 1: something straight out of a cartoon. I've attached a couple 507 00:27:31,160 --> 00:27:33,000 Speaker 1: of pictures for you to look at here, Rob. One 508 00:27:33,080 --> 00:27:36,359 Speaker 1: is a photo from Circle nineteen o six which is 509 00:27:36,359 --> 00:27:39,320 Speaker 1: a couple of guys or three guys in the middle 510 00:27:39,440 --> 00:27:42,240 Speaker 1: of cutting down a gigantic tree. Looks like it could 511 00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:44,680 Speaker 1: be a redwood. I think this was a photo taken 512 00:27:44,720 --> 00:27:48,160 Speaker 1: somewhere in the state of Washington. And uh and one 513 00:27:48,160 --> 00:27:50,720 Speaker 1: guy is so they've they've cut It's not just a 514 00:27:50,720 --> 00:27:53,359 Speaker 1: flat curve. They've cut a wedge out of the tree 515 00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:55,920 Speaker 1: I think, to help it fall in the right direction 516 00:27:56,040 --> 00:27:57,959 Speaker 1: when they when they finally get all the way through it, 517 00:27:58,320 --> 00:28:02,240 Speaker 1: and one of the loggers is just lying down inside 518 00:28:02,320 --> 00:28:06,840 Speaker 1: the wedge on this giant tree incredibly dangerously. I mean, 519 00:28:07,520 --> 00:28:09,480 Speaker 1: one assumes they knew what they were doing and that 520 00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:12,119 Speaker 1: this was a safe time to climb into the you know, 521 00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:15,760 Speaker 1: the death zone for a photo. But I also found 522 00:28:15,800 --> 00:28:18,560 Speaker 1: an awesome picture of a misery whip in use from 523 00:28:18,600 --> 00:28:21,040 Speaker 1: a photo on the website of a local history museum 524 00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:24,520 Speaker 1: in Hood River County, Oregon. Uh. So, Rob, if you 525 00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:26,520 Speaker 1: if you just take a look at this beast for 526 00:28:26,560 --> 00:28:28,960 Speaker 1: a moment, it looks like a still from an upcoming 527 00:28:29,080 --> 00:28:31,359 Speaker 1: Robert Egger's movie. You know, it would be the follow 528 00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:34,240 Speaker 1: up to the Lighthouse it's about some kind of romantic 529 00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:37,000 Speaker 1: shenanigans between a logger and a beast of the forest. 530 00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:40,800 Speaker 1: And uh this picture though, one of the things that 531 00:28:40,880 --> 00:28:42,640 Speaker 1: were saying on the website is it might well be 532 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:46,280 Speaker 1: kind of posed for maximum effect. But it has two guys, 533 00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:50,480 Speaker 1: two very uh surly looking fellas, on each side of 534 00:28:50,520 --> 00:28:52,960 Speaker 1: a misery whip. And then in the foreground there's a 535 00:28:53,080 --> 00:28:57,040 Speaker 1: shotgun and then a bottle of clear liquid and then 536 00:28:57,160 --> 00:29:00,480 Speaker 1: multiple axes, one ax just like sunk into the tree, 537 00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:04,360 Speaker 1: sticking out of it. It's pretty awesome. Yeah. And the 538 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:06,400 Speaker 1: guy on the left, he looks a little bit like 539 00:29:06,480 --> 00:29:10,160 Speaker 1: the p coach from the TV show ap bioh. I 540 00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:12,640 Speaker 1: haven't seen that. Yeah, that's good. Well, yeah, I mean, 541 00:29:13,320 --> 00:29:15,840 Speaker 1: speaking of physical education, I think these guys would be 542 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:20,160 Speaker 1: candidates for the President's Physical Fitness Award, because wow, I 543 00:29:20,160 --> 00:29:24,280 Speaker 1: mean imagining the physical exertion that goes in to sawing 544 00:29:24,360 --> 00:29:27,440 Speaker 1: down just tree after tree all day long with these 545 00:29:27,480 --> 00:29:31,000 Speaker 1: hand powered cross cut saws. It's it's kind of hard 546 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:34,440 Speaker 1: to fathom. Yeah, indeed, and in grueling work and then 547 00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:38,040 Speaker 1: all the the the hazards that would be president in 548 00:29:38,080 --> 00:29:40,400 Speaker 1: the job just but you know, by virtue of using 549 00:29:40,400 --> 00:29:43,440 Speaker 1: these tools, but also by felling trees, which are inherently 550 00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:46,800 Speaker 1: dangerous themselves. And one of the things that is pointed 551 00:29:46,840 --> 00:29:49,280 Speaker 1: out in in Chainsaws, a History that this book by 552 00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:53,040 Speaker 1: lee Um is that again well into the twentieth century, 553 00:29:53,120 --> 00:29:55,440 Speaker 1: most log working out in the woods at least was 554 00:29:55,480 --> 00:29:58,640 Speaker 1: done by these human powered tools. The acts the hand saw, 555 00:29:58,920 --> 00:30:01,960 Speaker 1: the cross cut saw, are the misery whip, and these 556 00:30:01,960 --> 00:30:05,560 Speaker 1: tools could basically get every job done. It wasn't like 557 00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:08,840 Speaker 1: there were uber trees that could not be cut down 558 00:30:09,240 --> 00:30:12,440 Speaker 1: by conventional hand powered technology, and you know, you couldn't 559 00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:14,800 Speaker 1: cut them down and cut them up until you had 560 00:30:14,800 --> 00:30:18,000 Speaker 1: a chainsaw. But but the issue is that it's this 561 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:22,400 Speaker 1: absolutely grueling physical labor that took time and was hard 562 00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:26,440 Speaker 1: on the bodies of workers. So obviously, once the industrial 563 00:30:26,480 --> 00:30:29,640 Speaker 1: Revolution comes around, there would be people turning their minds 564 00:30:29,640 --> 00:30:31,880 Speaker 1: to the question of is there any way to make 565 00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:36,040 Speaker 1: the job of felling and bucking trees faster or easier. 566 00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:38,479 Speaker 1: And it turns out that even though there were no 567 00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:42,000 Speaker 1: modern chainsaws and exactly the form we think of for 568 00:30:42,160 --> 00:30:45,680 Speaker 1: felling in bucking wood until the twentieth century, there were 569 00:30:45,720 --> 00:30:49,400 Speaker 1: some very weird and interesting inventions in the eighteen hundreds 570 00:30:49,480 --> 00:30:54,200 Speaker 1: trending in that direction. So, for example, one design that 571 00:30:54,360 --> 00:30:58,280 Speaker 1: Lee brings up is this kind of giant cog wheel. 572 00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:01,040 Speaker 1: It looks in the in the old strations like a 573 00:31:01,080 --> 00:31:04,920 Speaker 1: big metal collar that fits around the trunk of a tree. 574 00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:08,440 Speaker 1: And then inside this metal collar there is a cutting 575 00:31:08,480 --> 00:31:11,920 Speaker 1: blade that is dragged around the outside of the tree 576 00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:16,080 Speaker 1: in a circular motion, powered by a hand crank. Um. 577 00:31:16,320 --> 00:31:18,600 Speaker 1: I couldn't find any pictures online, but there is a 578 00:31:18,640 --> 00:31:20,960 Speaker 1: picture in the book I was looking at, and it's 579 00:31:21,120 --> 00:31:23,959 Speaker 1: very Clive Barker. It's like a torture device for wood. 580 00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:27,120 Speaker 1: What also brings to mind the film Robot Jocks that 581 00:31:27,160 --> 00:31:30,040 Speaker 1: we talked about on Weird How Cinema. There's a saw 582 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:32,920 Speaker 1: very much like this, excepted like a sci fi variation 583 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:35,840 Speaker 1: of it that one of the giant max used against 584 00:31:35,920 --> 00:31:38,960 Speaker 1: the other. Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Lee also 585 00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:41,520 Speaker 1: mentions that there is a U. S. Patent for something 586 00:31:41,720 --> 00:31:45,040 Speaker 1: called a saw chain in the year eighteen fifty eight, 587 00:31:45,600 --> 00:31:48,920 Speaker 1: but without any method for powering the rapid movement of 588 00:31:48,960 --> 00:31:51,479 Speaker 1: the chain, so it didn't really offer any advantage at 589 00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:54,600 Speaker 1: the time. But then it gets to something really interesting. 590 00:31:54,680 --> 00:31:58,680 Speaker 1: So Lee's examples of these these pre chainsaw powered saw 591 00:31:58,800 --> 00:32:03,280 Speaker 1: ideas included, much to my interest, reference to a passage 592 00:32:03,320 --> 00:32:05,880 Speaker 1: in the War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. 593 00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:08,840 Speaker 1: And this would have been published in eight So this 594 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:12,160 Speaker 1: again long predates the modern chainsaw. And so I looked 595 00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:13,800 Speaker 1: at the context, so I could I could read this 596 00:32:13,840 --> 00:32:16,760 Speaker 1: whole passage from the War of the World's describing an 597 00:32:16,840 --> 00:32:21,360 Speaker 1: industrially powered saw. It goes like this, the narrators describing 598 00:32:21,600 --> 00:32:25,400 Speaker 1: fleeing from the Martian invasion and uh and he says, 599 00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:27,720 Speaker 1: we went down the lane by the body of the 600 00:32:27,760 --> 00:32:31,360 Speaker 1: man in black sodden now from the overnight hail, and 601 00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:33,360 Speaker 1: broke into the woods at the foot of the hill. 602 00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:36,960 Speaker 1: We pushed through these towards the railway without meeting a soul. 603 00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:39,960 Speaker 1: The woods across the line were but the scarred and 604 00:32:40,040 --> 00:32:43,240 Speaker 1: blackened ruins of woods. For the most part, the trees 605 00:32:43,320 --> 00:32:47,120 Speaker 1: had fallen, but a certain proportion still stood, dismal gray 606 00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:51,640 Speaker 1: stems with dark brown foliage instead of green. On our side, 607 00:32:51,680 --> 00:32:53,960 Speaker 1: the fire had done no much more than scorched the 608 00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:57,360 Speaker 1: nearer trees. It had failed to secure its footing. In 609 00:32:57,400 --> 00:33:00,520 Speaker 1: one place. The woodman had been at work on Saturday day. 610 00:33:00,560 --> 00:33:04,040 Speaker 1: Trees felled and freshly trimmed, lay in a clearing with 611 00:33:04,120 --> 00:33:07,480 Speaker 1: heaps of sawdust by the sawing machine and its engine. 612 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:11,280 Speaker 1: Hard By was a temporary hut deserted. There was not 613 00:33:11,360 --> 00:33:14,920 Speaker 1: a breath of wind this morning, and everything was strangely still. 614 00:33:15,280 --> 00:33:18,040 Speaker 1: Even the birds were hushed. And as we hurried along, 615 00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:21,560 Speaker 1: Eye and the artilleryman talked in whispers and looked now 616 00:33:21,560 --> 00:33:24,640 Speaker 1: and again over our shoulders. Once or twice we stopped 617 00:33:24,640 --> 00:33:28,160 Speaker 1: to listen. So uh, this again makes reference to a 618 00:33:28,360 --> 00:33:31,360 Speaker 1: sawing machine that would have been used by the woodman 619 00:33:31,400 --> 00:33:33,840 Speaker 1: who are cutting down the trees. And it's interesting that 620 00:33:34,760 --> 00:33:37,800 Speaker 1: I think Wells is sort of drawing a contrast of 621 00:33:37,880 --> 00:33:40,320 Speaker 1: the two types of technology. Here on one side of 622 00:33:40,320 --> 00:33:43,760 Speaker 1: the road, the forest is just absolutely annihilated by the 623 00:33:43,840 --> 00:33:46,840 Speaker 1: fires I believe caused by by something from the Martian invasion. 624 00:33:46,960 --> 00:33:49,200 Speaker 1: I would assume it was the heat ray or some 625 00:33:49,320 --> 00:33:51,560 Speaker 1: other kind of damage they've done. But then on the 626 00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:54,720 Speaker 1: other side there is this this partial clearing made by 627 00:33:54,720 --> 00:33:58,040 Speaker 1: the human woodman and their sawing machine, which I guess 628 00:33:58,040 --> 00:33:59,840 Speaker 1: Wells may have seen as one, you know, sort of 629 00:34:00,040 --> 00:34:03,479 Speaker 1: peak pinnacle technology of humankind at the time, but it 630 00:34:03,520 --> 00:34:06,800 Speaker 1: can't compete with the destruction caused by the Martians. And 631 00:34:06,800 --> 00:34:09,400 Speaker 1: so the question is what is this sawing machine that 632 00:34:09,440 --> 00:34:12,239 Speaker 1: he makes reference to. Well according to Lee, this is 633 00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:15,919 Speaker 1: not a sci fi invention of Wells imagination, but very 634 00:34:15,960 --> 00:34:20,440 Speaker 1: likely a reference to a nineteenth century steam powered saw 635 00:34:20,480 --> 00:34:23,800 Speaker 1: known as a Ransom r A N. S O. M E. 636 00:34:24,480 --> 00:34:27,840 Speaker 1: And it's named after its creator, an English inventor named 637 00:34:27,880 --> 00:34:32,400 Speaker 1: a Ransom Uh and it debuted in the year eighteen sixty. 638 00:34:32,560 --> 00:34:34,799 Speaker 1: And so it's it goes something like this. You would 639 00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:39,560 Speaker 1: have a central wood fired steam boiler, and then from 640 00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:43,160 Speaker 1: the steam boiler you would have pressure hoses leading out 641 00:34:43,200 --> 00:34:45,880 Speaker 1: to the saws. So you know, the steam powers the 642 00:34:45,880 --> 00:34:48,880 Speaker 1: pressure in the hose, and then each saw would have 643 00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:52,920 Speaker 1: a single cylinder motor, and the piston in the cylinder 644 00:34:52,920 --> 00:34:57,360 Speaker 1: would power a reciprocating saw blade. And so that's important 645 00:34:57,400 --> 00:34:59,239 Speaker 1: to note that this is not like a chainsaw with 646 00:34:59,320 --> 00:35:02,719 Speaker 1: a chain continuously going around in one direction. It's a 647 00:35:02,800 --> 00:35:05,360 Speaker 1: reciprocating saw blade like you would use with like a 648 00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:07,880 Speaker 1: hand saws. It's moving back and forth with a solid 649 00:35:07,920 --> 00:35:12,600 Speaker 1: blade surface better than hand sawing, I'm sure, or at 650 00:35:12,640 --> 00:35:15,600 Speaker 1: least easier. But the Ransom was used for logging in 651 00:35:15,640 --> 00:35:18,560 Speaker 1: Europe and in Africa around around the turn of the 652 00:35:18,600 --> 00:35:21,839 Speaker 1: twentieth century. But Lee notes that even if you take 653 00:35:21,840 --> 00:35:24,959 Speaker 1: away the central boiler which is necessary for it to work, 654 00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:28,279 Speaker 1: and all the hoses and all the possible accessories, just 655 00:35:28,480 --> 00:35:31,360 Speaker 1: the saw, just each saw on its own connected to 656 00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:34,600 Speaker 1: the central boiler would weigh six hundred pounds or two 657 00:35:34,640 --> 00:35:39,280 Speaker 1: hundred and seventy three And the the central boilers supplying 658 00:35:39,280 --> 00:35:41,799 Speaker 1: the steam power was also gigantic. It had to be 659 00:35:41,840 --> 00:35:45,319 Speaker 1: transported on a horse drawn platform, and of course the 660 00:35:45,360 --> 00:35:48,799 Speaker 1: boiler required water and fuel, which you probably needed to 661 00:35:48,840 --> 00:35:51,839 Speaker 1: source on site. So you can imagine how much more 662 00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:55,440 Speaker 1: difficult this is than the the you know, light portable uh, 663 00:35:55,880 --> 00:35:58,960 Speaker 1: handheld chainsaws of today. This, this is this is a 664 00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:02,120 Speaker 1: whole appar rat us, But I do love the vision 665 00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:03,560 Speaker 1: of it. I mean it's like something out of a 666 00:36:03,600 --> 00:36:06,760 Speaker 1: steampunk nightmare. Yeah, I mean, in a way, this reminds 667 00:36:06,800 --> 00:36:10,359 Speaker 1: me of some of the design challenges and some of 668 00:36:10,400 --> 00:36:13,680 Speaker 1: the reasons that we ended up getting the armored tank, 669 00:36:14,120 --> 00:36:17,480 Speaker 1: you know, because it's one thing to have the gun. Uh, 670 00:36:17,600 --> 00:36:21,520 Speaker 1: it's one thing to have the saw, but then how 671 00:36:21,560 --> 00:36:24,040 Speaker 1: are you going to get it where you need to 672 00:36:24,160 --> 00:36:25,279 Speaker 1: use it? How you know, how are you going to 673 00:36:25,360 --> 00:36:29,759 Speaker 1: transport it across difficult terrain? Um? And so I mean 674 00:36:29,840 --> 00:36:31,759 Speaker 1: in the case of the gun, well, if you're talking 675 00:36:31,760 --> 00:36:35,200 Speaker 1: about a large piece of artillery, you generally have no 676 00:36:35,280 --> 00:36:37,520 Speaker 1: other choice but to figure out how to how to 677 00:36:37,880 --> 00:36:40,399 Speaker 1: build up the machinery around it, how to to make 678 00:36:40,440 --> 00:36:43,600 Speaker 1: it mobile, figure out what sort of wheels or tracks 679 00:36:43,640 --> 00:36:47,440 Speaker 1: are necessary. But with the chainsaw, if the I mean 680 00:36:47,440 --> 00:36:50,480 Speaker 1: with the powered saw anyway, Um, if you could make 681 00:36:50,480 --> 00:36:53,480 Speaker 1: it smaller and you know, and and still work, if 682 00:36:53,480 --> 00:36:55,759 Speaker 1: you could, you could, you could you could somehow m 683 00:36:56,800 --> 00:37:00,000 Speaker 1: reduce the need for for some sort of animal power 684 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:03,480 Speaker 1: or or or some sort of extravagant machine power being 685 00:37:03,520 --> 00:37:06,600 Speaker 1: necessary to move it. Uh, then that would solve so 686 00:37:06,640 --> 00:37:09,600 Speaker 1: many of your problems. Yeah, that's exactly right. And I 687 00:37:09,640 --> 00:37:11,759 Speaker 1: think this is a problem that's much bigger than just 688 00:37:11,880 --> 00:37:14,440 Speaker 1: the chainsaw. The chainsaw is one example of the many 689 00:37:14,440 --> 00:37:18,680 Speaker 1: different kinds of technology that would be revolutionized by power 690 00:37:18,760 --> 00:37:22,920 Speaker 1: sources and motors and engines becoming smaller and more portable, 691 00:37:23,000 --> 00:37:26,200 Speaker 1: especially in the early twentieth century as as we had 692 00:37:26,239 --> 00:37:29,680 Speaker 1: better like electric motors, and then later in the twentieth 693 00:37:29,680 --> 00:37:33,680 Speaker 1: century as the as the size and format of internal 694 00:37:33,760 --> 00:37:37,600 Speaker 1: combustion engines got got smaller and more manageable, especially like 695 00:37:37,640 --> 00:37:47,600 Speaker 1: into the nineteen forties and so. But there's another thing 696 00:37:47,680 --> 00:37:51,040 Speaker 1: that's important here, which is that Lee mentioned that these 697 00:37:51,040 --> 00:37:53,960 Speaker 1: powered saw inventions of the time are pretty much all 698 00:37:54,040 --> 00:37:58,320 Speaker 1: still rooted in thinking about sawing in the reciprocating format, 699 00:37:58,440 --> 00:38:02,000 Speaker 1: that is, sawing with back and fourth motion, which, again, 700 00:38:02,040 --> 00:38:04,080 Speaker 1: if you think about it for a second, modern chainsaws 701 00:38:04,160 --> 00:38:06,920 Speaker 1: don't do that. They diverge from the back and forth 702 00:38:07,000 --> 00:38:11,719 Speaker 1: reciprocating motion. Chainsaws apply the removal surface drag in one 703 00:38:11,840 --> 00:38:15,960 Speaker 1: continuous direction rather than going back and forth. And there 704 00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:18,200 Speaker 1: are some advantages to that that I'll get into in 705 00:38:18,239 --> 00:38:21,520 Speaker 1: just a minute. But given the the importance of the 706 00:38:21,560 --> 00:38:24,120 Speaker 1: misery whip, and it makes sense right to imagine, well, 707 00:38:24,160 --> 00:38:26,839 Speaker 1: if if we could mechanize this, what would we do? Yes, 708 00:38:27,320 --> 00:38:29,800 Speaker 1: could we take the misery whip and create a machine 709 00:38:30,040 --> 00:38:32,279 Speaker 1: that uses it for us? Yeah, And this is something 710 00:38:32,320 --> 00:38:34,200 Speaker 1: that seems to be the case throughout a lot of 711 00:38:34,239 --> 00:38:37,040 Speaker 1: the early years of development of power saws. Is they're 712 00:38:37,080 --> 00:38:41,080 Speaker 1: just taking the idea of a hand powered saw and 713 00:38:41,120 --> 00:38:43,799 Speaker 1: then saying, can we make this electrically powered, or say, 714 00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:47,200 Speaker 1: gasoline powered or something in and but without changing anything 715 00:38:47,200 --> 00:38:49,960 Speaker 1: about the blade or how it works, just changing how 716 00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:52,759 Speaker 1: the power or force is applied. And actually it will 717 00:38:52,800 --> 00:38:55,640 Speaker 1: be changes in on on both sides that give us 718 00:38:55,719 --> 00:38:59,160 Speaker 1: the ultimate modern chainsaw. So really, when you think about it, 719 00:38:59,200 --> 00:39:03,799 Speaker 1: the modern chainsaw involves two important technological components that would 720 00:39:03,840 --> 00:39:06,600 Speaker 1: make it different than what came before. One of them 721 00:39:06,760 --> 00:39:10,120 Speaker 1: is the small scale, portable power source and motor, and 722 00:39:10,160 --> 00:39:14,200 Speaker 1: the other one is the one directional cutting chain. Um. 723 00:39:14,400 --> 00:39:16,839 Speaker 1: So what are some of the early examples trending in 724 00:39:16,920 --> 00:39:20,040 Speaker 1: these two directions? Well, Lee lists a few more things 725 00:39:20,040 --> 00:39:22,799 Speaker 1: that I thought were interesting, um, including one thing that 726 00:39:22,840 --> 00:39:25,319 Speaker 1: sounds like a total terror. But so, first of all, 727 00:39:25,320 --> 00:39:28,720 Speaker 1: he mentioned that in eighteen seven there was an inventor 728 00:39:28,800 --> 00:39:32,040 Speaker 1: in Oregon who got a patent for something called a 729 00:39:32,160 --> 00:39:35,520 Speaker 1: quote sawing chain and frame, but there's no evidence it 730 00:39:35,600 --> 00:39:37,759 Speaker 1: was ever produced, so this could be one of those 731 00:39:37,760 --> 00:39:41,440 Speaker 1: sort of uh uh, non viable prototypes of something that 732 00:39:41,440 --> 00:39:45,200 Speaker 1: would later work. And then in nineteen o five there's 733 00:39:45,200 --> 00:39:48,800 Speaker 1: a business called the Ashland Iron Works, also in Oregon 734 00:39:49,560 --> 00:39:53,200 Speaker 1: that manufactured an early pneumatic chainsaw, but apparently this saw 735 00:39:53,360 --> 00:39:56,399 Speaker 1: very little pick up in the market. Uh. The same year, 736 00:39:56,440 --> 00:40:00,000 Speaker 1: in nineteen o five, a gasoline powered chainsaw was dim 737 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:05,080 Speaker 1: and strated in Eureka, California, and Lee describes it as follows. 738 00:40:05,200 --> 00:40:08,799 Speaker 1: Quote driven by a two cylinder water cooled engine, the 739 00:40:08,840 --> 00:40:11,960 Speaker 1: machine drew its fuel and water supply from tanks that 740 00:40:12,040 --> 00:40:15,720 Speaker 1: were nailed to the tree trunk above it, and quote 741 00:40:15,800 --> 00:40:19,439 Speaker 1: removed when the tree was about to go over. Oh 742 00:40:19,480 --> 00:40:24,680 Speaker 1: my god. That's yeah. That's without even having all the 743 00:40:24,680 --> 00:40:27,879 Speaker 1: details about humans interacted with with this thing, that sounds 744 00:40:27,920 --> 00:40:31,000 Speaker 1: devastatingly dangerous. You could that be the basis of a 745 00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:33,360 Speaker 1: horror movie. I don't know. Your killer would be very immobile, 746 00:40:34,840 --> 00:40:38,480 Speaker 1: just like, come over, come over to this tree. But 747 00:40:38,560 --> 00:40:40,839 Speaker 1: there's another thing that's interesting about this one that makes 748 00:40:40,840 --> 00:40:44,640 Speaker 1: it very different than the chainsaws of today. In this model, 749 00:40:44,880 --> 00:40:49,680 Speaker 1: the chain did not rotate around a fixed bar or blade. 750 00:40:50,080 --> 00:40:52,719 Speaker 1: So when you picture a modern chainsaw, you know there's 751 00:40:52,719 --> 00:40:55,799 Speaker 1: the chain and then there's that flat metal thing that 752 00:40:55,880 --> 00:40:59,080 Speaker 1: the chain goes around. Generally that's referred to as the bar, 753 00:41:00,120 --> 00:41:01,880 Speaker 1: so that you know, the bar doesn't move, but the 754 00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:05,520 Speaker 1: chain circles around the outside of the bar. This this 755 00:41:05,600 --> 00:41:08,600 Speaker 1: chainsaw did not have a bar. It just had a 756 00:41:08,680 --> 00:41:12,320 Speaker 1: chain and the motor would power a chain that rotated 757 00:41:12,440 --> 00:41:16,080 Speaker 1: freely around the trunk of the tree. So this would 758 00:41:16,080 --> 00:41:19,000 Speaker 1: be kind of like a gas powered garatte wire for 759 00:41:19,080 --> 00:41:21,880 Speaker 1: a tree, with with part of the machine itself nailed 760 00:41:21,920 --> 00:41:24,799 Speaker 1: to the tree above where you were cutting. Now, that 761 00:41:24,920 --> 00:41:27,960 Speaker 1: is very in keeping with the the device we see 762 00:41:28,000 --> 00:41:31,399 Speaker 1: in robot jocks. Yes, but allegedly this thing could cut 763 00:41:31,440 --> 00:41:34,279 Speaker 1: through a trunk of about ten feet in diameter in 764 00:41:34,760 --> 00:41:38,240 Speaker 1: four and a half minutes. Now. The book also mentions 765 00:41:38,360 --> 00:41:42,440 Speaker 1: an issue of Scientific American that had a cover photo 766 00:41:42,680 --> 00:41:48,239 Speaker 1: boasting a giant chainsaw bucking a huge fallen redwood, and 767 00:41:48,280 --> 00:41:50,680 Speaker 1: I found it from the issue from January twenty two, 768 00:41:50,840 --> 00:41:54,600 Speaker 1: nineteen ten. The caption is cutting a redwood tree with 769 00:41:54,640 --> 00:41:57,279 Speaker 1: a saw driven by an engine. So in a way, 770 00:41:57,320 --> 00:41:59,600 Speaker 1: this is a lot like a chainsaw, because this model 771 00:41:59,680 --> 00:42:02,560 Speaker 1: does actually have a central bar with a cutting chain 772 00:42:02,600 --> 00:42:05,480 Speaker 1: that rotates around it, and the chain is powered by 773 00:42:05,480 --> 00:42:08,839 Speaker 1: a motor. But it is not like modern chainsaws in 774 00:42:08,880 --> 00:42:11,480 Speaker 1: that it is not a handheld tool. This is a 775 00:42:11,520 --> 00:42:15,400 Speaker 1: massive appliance that's operated by an engine mounted on some 776 00:42:15,480 --> 00:42:18,400 Speaker 1: kind of platform that looks like it's on tracks. And 777 00:42:18,480 --> 00:42:21,600 Speaker 1: yet in this uh this image you can still see 778 00:42:21,800 --> 00:42:23,840 Speaker 1: why this would be a great invention to have, Like 779 00:42:23,920 --> 00:42:27,319 Speaker 1: this is an enormous tree trunk, and I can I 780 00:42:27,320 --> 00:42:30,080 Speaker 1: can easily imagine how this would have saved them time. Yeah, 781 00:42:30,120 --> 00:42:32,200 Speaker 1: and so you know, they're cutting a redwood, which of 782 00:42:32,239 --> 00:42:35,239 Speaker 1: course again is a gigantic trunk, and they're using it 783 00:42:35,280 --> 00:42:37,720 Speaker 1: for bucking on a on a redwood that has already 784 00:42:37,719 --> 00:42:40,280 Speaker 1: been knocked down, so it's lying flat on the ground 785 00:42:40,400 --> 00:42:43,359 Speaker 1: and this machine is going alongside it bucking out the 786 00:42:43,400 --> 00:42:45,919 Speaker 1: logs of of whatever length they're going to end up using. 787 00:42:46,160 --> 00:42:50,160 Speaker 1: Apparently was developed by a California based inventor named R. L. Muir, 788 00:42:50,360 --> 00:42:53,800 Speaker 1: and it was called the endless cross cut saw. Wow, 789 00:42:54,000 --> 00:42:57,480 Speaker 1: this sounds very poetic. The endless saw. Yeah, it saws forever, 790 00:42:57,600 --> 00:43:00,319 Speaker 1: the infinite saw that it kind of some is up 791 00:43:00,400 --> 00:43:04,480 Speaker 1: perhaps the you know, the national view of our forest 792 00:43:04,520 --> 00:43:08,279 Speaker 1: at that time. This was, you know, an endless saw 793 00:43:08,400 --> 00:43:12,160 Speaker 1: for an endless supply of wood. So there's also a 794 00:43:12,160 --> 00:43:14,719 Speaker 1: segment in Lee's book that I thought was very good 795 00:43:14,760 --> 00:43:19,440 Speaker 1: because it addresses the question of why a chain you know, 796 00:43:19,520 --> 00:43:22,600 Speaker 1: like why even bother with a chainsaw as opposed to 797 00:43:23,080 --> 00:43:25,919 Speaker 1: the more classic reciprocating saw. Because there were all these 798 00:43:25,960 --> 00:43:28,719 Speaker 1: models where you could take an engine and apply some 799 00:43:28,840 --> 00:43:31,839 Speaker 1: kind of mechanical power to a classic style back and 800 00:43:31,880 --> 00:43:36,440 Speaker 1: forth reciprocating saw blade. Um, what what actually makes a 801 00:43:36,520 --> 00:43:41,200 Speaker 1: chain that much better? Well, apparently unidirectional motion of the 802 00:43:41,200 --> 00:43:44,919 Speaker 1: cutting surface is better for multiple reasons. First of all, 803 00:43:45,360 --> 00:43:48,759 Speaker 1: stopping saw motion to reverse direction, which you have to 804 00:43:48,760 --> 00:43:52,359 Speaker 1: do every single pass with a reciprocating saw. That makes 805 00:43:52,400 --> 00:43:54,880 Speaker 1: it harder to build up speed on the motion of 806 00:43:54,880 --> 00:43:57,920 Speaker 1: the saw. And it's also a huge waste of energy, 807 00:43:58,200 --> 00:44:01,000 Speaker 1: so every time you accelerate the cutting edge, you then 808 00:44:01,040 --> 00:44:04,160 Speaker 1: immediately have to waste energy slowing it down again and 809 00:44:04,239 --> 00:44:08,319 Speaker 1: stopping it before you reverse. But Lee points out something 810 00:44:08,400 --> 00:44:10,840 Speaker 1: else that I wouldn't have thought about, which is the 811 00:44:10,880 --> 00:44:16,200 Speaker 1: reciprocating motion also creates vibration, which makes it more difficult 812 00:44:16,239 --> 00:44:20,800 Speaker 1: to guide cuts accurately. Um. And so when I was 813 00:44:20,880 --> 00:44:24,320 Speaker 1: reading this, I immediately started wondering about something about Okay, 814 00:44:24,320 --> 00:44:28,680 Speaker 1: wait a minute, though, you could have continuous one directional 815 00:44:28,840 --> 00:44:33,080 Speaker 1: sawing motion without having a reciprocating saw by using a 816 00:44:33,120 --> 00:44:35,520 Speaker 1: circular saw, right, you know, like somebody would have in 817 00:44:35,560 --> 00:44:38,880 Speaker 1: their wood shop. That's one directional cutting that would solve 818 00:44:38,920 --> 00:44:41,960 Speaker 1: some of these problems, right, and of course we've seen 819 00:44:41,960 --> 00:44:46,719 Speaker 1: plenty of images of this and like industrialized you know, um, 820 00:44:47,120 --> 00:44:50,560 Speaker 1: lumber processing facilities where they'll be that one big vertical 821 00:44:50,600 --> 00:44:53,560 Speaker 1: saw that they're sending logs down. And of course, if 822 00:44:53,560 --> 00:44:56,560 Speaker 1: you're watching some sort of a horror suspense show, inevitably 823 00:44:56,600 --> 00:44:58,160 Speaker 1: a human being is going to be sent down there 824 00:44:58,200 --> 00:45:00,800 Speaker 1: to be cut in half as well. Yeah, the joker 825 00:45:00,880 --> 00:45:02,480 Speaker 1: is going to tie up Batman and put him on 826 00:45:02,520 --> 00:45:05,040 Speaker 1: the road down to the big circular saw. But of course, 827 00:45:05,040 --> 00:45:07,560 Speaker 1: while a circular saw is great in a in a 828 00:45:07,600 --> 00:45:10,920 Speaker 1: sort of workshop or saw mill environment where like you 829 00:45:10,960 --> 00:45:14,000 Speaker 1: have fixed sawing infrastructure and you know the size of 830 00:45:14,040 --> 00:45:16,920 Speaker 1: the things you're gonna have to cut, you can imagine 831 00:45:16,960 --> 00:45:19,640 Speaker 1: that you might start to encounter problems using a giant 832 00:45:19,800 --> 00:45:24,160 Speaker 1: circular saw to say, cut trees down in the field. 833 00:45:24,680 --> 00:45:27,520 Speaker 1: Because when you think about a circular saw, the maximum 834 00:45:27,640 --> 00:45:31,080 Speaker 1: depth of a cut made by a circular saw is 835 00:45:31,120 --> 00:45:33,759 Speaker 1: going to be the radius of the saw blade, or 836 00:45:33,800 --> 00:45:36,560 Speaker 1: about the radius of the saw blade, right, because it 837 00:45:36,600 --> 00:45:39,640 Speaker 1: has to be mounted from the middle. So if you 838 00:45:39,680 --> 00:45:42,680 Speaker 1: want to cut through a tree trunk that's ten ft wide, 839 00:45:42,760 --> 00:45:44,920 Speaker 1: you need a saw that can cut in at least 840 00:45:44,920 --> 00:45:47,799 Speaker 1: about five feet. Uh, so you need like a tin 841 00:45:47,880 --> 00:45:52,040 Speaker 1: foot wide circular saw blade, which it sounds very cool 842 00:45:52,160 --> 00:45:57,520 Speaker 1: but not practical. Uh Though, despite that impracticality, circular saws 843 00:45:57,560 --> 00:46:00,600 Speaker 1: for logging actually did exist in the earthly days of 844 00:46:00,640 --> 00:46:03,360 Speaker 1: power sawing. Uh. So there's an image of one of 845 00:46:03,400 --> 00:46:06,720 Speaker 1: these again in Lee's book called the Holt Stump Saw. 846 00:46:07,440 --> 00:46:10,880 Speaker 1: It's one of those images you you it's amazing, but 847 00:46:11,040 --> 00:46:13,520 Speaker 1: you kind of wish you could unsee it. Uh. It 848 00:46:13,600 --> 00:46:16,799 Speaker 1: looks like an absolute slaughter wagon. So there's like a 849 00:46:16,920 --> 00:46:20,320 Speaker 1: tractor basically with tracks, and then mounted on the tractor 850 00:46:20,960 --> 00:46:23,960 Speaker 1: is this giant metal arm with a steering wheel at 851 00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:26,680 Speaker 1: one end and a guy wearing a fedora holding the 852 00:46:26,719 --> 00:46:30,080 Speaker 1: steering wheel. And then at the other end of this pole, 853 00:46:30,200 --> 00:46:33,719 Speaker 1: leading out from the wheel is a humongous circular saw 854 00:46:33,800 --> 00:46:36,600 Speaker 1: that's just open to the air. Yeah. This is uh, 855 00:46:36,640 --> 00:46:39,120 Speaker 1: this is this is very terrifying looking and it also 856 00:46:39,200 --> 00:46:45,759 Speaker 1: reminds me of the various uh saw mechanisms and vehicles 857 00:46:45,800 --> 00:46:49,799 Speaker 1: that are in the Lorax uh the Illustrated book. Because 858 00:46:49,840 --> 00:46:52,520 Speaker 1: of course, the where you eventually get with the Lorax 859 00:46:52,640 --> 00:46:54,960 Speaker 1: is that the one sler in his corporation are just 860 00:46:55,000 --> 00:46:57,719 Speaker 1: cutting down all the truffle of trees. They can, and 861 00:46:57,760 --> 00:47:00,640 Speaker 1: they have these machines to aid them, and they look 862 00:47:00,680 --> 00:47:03,520 Speaker 1: like you know, basically fever dreams based on this concept 863 00:47:03,800 --> 00:47:07,719 Speaker 1: big circular blades attached to weird arms and whatnot. Oh, 864 00:47:07,719 --> 00:47:09,680 Speaker 1: I wonder if the idea comes from seeing one of 865 00:47:09,680 --> 00:47:12,520 Speaker 1: these actual machines, like the whole stump saw. Yeah, it 866 00:47:12,560 --> 00:47:15,640 Speaker 1: could be. Well allegedly, I mean, so these things did exist, 867 00:47:15,719 --> 00:47:19,000 Speaker 1: even though they have their problems. Apparently, giant circular saws 868 00:47:19,040 --> 00:47:22,680 Speaker 1: for logging were made in Russia and in France, but 869 00:47:22,719 --> 00:47:25,839 Speaker 1: again they were huge, unwieldy, they had problems, and so 870 00:47:26,000 --> 00:47:29,600 Speaker 1: chain saws, of course, they offered the best of both worlds. 871 00:47:29,600 --> 00:47:33,080 Speaker 1: So the rotating chain allows you to have the speed 872 00:47:33,160 --> 00:47:37,920 Speaker 1: and energy efficiency and accurate cut guiding of a circular saw, 873 00:47:38,520 --> 00:47:44,200 Speaker 1: but with the convenient long shape of the reciprocating saw. Alright, well, 874 00:47:44,239 --> 00:47:46,759 Speaker 1: on that note, we we're reaching the end of this episode, 875 00:47:46,800 --> 00:47:48,560 Speaker 1: so we're gonna go ahead and uh, we're gonna go 876 00:47:48,560 --> 00:47:51,839 Speaker 1: and cut it off right here. Uh, but we're gonna 877 00:47:51,800 --> 00:47:54,279 Speaker 1: be back, yeah, clean cut. We have we have so 878 00:47:54,360 --> 00:47:56,200 Speaker 1: much to cover in the next episode. We're going to 879 00:47:56,280 --> 00:47:59,400 Speaker 1: talk about the the invention of the chainsaw really the 880 00:48:00,200 --> 00:48:03,959 Speaker 1: most important chainsaws and chainsaw history. We're gonna talk about 881 00:48:03,960 --> 00:48:06,759 Speaker 1: medical chainsaws, uh and we're gonna talk a little bit 882 00:48:06,760 --> 00:48:12,320 Speaker 1: about what the chainsaw symbolizes in um in American culture 883 00:48:12,719 --> 00:48:15,439 Speaker 1: uh so, and I'm sure we'll we'll also continue to 884 00:48:15,440 --> 00:48:18,440 Speaker 1: to discuss a few horror movies along the way. I 885 00:48:18,480 --> 00:48:20,640 Speaker 1: can't wait. In the meantime, if you would like to 886 00:48:20,680 --> 00:48:22,919 Speaker 1: check out other episodes of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, 887 00:48:23,160 --> 00:48:24,839 Speaker 1: you can find them in the Stuff to Blow your 888 00:48:24,840 --> 00:48:27,719 Speaker 1: Mind podcast feed. You can get that wherever you get 889 00:48:27,719 --> 00:48:31,319 Speaker 1: your podcast. Uh. Normally we have a core episode on 890 00:48:31,360 --> 00:48:35,520 Speaker 1: Tuesday and Thursday, Artifact on Wednesday, listener Mail on Monday, 891 00:48:35,560 --> 00:48:37,800 Speaker 1: Weird howse Cinema on Friday. That's, of course, are a 892 00:48:37,920 --> 00:48:40,440 Speaker 1: weird movie episode that kind of bucks the tradition of 893 00:48:40,480 --> 00:48:43,000 Speaker 1: science and culture that we uh we we stick to 894 00:48:43,120 --> 00:48:45,600 Speaker 1: for the rest of the episodes. However, the week that 895 00:48:45,640 --> 00:48:48,080 Speaker 1: you're listening to this show, we may be altering that 896 00:48:48,160 --> 00:48:51,239 Speaker 1: a little bit just to get out content before Halloween. 897 00:48:51,520 --> 00:48:53,279 Speaker 1: It wouldn't be Halloween if we didn't throw a few 898 00:48:53,320 --> 00:48:57,439 Speaker 1: surprises your way. Um so. So, as always, huge thanks 899 00:48:57,480 --> 00:49:00,880 Speaker 1: to our excellent audio producer Seth nicalist Anson. If you 900 00:49:00,880 --> 00:49:02,920 Speaker 1: would like to get in touch with us with feedback 901 00:49:02,920 --> 00:49:05,360 Speaker 1: on this episode or any other, to suggest topic for 902 00:49:05,400 --> 00:49:08,080 Speaker 1: the future, or just to say hello, you can email 903 00:49:08,160 --> 00:49:18,759 Speaker 1: us at contact at stuff to Blow your Mind dot com. 904 00:49:18,800 --> 00:49:21,280 Speaker 1: Stuff to Blow Your Mind is production of I Heart Radio. 905 00:49:21,640 --> 00:49:23,759 Speaker 1: For more podcasts for My heart Radio, visit the i 906 00:49:23,800 --> 00:49:26,640 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listening to 907 00:49:26,640 --> 00:49:36,600 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.