Most of the work I do seems to consist of lifting things up and moving them someplace else, or knocking them down, lifting them up and moving them, then putting them up. Trees, dirt, compost, gravel and lumber of various sorts all combine in various ways to help me work up a healthy sweat (perspiration, for the more delicate among you). All tools, no matter how complex they may seem, come down to the lever, the inclined plane, and something to whack things with.* Human beings, being human, also like to have somebody else supply the energy needed to operate their toys. These days the juice usually comes in the form of used dinosaurs.**

Power unit- 34 year old Simplicity 101 yard tractor, Briggs and Stratton 10 horse motor and belt drive. Attachments- tiller and home made blade (courtesy my dad's welding skills). Tire chains from a 1929 Star and it will push a lot of snow and pull a lot of logs. Trailer ball lets me pull my Canadian Tire kit-build trailer with the other tools and materials I need. In the past it has powered a water pump for garden irrigation, pulled a stone-boat (in the form of an old VW hood) and dragged a set of harrows around, among other things. When it dies I'm having it bronzed.

Husqvarna 51 chain saw with a 16" bar-light enough for general use, powerful enough to take down the biggest trees this country provides. I like to buck my firewood to 12" lengths, I prefer spruce or birch, but if it will burn, I chunk it up. Windfall, deadfall and the occasional dangerous tree removal have so far provided all the wood I need, and more.

Jack-All-Jack- Handy and dangerous. Stretch fence wire, pull posts or stumps, roll logs, lift machinery, level foundations, straighten bent steelwork. Jackall does it all, and in the process barks your knuckles, tries to knock your teeth out and drops heavy things on your toes, all in a very friendly way.
Cable Comealong- Combine this with the Jackall and, if it won't move, maybe it was meant to stay there.

Wheelbarrow- Steel body, pneumatic tire, great invention. Totes sand, gravel, compost, branches, firewood. Place to mix concrete.

Bow saw- Lot of sweat equity in the old Swedish fiddle player, but handy for rough carpentry. Good pocket knife- I carry two, a Schrade "Old Timer" and a Buck pen knife. Multitool- Hang it on your belt, handy.

Good axe- Craftsman makes a good one, lifetime guarantee.
Six pound wood-splitting maul-Or what's the point of the chainsaw? Machete- believe it. Scythe-Hello Grim Reaper, goodbye weeds.

Pounding sticks- My Plumb 16 ounce general purpose hammer is 35 years old and I'm still waiting to collect on the guaranteed fibreglass handle. Mastercraft framing hammer- worth its weight in good framing hammers. Four pound hand maul- move mountains with this, given enough time. Sixteen pound post maul- move mountain ranges with this. Lining bars, crow bars, pry bars, wet bars.

Ardox twist nails- they stay in. Socket head screws- they go in. Drywall screws-Phillips drive, sharp point, multiple uses besides hanging drywall.

Measuring devices- thumb, little finger tip to elbow (cubit-like for the ark), hand span, clothyard (middle finger tip to nose, arm extended) foot (yours), pace (yours), eyeball- probably yours. (notoriously inaccurate when pouring drinks). Measure all these with a standard measuring device, memorize them and a multiplication table and Bob's your uncle.

Framing square and level, 25'x 1" steel tape measure, with a belt clip. Chalk line.

Leather tool belt- with lots of pockets and hangers

Clay pick, long handle round nose shovel, square nose shovel, scoop shovel.

Circular saw with carbide blade, table saw with ditto, 6" bench grinder and wire wheel, angle grinder (4" is a good utility size), drill press. Small AC welder. Propane torch.
Workmate, Sawhorses, Workhorse (for scaffolding, uses 2x4's-easy adjust)
Vise grip pliers. ***WD-40, (for getting your nuts off). Haywire.
Hand brace and bit combo. Screwdrivers- by the handful. Wrenches-by the pound.
Hard hat, steel toed boots, goggles, ear plugs, gloves, dust mask and other safety related devices.

And, as they say, many others too numerous to mention, not many just for decoration.

Back to ME

*Two cavemen:

Og : Say Thog, do you remember yesterday when you whacked me over the head with your fist and I said "Ouch"?
Thog : Ugh.
Og : Well look what happens when I apply the principle of leverage in the form of this stick in my hand, and the principle of the inclined plane in the form of this wedge-shaped rock I attached to the end of it to whack you over the head. Thog? Thog? You okay?
Thog :......
Og : Allllriiight! Anybody else want me to go Cro-Magnon on their ass?

(Eat your heart out, Stanley Kubrick.)

**I know, I know. Deep sea reefs with trillions and trillions of little teeny tiny zooplankton under tremendous pressure. But aren't dinosaurs more romantic?

***"If it's not stuck, and it should be, use Duct Tape.
If it's stuck, and it shouldn't be, use WD-40."
-Jim and Tim, the Duct Tape Guys