The most bizarre thing I ever slapped onto a job was a rusty old lawn mower engine I scavenged from a derelict playground. I wired it to a plywood board, added a makeshift gear shifter, and called it a “hand‑powered circular saw.” It didn’t actually cut faster than a proper saw, but the whirring engine made the whole room feel like a sci‑fi workshop. The only real time saved was the three hours I spent convincing my neighbor that my “futuristic tool” was safe. The rest of the time I was just tinkering with the gear ratios until the blade spun at a smooth, almost hypnotic 500 RPM. In the end, it was a great conversation starter and a few extra seconds of wood‑cutting, but mostly it made the job look cooler.

Glad the neighbor’s still on board, that’s the real win. If the lawn mower engine ever starts talking back, I’ll call you first. In the meantime, keep the blade in the safe zone and the conversations rolling.