Setting a wagon tire

Why? It sounds like less labor, for a longer useful life.

I'm kidding, but the Amish have an unusual take on things. I guess rubber under the steel is OK, but rubber tires would be unholy. But whatever they're doing seems to be working for them. I wonder if they're still busy making those stoves...

It's not that rubber tires are "unholy"--their rule is no powered vehicles that can be driven on the highway and no rubber tires is a way to enforce it.

Much of the Amish attitude toward technology is pragmatic--it's not that it's "unholy", it's that they want to maintain a particular social structure of their community and they're perfectly happy to go with technologies that don't upset that social structure but they after due consideration forbid those that do upset it.

Don't know about stoves, but they're still doing some nice woodworking. We have a couple of rooms and will be adding more this year.

That makes more sense.

I'm not sure I follow - I've seen Amish wagons on the road, both with rubber wheels and without. What does that have to do with it being powered? None of the Amish wagons are powered.

Different sects of the Amish have different takes on the rubber. Some allow it, some don't. Least that's what I've read. And it's owning things that creates the problem. The Amish can take public transportation and they'll hire buses when necessary.

If you saw a buggy with rubber wheels it was NOT Amish. More likely Mennonite.

Basically there are different orders of plain folks. Old order Amish - These are the ones who shun pretty much all modern technology, no powered machinery on the farm and maybe a phone stuck on a pole out in the middle of a field for all the "local" Amish to use.

New order Amish - These allow some modern technology like generators and solar power as well as some powered machinery on the farm with maybe a steel wheeled tractor or crawler allowed. They allow a phone in the barn or greenhouse and some even have a drivers license even though they are not supposed to drive cars.

Mennonite - The closest to what we take for normal people. They allow tractors and rubber tires on the buggies, some even have cars. They do some stuff the old ways but also have cell phones and electricity in some places.

Yep, and they also hire out locals to take good to market sales and such. One of the locals has me drive him or his wife around quite a bit to different farmers markets. VERY nice folks. The neighbors are currently selling out their farm and I'm hoping that some friends of the Amish I know buy it.

I hang out on newsgroups - maybe too much - and I don't know if I know what a 'normal' person is anymore!

I hope the Amish buy this place:

Best auto mechanic I ever knew was Mennonite!

I understand that a surprising number of Amish have cell phones. The way I saw it explained by one who has one is that he went to the Bishop or the elders or whatever they have (I forget the details) with this new thing and asked if he could try it. He was told that he could, with the understanding that he might have to give it up later if if was decided that such things were not acceptable.

As to what makes a cell phone different from a wired phone, I suspect the wires have a good deal to do with it.

There are some Amish here in Southern Illinois that drive pickup trucks, John Deere tractors and such.

Mark

The Ohio Amish furniture company I bought my stuff from wasn't connected to the grid but had cell phones, an took plastic. To power the machinery they had a bank of three diesel generators. Other furniture stores in the area had gas lighting. Rather surprising to walk under a fixture in the middle of the summer.

Are you sure those aren't Mennonites?

John Deere tractors could be New Order Amish, but pickup trucks don't seem very likely unless there was some truly extraordinary situation.

Or German Baptists (aka "Dunkers"). Their dress is almost identical to the Amish, the men have the same beards, and they typically work in the same occupations (chiefly farming, cabinetmaking, and teaching). Their theology is very similar to the Amish, except that they're more accepting of modern technology. They use electricity, telephones, cars, and tractors. They don't watch television or listen to the radio, and usually remove the stereos from their cars. (We used to live in a rural area of central Indiana, and had several German Baptist neighbors. They're fine people, kind, hard working, generous, and absolutely honest.)

Hmmm, I think there must be some Dunkers living in the South Bronx. Lots of stereos missing there.

I meant from _their own_ cars. ;-)

I'm coming in late and you've probably already solved the problem. But, if not, have you considered induction heating? No open flames, no smoke, and I know it can be done with small pieces (bearings, e.g.) with regular house current. Here's the relevant section from Wikipedia:

It might require a little research and initial expense. Both the engineering and the outlay might be beyond your reach. I know it is beyond mine.

-Frank

"Frank Warner" wrote

make an area as large as is needed, and put a piece of drywall on top of it. Use a hot plate or burner from a scavanged stove for the heat.

Amish is what they say they are. The family (extended) has bought an orchard and farm land in the area. I gather that they are an offshoot, they are using modern things to make profit and improve the farm and orchard.

Adapting to realities is how it was explained to me.

Mark