‘It does it all’

By KENNETH HART
The Independent

GRAYSON September 08, 2007 11:23 pm

— Ask an obvious question — such as what, exactly, does a device known as “The Do-All Machine” do, anyway? — and one should probably expect to receive an equally obvious reply.
“It does it all,” deadpanned Mark Gunderson, the machine’s creator.
Clearly, it wasn’t the first time Gunderson had been asked that question.
And, it was equally clear those attending the Carter County Old-Time Machinery and Antique Association’s annual show on Saturday had never witnessed anything quite like Gunderson’s wacky, Rube Golberg-esque contraption.
The Do-All — a hodgepodge of cast-off mechanical and industrial bits and pieces cobbled together in a rather remarkable feat of engineering — was one of the star attractions of the show.
Virtually all of the Do-All’s components are parts Gunderson prevented from becoming landfill fodder.
“Almost everything came out of a Dumpster somewhere,” he said, speaking in a loud voice so he could heard over the machine’s clankity-clanking.
Some of the parts that make up the Do-All include a truck rear end, a water pump impeller, an antique oil well engine, a transmission from a Jeep CJ5, a Wankel rotary engine from a Mazda RX-7, a 100-volt DC generator, a governor and brake from an old elevator, a penny press and, perhaps most remarkably, half a of a Wright Cyclone radial engine from a World War II B-25 bomber.
The machine was assembled on a flatbed trailer for easy portability and weighs 4,500 pounds, Gunderson said.
So, seriously ... what does it do?
Among other things, according to Gunderson, it blows bubbles, generates electricity and stamps souvenir pennies, which Gunderson was offering for sale.
Gunderson, of Charleston, said the Do-All was built to demonstrate various mechanical principals.
Gunderson said he had been known to take machine to schools for use as an educational tool. However, he said he preferred to exhibit it at machinery shows because having children near the contraption made him a little nervous.
Aside from the Do-All, the show — which is in its 26th year — featured plenty of other old-time machines of a more conventional nature.
One was Gordon Womack’s grist mill, which grinds corn into meal. Womack, a long-time member of the association, said he’d owned the machine for about 15 years.
“This old motor is from the ’30s,” he said. “The mill itself is from the ’20s. I took it all to North Carolina and had it redone.”
While tinkering with old machines is an enjoyable hobby, Womack said there’s another underlying purpose to what other members of the association do.
“It’s the history of it,” he said. “That’s what we’re trying to preserve and to expose people to. It’s all about the heritage.”
According to Womack, virtually every town had once had mill such as his. Rather than charging farmers a fee to grind their corn, the mill operators would assess a toll of one-eighth of a bushel for every bushel ground. The operators would then sell the corn to people who came in without any, he said.
Carter County Judge-Executive Charles Wallace, who was raised on a farm and still farms the land he owns in Carter and Greenup counties, said a lot of the old-time machines on display at the show were state-of-the-art in his father’s day.
He said admired what the members of the association were doing to help keep traditions alive and put on an annual showcase that helps to bring in visitors.
“It’s real nice what they do for the county,” Wallace said.
KENNETH HART can be reached at khart@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2654.

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