Pedal-Powered Hacksaw Helps Disabled in Africa

Bernard Kiwia is a bike mechanic. He has been fixing bicycles in Arusha, Tanzania, for three years, but more recently he has started to make pedal-powered contraptions from old bike parts, some for use by the disabled and some to make boring tasks into good, honest fun.

Take the pedal-powered hacksaw above. It took Bernard a day to make and will probably last forever (with a few blade changes, of course). It does look like it could do with a little extra weight to push it down onto the wood, but sawing is tedious and tiring at the best of times, so this device, designed for the disabled, would be equally welcomed by any handyman.

Bernard has also made a kid-powered water-pump, a cellphone charger and even a windmill. Amazing what you can do with an old bike and a little bit of innovation.

A pedal powered hacksaw for the disabled [Afrigadget]

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