Ott was my grandfather, my twin and I lived in that holler until we moved to Banner Elk to start school. Discovered this video today and cried my eyes out. I spent many hours sitting on a log playing in the wood shavings. If I started talking, he would drag me down the path and put me on the porch. I am so grateful for the time I lived there, and the lessons I learned.

@ikust007

2 жыл бұрын

All my respect to you and him.

@Florida239

10 ай бұрын

Sound like a good guy wouldn’t let his grandkids talk lol…sounds like a ass to me

I’m 67 years old and grew up in a tenant farming family. Today I’m a blacksmith and woodwright. I also run an 1817 grist mill and an 1824 water powered sawmill for the State DNR. Ott the sled man brings a tear to my eye. A hard life lived well.

I love this video ..."Ott" was my Grandfather ...he became well known as "the sled man"

@hippiewithacowboyhat

7 жыл бұрын

Paula Greene - Dont know what the sleds are used for, but have to greatly admire a man who says "To hell with your check, I ain't crippled". You're very lucky to have had a grandpa like him. A man to be admired.

@guyazbell8169

6 жыл бұрын

Paula Greene You were blessed to have him.

@chuckmayes234

5 жыл бұрын

Paula Greene a grandpa to be proud of !!!!!! I had one just like him and I miss him dearly !!!! Go rest high papaw

@markrigsby2425

5 жыл бұрын

Great video

@salazarpayne3784

5 жыл бұрын

What were the sleds FOR?

This video should be mandatory viewing in every high school in America.

@sonyaenix2336

3 жыл бұрын

They still make sleds like this in Alaska.

@olewetdog6254

3 жыл бұрын

Why?

@dabprod

3 жыл бұрын

@@olewetdog6254 How about to show kids you can become successful in life by developing an idea into reality by determination and hard work.

@pelomalo68

3 жыл бұрын

I was thinking the same thing.

@motagrad2836

2 жыл бұрын

The reason to make sleds is that they can be used and make pulling heavy objects easier especially over snow. Why in Alaska? Because you can hook one up behind a snowmobile. Same reason farmers down here in the southern 48 would use them, except down here they would hook them up behind for wheelers. Stone boats have less friction pulled over grass and plowed fields than sleds with narrow runners, and sleds like this with wide runners are not a bad compromise. Some makers will angle the runners slightly to give better control

I grew up in the mountains of North Carolina over 70 years ago with folks like Mr Blair. I wish we had more like him today.

When it was the will in every MAN to provide for his family! God Bless this man’s family.

@JohnDoe-zl6ph

Жыл бұрын

We could use a lot more of that now.

A very inspirational and positive message.

Been in the foothills of NC my entire life. I’m 60 and have the one my Grandpa John Icard made circa 1940. My Mom is 88 and remembers riding in it pulled by their mule when she was about 9 years old. It’s made exactly to the tee like Mr. Blair’s. So honored to have it. Even more after finding this video.

Ott was my great-grandfather. He passed before I was born so I really enjoy watching this video and reading anything about him.

I don't remember when I first watched this film but it inspired me for the rest of my life to build my own things and restore things rather than throw them away. Great to see it again.

Sleds were more important in the steep terrain of the mountains than wagons. They used them for everything.

His Standard's were highly proved through the years! Now that's a real Man...🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

I often wonder what it would have been like to live back in the day. Thumbs up Ott !

This is the best utube I have ever watch I would go across America just too give honor to this MAN!!! Not kidding Tell me where he lives!

What an honor it would’ve been to buy one of those sleds from him.

We need more people like this ! " The hell with wellfare" .

The precision and craftsmanship is remarkable.

This is a man, a real workin' man, and a role model for anyone wanting to save humanity.

Watching videos like this makes me take a hard look at myself!

Great man! Watching this should be made mandatory for certain segments of our current population.

Now THEIRS a real man, God Bless you Ott. Thanks for the video, you made my day,al

what an example..this is how america was built

We need more like him

I'm with Jeff Stone , this makes me take a hard look at myself and yes , it should be shown to every 10 or 12 year old . Everything about is WONDERFUL ! Johnnie C . Nova Scotia

Well done, you must be so proud of your grandfather.

FANTASTIC video!

Well there was man who knew how to choose his tools and keep them sharp.

A great video for all to see today!

I really wish my Dad was still here, he'd enjoy this. His Daddy ( my PaPa ) was born on 1894.

A man who refused to stop working so he could draw a government check is to be respected and admired as a great American...

@tomhammock8351

3 жыл бұрын

Absolutely.

@tracyjohnson5023

3 жыл бұрын

DrumminSon Live YES! Even during the depression, WPA had men working in exchange for their 3 hots and a cot! Plus a little money to send home.

@gonesideways6621

3 жыл бұрын

That generation grew up with no help from government, the wheat farmers in dust bowl era living in sod homes refused $7.00 month assistance even when times were desperate and now look where we are !

@crunch9876

3 жыл бұрын

Larry Martin that’s interesting. Any source on that?

@Tn19895

3 жыл бұрын

BassBreath100 no such thing as white privilege there go getters and then there’s losers i guess we know which side you fall on so shut up

I wish some of the people now days had this Man's work ethic

My great grandfather ❤

@dangskippy9308

5 жыл бұрын

I know you are proud, I sure would be.

@ashleystreet5900

5 жыл бұрын

@@dangskippy9308 yes I sure am! 🙂

@theemeraldfox7779

5 жыл бұрын

You're very lucky luv..seems a great man

@ashleystreet5900

5 жыл бұрын

@@theemeraldfox7779 thank you! Wish I got to meet him, never got to since I'm younger. Nevertheless I am very proud of him ❤ his son, Bill Blair is the grandfather I got to spend time with and he wore overalls like his daddy all the time.

@chrisblair3081

3 жыл бұрын

I have family in KY and Tennessee, wonder how far back the tree it goes to be related lol

Really cool! I love old time folks & their skills. Life for most is easy nowadays. Because of it, society gets weaker all the time.....

@mmercier0921

3 жыл бұрын

People with such work ethic made it possible for many today to live... easy.

A skilled craftsman for sure. A true American congrats to the family

This man was a great man and a true American.

how wonderful -totally enjoyed

God bless him! That is a real man. A Good Man!

I wish I was half the man this man was.......

what an amazing story.

A Great MAN, I loved the story! It's just REAL SAD that now days people don't have that ATTITUDE of THE HELL WITH THE WELFARE, it's more like I CAN'T do this and that but THEY sure can sit on their ass and cash that welfare check even though probably 90% or more are able to do some kind of work!! Sorry for the rant but good ole OTT would likely feel the same way!!

@claymack1109

3 жыл бұрын

I couldn't agree more

Thank you so much for sharing this......"The Hell with welfare"...yes sir...this man created his own destiny with hard work and woods knowledge...there are few like him anymore!!! Nothing more rewarding than working with your hands and providing for your family........

There should be a statue of Ott outside the welfare office. This man “is” America. Salute! Thanks for sharing .

@crunch9876

3 жыл бұрын

Jack son the thing is now a days men just like ott. Identical to him in just about every way. Are on welfare.

@artificialdopamine6542

3 жыл бұрын

@@crunch9876 no

@HiLineTree

3 жыл бұрын

Sadly the Democratic bums would have it torn down. They are wanting to tear down everything that was built by hard working people before them. Idiot Democrats!

@dustinbird2090

3 жыл бұрын

@@HiLineTree I'm confused by your statement. I've only heard of Republicans actively work towards and successfully tear down the financial, environmental, anti-competitive, & social safety nets put in place because men and women fought and died working for a better future. I'm sure the Democrats are not helping the situation much, but how do you see them making things worse?

@dustinbird2090

3 жыл бұрын

Agreed, Ott is a fine example of a man taking a welfare check for a year while he improves his situation and no longer needs government assistance.

Great video!

so importante documentation, old knowledge, happy people:)

Is pleasure to get to know such a character....

A man after my own heart.

He's more accurate with his eye and an axe than I am my power tools and set square.

I still say The hell with welfare. I am the great grandson of this man. I wood work as well. Even with some of the some tools.

@barkebaat

5 жыл бұрын

Hello Mr. Blair ! I'm a Norwegian woodworker (trained as a cabinetmaker, mostly make windows & doors and whathaveyou, besides general house-building work as it's easier to come by) and for some reason I've developed a fascination for the Appalachians. Don't know exactly why ... maybe it's the landscape. Must be a good variety of trees in those woods ;-) One day I hope to make a holiday there and find out. Take care of those tools now !

@heathblair7814

5 жыл бұрын

@@barkebaat I've lived in this area of TN and NC for 40 years. I've love wood working most of it but not that good yet. If you get to spend time here please come see us. Thanks for the reply.

@skeets6060

5 жыл бұрын

I hope you learned a few things from Pap

@heathblair7814

5 жыл бұрын

@@skeets6060 unfortunately I never met the man

@margovallen

5 жыл бұрын

Heath Blair - *How much wood would a wood-chuck chuck if a wood-chuck would chuck wood?* Just wondering. lol

Makes me even more proud to call NC home.

Damn, I love this video.

wow..great job,.

He measured the right way..With a piece a wood! I sure would like to see his sleds

Outstanding! Reminds me of my Grandfather. Thanks for sharing! "To hell with welfare"

that is what my grandfather would call a stone boat .

This is the kind of man that will " make America great again "

My grandpa made one of these when I was real young. It lasted thru two horses. But, grandpa thought about getting a pony and that went pretty good, until grandpa decided it was time to try the pony to pull the sled and plow some.When grandpa open his horse lot, the pony made his break! Out the road, spreading sled parts. Finally stopping across another road”cat haller Road”. Grandpa swapped the pony for a more mature horse!

Great, Appreciate it!

Incredible

Interesting video of a real gent. Good to see that he could make a little money at his age too.

Great video... They don't make em like they used too

Hayesville NC born and raised my great grandfather and grandpa made sleds they done logging and farming

My Grandfather❤

I would love to have a full video of him building a Sled and how Ott built it ..Curtis Tomey

A Great video

Nice video.

The farm i grew up on was called sledgedale , a small orchard and steep so no wheels just a sled

THAT'S THE WAY IT IS DONE

Amazing

the accidental entrepreneur

These are the "Good" hard working people that built America, my kind of people 👍 🇺🇸.

👍👍 The good old days!! True American

God Bless The Working Man

Very cool

We need men like him in this country to , work all their lives and take no bill from anyone , not the drops around now , cancelling , eroding the freedom of speech , telling you what to say and think . To the fires of hell to all of them. Not a days work in any of them . Wish I'd met Ott Blair , we could have sat awhile had a smoke and talked . Then I'd be on my way a richer man for it

"I'm from the government and here to help." Ott says...

@dustinbird2090

3 жыл бұрын

"Thank you for the year of welfare but I'll keep building things and stop drawing a welfare check." People in these comments don't seem to hear that part of the story. Like they think he rejected welfare outright, from the start, as he was recovering from a broken leg, and unemployable.

he was my great great grandfather

This was a “man’s man”. He and others like him built this country. I’ll show this to my children and anyone else I can. I’d make it mandatory viewing for highschool kids if I could.

Love old America

great video , you know i have that same wood handle hole auger , i don't know where i got it from but its a duplicate and about the same age as the one in the video , ill think of Ott every time i look at it on my work bench

@heathblair7814

4 жыл бұрын

Mike L60 I still have that wood auger.

This is the kind of men America used to produce!

If you enjoy this video, you'd probably enjoy reading "Alex Stewart: Portrait of a Pioneer" by John Rice Irwin

Wish you could have shown a full finished sled!

Great video like see more.....great craftsmanship on them there sleds.....used those wooden dowels.....dont make them like that today......

George Washington~ The harder the conflict, the greater the triumph. Thomas Jefferson~ I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery. John Adams~ Freedom once lost is lost forever. Patrick Henry~ Give me liberty or give me death! Ott Blair~ To hell with the welfare, I ain't quittin'!

@jillsmcfarland2001

3 жыл бұрын

Rothschilds control the history in books.

@muddymike

2 жыл бұрын

@@jillsmcfarland2001 partial credit.

Real man.

Wonderful life 👍🇺🇸🤠💪

I'm getting ready to buy buy a set of bottle calves to train into a team of oxen (not my first team) that's why I watched this video I want build a sled like this. One of the oxen I'm going to name Wilbur after my grandpa who was a lot like Ott, the other one I think I will name Ott. Much respect to a man that was a man, not a little &itch like most "men" are today.

That axe was razor sharp

@clarencegreen3071

Жыл бұрын

They spozed to be. Nothing worser than a dull axe.

Same age as my Grandad. I tell people today what he did to live and they don't believe what he could do with what he found in the woods. It even amazes me how much he knew about nature and how to use it. He never had much in the way of a job but I never knew him to take "the welfare". America is less with the passing of these people.

Amen

Great

That is a real man...

Good ol boy.

Cool

THE HELL WITH WELFARE . this country comes from good stock ...... be safe everyone and god bless from Chattanooga TN 8/13/2020.

These are incredible videos,keep up the great work ! ^ l l { l\l

The ONE that he made for himself had to be the best ONE.Whoever he sold it to got it real good......

@asleepinthealley

5 жыл бұрын

I'll bet he did his best work on those he meant to ask money for.

were those moonshiners rumbling by to or from delivery?

Ott the Survivalist.

Great American a part of history