Retired physics teacher harnesses old-time energy source
Lakeside resident Don Bumgarner shows off his steam-engine-driven rotisserie grill, powered by an 1890s model New York Safety Steam Power Company 500-pound engine. (Jeremy Weber/Daily Inter Lake)
The steam engine used to power Don Bumgarner’s rotisserie grill was built by the New York Safety Steam Power Co. in the 1890s. (Jeremy Weber/Daily Inter Lake)
Built from an 1890s steam engine, a Weber grill and a collection of scavenged parts, Don Bumgarner’s rotisserie grill sits outside his house in Lakeside. (Jeremy Weber/Daily Inter Lake)
Built from an 1890s steam engine, a Weber grill and a collection of scavenged parts, Don Bumgarner’s rotisserie grill sits outside his house in Lakeside. (Jeremy Weber/Daily Inter Lake)
Faced with hours of newfound free time during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lakeside retired physics teacher Don Bumgarner decided to take a step back in time. Wanting a rotisserie for his grill, Bumgarner set to work on his own design using not electricity, but a 500-pound steam engine from the 1880s....
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