12-06-2011, 05:10 PM
Hi,
Many thanks David; the wave winder is fully restored with a full complement of new cast iron gears but remains unused due to the high cost of suitable winding wire. Some day I will play around with it but as yet I’m unfamiliar with how it works although restoring the machine I believe was the hard part.
Thanks as always Rob for the kind words and encouragement.
You are so kind Tony. Your comments are oh so true; we do still have some of the best engineers in the world but unfortunately unless something is done quickly they are an endangered species and once the skills are lost they will take a heck of a lot of retrieving. I believe the old fashioned apprenticeships were the best training ever; none of this sitting in classrooms spending forever on modern rules and regulations together with ever stricter health and safety laws; you just can’t beat hands on training from people who know their profession inside out. It worked for me and I’m not the sharpest tool in the kit.
Thank you also Josh. You have a lifetime in front of you and I wish you the very best of luck in your endeavour’s. What kind of carpentry are you considering doing? It’s amazing what can be achieved using simple tools. When we first married I patiently installed a fully fitted kitchen with nothing more than a very basic tool kit and the only power tool I had was a single speed 3/8” Black & Decker drill.
Over the years I’ve bought many old fashioned heavy cast iron machines paying scrap prices for them then fully restoring them giving me top class equipment that would last a lifetime costing me very little. I’ve kept upgrading and the machines I now have do all the jobs I want to do. I do miss my big Colchester Triumph and Dominion lathes but in reality they were just too big for the space available.
One thing to look out for Josh whilst buying old woodworking machinery is to have a look at the electric motor/s. If the motors are three phase 415V and have six wires from the windings to the terminal board such motors can be run on reduced power by connecting in “Delta” and hooking up to a suitable single phase 240V supply. My Industrial Startrite combination woodworking machine has three 3 phase 415V motors fitted and I converted this ten years ago to run from our domestic 240V and although the motors don’t give full power they are still plenty powerful enough for the work I do. I also fitted a Denford Sharpedge gearbox taken from a scrap machine to drive the power feed to the thicknesser; this is powered by a 1 hp single phase motor which is way over the top; the power is transmitted to the feed rollers from the gearbox by cycle chain and sprockets; it is noisy but works well. I won’t add the full details because of safety issues and I shouldn’t want anyone to suffer an accident but any decent electrician should be able to convert such a machine to run from 240V. Any old 3 phase motor with just three wires connected to the terminal board can only be run on 415V as it will be connected in “Star” with the star connection often buried deep in the windings and trying to gain access usually damages the windings. I once bought a very old saw bench; it was cast iron construction and very heavy; power was via a fast and loose pulley which is something from the dark ages given your age Josh. Even such a machine can be very useful if converted to electric motor driving through belt and pulleys.
Single dedicated machines are always the best choice Josh if you have the option. Some of the combination woodworking machines take ages to convert from one function to another and for hobby or infrequent use this will be fine but for constant use would prove totally frustrating. My Startrite is very near to as good as a combination machine can be having a total of four motors controlled via a single selector switch which only allows one function to run at a time. My Startrite cost around £1,000 ten years ago and was scrap as I had to fully rebuild it but having used it a great deal over the years it has paid for itself and I think I would get more now than I paid for it should I ever wish to sell it.
My Startrite bandsaw is another very impressive bit of kit; I bought it through eBay costing around £150 and paid a further £80 transport costs. I totally rebuilt it and have since seen a similar rebuilt machine advertised on the Internet at over £1,700. This bandsaw has a 24” throat with 8” cut and is ten speed cutting just about anything with the correct blade fitted; it also is equipped with built in blade grinder and welder so if you have the space buying these industrial machines and restoring them is certainly worth the time and trouble; a lot of course depends on your own abilities to do such work but time gives experience and by starting with a small machine confidence is quickly gained. Safety of course must be considered because such machines are not toys and if the cutters don’t get you the electrics could so much care is needed.
Never ever run a saw bench with the riving knife removed and always ensure the crown (top) guard is fitted; it’s no good fitting the riving knife and guard after being smacked it the face with a missile. Use push sticks to feed material into cutters and never get nearer to a powered cutter than 4”. A push stick will end up with many scars but can be cheaply replaced; fingers or hands cannot.
The Union Graduate is indeed a fine lathe; I used to own its little brother the Jubilee which too is an excellent woodturning lathe.
Two must have machines are a decent sawbench say a 10” model and a planer/thicknesser; the wider the better mine is 10”.
I’ve never really needed a router table because my combination machine is fitted with a powerful moulder; I install Whitehill blocks (dangerous) with the desired cutter profile and this machine is capable of running miles of timber. Such moulder’s are scary machines and many years ago I had a Wadkin-Bursgreen dedicated moulder also fitted with a large Whitehill block; I’ll never forget the day it threw a cutter (knife); fortunately it missed me but the imbalance caused the heavy machine to walk around the garage until I killed the power. Believe me it was frightening.
Something possibly well down on your list of must haves Josh will be an arc (electric) welder. I wouldn’t be without one and have owned one for over thirty years. You mention making a home made router table? A welder would be so useful for such a project saving messing around drilling holes for nuts and bolts; clamping bits of metal together and welding is just so convenient unless of course you weld in the wrong place then my least favourite power tool the angle grinder comes in handy. Also I own a good quality tenon saw but seldom touch it preferring to use my trusty hacksaw which I’m so used to. Sorry to ramble but this is a subject so dear to me. I used my first welder to make a new chassis for our Bond Bug; I obtained two lengths of very heavy channel section steel from work and fabricated the chassis using hand tools such as hacksaw and files plus the welder; I bet the chassis is still running around somewhere.
Thanks Alan I think I feel a bit of experimenting coming on in making brass name plates and Tony (Aerodyne) has already very kindly offered to do the basic work for me if I should go the etching route. I know Tony is already working on such a project but don’t want to steal his thunder as I’m very interested in watching his progress.
You certainly know how to push my buttons Alan; I was in the garage by 9 this morning in the hope of beating the dire weather forecast for later in the day. Thanks for prodding me into finally making a short tool rest for my woodturning lathe. I quickly cut the two pieces of steel to size after marking using the hacksaw; I like to use my hacksaw for one off jobs for the exercise and to keep my eye in so to speak; the polished hacksaw blade shows how much use it gets. Next job was to weld the pieces together using my arc welder. I always do such welding on the garage floor to avoid damaging my engineering vice or benches. I bit of scrap 4”x2” box section steel was used as a miniature bench and the welding was quickly done making the job look a total mess as can be seen in the picture. I started to hand file to fettle the welds after chipping the slag off but as it was becoming darker outside pulled out the angle grinder.
Basic tools and hand cut to size.
With the new tool rest now shiny and looking good I quickly tidied the garage putting the welder and tools away and then undercoated using a spray can of Poundland grey. Whilst this flashed off I popped into the bungalow to make a pot of tea and collect the fan heater from the workshop. The paint was slow to dry because it was cold in the garage so I placed the fan heater on the bench and used it to dry the undercoat. The best top coat colour I had to hand was Nissan dark grey metallic so I gave the tool rest a good heavy coat with the intention of drying it quickly before it started to run using the fan heater; just as the paint was applied and I reached out to switch the fan heater on the power went off and remained off for over two and a half hours much to my disgust and usual luck so I ended up holding the tool rest until the paint set enough for it not to run. A few pictures completed the job. The car was put away and then it poured with rain; everything is normal in my world.
Welding in progress and looking a mess.
This is a good example of what can be done using offcuts of steel and basic tools; I don’t ever regard my welder as a luxury as this too has paid for itself many times over. Electric 140A arc welders are quite cheap but require practice to obtain good welding results and whilst learning to use such a welder expect to see a brilliant star in your eyes for a couple of hours until you get used to putting the welding mask over your eyes before striking the arc. A word of warning regarding arc welders for those wearing contact lens; be extremely careful because I’ve heard stories of contact lens being welded to eyes; the arc flash is very powerful and I occasionally get black rings appear above my socks on my legs whilst welding on the floor; you’ll quickly know when you’ve picked up a lump of metal at the wrong end after welding and will then forever wear thick gloves. Here is the new tool rest Alan I hope you approve.
Kind regards, Col.
After fettling and new tool rest completed.
Many thanks David; the wave winder is fully restored with a full complement of new cast iron gears but remains unused due to the high cost of suitable winding wire. Some day I will play around with it but as yet I’m unfamiliar with how it works although restoring the machine I believe was the hard part.
Thanks as always Rob for the kind words and encouragement.
You are so kind Tony. Your comments are oh so true; we do still have some of the best engineers in the world but unfortunately unless something is done quickly they are an endangered species and once the skills are lost they will take a heck of a lot of retrieving. I believe the old fashioned apprenticeships were the best training ever; none of this sitting in classrooms spending forever on modern rules and regulations together with ever stricter health and safety laws; you just can’t beat hands on training from people who know their profession inside out. It worked for me and I’m not the sharpest tool in the kit.
Thank you also Josh. You have a lifetime in front of you and I wish you the very best of luck in your endeavour’s. What kind of carpentry are you considering doing? It’s amazing what can be achieved using simple tools. When we first married I patiently installed a fully fitted kitchen with nothing more than a very basic tool kit and the only power tool I had was a single speed 3/8” Black & Decker drill.
Over the years I’ve bought many old fashioned heavy cast iron machines paying scrap prices for them then fully restoring them giving me top class equipment that would last a lifetime costing me very little. I’ve kept upgrading and the machines I now have do all the jobs I want to do. I do miss my big Colchester Triumph and Dominion lathes but in reality they were just too big for the space available.
One thing to look out for Josh whilst buying old woodworking machinery is to have a look at the electric motor/s. If the motors are three phase 415V and have six wires from the windings to the terminal board such motors can be run on reduced power by connecting in “Delta” and hooking up to a suitable single phase 240V supply. My Industrial Startrite combination woodworking machine has three 3 phase 415V motors fitted and I converted this ten years ago to run from our domestic 240V and although the motors don’t give full power they are still plenty powerful enough for the work I do. I also fitted a Denford Sharpedge gearbox taken from a scrap machine to drive the power feed to the thicknesser; this is powered by a 1 hp single phase motor which is way over the top; the power is transmitted to the feed rollers from the gearbox by cycle chain and sprockets; it is noisy but works well. I won’t add the full details because of safety issues and I shouldn’t want anyone to suffer an accident but any decent electrician should be able to convert such a machine to run from 240V. Any old 3 phase motor with just three wires connected to the terminal board can only be run on 415V as it will be connected in “Star” with the star connection often buried deep in the windings and trying to gain access usually damages the windings. I once bought a very old saw bench; it was cast iron construction and very heavy; power was via a fast and loose pulley which is something from the dark ages given your age Josh. Even such a machine can be very useful if converted to electric motor driving through belt and pulleys.
Single dedicated machines are always the best choice Josh if you have the option. Some of the combination woodworking machines take ages to convert from one function to another and for hobby or infrequent use this will be fine but for constant use would prove totally frustrating. My Startrite is very near to as good as a combination machine can be having a total of four motors controlled via a single selector switch which only allows one function to run at a time. My Startrite cost around £1,000 ten years ago and was scrap as I had to fully rebuild it but having used it a great deal over the years it has paid for itself and I think I would get more now than I paid for it should I ever wish to sell it.
My Startrite bandsaw is another very impressive bit of kit; I bought it through eBay costing around £150 and paid a further £80 transport costs. I totally rebuilt it and have since seen a similar rebuilt machine advertised on the Internet at over £1,700. This bandsaw has a 24” throat with 8” cut and is ten speed cutting just about anything with the correct blade fitted; it also is equipped with built in blade grinder and welder so if you have the space buying these industrial machines and restoring them is certainly worth the time and trouble; a lot of course depends on your own abilities to do such work but time gives experience and by starting with a small machine confidence is quickly gained. Safety of course must be considered because such machines are not toys and if the cutters don’t get you the electrics could so much care is needed.
Never ever run a saw bench with the riving knife removed and always ensure the crown (top) guard is fitted; it’s no good fitting the riving knife and guard after being smacked it the face with a missile. Use push sticks to feed material into cutters and never get nearer to a powered cutter than 4”. A push stick will end up with many scars but can be cheaply replaced; fingers or hands cannot.
The Union Graduate is indeed a fine lathe; I used to own its little brother the Jubilee which too is an excellent woodturning lathe.
Two must have machines are a decent sawbench say a 10” model and a planer/thicknesser; the wider the better mine is 10”.
I’ve never really needed a router table because my combination machine is fitted with a powerful moulder; I install Whitehill blocks (dangerous) with the desired cutter profile and this machine is capable of running miles of timber. Such moulder’s are scary machines and many years ago I had a Wadkin-Bursgreen dedicated moulder also fitted with a large Whitehill block; I’ll never forget the day it threw a cutter (knife); fortunately it missed me but the imbalance caused the heavy machine to walk around the garage until I killed the power. Believe me it was frightening.
Something possibly well down on your list of must haves Josh will be an arc (electric) welder. I wouldn’t be without one and have owned one for over thirty years. You mention making a home made router table? A welder would be so useful for such a project saving messing around drilling holes for nuts and bolts; clamping bits of metal together and welding is just so convenient unless of course you weld in the wrong place then my least favourite power tool the angle grinder comes in handy. Also I own a good quality tenon saw but seldom touch it preferring to use my trusty hacksaw which I’m so used to. Sorry to ramble but this is a subject so dear to me. I used my first welder to make a new chassis for our Bond Bug; I obtained two lengths of very heavy channel section steel from work and fabricated the chassis using hand tools such as hacksaw and files plus the welder; I bet the chassis is still running around somewhere.
Thanks Alan I think I feel a bit of experimenting coming on in making brass name plates and Tony (Aerodyne) has already very kindly offered to do the basic work for me if I should go the etching route. I know Tony is already working on such a project but don’t want to steal his thunder as I’m very interested in watching his progress.
You certainly know how to push my buttons Alan; I was in the garage by 9 this morning in the hope of beating the dire weather forecast for later in the day. Thanks for prodding me into finally making a short tool rest for my woodturning lathe. I quickly cut the two pieces of steel to size after marking using the hacksaw; I like to use my hacksaw for one off jobs for the exercise and to keep my eye in so to speak; the polished hacksaw blade shows how much use it gets. Next job was to weld the pieces together using my arc welder. I always do such welding on the garage floor to avoid damaging my engineering vice or benches. I bit of scrap 4”x2” box section steel was used as a miniature bench and the welding was quickly done making the job look a total mess as can be seen in the picture. I started to hand file to fettle the welds after chipping the slag off but as it was becoming darker outside pulled out the angle grinder.
Basic tools and hand cut to size.
With the new tool rest now shiny and looking good I quickly tidied the garage putting the welder and tools away and then undercoated using a spray can of Poundland grey. Whilst this flashed off I popped into the bungalow to make a pot of tea and collect the fan heater from the workshop. The paint was slow to dry because it was cold in the garage so I placed the fan heater on the bench and used it to dry the undercoat. The best top coat colour I had to hand was Nissan dark grey metallic so I gave the tool rest a good heavy coat with the intention of drying it quickly before it started to run using the fan heater; just as the paint was applied and I reached out to switch the fan heater on the power went off and remained off for over two and a half hours much to my disgust and usual luck so I ended up holding the tool rest until the paint set enough for it not to run. A few pictures completed the job. The car was put away and then it poured with rain; everything is normal in my world.
Welding in progress and looking a mess.
This is a good example of what can be done using offcuts of steel and basic tools; I don’t ever regard my welder as a luxury as this too has paid for itself many times over. Electric 140A arc welders are quite cheap but require practice to obtain good welding results and whilst learning to use such a welder expect to see a brilliant star in your eyes for a couple of hours until you get used to putting the welding mask over your eyes before striking the arc. A word of warning regarding arc welders for those wearing contact lens; be extremely careful because I’ve heard stories of contact lens being welded to eyes; the arc flash is very powerful and I occasionally get black rings appear above my socks on my legs whilst welding on the floor; you’ll quickly know when you’ve picked up a lump of metal at the wrong end after welding and will then forever wear thick gloves. Here is the new tool rest Alan I hope you approve.
Kind regards, Col.
After fettling and new tool rest completed.
