15-06-2011, 12:48 PM
Hi,
Before I miss it again Joe in reply to your post #14; I can't offer any advice on silver soldering as I've only ever done it over 40 years ago and forgotten the details. However I've done brazing but used oxy/acetylene for the heat source and still have brazing rods and Sifbronze flux to hand. For brazing the metal needs heating to cherry red; the filler rod is heated to about 4" from the end and the heated end dipped into the flux; with the metal glowing red the rod is then fed into the joint being made whilst still applying heat; the rod will melt and for a novice the joint will look a mess as the molten rod spreads like water. The residual flux is difficult to remove being extremely hard. Also in this category is case hardening. BMS (bright mild steel) can easily be case hardened by heating to cherry red and applying "Kasenit" powder; once cooled the only way to further work the metal will be by grinding. Boy all this brings memories flooding back.
If you do convert your back room into a workshop Joe just imagine the lathe you could squeeze in.
I'm very pleased to learn you are gathering equipment so quickly Josh and look forward to seeing the pictures.
The part of the drill press you refer to is called by two names; either "Spindle" or "Quill". Quill is also the name of the tail stock spindle in a lathe.
Although I never use Danish oil on vintage radio cabinets I have seen pictures of its use and admit the finish looks beautiful. Danish Oil can be applied by a five year old child as it merely wipes or brushes on then is buffed with a clean cloth. I've used it to good effect on home built wardrobes. The traditional oil is Linseed both "Boiled" and "Raw". Raw linseed oil is the quicker drying of the two and was commonly used many years ago on farmhouse tables; a table top oiled with linseed is undamaged should a hot pan or dish be placed upon it; it is said of such a finish that the timber will always accept another coat of oil and it is this that caused its demise as a proper oiled job could take over a month to apply.
Many years ago Josh I used to visit a family owned sawmill in Lincolnshire; I believe the owner was called Peter and whilst I waited for my order being cut up I would talk to Peter who was a wealth of information on all things timber. Peter told me he used to fell trees in East Anglia mainly Oak and then convert the timber in his sawmill. The point of this Josh is that I always found Peter to be highly approachable and perhaps if you contacted the sawmill explaining what you are trying to do it's possible offcuts could be available at little cost just to get your new venture up and running; of course should you succeed and I sincerely hope you do then a helping hand up front with offcuts could perhaps secure future orders for timber. This is only me thinking aloud and obviously I don't wish to drop an army of woodworkers onto the sawmill all looking for offcuts. If you do contact the sawmill please by all means mention that I recommended them to you and hopefully I'll be remembered by name; Colin Wood from Huddersfield. Also please pass on my best wishes. If at all possible a personal visit would perhaps be best; this will give you an insight into the workings of a sawmill and hopefully you will come away with a selection of timber offcuts; please bear in mind your time is free but this is a working sawmill needing to make money. The company has expanded a great deal since I visited and can be found here;
http://www.billinghaysawmill.co.uk/aboutus.html
I used to visit many companies asking for offcuts and always stating I was happy to pay; could I please look in their skips promising to leave everything tidy and if allowed and I did obtain materials not being charged for them I always followed up with a box of after eight mints or a tin of biscuits as a token gesture and of course I would then be allowed to visit again. I don't swear and am always polite; sometimes a company would rather send their offcuts to landfill than allow me to have them but on the whole I've done very well over the years. I became well known to a local large timber yard and when we moved into this bungalow 24 years ago we owned a Citroen 2CV; I would visit the yard and fill the car with as many offcuts of Meranti hardwood that I could cram in and at the time would be charged about £20 for the load.
Please note that hardwood is always sold as sawn timber and needs planing and thicknessing; by buying scrap woodworking machines and rebuilding them I was then able to convert the sawn timber which I still do to this day; I've saved an absolute fortune over the years; our fully fitted kitchen; and much of our furniture is made of offcuts but unless I tell anyone no one would know.
Just for interest Josh and to show examples of my work made entirely from offcuts I'm pleased to add a few pictures. I made two each lamp and table from offcuts of ordinary joinery grade softwood (pine). These cost nothing for materials and would be an ideal introduction to using a bandsaw and lathe for you. The construction is simple; the table top is made of biscuit jointed planed boards; the top is secured by a round mortise and tenon joint; an under-piece for the top and feet are drilled using a large bit the column has a tenon turned at each end to fit into the drilled holes both being simply glued. The feet are easily profiled with a bandsaw or hand tools.
Both lamps are turned and finished on the lathe to any desired profile; they are long hole bored to accept the round two core flex and plastic lamp holders are used for safety eliminating an earth wire should metal holders have been chosen. Both table and lamp are easy to make and look lovely each side of the bed. I made these many years ago and they still look as good as new; they were finished with Wickes varnish. The wall paneling is also to my own design but I actually spent money buying the timber for this and machining the bead moulding; the dentil moulding is simply individual wooden blocks sanded on the faceplate sander of my giant Dominion lathe when I owned the lathe and glued into position one by one; this detail is also carried around the corners of the ceiling as a wooden cornice.
I find such work most satisfying and of course most of it costs nothing or very little; our bungalow is full of such items.
Kind regards, Col.
[attachment=2060][attachment=2061][attachment=2062][attachment=2063]
Before I miss it again Joe in reply to your post #14; I can't offer any advice on silver soldering as I've only ever done it over 40 years ago and forgotten the details. However I've done brazing but used oxy/acetylene for the heat source and still have brazing rods and Sifbronze flux to hand. For brazing the metal needs heating to cherry red; the filler rod is heated to about 4" from the end and the heated end dipped into the flux; with the metal glowing red the rod is then fed into the joint being made whilst still applying heat; the rod will melt and for a novice the joint will look a mess as the molten rod spreads like water. The residual flux is difficult to remove being extremely hard. Also in this category is case hardening. BMS (bright mild steel) can easily be case hardened by heating to cherry red and applying "Kasenit" powder; once cooled the only way to further work the metal will be by grinding. Boy all this brings memories flooding back.
If you do convert your back room into a workshop Joe just imagine the lathe you could squeeze in.
I'm very pleased to learn you are gathering equipment so quickly Josh and look forward to seeing the pictures.
The part of the drill press you refer to is called by two names; either "Spindle" or "Quill". Quill is also the name of the tail stock spindle in a lathe.
Although I never use Danish oil on vintage radio cabinets I have seen pictures of its use and admit the finish looks beautiful. Danish Oil can be applied by a five year old child as it merely wipes or brushes on then is buffed with a clean cloth. I've used it to good effect on home built wardrobes. The traditional oil is Linseed both "Boiled" and "Raw". Raw linseed oil is the quicker drying of the two and was commonly used many years ago on farmhouse tables; a table top oiled with linseed is undamaged should a hot pan or dish be placed upon it; it is said of such a finish that the timber will always accept another coat of oil and it is this that caused its demise as a proper oiled job could take over a month to apply.
Many years ago Josh I used to visit a family owned sawmill in Lincolnshire; I believe the owner was called Peter and whilst I waited for my order being cut up I would talk to Peter who was a wealth of information on all things timber. Peter told me he used to fell trees in East Anglia mainly Oak and then convert the timber in his sawmill. The point of this Josh is that I always found Peter to be highly approachable and perhaps if you contacted the sawmill explaining what you are trying to do it's possible offcuts could be available at little cost just to get your new venture up and running; of course should you succeed and I sincerely hope you do then a helping hand up front with offcuts could perhaps secure future orders for timber. This is only me thinking aloud and obviously I don't wish to drop an army of woodworkers onto the sawmill all looking for offcuts. If you do contact the sawmill please by all means mention that I recommended them to you and hopefully I'll be remembered by name; Colin Wood from Huddersfield. Also please pass on my best wishes. If at all possible a personal visit would perhaps be best; this will give you an insight into the workings of a sawmill and hopefully you will come away with a selection of timber offcuts; please bear in mind your time is free but this is a working sawmill needing to make money. The company has expanded a great deal since I visited and can be found here;
http://www.billinghaysawmill.co.uk/aboutus.html
I used to visit many companies asking for offcuts and always stating I was happy to pay; could I please look in their skips promising to leave everything tidy and if allowed and I did obtain materials not being charged for them I always followed up with a box of after eight mints or a tin of biscuits as a token gesture and of course I would then be allowed to visit again. I don't swear and am always polite; sometimes a company would rather send their offcuts to landfill than allow me to have them but on the whole I've done very well over the years. I became well known to a local large timber yard and when we moved into this bungalow 24 years ago we owned a Citroen 2CV; I would visit the yard and fill the car with as many offcuts of Meranti hardwood that I could cram in and at the time would be charged about £20 for the load.
Please note that hardwood is always sold as sawn timber and needs planing and thicknessing; by buying scrap woodworking machines and rebuilding them I was then able to convert the sawn timber which I still do to this day; I've saved an absolute fortune over the years; our fully fitted kitchen; and much of our furniture is made of offcuts but unless I tell anyone no one would know.
Just for interest Josh and to show examples of my work made entirely from offcuts I'm pleased to add a few pictures. I made two each lamp and table from offcuts of ordinary joinery grade softwood (pine). These cost nothing for materials and would be an ideal introduction to using a bandsaw and lathe for you. The construction is simple; the table top is made of biscuit jointed planed boards; the top is secured by a round mortise and tenon joint; an under-piece for the top and feet are drilled using a large bit the column has a tenon turned at each end to fit into the drilled holes both being simply glued. The feet are easily profiled with a bandsaw or hand tools.
Both lamps are turned and finished on the lathe to any desired profile; they are long hole bored to accept the round two core flex and plastic lamp holders are used for safety eliminating an earth wire should metal holders have been chosen. Both table and lamp are easy to make and look lovely each side of the bed. I made these many years ago and they still look as good as new; they were finished with Wickes varnish. The wall paneling is also to my own design but I actually spent money buying the timber for this and machining the bead moulding; the dentil moulding is simply individual wooden blocks sanded on the faceplate sander of my giant Dominion lathe when I owned the lathe and glued into position one by one; this detail is also carried around the corners of the ceiling as a wooden cornice.
I find such work most satisfying and of course most of it costs nothing or very little; our bungalow is full of such items.
Kind regards, Col.
[attachment=2060][attachment=2061][attachment=2062][attachment=2063]
