Union Jubilee Clutch.

[Retired]

Hi,

Well spotted Refugee and you are correct; yes plastic gears throughout.

I've actually been running this lathe previously with 60 thou cuts using the plastic gears without problems other than the electrics but like you I too have reservations about their longevity?

If the plastic gears fail then I'm just the guy to upgrade because a few years ago I came up with a quick method of cutting cast iron gears using a lathe so this isn't going to worry me unduly.

I do need to get one of my Myford lathes restored because I feel lost without a decent sized lathe; I keep resisting the temptation to buy another Colchester Triumph and a car upgrade next year rules this out due to the new car being bigger than our current car. If I had a huge warehouse I would still run out of space.

I've just spent an hour browsing the web for inspiration as my thoughts are turning to replacing our old double glazed windows and doors with home made solid oak items; now that would be a nice project because I have the kit to make these. One site recommends the use of green oak which is considerably cheaper but I'm concerned about splitting and cracking so more research is needed. I never let up but I'm never bored.

Kind regards, Col.

[pwdrive]

Hi Col, don't fit glass directly to green oak as it will probably crack, in fact don't use green oak at all for any opening window casements or small window frames, green oak can be used for very large single pane fixed windows or sliding glazed doors but it can get expensive as the glass has to be fixed in an aluminium frame which slots into an aluminium sub frame which is fixed to the oak frame with special sealing gaskets, the aluminium sub frame is designed to hold the main aluminium glazing frame and allow movement, this allows the timber to move without straining the glass, the aluminium frames are normally anodised or powder coated to a RAL colour for weather protection.
We did these at the Farmhouse Resturant job in Geurnesy, not cheap at all.
If you use quality kiln dried oak to make your window frames with they will still need well protectng, either with paint or many coats of a top notch varnish but I guess you know that already. The same painting regime also applies to the wall jamb faces, the header face and the sill face of the window frame.

Ten years ago I would have said UPVC windows/doors....Yuk...No way...Not now though as I get older, just started fitting new UPVC throughout the house, they look ok, pic enclosed. Still got to do the corner capping returns and top drip strip (in timber) I bricked up under the french window sill just before I took the photo today, there is a gap underneath to take a slate sill which I have, the sill will be inserted over the bricks and packed up tight to the aluminium threshold with a fillet of cement.

Lawrence.

[Nick]

If you use quality kiln dried oak to make your window frames with they will still need well protectng, either with paint or many coats of a top notch varnish but I guess you know that already. The same painting regime also applies to the wall jamb faces, the header face and the sill face of the window frame

I've always eschewed varnishes & paints - All our windows use Osmo UV 420 oil as the finish - really simply to apply & re-coat - no sanding down - just wipe down and slap on a new coat every other year or so.

Here a photo of some oak French doors that were BLACK with stain as they are completely exposed to the prevailing winds & weather (we are on top of a hill) - I used oxalic acid gel to clean them.... (Osmo sell it as their "wood reviver" but I made my own [eventually!] - the door on the left has been brushed with Osmo UV 420 oil - the one on the right is after oxalic treatment but before oiling)

[pwdrive]

Nick, I'm not a paint man either....The point I was making is that it has to be well protected as window frame joints etc don't like water despite using a waterproof glue, some folk think of the word oak as English Oak, Stout Hearts, Rule Brittania, Indestructable, Elgar, It Will Last Forever etc, not so I'm afraid, oak exposed to permanent damp is not that durable, if reactive fittings are used it stains awful and will corrode the fittings.
French oak is better than English oak in my opinion, all the oak framing I was involved in was done using French oak, the French know how to grow oak very well and manage there oak timber stands accordingly, over here in the main the stands are left to neglect.

Lawrence.

[Nick]

Nick, I'm not a paint man either....The point I was making is that it has to be well protected as window frame joints etc don't like water despite using a waterproof glue, some folk think of the word oak as English Oak, Stout Hearts, Rule Brittania, Indestructable, Elgar, It Will Last Forever etc, not so I'm afraid, oak exposed to permanent damp is not that durable, if reactive fittings are used it stains awful and will corrode the fittings.
French oak is better than English oak in my opinion, all the oak framing I was involved in was done using French oak, the French know how to grow oak very well and manage there oak timber stands accordingly, over here in the main the stands are left to neglect.

Yup - never, ever, use ordinary steel screws in oak - only use Brass, Phosphor Bronze or Stainless Steel (but only good quality SS).

The tannin in oak is acidic and reacts with ordinary steel forming black streaks...

A similar problem occurs with Red Cedar - I always use PB fixings there... (as do all high quality greenhouses).

Small story: I spoke a while back to a guy who worked on the restoration of the famous hammerbeam roof of Stirling Castle - they refused to have any Sassenach (in the English sense) oak in a Scottish castle, so used French oak instead - 350 trees in total:
http://www.carpenteroakandwoodland.com/c...e-scotland

FWIW, I've always used oak grown slowly in a cold climate - its denser and is more stable. Northern European oak (mainly Quercus Robur though best is Quercus Sessiliflora) seems a far better timber than North American oak (predominately Quercus Alba) - the European oak's rings are far closer together - its slower growing, denser and longer lasting - in addition, it show less movement.

[pwdrive]

Also Douglas Fir, Larch, Sweet Chestnut etc (Tannin)

Yes we used French beam oak for all the framing jobs also French flooring oak for floors, very nice.

The other point to note on doors/windows etc is that the protection system (or no protection) paint/oil or whatever should be a similar type on both sides otherwise the windows/doors etc run the risk of bowing or twisting.

Lawrence.

[pwdrive]

In this link you can see the aluminium subframes for the glazing fitted to the green oak main frames we did, as said earlier it allows for the movement of the oak but at the same time keeps the weather out.

Lawrence.

http://www.jwrihoy.com/commercial/the-farmhouse-hotel/

[Yorkie]

Yup - never, ever, use ordinary steel screws in oak - only use Brass, Phosphor Bronze or Stainless Steel (but only good quality SS).

The tannin in oak is acidic and reacts with ordinary steel forming black streaks...

A similar problem occurs with Red Cedar - I always use PB fixings there... (as do all high quality greenhouses).

Wood-turners often put steel wool into vinegar to make an 'ebonising' solution to stain wood-turned oak items black. Depending on how much tannin is in the oak, this is very effective and looks quite attractive when treated with paste-wax.

Quite a lot of iroko seems to be used for external applications, including things such doors, door jambs, window frames and lock gates, so I assume that's quite durable in such situations but I haven't researched it. I'm sometimes given offcuts of a size that's well suited to woodturning, but few woodturners will touch the stuff due to the toxicity of the dust. That said, it's straight-grained and knot free and turns well.

[pwdrive]

Yes, I agree, Iroko is durable, you need to select it carefully though as some lengths can turn to instant long bows.....
The dust from it as you say David is not nice at all.
Getting back to green oak windows, I wouldn't recommend for the average domestic situation, I think it would give some problems.
Straight grained knot free kiln dried is the best to use, also when designing/making them you need to give a thought to draught proofing/driving rain syndrome, you can use the DIY stick on stuff or cut grooves and use the proper gastkets.

Lawrence.

[Nick]

Straight grained knot free kiln dried is the best to use, also when designing/making them you need to give a thought to draught proofing/driving rain syndrome, you can use the DIY stick on stuff or cut grooves and use the proper gastkets.

Agree entirely - I'm making some replacement casements at the moment using sash cutters from Wealden Tools (http://www.wealdentool.com/acatalog/Door...ow_53.html) who are just down the road from me - very helpful people. Note they sell the cutters to use proper weatherseals too. Also, they do ovolo & scribe matched pairs for the joints.

One thing I would say is that if you are considering making your own windows using a router, you are in 1/2" (or a spindle moulder) territory and MUST use a router table to get anything like decent results...

Wealden Tool's "Hints & Tips" section is a goldmine of useful router-related information http://www.wealdentool.eu/hints_and_tips.html