Union Jubilee Clutch.

[pwdrive]

Yes, no Micky Mouse router for serious profiling in oak.
Another point, years ago we only had to think about thin single light wieght glazing, these days with double glazing the glazing units are much heaver, need to take that into account when jointing opening casements etc, just done the UPVC double glazed french windows, seriously heavy, the two delivery guys were doing a bit of grunting when handling them.

Lawrence.

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks everyone for your replies regarding oak.

I know you have used oak previously Lawrence and thank you for adding such a lot of useful information regarding green oak or dried oak. I have done a bit of web browsing looking at various sites containing information about the use of oak. One site went into quite a bit of detail discussing the aluminium sub frames etc you kindly mention Lawrence and this alone would make me reject the use of green oak. Thanks also for the picture. You mention protection of the oak once installed and I agree this is most important but I can't ever see me slapping a coat of paint onto oak as you wouldn't; it defeats the object in my view as oak is a beautiful timber in its own right and like you and Nick I would go for either top quality oil or proper clear micro porous to block out UV.

What a dramatic difference the cleaning and oiling has made to your doors Nick and so easy to do?

I take your point about double glazing units being extremely heavy Lawrence but as I work and install totally on my own I would install the bare frames first then add the glazed units making the job more manageable; even a small double glazed unit without frame is heavy because I've installed a couple of replacements over the years.

Thanks Nick for adding the link to the Stirling Castle roof job; this must have been a huge undertaking even using modern equipment but it's mind blowing to think this job was designed; made and installed all those years ago without a single 13A socket in sight? Yes Nick I have a big 3HP router but better than this for a production run I also have a Startrite combination machine with a spindle moulder; I have the big rebating head and also a couple of profiling heads to suit this moulder; I've not ground any moulding knives for years.

Iroko is a very good suggestion David and I've seen a lot of this used in large sections for canal lock gates as it is extremely durable possibly more durable than oak? I've not seen any Iroko for ages but I believe it has a very coarse grain? You also mention wood turners soaking steel wool in vinegar David which is a good tip; I would never use steel wool on oak because it becomes embedded in the open grain then at a later date if the oak becomes damp or wet it quickly stains making it look a mess. Fuming was used a great deal at one time for staining oak furniture; the furniture would be installed in a "tent" and ammonia in open containers was added inside the tent; a sample strip of the same oak would be included and a careful check was kept on the sample strip until the desired shade of brown was obtained; left exposed to the ammonia for too long the oak would eventually turn black. .880 (point eight eighty) ammonia was used for the job of fuming.

I would never embark on a project such as making and installing wooden window frames without doing a great deal of research first; if I only wanted to paint the frames then I would choose a much cheaper softwood.

I'm only thinking about oak window frames at the moment as this is something I've always considered having a go at. Our bungalow still retains the original softwood frames which are in perfect order; just the double glazing units are now starting to fail so I could very cheaply and easily simply replace the glazing units.

The paint finish is Bakelite gloss brown but another option I'm considering is to replace the glazed units then completely re-paint using scumble to resemble oak which is another very old technique little practiced these days. The one big worry I have in replacing window frames is our very unpredictable weather; it would be my luck to remove a window frame then there to be a cloudburst; this cloudburst has a habit of appearing each time I put the final brush full of gloss onto exterior woodwork and only a few days ago I applied Black Magic paint to exterior surfaces and after both coats had been applied down came the rain; it never fails.

As usual I'm thinking aloud and many of my big projects have started this way; at the moment I feel unsettled and not sure which project to tackle first but at least it generates a bit of interest and attracts a lot of very useful information on the forum.

Kind regards, Col.

[Joe]

I like iroko, it's about the easiest timber I've found to turn.

Thanks for the tip on staining oak, David. I know Fumed Oak is done with ammonia but this seems a much simpler method.

- Joe

[Nick]

I like iroko, it's about the easiest timber I've found to turn.

Thanks for the tip on staining oak, David. I know Fumed Oak is done with ammonia but this seems a much simpler method.

I always was taught to use Van Dyke Crystals - Still got a big bag of it somewhere... was cheap and very reliable - made out of roasted walnut shells, I believe !.

http://www.getwoodworking.com/news/artic...stals/930/

[Retired]

Hi,

http://www.restoration-materials.co.uk/i...?k=1902:23::

I too use Vandyke Crystals Nick bought from Restoration Materials in Bury. This is a powerful stain and a little pigment goes a long way. It is extremely cheap compared to spirit stains and being water based dries a lot quicker.

Kind regards, Col.

[pwdrive]

"""I take your point about double glazing units being extremely heavy Lawrence but as I work and install totally on my own I would install the bare frames first then add the glazed units making the job more manageable; even a small double glazed unit without frame is heavy because I've installed a couple of replacements over the years"""

Col, I was thinking more of the stress/weight on the casement joints, depending on the size double glazing units, they can be heavy.
If you decide to do your windows then allow 5 - 6 mm on each face of the window opening for fitting and packing out and fit a DPC tray, a strip of 150 mm DPC will do. If you decide to use putty don't bother with the stuff in a tub use putty on a roll, dead easy, no fiddling around.

Lawrence.

[pwdrive]

"putty on a roll" as I calls it.

http://www.hodgsonsealants.com/productpa...ing-tapes/

Lawrence.

[Retired]

Hi,

Many thanks for the putty and fitting information Lawrence.

I've previously used linseed oil putty from the tub as sold by Screwfix which is a messy sticky process.

I've also used Butyl type glazing compounds but these don't accept paint but it hasn't been any trouble because I've used the Butyl in conjunction with wooden glass beading so only a very thin sealing layer was needed.

If I use linseed oil putty I like to paint the rebates first and also paint the glass edges with a coat of gloss paint as this allows the putty to adhere much better.

The first ever woodworking job I did 37 years ago when I married Bron was to make new wooden window frames for the semi we had just bought; I used very basic hand tools but the frames looked good once painted and saved us a lot of money. You are so right Lawrence about leaving a gap all around then wedging into position adding damp proofing.

Kind regards, Col.

[pwdrive]

Hi Col, that tape will take paint no problem, there is absolutely no mess with that stuff, it can be obtained in different wood colours so far as I am aware. If you can lay up masking tape then you can lay that flexistrip no problem

Lawrence.

[Retired]

Hi,

An update at last regarding the Jubilee.

Due to the Clarke lathe expiring I've now got the Clarke modified but not had time to use it on my prototype clutch project. Seeing the Jubilee in bits has been annoying me for a while; every time I looked at it I thought another job yet to do so this afternoon I finally did something positive.

I measured the new 3 phase motor for mounting then took the Jubilee heavy steel motor mounting platform into the garage and welded on an extension allowing me to bore another two holes. I had taken a paper pattern of the hole spacings and used this to accurately bore the holes.

Back in the workshop I mounted the motor onto the platform then coupled up the VFD finally installing the motor/platform as a unit. Next job was to mount the new VFD and this was accomplished by cutting out an 18mm thick MDF mounting board drilling the board to accept screws allowing the board to be secured the workshop wall and the VFD to the board; the cables were tidied up and now the Jubilee is a working lathe. I feel a lot happier seeing the lathe complete once again and when I get some spare time I want to add a remote pot for speed control and a start/stop control.

I've now got three of my five lathes running and I've even painted the headstock from one of the Myfords.

It felt most strange to be in the workshop after a long layoff but I soon settled; I'd forgotten just how good it is to be able to potter around without any job putting me under pressure.

This hot weather is just the job and although I'm suffering from rare sunburn I hope this hot weather continues for some time to come allowing me to get on with projects. Normally I do my projects in dire conditions so this makes a refreshing change.

The garage and workshop are both now tidy ready for work.

Kind regards, Col.