What have you been doing today?

[ShopShoe]

awake,

Congratulations on a heck of a deal on the table saw and double congrats on your remilling of the slots.
I think Grizzly can help you out with whatever you need to end up with a miter gauge. And.... from one part-time woodworker to another: Don't forget to make a panel cutter.

--ShopShoe

 

[ajoeiam]

awake,

Congratulations on a heck of a deal on the table saw and double congrats on your remilling of the slots.
I think Grizzly can help you out with whatever you need to end up with a miter gauge. And.... from one part-time woodworker to another: Don't forget to make a panel cutter.

--ShopShoe

Wunderbar - - - sounds like you have - - - - grin - - - - some kind of drawings/sketches - - - please?

Tia

 

[awake]

awake,

Congratulations on a heck of a deal on the table saw and double congrats on your remilling of the slots.
I think Grizzly can help you out with whatever you need to end up with a miter gauge. And.... from one part-time woodworker to another: Don't forget to make a panel cutter.

--ShopShoe

Oh, definitely. I just sold the Craftsman cast iron contractor saw that has served me faithfully for ~ 25 years, and sent with it the panel cutter and featherboard that I made for it - neither would fit in the now-wider slots on the Powermatic, and it was a nice way to sweeten the deal on the Craftsman. I also took the Biesemeyer fence that came (disassembled) with the Powermatic and sold it with the Craftsman, and that might raise more than a few eyebrows. 20 or so years ago I made a T-square type fence for the Craftsman, which has proven to be extremely accurate, and is actually heavier in construction than the Biesemeyer; after much thought, I decided I'd rather keep it with the Powermatic, especially since the Biesemeyer would need some work (cleanup some rust, reassemble, and add a scale and a scale marker). The old panel cutter was effective, but very basic; I look forward to making a new one with some improvements!

Wunderbar - - - sounds like you have - - - - grin - - - - some kind of drawings/sketches - - - please?

Tia

No drawings yet; I've been pondering various options. Overall, I'm leaning towards the simpler end of the design possibilities, but I'd like to explore some way to make a usable fine adjustment - something I've not seen on any miter gauge thus far. Then again, it is woodworking, not machining, and a miter bar has a relatively small cross section, so I don't think I need to shoot for precision in the 1/10,000 range ...

 

[awake]

I should add a clarification. When I said that no commercial gauge has a micro adjuster, that was misleading. Many if not most have some sort of adjustment for the stops. I was thinking about something that could adjust the angle without necessarily having it having to reset to the stop after each adjustment.

 

[Steamchick]

What I did today?
Completed the oiler connection lever, and coupling rod on a Simplex loco.
8BA nuts drive me crazy! - They have a love for leaping off and hiding on the floor somewhere obscure...
Had a bit of fun bending a piece of stainless steel 3.5mm wide x 1mm thick into a double kinked shape - but bent the side-way as a curve - Used the blow-torch to soften it with a bit of local red heat - worked a treat!
Sometimes my ideas work... must take a photo?
K2

 

[ShopShoe]

ajoeiam,

Panel Cutters are so simple you don't really need a drawing to make one. You can find more information on this Norm Abrams video:



That segment starts about 37:55.

 

[awake]

Oh, I may have misunderstood. Joe, were you asking about plans for the miter gauge or for the panel cutter? (or for that matter, for the featherboard?)

Meanwhile, that New Yankee Workshop video was a blast from the past - I used to watch Norm every week, and learned a lot from him. That said ... this time, watching as a far more experienced woodworker, the video was less enjoyable, because I kept thinking of all the things he doesn't say, or things that were less than fully accurate, or so on. Adjust the blade parallel to the miter slots - great! Uhmm ... perhaps show people how to make the adjustment - what bolts do they loosen? Noting that this will differ depending on the type of saw, and in fact will demonstrate the true defining characteristic of a cabinet saw vs. a contractor saw. (Hint - it is not so much the hp of the motor, but rather whether the trunions are attached to the base or to the table.) And maybe at least mention some other brands than Delta - he presents the Delta models as though they are the only ones anyone will ever find. And so on ...

Sigh ... apparently I've gotten persnickety in my old age ...

 

[Steamchick]

So what did I do? - Not a lot. Just finished the new oil-pump drive - now taken from the main engine shaft cross-head spindle extension. Just 3 links, a bearing for the transition lever, and 5 pins. But it works and doesn't foul anything. The "fun" part was working ot a linkage to give the appropriate stroke, and then the shapes and angles for the linkages ... The final link to oil pump goes through a slot in the frames, and has to clear the ends of the slot. so the link is a bit Z-shaped... Not had so much fun on the drawing board in ....... a month or so?
Can't load the video, as I don't have the right extensions... apparently? - Suggestion on the back of a fag packet, please.

My body is knackered, hence the shakes (Gives the impression that something is moving anyhow):

Cheers!
K2

 

[ajoeiam]

ajoeiam,

Panel Cutters are so simple you don't really need a drawing to make one. You can find more information on this Norm Abrams video:



That segment starts about 37:55.

Apologies - - - - when I saw panel cutter I think I understood panel saw.

I'm looking for something that makes an easy time of handling full size sheet goods (you know 4' x 8').

Useful info anyway - - - thanks!

 

[awake]

Apologies - - - - when I saw panel cutter I think I understood panel saw.

I'm looking for something that makes an easy time of handling full size sheet goods (you know 4' x 8').

Useful info anyway - - - thanks!

Ah, makes sense. I would love to have a 52" fence just for that reason - I have the parts to set that up but currently do not have the room. With my 26" fence, I can cut a full sheet of plywood in half lengthwise (or other dimensions less than half), but it takes careful planning, strategic placement of support rollers, and full concentration! Whenever possible, I will cut it across the width first; in the absence of a panel cutter, here is what I find invaluable for that operation: https://www.amazon.com/ProGrip-Straight-Cutting-Sheets-Plywood/dp/B07ZKS7Y3W. (Disclaimer: I do not have this particular model, and have no affiliation nor any knowledge of how well is does or does not work; this was simply the first one that came up in my Google search.)

Joe or others, you may already be aware of this type of guide clamp, so apologies if I am preaching to the choir. This type of guide is easily adjustable and can clamp securely, with a single lever, across the width of a full sheet of plywood. It provides a smooth and straight guide for a circular saw or router; with care, the results can be very good. (Of course, one needs to account for the offset to the cutting blade or bit!) Certainly a straight board can be used instead, but it is a lot harder to get a board clamped securely on both ends while positioning it on the mark. This type of guide makes it so, so much easier.

For less wide panels, I also have a shop-made jig that consists of some 1/4" plywood glued and nailed to a straight piece of 1x stock. The plywood should be wide enough that the saw can rest on it, guided by the 1x "fence," and cut off any excess plywood. Then the plywood edge shows the exact location of the cut, and can be placed right on the line. Very useful, but - at least in my shop - not practical to make it too long. (The problem for me is storage!) I think the one I made & use is around 20" long.

 

[Olli-Matti]

Made a vid about the Super 11 DRO installs:

 

[Sprocket]

Olli-Matti,
I have a 2 axis DRO for my South Bend 10K. I got it this summer, haven't wanted to stop what I'm working on to take the lathe apart to install it. Probably this winter.
I did a 4 axis DRO on the Bridgeport about two years ago, and it changed the way I used the machine. I hope the lathe works out as well.
Neatly done on your installation. You get both the lathe and mill in one shot.
Thanks for posting. It might give me some ideas.
Doug

 

[Steamchick]

Yesterday, my friend took the Simplex loco from my garage. Hoorah! A job finished.
The day before we confirmed "no leaks" in the boiler. The Inspector told me that having flushed the boiler with acidic de-scaler, I had probably made a sieve, as scale was likely to be sealing many boiler stays, etc. So dissolving the scale permits tiny leaks to appear. Thankfully, this has not happened. Either a good boiler, or I didn't thoroughly de-scale the boiler. But it looks OK peering in the holes when fittings and plugs are removed.
We half filled the boiler with water, lay the loco on its side and applied 30psi air. When examining the firebox, there were no leaky stays. Turned over to examine t'other side of firebox. All good. So, using a blow-lamp, we heated a full boiler to 30psi and steamed the loco for 15 mins, checking for steam leaks. All OK.
So I was very happy. The boiler can go on to hydraulic testing, etc. Then the exam and certification.
K2

 

[Steamchick]

Well, I did another job on the Simplex loco.
It passed the Hydraulic test, but failed the steam test. NWp = 80psi so (for UK certification) the Safety Relief Valves must prevent the boiler from exceeding 88psi ( +10%).
At 100psi the tester called "Fail".
So I re-set the valves as attached.

Enjoy!
K2

 

[Steamchick]

Re: Safety Valves re-made for Simplex Loco.
Excellent results. Now 1 valve starts to open about 10psi beow NWP - but only a whiffle - then pops at 80psi. Opens wide by 85psi. The other valve pops open at about 85 psi and the pressure doesn't rise further. Closing is OK as well.
HAPPY!
Next job - Silver soldering (HMP alloy) the grate back together after is was dropped and hosed and had a crack in one frame. Taught the club secretary how to silver solder (His Dad taught him 50 years ago but he hasn't done it since.). Another tick on the job list.
Finally, fixed a test pump - that hadn't been used for over 10 years - because it needed a ball valve cleaning.... This involved a tiny little job that I was taught as a boy. Shortening bolts. - this time because the exposed ends had "lost their grease" with time and were in the water reservoir for the pump, so rust had had a good go at the threads. Bolts were 2in long but only needed to be 1 1/2 in long.
Held in the lathe - after screwing a nut on to about the inch position, allowed the bolt to be held by the head and a nut in the 3-jaw chuck. The excess end of the bolt projects nicely aligned for machining that way. Proceeded to trim-off the damaged excess end off the bolts, dressed the machined end of the thread, then when dismantling, the nut just "refines" any slight distortion in the end of the thread caused by the machine tool. - Nice to use a method I was taught by my Grandfather when a child...
Happy days!
K2

 

[Bentwings]

Re: Safety Valves re-made for Simplex Loco.
Excellent results. Now 1 valve starts to open about 10psi beow NWP - but only a whiffle - then pops at 80psi. Opens wide by 85psi. The other valve pops open at about 85 psi and the pressure doesn't rise further. Closing is OK as well.
HAPPY!
Next job - Silver soldering (HMP alloy) the grate back together after is was dropped and hosed and had a crack in one frame. Taught the club secretary how to silver solder (His Dad taught him 50 years ago but he hasn't done it since.). Another tick on the job list.
Finally, fixed a test pump - that hadn't been used for over 10 years - because it needed a ball valve cleaning.... This involved a tiny little job that I was taught as a boy. Shortening bolts. - this time because the exposed ends had "lost their grease" with time and were in the water reservoir for the pump, so rust had had a good go at the threads. Bolts were 2in long but only needed to be 1 1/2 in long.
Held in the lathe - after screwing a nut on to about the inch position, allowed the bolt to be held by the head and a nut in the 3-jaw chuck. The excess end of the bolt projects nicely aligned for machining that way. Proceeded to trim-off the damaged excess end off the bolts, dressed the machined end of the thread, then when dismantling, the nut just "refines" any slight distortion in the end of the thread caused by the machine tool. - Nice to use a method I was taught by my Grandfather when a child...
Happy days!
K2

Excellent ! Nice memories. I turned out to be the engineer and mechanics in our house LOL here I sit almost 81 yr old with fading memories . Going to teach 6 yr old grand daughter how to carry sharp things to night no running allowed ever. Then son and grand daughter will bandage 5 yr old grand son foot like NFL injured player . He hurt his ankle running trick or treats not bad but he will get lots of attention.

I remember I was about 12 came home with about 10 stitches holding eyebrow on huge shimmer eye face swollen.

Dad says what the h******happened just a little misunderstanding in the hockey game. Mom says did you get home work done “ yes” how you can only se out of one eye at best . I said something like “ I only need to see half the words so I can read twice as fast “ ???????? . Yes well we better se an “ A” on that report card . . And so it was in the old days LOL

 

[Steamchick]

The loco running. MP4 movie too big to load. Any ideas?
k2

 

[Toymaker]

The loco running. MP4 movie too big to load. Any ideas?
k2

Upload to YouTube and post the link here

 

[Bentwings]

Upload to YouTube and post the link here

We als are into giant scale Rc warbirds . p 51b, P P51d 12” wing B 25
ME 109and. Couple others we just got the latest electric motor system it replaces an 85 cc gas motor. Supposed to make 25 hp at max battery supply we have that on the way too . Electric has nothing to do with being “green” the charging gas generator negates the electric “ green” LOL We will have a real air force shortly . These electrics are double cool belt reduction drive allows big high pitch 4 blade carbon fiber props the fighters will be 100 + mph planes . We are really excited over this new stuff no more fooling with temperamental gas engines and gas all over every thing . Just plug the wires in and turn on the switch it should make a day at the flying field a lot more fun . Any way that’s todays projects med I&R test tomorrow then we’d is the cancer blood test hopefully all will go ok then I’ll be off the bi weekly tummy injections for st last a month or more . Just in time for winter . But winter in the south is mild compared to the “ up north” snowy winters . It will be just throw some salt on the black ice and be done with it . No shoveling knee deep snow . I’m glad .

 

[Basil]

Just starting on a boat build for the 30cc Seal major. Finally got all the CAD done apart from a rear hatch for the radio box. Busy cutting out bulkheads and building jig.