off topic winter projects

This is how it looked.

I forgot to mention that the planer actually works!

8122pbrainard wrote: Roger, That is a piece of art! Cool!

Thanks Pete, sorry for the thread highjack... as for art if I could pass it off as that it would cost x100 more

Love the Art Deco style, the machines had pride back then not like the gray boxes you get today all HS now, had a look on your OWWM cool place made me smile, I see some of our Wadkin has made it on their

As an apprentice spent many an hour behind a 24 in” thicknesser it was the unguarded wadkin 5 head EKA that always made me pucker up....still have some Wadkin and other old arn in the shop

Your neighbours must love you when you start that thicknesser up

uk1979 wrote: Your neighbours must love you when you start that thicknesser up

After getting the planer back together, tuning it and then running it, I was actually quite surprised at how quiet it actually is. My dust collector makes more noise and you can't hear it running outside the shop. I think the extra thermal insulation I went with also handles the noise.

Geppetto, when is your target retirement date?

Well, the plan was 6 more years but the way my retirement account is going with this economy it may be longer!

You sure could not tell by the results Alan.

Well, the 8" Delta jointer is finished and running making more wood shavings! It turns out (from the help of OWWM.org) that this is a 1951 and not a 53. Logical since both the jointer and the 1951 planer came out of the same location. (Northwestern University maintenance shop)



The bearings in both the motor and arbor were shot so they were replaced. The old die cast sheaves were replaced with good cast iron and split taper bushings and of course an AX belt. Besides that, it just needed a good cleaning and paint job.



I again had Air Handling make me a custom transition for the dust collection hook up. You'll note it's what is called an offset transition in that the round is all the way at the bottom. This is so the shavings do not need to go "up hill" as they come down the jointers dust chute. Little details like this make a good dust system and keeps it from clogging.



Unlike the planer motor that I did not feel confident with it running off a VFD, (the shaft was also screwed up) the jointer did get one to make the 3 phase from my single phase. I hid the VFD in the base to keep the original look. Also keeping it original looking, I kept the original AB manual motor starter and simply used it as a switch to turn the VFD on and off.



A new set of blades and it runs smooooth! The real test of smooth is the "coin" test. Here's a nickle, penny and a dime (the dime is the real tough one!!) standing on the table while it's running at 70HZ.

I forgot to add the "tooling" I made to form the hem on the L&R end pieces of the heat dome. Wood is great and pretty simple as long as it's hard and you aren't doing hundreds of parts. the brass sheet was clamped between the wood and then simply hammered over to form the hem.



Now, I wonder how long it will take before someone has something to say about my statement: "Wood is great and pretty simple as long as it's hard"

I'm still working on all the "little" things that take time before getting into the launch hull. All the deck hardware has been blasted, lacquered and ready to go on the finished hull. I took a hard look at the original kerosene nav lights and the aft all around white was good since it's galvanized but the bow red/green suffered the same problem as the carbide search light. Falling apart and cracking due to the "zincification". Since they are so complicated to reproduce, I decided to look for a galvanized replacement and did win one off good old ebay!! a good clean up and a couple new wicks and they are back in working order.

The one on the left is the all around white and the original. It's a Perko!! I didn't realize Perko went back that far!
The combination red/green on the right is the one I got off ebay and patented in 1913. A perfect match for the launch which I now say would have been built around 1915.

lit and smoking up the shop!!!





I was concerned about how dim they were so I've been talking to a friend who is a retired DNR warden. The statutes state that the white must be visible for 2 miles and the red/green for 1 mile. Well, I was told that the DNR really only goes after people running at night with NO nav lights! I informally was also told that I should not be concerned and even if I was pulled over by an over jealous officer, the judge would throw it out of court - there's no way they can prove the 1 or 2 mile visibility!!   

SN206 wrote: Not sure what is more shocking. The $100 ice chest or your skateboard?

Ryan,
Well, the boards are left over from the old days of my son growing up. The old Styrofoam cooler is as well from an old garage sale. It was back in the days when my son was having a hard time placing the decimal! What he was trying to communicate is the cooler was 1 dollar!! Damn, my wife is a "pack rat" to the absolute extreme! you should see our basement! I dread the day when we move up north. No, not 1 day but many including the roll-off dumpster!! I anticipate it will be a rough time time when she see's what I'm tossing in the dumpster!

Pete, My advice to my dad back when my parents still were in the house I grew up in was that any time the garbage can went to the curb half empty he was doing the family a disservice. When they moved one 20 yard started the process, then multiple garage sales, then a 10 yard to finish.

Me and a Buddy are putting LED lights in the WLM Trophy Bases. Got my 2 finished and doing Dave's now.

Riley wrote: It's when the new neighbors move in with all their jet skis, tubes and bring all their friends and stay up all night hooting and hollering when you really wish you bought the property.

Yea, I heard Pete doesn't like competition for the "biggest tube on the lake" title.
Are any of you woodworkers familiar with the Shopsmith tools. A friend of mine recently bought one and he seems to be having fun with it. I am not a woodworker but I would like to give it a try sometime in the future. My impression is that the Shopsmith is for the home tinkerer, not a skilled woodworker, but I am probably wrong

Pete, you are a fascinating person!