rlwhitetr3b
Well-known member
I would think the farm land across the road to the south would be outside the village, so they would not be involved. The way I see it Thomas, you are good to go. I think you should take Kevin's signature to heart!
Above 1200 Sq/FT Restored 1930's Auto Shop
- Thread starter BB767
- Start date
Wokspaces above 1200 squarefeet.
I would think the farm land across the road to the south would be outside the village, so they would not be involved. The way I see it Thomas, you are good to go. I think you should take Kevin's signature to heart!
Whataboutbob I am honored by that.
The Garage Journal is a terrific site with a vast array of information, projects and talent available and the best part is most folks here seem to be just, plain nice guys and gals. How great is that?Thank you for checking in here and letting me know what you think. Greatly appreciated. There is more fun filled, facts coming this way soon. Check back.
Thomas
I would think the farm land across the road to the south would be outside the village, so they would not be involved. The way I see it Thomas, you are good to go. I think you should take Kevin's signature to heart!
Boy, I like the way you think! A man after my own heart and I juuuusssst love operating equipment. Yup, that field falls just outside of the village so I'll have to have a talk with Johnny.........
Oh Chris, have you seen this earthmover on eBay? It looks good and isn't all that far away. Where is Goodland, Nebraska anyway.......
Thomas
IMCA38
Well-known member
Oh Chris, have you seen this earthmover on eBay? It looks good and isn't all that far away. Where is Goodland, Nebraska anyway.......
Thomas
Actually, Goodland is in Kansas, extreme NW corner. Close to my old stomping grounds.
rlwhitetr3b
Well-known member
There is also a Goodland in IN. It really isn't that far from the center of the universe(Philo IL)
IMCA38, the second I hit Submit Reply I realized that, duh. Then I thought well,maybe there's one in Nebraska too and no one will notice.
I should have known better with the sharp group we've got here. Thanks for the correction. So is it flat like it is here?Thomas
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IMCA38
Well-known member
Yes, it's pretty darned flat out that direction until you start to run up on the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. There are some nice sandhills heading up into the panhandle of Nebraska, but those will put you to sleep faster than the miles of flatness.
Chris it's interesting you bring that up. His son's (my friend) go kart was made by Mr. Johnson in that shop. His dad was an older gentleman, very smart fellow, PhD and all, in his 60's at the time. He never understood why a 13 year would want to goof around with things like go karts and such. He more or less labeled me, as he put it, "a tinkerer" and speculated that I would, "never amount to a hill of beans". He clearly saw me as leading his son down the path to sorrow and ruination.
As I work out at the shop I think back to that incident from time to time and every time I do a smile comes over my face. Wonder if that thinking would persist or if he still wouldn't get it? I just don't think he understood me very well.
Thomas
Heck, that isn't a bench, that is a piece of furniture
Thomas, you are an amazing individual. From furniture building to flying the big boys and everything in between. A truly diversified individual. I wish I had half the talent that you have.
Kevin, diverse well yes, perhaps think of it as "Jack of All Trades, Master of None".
It shows what stubbornness and shear persistence will do for you. I still can't hold a candle to the way and speed with which my father could sharpen hand plane knives among other things. Now there was a talented individual for you. What ever talent I may have, it comes from his role model.Thomas
Alan T in DE
Member
Thomas,
Your work speaks for itself. "Stubbornness and persistence" will only get you so far--skill, talent, attention to detail, and commitment are required to attain the high quality finished projects (garage, barn, jack, numerous cars & God only knows what else) that you've produced.
These attributes are lacking in 90% of the people who claim to be "masters" in their trade, craft, or profession.
The "Master" moniker isn't worth the paper it's printed on.
I'm an ASE Certified Master Auto Tech. One of my former coworkers and fellow "Master Technicians" was a bookworm who had a great grasp of theory, but couldn't translate that to reality. He was a "Master Tech" in name only. It took him 3 hours to replace the rear shocks on his wife's late '80s/early '90s Mercury Colony Park wagon--a job that would be easily accomplished in less than an hour by a pimply face 16 year old at any corner service station or Pep Boys.
My point is that a select few "jacks of all trades" are far better than many so-called "Masters". You are certainly one of the select few!
Your work speaks for itself. "Stubbornness and persistence" will only get you so far--skill, talent, attention to detail, and commitment are required to attain the high quality finished projects (garage, barn, jack, numerous cars & God only knows what else) that you've produced.
These attributes are lacking in 90% of the people who claim to be "masters" in their trade, craft, or profession.
The "Master" moniker isn't worth the paper it's printed on.
I'm an ASE Certified Master Auto Tech. One of my former coworkers and fellow "Master Technicians" was a bookworm who had a great grasp of theory, but couldn't translate that to reality. He was a "Master Tech" in name only. It took him 3 hours to replace the rear shocks on his wife's late '80s/early '90s Mercury Colony Park wagon--a job that would be easily accomplished in less than an hour by a pimply face 16 year old at any corner service station or Pep Boys.
My point is that a select few "jacks of all trades" are far better than many so-called "Masters". You are certainly one of the select few!
Don't let Chris get wind of this..... but maybe my chief pilot should be reminded at my next check ride.
Alan, you sir are far too generous
A Brightly Blushing Thomas
PRO.OUTLAW
Member
21 hours! two and a half days! of inspired and dedicated reading, and to think I came across this thread by accident. Thomas I just wanted to give you and Chris a salute as we do all our American Pilots here at YYZ. Luckily for me I got to read about your restoration while at work, while watching Aircraft take off and land.
Will you be making the trip to Cayuga for the C.S.C.N this year?
Will you be making the trip to Cayuga for the C.S.C.N this year?
With a great humility I'll continue with the Barn Bench Build...
With all the various parts dry fitted and tested, it is time for glue up. The drawer cabinet is the most critical to make sure it is square for the drawers to fit properly. Once it had dried properly (overnight in this case) the other sections could be constructed around it.
It's also important to square the other components to the drawer cabinet. All the various parts interact with one another. Note long thin wood blocks stretching across the cabinet door openings. This helps to ensure proper placement of those legs until they are permanently attached to the base.
You'll note the 3/4" plywood "bulkhead" to right of the drawer cabinet going from the front to rear legs #7 & #8 respectively.
It provides strength, locates those legs relative to one another and helps anchor that the end of the long bench. Those two legs were notched for that plywood so it's flush with the legs just like the legs in the drawer cabinet. While you're here at this picture, take note of the wood blocks screwed on the base by the plywood and the large 3" X 7" leg. We'll come back to those.
Here you can see small wood blocks clamped all along the top of the toe kick. The legs at this point are still unattached to the base so this keeps them in their correct position from the front of the toe kick while all the various legs and their attachments are glued up.
This is the end panel of the small bench "L" section. This shows the inside stringers that I decided I needed to provide more strength to the front legs. One parallels the front stringer and the other parallels the top of the end panel. They were surface glued and screwed to the legs. They're the same dimension as the front stringers.
On the right you can see that inside stringer behind the front stringer and how it runs past the leg to provide material so it can be screwed to the leg.
Note the notch in the plywood panel which provides clearance for the inside stringer of that opening.
To be continued...
Thomas
With all the various parts dry fitted and tested, it is time for glue up. The drawer cabinet is the most critical to make sure it is square for the drawers to fit properly. Once it had dried properly (overnight in this case) the other sections could be constructed around it.
It's also important to square the other components to the drawer cabinet. All the various parts interact with one another. Note long thin wood blocks stretching across the cabinet door openings. This helps to ensure proper placement of those legs until they are permanently attached to the base.
You'll note the 3/4" plywood "bulkhead" to right of the drawer cabinet going from the front to rear legs #7 & #8 respectively.
It provides strength, locates those legs relative to one another and helps anchor that the end of the long bench. Those two legs were notched for that plywood so it's flush with the legs just like the legs in the drawer cabinet. While you're here at this picture, take note of the wood blocks screwed on the base by the plywood and the large 3" X 7" leg. We'll come back to those.
Here you can see small wood blocks clamped all along the top of the toe kick. The legs at this point are still unattached to the base so this keeps them in their correct position from the front of the toe kick while all the various legs and their attachments are glued up.
This is the end panel of the small bench "L" section. This shows the inside stringers that I decided I needed to provide more strength to the front legs. One parallels the front stringer and the other parallels the top of the end panel. They were surface glued and screwed to the legs. They're the same dimension as the front stringers.
On the right you can see that inside stringer behind the front stringer and how it runs past the leg to provide material so it can be screwed to the leg.
Note the notch in the plywood panel which provides clearance for the inside stringer of that opening.
To be continued...
Thomas
kbuhagiar
Well-known member
Man, this is better than the New Yankee Workshop!
Norm Abrams has a kindred spirit in Thomas!
PS: Thomas, knowing how you do not watch TV, let me explain. Norm Abrams is a Master Carpenter who had a long running series (21 years) on PBS called "The New Yankee Workshop". Norm is known for his thorough explanations and meticulous attention to detail.
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mdbeck1
Well-known member
I'm not sure but I don't think that Thomas has the "droll" part of the delivery.
I've got to agree that he has the "meticulous attention to detail" down pat.
BigAl62
Well-known member
Alan T in DE: I too am (was, can't go into it right now) an ASE Master Tech and I never refer to myself as a Master of anything. Actually I prefer the term "Mechanic" to "Tech" as most guys I know who call themselves "Tech" couldn't wrench their way out of a wet paper bag. I just do the best I can (which is more than most people I work with, but don't tell them!) and I get results. I would rather repair something than replace or "throw parts at it".
Tom, I am still thoroughly enjoying your thread and as for your comments about going off on tangents, keep it up because A: it's your thread and B: it's interesting as hell! Keep up the great work!
Chris, keep Tom out of trouble as best you can, he's one of a kind (the finest kind I'll bet he'll say)!
psychobillycadillac
Active member
Thomas....You a Pilot Right? Just checking because for a while there I could have sworn you worked in construction. Then I though no he's definitely into antique restoration. The there was that little "strange period" of your romantic affair with the anvil. But now your a cabinet maker! Is there anything you can't do? Really though you are doing a wonderful job with everything and your dedication to pure craftsmanship is inspirational. Thanks again for posting all this great information. By far the top thread on the forum.
hobbitss
Well-known member
With a great humility I'll continue with the Barn Bench Build...
To be continued...
Thomas
Ummm... My eyes keep wandering to the bench in the background.... And all of the Ummm.... ToolSSSS!!!!!!
Could you include some more photos of the in use benches please?....
markviii
Well-known member
BigAl62-
I try my best to keep him out of trouble, but he seems to be a bit headstrong. When he sets a goal, he reaches it, sometimes even exceeding it (you saw how he chose to move the anvil, didn't you?).
psychobillycadillac- Yes, Tom certainly has his "strange periods" once in awhile (crazy anvil moving techniques, "clocking" screwheads, etc.).
Yep, he seems to be able to do most anything he sets his mind to. He's a pilot and has been a flight instructor, A & P mechanic, woodworker, industrial arts teacher, and community college teacher of diesel/auto mechanics. He's been a realtor, driven a grain truck (has his CDL) and can do plumbing and basic home electrical repairs, operate a backhoe, build a house, construct a fireplace, lay brick, and practically anything else he sets his mind to. He has great design sense and can even frame pictures!
kbuhagiar and mdbeck1-
Good ol' Norm Abrams! I use to watch PBS - saw him first on This Old House. I only caught him on his own show once or twice many years ago. "Droll" is not part of Tom's persona, for sure, but "meticulous attention to detail" through and through.
PRO.OUTLAW -
Another speed reader, I see! 21 Hours? At work (not in the tower, I hope)? At least it was exciting reading to help you stay awake! Thanks for posting in and welcome to the Center of the Universe.
Tom (BB767):
All is well here at home. The extreme weather passed us by, again, this time. Others were not so lucky south of us.
Happy 36th anniversary! Sorry I'm not there, but you'll be home soon.
Chris
I try my best to keep him out of trouble, but he seems to be a bit headstrong. When he sets a goal, he reaches it, sometimes even exceeding it (you saw how he chose to move the anvil, didn't you?).
psychobillycadillac- Yes, Tom certainly has his "strange periods" once in awhile (crazy anvil moving techniques, "clocking" screwheads, etc.).
Yep, he seems to be able to do most anything he sets his mind to. He's a pilot and has been a flight instructor, A & P mechanic, woodworker, industrial arts teacher, and community college teacher of diesel/auto mechanics. He's been a realtor, driven a grain truck (has his CDL) and can do plumbing and basic home electrical repairs, operate a backhoe, build a house, construct a fireplace, lay brick, and practically anything else he sets his mind to. He has great design sense and can even frame pictures!
kbuhagiar and mdbeck1-
Good ol' Norm Abrams! I use to watch PBS - saw him first on This Old House. I only caught him on his own show once or twice many years ago. "Droll" is not part of Tom's persona, for sure, but "meticulous attention to detail" through and through.
PRO.OUTLAW -
Another speed reader, I see! 21 Hours? At work (not in the tower, I hope)? At least it was exciting reading to help you stay awake! Thanks for posting in and welcome to the Center of the Universe.
Tom (BB767):
All is well here at home. The extreme weather passed us by, again, this time. Others were not so lucky south of us.
Happy 36th anniversary! Sorry I'm not there, but you'll be home soon.
Chris
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PRO.OUTLAW, you have my thanks for the compliments. As has been often stated, you guys get to tell pilots where to go! If you stumbled across this thread by accident I can only imagine you thinking, those Americans are really and truly crazy!
The Chevy II and I were at Cayuga for the C.S.C.N two years ago and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. We were with the F.A.S.T., Factory Stock group. That track hooked so well I actually bogged the car on a few starts, holy cow! Last year we didn't get an invitation and so far I haven't heard anything so...........
Love to return if they can get us back.Thomas
Hi there kbuhagiar. I saw Norm on the original "This Old House" many, many, many years ago. I was very impressed with his workmanship. I didn't know about them spinning him off on his own, 21 years ago you say? I'd say that was successful.
Thanks for dropping by here. I'm glad you find the BBB of some interest. I was hoping guys wouldn't dismiss it as having nothing to do with the old shop and why was I including it in this thread? The build post continues...
Thomas
Is psychobillycadillac from the Johnny Cash song? What a hoot that song is and only Johnny could carry it off the way he does.
Well I do have diverse interests and who doesn't just love anvils? Just ask Rick.
To do the restoration on the shop required having a wide range of skill sets. Those I didn't have before I did the shop work, I do now!Case in point; when it became apparent the Rotary Lift had a significant leak and needed attention I told Cameron of my intention to repair it. He asked me "have you ever done this before?" No, I told him, but I can learn.
I may not be the sharpest crayon in the box, but I am teachable.No guts, no glory!
Thank you for your interest in my little corner of the world.
Thomas
Christine, did ya have to list aalllll that stuff......here....... really......honestly...... did ya????? I won't be able to show my face around here any more. Talk about embarrassing moments, and on our anniversary no less.
.......... and how do I go about explaining this to everyone, ya that's right but........ how about, she got carried away with herself.......caught up in the moment.........after 36 years she finally cracked under the pressure.........she thought I didn't read what she posts here..........I don't know, I just don't know
a small "t" thomas
Excuse me everyone for a moment here:
PS, happy anniversary to you too sweetie.
I'll be home before you know it! 
Sweet Old Bill
Well-known member
Chris: "Happy 36th anniversary". Holy Cow, Batman! Chris whatever could you have done wrong as a child to deserve such a fate?
Now that the kidding is half over, to Chris, my condolences! To Thomas, my heartfelt congratulations!
Now the serious part, Best Wishes for even more good times together!
Now that the kidding is half over, to Chris, my condolences! To Thomas, my heartfelt congratulations!
Now the serious part, Best Wishes for even more good times together!
Lou's Garage
Well-known member
Happy 36th Anniversary!
Lou
Lou
Warg
Well-known member
Congrats on your 36th Anniversary! I guess I have a couple of years to catch up, we're having out 10th wedding anniversary in July... Time flies! (pun intended)
-Paul
-Paul
markviii
Well-known member
Hey, I didn't spill all the beans! (most had been mentioned somewhere within the thread at one time or another anyway)
The rain held off, so I'm hopeful the mowing at the restored auto shop is being done today. Yea!
Thanks, everyone, for the well-wishes. The past 36 years is just a "blink" in the grand scheme of things. No need for any condolences Sweet Old Bill. "In for a penny, in for a pound" someone once said. I participated in many of the things on that list, too. You'd get tired reading what my endeavors (along with our 6 month old and 3 year old in tow) were during the first three years of his flying career. Don't forget that we chose to take it all on; it wasn't foisted on us. Just part of our life, so not classified as "work" in our book. We learned a lot along the way and are still learning.
Chris
The rain held off, so I'm hopeful the mowing at the restored auto shop is being done today. Yea!
Thanks, everyone, for the well-wishes. The past 36 years is just a "blink" in the grand scheme of things. No need for any condolences Sweet Old Bill. "In for a penny, in for a pound" someone once said. I participated in many of the things on that list, too. You'd get tired reading what my endeavors (along with our 6 month old and 3 year old in tow) were during the first three years of his flying career. Don't forget that we chose to take it all on; it wasn't foisted on us. Just part of our life, so not classified as "work" in our book. We learned a lot along the way and are still learning.
Chris
ToyMeKaNeK
Well-known member
Happy Anniversary. Let's all sing together on this special day.
HOTFR8
Banned
Excuse me everyone for a moment here:
PS, happy anniversary to you too sweetie.
Now that's nice. Excused.psychobillycadillac
Active member
Thomas yes it is from "one piece at a time" and by far one of his greatest songs.
rlwhitetr3b
Well-known member
I thought it was the center of the universe not a corner of the world.
Congrats on your 36th
BigAl62
Well-known member
Happy anniversary Chris and Tom!
magnusk750
Well-known member
Walker update 2.01...
A peeve of mine is using improperly fitting tools that damage hardware. Screw drivers are notorious for chewing up screw heads when they don't fit the slots correctly or the driver slips out of the slots. Here I've filed the heads and straightened up the slots.
Same for the nuts. They get rounded corners so I file as little as possible so as to not change the size of the nut but still removed excess metal from the flats.
One trick I've learned from an old mechanic, (in fact the 1960 motocross world champion, swede Bill Nilsson, just to name drop, is that instead of filing rounded nuts and bolthead they can be shaped with a smalll ball hammer. (Correct word?) The material is there, just has lost it shape. That way they keep their dimensions and wont get sloppy with wrenches. Sometimes though a little bit of filing needed as a final touch.
B t w, add Estonia to the list of countries if it isn't already there. Great work withthe place. If it was mine, I 'd try to keep more of the patina, but I guess it's hard to dispute on such a theme with a guy who keeps screw slots in line.
So...
...here is the back side of the "L" corner during glue up. The clamp on the far right, bottom- spaces the corresponding leg out 1/2" from the back of the base which is the thickness of the plywood back, not installed as yet. The two wood blocks on the bottom of the plywood bulkhead space those two legs from the edge of the long bench base. There's nothing to clamp to there, so those blocks had to be screwed to the base. The two bench bases are separate. Trying to transport that bench as a single unit just wouldn't work. The longer bench was hard enough to move without the weight and bulk of the attached "L" to it. Once the bench is in the barn they will be tied together. But in the meantime it's important they maintain the correct relationship to one another during glue up.
Here the small base(left) is use being moved away from the larger base (right). The wood block on the right was slightly beveled on the outer edge where it first contacts the small base. That helps it ride up over the bottom of the other base as it's being slid into place. It guides it onto the small base and then helps keep those two bases at the same level.
Same corner viewed from the front.
With the small bench base moved away you can better see how the other base nests with this one. Also note those two legs have a 2" overhang. They will sit 2" on the small base when it's in place and still have 2" sitting on the long base, spanning both bases.
That explains why those legs were 3" X 4" while most others were 3" X 3".
That inside corner and area where the two benches come together had to be engineered on the fly during construction. It's hard to visualize ahead of time what needs to be located and or secured but once the material is in place it becomes very apparent what needs to be done. As it now stands that corner alines itself extremely well. When the two bases and wood blocks are snugged up to each other, it's square to each other and all the various parts interact with one another as they should. Best of all it's easy and simple. The K.I.S.S. principle in action. ( I can't believe I got to use that smilie twice in 2 days!! )
Stand by as I continue...
Thomas
...here is the back side of the "L" corner during glue up. The clamp on the far right, bottom- spaces the corresponding leg out 1/2" from the back of the base which is the thickness of the plywood back, not installed as yet. The two wood blocks on the bottom of the plywood bulkhead space those two legs from the edge of the long bench base. There's nothing to clamp to there, so those blocks had to be screwed to the base. The two bench bases are separate. Trying to transport that bench as a single unit just wouldn't work. The longer bench was hard enough to move without the weight and bulk of the attached "L" to it. Once the bench is in the barn they will be tied together. But in the meantime it's important they maintain the correct relationship to one another during glue up.
Here the small base(left) is use being moved away from the larger base (right). The wood block on the right was slightly beveled on the outer edge where it first contacts the small base. That helps it ride up over the bottom of the other base as it's being slid into place. It guides it onto the small base and then helps keep those two bases at the same level.
Same corner viewed from the front.
With the small bench base moved away you can better see how the other base nests with this one. Also note those two legs have a 2" overhang. They will sit 2" on the small base when it's in place and still have 2" sitting on the long base, spanning both bases.
That explains why those legs were 3" X 4" while most others were 3" X 3".
That inside corner and area where the two benches come together had to be engineered on the fly during construction. It's hard to visualize ahead of time what needs to be located and or secured but once the material is in place it becomes very apparent what needs to be done. As it now stands that corner alines itself extremely well. When the two bases and wood blocks are snugged up to each other, it's square to each other and all the various parts interact with one another as they should. Best of all it's easy and simple. The K.I.S.S.
principle in action. ( I can't believe I got to use that smilie twice in 2 days!! )Stand by as I continue...
Thomas
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markviii
Well-known member
Magnus,
Tom's made some progress since you first posted in January. You were added to the "country" list at that time. Thanks for hanging in there with the thread.
Chris
Tom's made some progress since you first posted in January. You were added to the "country" list at that time. Thanks for hanging in there with the thread.
Chris
Alan T in DE
Member
Magnus--
My "mentor" in all things mechanical taught me the same trick w/ the ball peen hammer. He also taught me how to "cut" gaskets using the "ball" end of the ball peen hammer. This is a handy skill to have when working on old and/or obscure projects. For example, I'd have to special order an intake manifold gasket for a 1967 12HP Kohler commercial engine. It would probably cost more for shipping than the part costs. I can make one in just a few minutes w/ a ball peen hammer and $0.50 USD worth of gasket material.
Old timers & those who endure difficult circumstances find an inexpensive way to make the most of the materials at hand. I envy the ingenuity of the Cubans---they've been keeping ancient American iron running for 50+ years using a combination of Russian parts & Cuban know-how. Depression-Era Americans did the same & they were the original hot rodders.
I haven't traveled the world, but I've read enough to know that Russians, East Germans, Poles, & all other Soviet-Bloc peoples found ways to overcome economic, societal, governmental & mechanical obstacles during and after the cold war.
Thank you for validating my opinions. It's nice to know someone in Estonia gives a **** about the flats on an old nut or the slot in an old machine screw.
My "mentor" in all things mechanical taught me the same trick w/ the ball peen hammer. He also taught me how to "cut" gaskets using the "ball" end of the ball peen hammer. This is a handy skill to have when working on old and/or obscure projects. For example, I'd have to special order an intake manifold gasket for a 1967 12HP Kohler commercial engine. It would probably cost more for shipping than the part costs. I can make one in just a few minutes w/ a ball peen hammer and $0.50 USD worth of gasket material.
Old timers & those who endure difficult circumstances find an inexpensive way to make the most of the materials at hand. I envy the ingenuity of the Cubans---they've been keeping ancient American iron running for 50+ years using a combination of Russian parts & Cuban know-how. Depression-Era Americans did the same & they were the original hot rodders.
I haven't traveled the world, but I've read enough to know that Russians, East Germans, Poles, & all other Soviet-Bloc peoples found ways to overcome economic, societal, governmental & mechanical obstacles during and after the cold war.
Thank you for validating my opinions. It's nice to know someone in Estonia gives a **** about the flats on an old nut or the slot in an old machine screw.
Alan T in DE
Member
Thomas--This level of craftsmanship is seldom seen in a DIY project. Most "master" cabinet makers don't use such quality materials & they often take shortcuts on workmanship.
Thank you for keeping the faith!
Thank you for keeping the faith!
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Amitygravel
Well-known member
Thomas and Chris
A belated Happy Anniversary to you !!
As usual, the posts are always captivating.
Thomas ,the girls are going to be on vacation at the end of June , have
some free time to run down and see all the latest and greatest !
Craig
A belated Happy Anniversary to you !!
As usual, the posts are always captivating.
Thomas ,the girls are going to be on vacation at the end of June , have
some free time to run down and see all the latest and greatest !
Craig
One trick I've learned from an old mechanic, (in fact the 1960 motocross world champion, swede Bill Nilsson, just to name drop, is that instead of filing rounded nuts and bolthead they can be shaped with a smalll ball hammer. (Correct word?) The material is there, just has lost it shape. That way they keep their dimensions and wont get sloppy with wrenches. Sometimes though a little bit of filing needed as a final touch.
B t w, add Estonia to the list of countries if it isn't already there. Great work withthe place. If it was mine, I 'd try to keep more of the patina, but I guess it's hard to dispute on such a theme with a guy who keeps screw slots in line.
Magnusk and Alan thanks to you both for the clever suggestion. I may have know about that technique but clearly I'd forgotten about it all together. I'll tuck that one away for the next time. As for the "form a gasket", that one I have used and it works like a charm. I had to do that when I was fabricating a new gasket for the gear box during the restoration on the Yates American thickness planer. Works good and lasts a long time. I've got several different thicknesses of sheet gasket material for just such an occation. Thanks for bringing it up.
BTW Magnusk, how did the math exam turn out?
Thomas
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My picture selection for posts is rather limited at times while on the road but I'm going to fix that shortly.
This is the different sizes of the various legs on the bench and their relation to each other. From the left; 3" X 3" (10 legs), 3" X 4" (2 legs) and 3" X 7" (1 leg). All the legs are laminated out of 4 boards with the grain running long ways on the wider legs. When you view them from the side, the end grain stands out.
Here's a close up of one of the 4's and the 7. I'll discuss the laminating procedure shortly but note the grain on the left one. It better shows how each board's grain is reversed from one another to give stability after glue up.
Still on the small bench end, all the inside stringers have now been attached. The middle leg, in back on the right, also has a stringer attached to help locate it and strengthen it.
A look at that middle leg from the back side.You can also see that the inside stringers have been surface mounted and screwed to their respective legs. I did glue them also but that's not a very strong glue joint but figured it wouldn't hurt. The real strength comes from the screws in this case. With a well designed and executed glue joint, the glue joint is almost always superior in strength than the wood itself. Since this is hard maple everywhere on this bench, including the blocks screwed on the bases, all holes had to be predrilled with a pilot drill or it would have been next to impossible to install the screws, or keep from twisting them off. I used Bee's Wax on all the screw threads when installing them, (my friend who was helping me had never done this before and was just amazed at the difference it made installing those screws. Highly recommended!) Hard maple, hard woods or soft material, I'm just in the habit of always using Bee's Wax on screws into wood. That's a habit from dear old Dad.
A good look at the screwed attachment of the inside stringers. Also here the 1/2" maple plywood back has been attached on the left to the rear legs. That located the rear legs side to side and the stringers at top located them front to back. When the legs were screwed to the base, that would locate them on the bottom. The gap you see between the 7" and 4" leg on the right will be resolved once the two benches are in place in the barn. Those legs were clamped together during glue up to keep everything in square during that process. The floor here wasn't all that level and created that gap when the clamps were removed. Not to worry.
Once the back was installed it gave immense strength and rigidity to all the rear legs all along the back of both benches. The backs were just screwed, no glueing, in case they ever needed to be removed. Note the leg to the far left and how it was notched to allow the plywood to be installed flush with the surface of the leg. By doing that, when that leg is viewed from the end, you won't see plywood end grain.
All these various stringers in conjunction with the plywood back give great strength.
That's glue squeezed out of the tenon ends of the front stringers. Before the glue set it was mixed with a little hard maple sawdust onto the surface, once dry and cleaned up it will look just fine.
Moving down the bench.
Here's a look from the other end. This was slightly out of sequence since the back on the far end isn't installed in this picture, but you get the idea.
We're now getting near the end on the construction phase, but........I've got more...........
Thomas
This is the different sizes of the various legs on the bench and their relation to each other. From the left; 3" X 3" (10 legs), 3" X 4" (2 legs) and 3" X 7" (1 leg). All the legs are laminated out of 4 boards with the grain running long ways on the wider legs. When you view them from the side, the end grain stands out.
Here's a close up of one of the 4's and the 7. I'll discuss the laminating procedure shortly but note the grain on the left one. It better shows how each board's grain is reversed from one another to give stability after glue up.
Still on the small bench end, all the inside stringers have now been attached. The middle leg, in back on the right, also has a stringer attached to help locate it and strengthen it.
A look at that middle leg from the back side.You can also see that the inside stringers have been surface mounted and screwed to their respective legs. I did glue them also but that's not a very strong glue joint but figured it wouldn't hurt. The real strength comes from the screws in this case. With a well designed and executed glue joint, the glue joint is almost always superior in strength than the wood itself. Since this is hard maple everywhere on this bench, including the blocks screwed on the bases, all holes had to be predrilled with a pilot drill or it would have been next to impossible to install the screws, or keep from twisting them off. I used Bee's Wax on all the screw threads when installing them, (my friend who was helping me had never done this before and was just amazed at the difference it made installing those screws. Highly recommended!) Hard maple, hard woods or soft material, I'm just in the habit of always using Bee's Wax on screws into wood. That's a habit from dear old Dad.
A good look at the screwed attachment of the inside stringers. Also here the 1/2" maple plywood back has been attached on the left to the rear legs. That located the rear legs side to side and the stringers at top located them front to back. When the legs were screwed to the base, that would locate them on the bottom. The gap you see between the 7" and 4" leg on the right will be resolved once the two benches are in place in the barn. Those legs were clamped together during glue up to keep everything in square during that process. The floor here wasn't all that level and created that gap when the clamps were removed. Not to worry.
Once the back was installed it gave immense strength and rigidity to all the rear legs all along the back of both benches. The backs were just screwed, no glueing, in case they ever needed to be removed. Note the leg to the far left and how it was notched to allow the plywood to be installed flush with the surface of the leg. By doing that, when that leg is viewed from the end, you won't see plywood end grain.
All these various stringers in conjunction with the plywood back give great strength.
That's glue squeezed out of the tenon ends of the front stringers. Before the glue set it was mixed with a little hard maple sawdust onto the surface, once dry and cleaned up it will look just fine.
Moving down the bench.
Here's a look from the other end. This was slightly out of sequence since the back on the far end isn't installed in this picture, but you get the idea.
We're now getting near the end on the construction phase, but........I've got more...........
Thomas