Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT 1950s Craftsman Garage retro remodel

[lowbucktruck]

That Greenfield is a cool-looking old lathe. You will have to give us a report once you run it and use it to turn some stock.
Having once owned a 1990 Toyota 4Runner, I can appreciate the challenge of loading that lathe (or any other big equipment) into the cargo area! I hauled lots of stuff in my old 4Runner, it had over 300k on the odometer when I sold it.

Nice score on the vintage Delta machines!
You will LOVE using that disc sander, I'm sure. That looks like the original tool stand its on.

 

[fergus]

Nice score...and you ****!

 

[Red Leader]

Quick update for tonight:

No I haven't worked on any 'garage' stuff

I did start doing a little work on the Craftsman/Parks bandsaw.

I know, I know...I said I would leave the tools and focus on the garage build.

However, there are a few good reasons why I'm doing this.

#1 - I'm not doing a full resto on it right now, just wanting to get it operable
#2 - To get it operable, I'm using the supplies and parts I bought for it a while ago, which will, in turn, help use up some of the 'clutter' in the garage
#3 - I've been having visitation with one of the young men in the program at work and he has a keen interest in the tools/woodworking/guitar building. I told him I would get my **** in gear and get the bandsaw up and running.
#4 - The band saw has been sitting around in the same condition for about a year. It is time to change that.

So I will be working on getting it running. This will involve replacing the tires, rewiring the motor leads and adding a starter switch, then doing a few adjustments and throwing on the Timberwolf blade I have for it. Really, pretty straight forward.

The old tires:

\

The cool thing about the bandsaw's wheels is that they are already profiled so I don't have to do any work to the tires once they are on. This is the bottom wheel. The tire on the top wheel is stuck good so I might have to let it soak in some solvent first.

Here is the motor and electrical stuff:

I'm going to be rewiring it and adding a vintage Cutler Hammer switch that I picked up.

Close-up of motor leads:

This may be a bit ambitious, but here is what I'd like to get done this weekend:

1. Continue work on band saw
2. Put new Unisaw back together
3. Prep '63 Unisaw for sale (clean up top, rails, etc)
4. Cut tool hanging pegboard and get it up on the walls
5. Purchase 2x1 furring strips for trim around the pegboard and route pattern
6. Continue work on Atlas cabinet saw (if I still have time)

I'm thinking about putting two big pegboards up near the big garage door, on each side. I don't want to go too crazy with the pegboard because where they would go covers up the stripe and I don't want the whole stripe around the garage to disappear.

Thoughts?

 

[Red Leader]

The front drawer cover is sticking out from under the bottom drawer .


Rick

Ha, good point!

 

[Red Leader]

That Greenfield is a cool-looking old lathe. You will have to give us a report once you run it and use it to turn some stock.
Having once owned a 1990 Toyota 4Runner, I can appreciate the challenge of loading that lathe (or any other big equipment) into the cargo area! I hauled lots of stuff in my old 4Runner, it had over 300k on the odometer when I sold it.

Nice score on the vintage Delta machines!
You will LOVE using that disc sander, I'm sure. That looks like the original tool stand its on.

Our 4runner just hit 250k and runs like new

For now, the Greenfield will be on the back burner. However, I think ever time I go out to the garage I'll scrap on that green paint for about 1 min each time. Pretty soon, it will be ready for paint before I know it

 

[rickairmedic]

Dave you know you can paint the pegboard to match the existing paint right . Sounds like a long weekend in the garage to me . Better take SWMBO to a NICE dinner friday night .


Rick

 

[slickgt1]

Yea dude, just paint the board to match. I though you had slot wall, not pegboard.

 

[onewaydave]

#4 - The band saw has been sitting around in the same condition for about a year. It is time to change that.

No,no, no. That's just a green apple on the tree in June. Not ripe yet. Needs 3-4 years to even get close.

Dave.

 

[Wingnut65]

This may be a bit ambitious, but here is what I'd like to get done this weekend:

1. Continue work on band saw
2. Put new Unisaw back together
3. Prep '63 Unisaw for sale (clean up top, rails, etc)
4. Cut tool hanging pegboard and get it up on the walls
5. Purchase 2x1 furring strips for trim around the pegboard and route pattern
6. Continue work on Atlas cabinet saw (if I still have time)

For Dave, that's no problem. And you would still have Sunday to relax.

Oh, and paint the stripe over the peg board.

 

[tinbender 66]

Sounds like a full plate! Too much to do is way better than not enough to do.

 

[thammel]

I just have to comment about the clock radio - is it a Crosley? I had one exactly like that in the 1950's and 1960's. My grandfather gave it to me and I listened to 60's rock and roll (am of course) late at night as I went to sleep. I recall a cool feature is that it had a switched outlet on the side of it that came on whenever the radio was on. And I recall a sleep feature where it would play for 60 minutes and then go off. Since we didn't have AC in those days, I had a small table fan that I plugged into it and this would run until the radio turned off. It also worked well to wake me up the morning!

Tom

 

[Red Leader]

1. Continue work on band saw
2. Put new Unisaw back together - Happening Now
3. Prep '63 Unisaw for sale (clean up top, rails, etc)
4. Cut tool hanging pegboard and get it up on the walls
5. Purchase 2x1 furring strips for trim around the pegboard and route pattern
6. Continue work on Atlas cabinet saw (if I still have time)

I'm going to try to get that thing back together tonight! Don't let me come back in until it is assembled (and assembled correctly!)

 

[Red Leader]

It happened! (at 2am last night)

The pictures kinda speak for themselves.

While I was at it, I decided to polish up the metal bits a bit (putting the EXL wheel back on the job):

And the end result:

A few things about this table saw - it has had some repairs. At some point, the mount area on the main table for one of the extensions was broken and re-welded/brazed. It was a pretty good job, and solid:

Another repair that I hadn't noticed before was the tilting rod. It was repaired well:

I'm not sure what happened in this saw's past, but whatever it was, the saw was good enough for the owner to take the time to get it repaired. It functions fine. The table top has some ever so slight warping from the welding where it attaches to the extension that you can feel when your run your fingers over the table/extension transition, but isn't really visible upon visual inspection. All it would take is a little sanding/scraping to get things even again. 2 things would permanently fix: blanchard grinding the top or getting a new/used table top. However, I think the top is just fine, and workable.

I need to get some new belts for it, and sand down the top to restore and hopefully level out. That is the goal for today (for this saw and the '63).

Hope you enjoy!

 

[mrstang69]

You are doing a great job. Love reading this post. Congrats on the little one, he will be out there before you know it. Keep up the great work!

 

[machine_punk]

I'm pleased to see you back out working in the shop again. Kudo's for getting this old machinery up and running again!

 

[Red Leader]

I just have to comment about the clock radio - is it a Crosley? I had one exactly like that in the 1950's and 1960's. My grandfather gave it to me and I listened to 60's rock and roll (am of course) late at night as I went to sleep. I recall a cool feature is that it had a switched outlet on the side of it that came on whenever the radio was on. And I recall a sleep feature where it would play for 60 minutes and then go off. Since we didn't have AC in those days, I had a small table fan that I plugged into it and this would run until the radio turned off. It also worked well to wake me up the morning!

Tom

Yep! It is the Crosley dashboard style radio, generously donated to the 1950s Craftsman Garage by Wingnut65 (aka Jeff).

 

[machine_punk]

Hey! I thought your 'to do' list was a mile long this weekend...aren't you supposed to be out in the garage, repairing old tools and taking pictures for us to look at tonight?!?! ;-)

 

[Red Leader]

Guess what guys!


I finished up my toolboards!


Check them out! Tell me what you think!

(Just kidding.)

The good news is that I got one on the wall and another ready to go on the wall (opposite side). Why yes, they are quite ugly, but they are the frog that will transform into the prince The black comes from spraying the interior T-slots (instead of just the tan fiberboard color). I like the idea of painting the wall colors, but what I have in mind is to laminate strips of flashing over the white strips, giving it that 50s chrome look. Then I will get some 1x2 furring strips and route the trim contour into them, finish, then trim around the boards, followed by a black trim piece to cover the gap.

They will undergo quite the transformation. So I just had to throw up some pics of them while they looked so crappy. Here is how I spent hours making them look so bad:

Dual table saw setup. The running joke around here today was that since I need to cut a big sheet, I somehow needed to buy another table saw before I was able to do it

By daveamy at 2011-10-29

View from my end:

At the right height:

Cutting to the right length:

Spray painting the channels:

It will look a lot sharper with the black in there:

Screws prepped, ready to rock:

Whoops! Had some cracking fiberboard on the ends! Taking care of that:

One thing I noticed is that my shots don't look quite as good as normal. Today I was using the camera on the 'P' setting, which automatically adjusts some setting for you. I think I will go back to manual mode.


Tomorrow I will try to prep some tools for sale. I will have (at least) 1 Unisaw, a 1950s Craftsman 6" jointer w/ original motor and stand, a small Palmgren drill press vise, and a Wilton baby bullet vise holding tool. These items will help put some $$ back in the bank and will hopefully help finance the next steps in the garage build.

The next items on the list are:

1. Insulation for inside back of the garage door (about $50)
2. decal paper and materials for the shelf faceplate (About $15)
3. aluminum flashing roll ($18)
4. Aluminum strips to use as trim for the shelves (its about time I did this!!!) (not sure of cost)

Small steps, small steps

Thanks for following along on my journey!

 

[Red Leader]

I'm pleased to see you back out working in the shop again. Kudo's for getting this old machinery up and running again!

Thanks! Any day working on old machinery is a good day!

 

[Red Leader]

You are doing a great job. Love reading this post. Congrats on the little one, he will be out there before you know it. Keep up the great work!

Thank you sir! This type of encouragement always helps keep me going!

 

[tinbender 66]

Sounds like a plan. That should look good (I know it will). It's good to see some work goin' on on the garage. I got $800 worth of firewood today so I won't be doing much 'til next month.

 

[rickairmedic]

Dave I like the toolboard ideas and they already look better than pegboard .

Rick

 

[machine_punk]

Thanks! Any day working on old machinery is a good day!

Someone asked me today if my work in the shop was filled with cussing...I said, "Are you crazy? The worst day in the shop is better than the best day at work." (I know, I stole the line from the fishermen...but it is so true). I've really been enjoying my days working on, and in, the workshop lately.

 

[zman]

very nicely done...

 

[Red Leader]

Welp, here is what I spent the afternoon working on. Cleaned up, moved all the sawdust out, gave a waxing and a polishing and now looks better than ever:

This post actually isn't about the saw. It is about publicly acknowledging that my wife is incredible and awesome for letting me spend time out in the garage to do stuff like this when we have a little one on our hands. Love you hunny!

In other news, I picked up some sweet 'beetle kill' pine furring strips that I will transform into trim for around the tool boards. Here the cool thing - tool boards = 3/4" thick, furring strips = 3/4" thick. How awesome is that!?

I will work on it whenever I have time. I think I just might set up my router on the table saw and when I have a spare 5min, just run a board or two. Sonner or later it will get done

 

[Red Leader]

very nicely done...

Thank you zman!

 

[Red Leader]

Red Leader...

Had to bail at page 25 or 30, but back then you were seeking a Craftsman 9' cabinet saw... If you still are, I know where there is one, in great condition. Let me know.

I also have the Park/Craftsman 18" -- 2-speed. New tires went on easily. PM if you have questions...

Chip

PM sent

About the Parks - did you use any adhesive? If so, what did you use?

Have any pictures of the saw? I never get tired of seeing that saw

 

[omr]

most of the time when there is a break in some one steals some thing , im thinking i might break into your garage and leave some thing ..lol

i have an old metal lathe from the late 1890's that i could slip into a dark corner of your garage and maybe just maybe you would accidentally restore it for me ...lol

 

[tinbender 66]

Welp, here is what I spent the afternoon working on. Cleaned up, moved all the sawdust out, gave a waxing and a polishing and now looks better than ever:

Dang, that saw looks brand new.

 

[Red Leader]

most of the time when there is a break in some one steals some thing , im thinking i might break into your garage and leave some thing ..lol

i have an old metal lathe from the late 1890's that i could slip into a dark corner of your garage and maybe just maybe you would accidentally restore it for me ...lol

Haha, I could actually see that happening.

After the restore..."Hey...wait a minu..."

 

[Red Leader]

Dang, that saw looks brand new.

Thanks Paul! While I'm a Craftsman man at heart, I'll tell ya, there sure is a soft spot for the Deltas.

 

[Zengineer]

Wow, that's in great shape RL... looks like a perfect addition to the shop!

 

[Wingnut65]

Show Room clean! Great work, Dave.

And thank Mrs. RL for letting you go out to 'play'.

 

[Phxphenom]

What did you do to clean up the outer casing so nice? It looks almost new.

 

[kbuhagiar]

This post actually isn't about the saw. It is about publicly acknowledging that my wife is incredible and awesome for letting me spend time out in the garage to do stuff like this when we have a little one on our hands. Love you hunny!

Great sentiment.

I feel the same wife about my wife of 23 years - she is supportive of all my endeavors, no matter what.
I consider myself truly blessed.

 

[mrgm]

great thread. glad i found this sucker. keep up the great work

 

[flybefree]

Great work...do you use boeshield & wax?

Shaun

 

[Red Leader]

Progress Report...

Alright, we had a snow day today (yipee!) so I got to be home! I got a little bit of work done out in the garage. A few days ago I was able to pick up some 1"x2"x8' furring strips (just love this stuff) for about $7. Some of it was warped. Some of it was twisted. Some of it was knotted, cracked, holey, and broken. However, HD cut me a great deal and the best part is - it's all beetle kill pine!

I could have had a much larger selection to choose from if I had picked this up a few weeks ago, but you know how hindsight works. I'm grateful to get what I did, and I'll have plenty to do 2 tool boards plus some other little projects.

Here is the wood:

To prep it for becoming 'trim', I set up the bit in my router 'table' and go to town. It couldn't be easier:

About halfway though this build I realized that because of the profile of the bit I was using, I can route it out standing up, then flip it around, and route it going flat, and it puts the exact profile I want on the board, VS routing all the boards 1x flat, then lowering the bit, moving the fence, then routing them all again. My mind was blessed to realize this while I still have trim projects to do

Here is the profile I am using on all the trim in the garage:

It has a simple, yet art deco design. Perfect for the 50s Craftsman Garage.

Here are some of the boards routed:

And another shot (check out that grain!):

And this is why I love working with wood. No matter what piece of wood you get, each one is always going to be different. I like the variation, the change, and the challenge of that. The wood tells a story, either of where it has been, or what has happened to it, or something else. I love the figuring, the colors, the knots, and yes, sometimes even the cracks, the dents, and the twists. It adds character and adds to the story.

For about $.80 a board, how can you go wrong? To me, it beats the fancy, no knots premolded $1.25/linear ft trim any day.

 

[Red Leader]

What did you do to clean up the outer casing so nice? It looks almost new.

Thanks!

I used a little bit of Purple Power concentrated on a rag, then finished off with cleaner wax.

 

[Red Leader]

Great work...do you use boeshield & wax?

Shaun

Shaun I've heard of the bioshield (sp?) but haven't used it before. I finished up the saw with a coat of cleaner wax. A lot of the tool guys like the Johnson's paste wax and have very good things to say about it.