Neglected century barn is becoming my workshop and garage

[Techie1961]

Glad to hear that you've been able to get some work done. It does indeed gives one a purpose.

It's very sad that our throwaway society has replaced knowledge and true craftsmen by simpler, crappier, chinese-made sh!t...

I hear ya about court delays, I'm a litigation lawyer, so...

I have nothing but good words for my fellow canuckleheads. Quebecers are often perceived negatively outside of La Belle Province, but as I grow older, I love Canada more and more, and have met nothing but great people, wherever I've been. I have also been treated with the utmost respect by other canadians as well.

If you're ever in Québec City, beer's on me!

I may take you up on the beer Hugo, and the opposite is true to you and others if they're ever in the Pickering area. Most of my good friends are far away and it's always nice to share a good brew.

 

[Techie1961]

I figure you guys and gals will get a kick out of this one. I had that trip to Newfoundland this week and the town that I was in had a unique name. See photo. Also, if anyone does go to NFLD and wants a nice place to stay, there's a B&B there that was great. It's on the sea just inside of a harbour and the whales and porpoises come in. You'll also get some icebergs floating in. It's supposed to be just awesome in the summer time. It's called "Inn on The Bay".

This is a shot in the morning from the Inn out towards the ocean.

 

[Hugo L.]

*****. A vibrant city.

 

[Techie1961]

*****. A vibrant city.

Unless the batteries go dead.

 

[WarrenJ]

Took the last 2 night to read this thread. You have far more talent than I do. From the work on the barn to the restoration of the tools, all look great. Keep you head up, as others have said put your abilities to work doing restorations-at least for the time being.

 

[madoc1]

I'm not sure how large the pickering area is, but I would think there would be an interest in some sort of on hands teaching of machine skills using your equipment. a short course on lathe work and set up and the mill, etc. I sure would sign up for something like that. good luck

jim

 

[Techie1961]

Took the last 2 night to read this thread. You have far more talent than I do. From the work on the barn to the restoration of the tools, all look great. Keep you head up, as others have said put your abilities to work doing restorations-at least for the time being.

Thanks Warren, I am pretty serious about pursuing this and some other ventures.

I'm not sure how large the pickering area is, but I would think there would be an interest in some sort of on hands teaching of machine skills using your equipment. a short course on lathe work and set up and the mill, etc. I sure would sign up for something like that. good luck

jim

Thanks Jim, what a great idea. This might be something that I can pursue and would be a lot of fun to do as well. I read your post earlier and then was out in the shop for a while. It is something that I can imagine doing. Appreciate it.

 

[Techie1961]

Since I was out of town for a bit this week as well as very tired once I got back, I didn't get a lot done. Today though, I managed to get some time in there. I'm having fun getting back to some of my roots in machining.

I made up a panel and support plate for the VFD that I'm installing on the drill press. It took me quite a lot of pondering to figure out how I would do this one due to the shape of the VFD and that I would have preferred it vertical. I wanted easy access to the controls as well as cover up the existing hole that was used for the switches (power and light) and clear other parts on the main body of the machine.

I'm planning to have a label made for the front of the enclosure. The upper row is for the light and main power while the lower row is the speed pot and to select drill on, off, and tapping mode with a foot switch. I used a light duty pot for now but hope to find one that is the same as the switches.

I modified the lamp mount so that it would hold a LED bulb. It's very bright and draws very little power. I'm going to form up some of the brushed stainless steel that I have to close it off.

 

[Davi]

Your works amazing and if I lived closer I'd certainly be willing to pay for some hands on teaching.
What about blogging/v-blogging. Something along the lines of mr pete, double boost Eric the car guy? Advertising would bring in a little revenue, you could sell hard copies of the 'episodes' with printed booklets and this could all run along side doing the restoration jobs to increase their revenue potential.

 

[Techie1961]

Your works amazing and if I lived closer I'd certainly be willing to pay for some hands on teaching.
What about blogging/v-blogging. Something along the lines of mr pete, double boost Eric the car guy? Advertising would bring in a little revenue, you could sell hard copies of the 'episodes' with printed booklets and this could all run along side doing the restoration jobs to increase their revenue potential.

Thanks man! Next time you're in town, drop in. I have seen some of those videos and was talking to my daughter yesterday about them. Her and her boyfriend are a bit more savvy with the commerce side of the web. Thanks for the thoughts as well.

 

[Davi]

Thanks man! Next time you're in town, drop in. I have seen some of those videos and was talking to my daughter yesterday about them. Her and her boyfriend are a bit more savvy with the commerce side of the web. Thanks for the thoughts as well.

Thanks for the offer. If I'm ever in the area I'll be sure to take you up on it.

 

[Techie1961]

So, the final details are sorted out on the drill press rebuild and conversion to VFD. There are a few things to button up such as screwing on the VFD cover as well as the foot switch when I find one I like, and the labels for the control panel. I'm quite pleased with all of it but I still have to figure out the VFD programming a bit.

I decided to leave the back of the VFD cover open so that it can breathe a bit and all of the electrical connections are in the front so it is very safe. I also had to add some gussets to the motor bracket since it had a bit of movement. A better quality belt is needed as well. It's a Canadian Tire cheapie and I think it would be better with a cogged AX type belt for small pulleys. It's also fully shaved so a bit more precise.

 

[GJoustra]

Wow Awesome Job on the drill press, your skill level and patience to detail is awesome! You should be a teacher at a local community college! The youth could use an influence like you!

 

[Chuck Baggs]

Re: Time to build my shop and I am going to need some help

Wow, Just wow! This project is too cool. You sure did take on a huge task of shoring up and improving a great vintage structure!

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Techie1961]

Re: Time to build my shop and I am going to need some help

Wow Awesome Job on the drill press, your skill level and patience to detail is awesome! You should be a teacher at a local community college! The youth could use an influence like you!

Wow, Just wow! This project is too cool. You sure did take on a huge task of shoring up and improving a great vintage structure!

Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for stopping by and the compliments are appreciated.

 

[Techie1961]

My drill press is back in service but there were a few little issues. I had some clearance issues around the new motor mount and when I tried to put another coat on the cover, the base coat melted. I suppose that the shop not being really warm slowed the paint curing. I had to sand blast it again and repaint it.

I also changed out the belt to a cogged AX style. It runs smoother now.

I found an old foot switch that I wanted to use but it was in rough shape. It finally occurred to me that I could easily change the cord and rebuild it. I even had some tread material that I got with a tractor. It was new so I cut it to the same size.

Belt guard repainted and ready to go.

This is the final wiring for the VFD. I might change out the pot once I find something nicer but this one works. I also belt sanded the front face of the panel and put some #6 stainless steel screws in the cover.

The switches will eventually get some labeling but the layout is fairly simple. The top left is for the lamp, the top right is for main power, the bottom left is speed control and the bottom right is a three position selector. Centered is motor off while to the right is regular rotation for drilling. Turn it to the left and it enables the foot switch which reverses the motor for tapping.

And back in its place where it belongs.

 

[Bears Fan]

Newfoundland looks like a beautiful place to visit, And that drill press is just gorgeous, amazing work once again

 

[madoc1]

beautiful work. it looks like you added the motor mount gusset also. what's next to entertain us? thank you for showing your work.

jim

 

[Techie1961]

Newfoundland looks like a beautiful place to visit, And that drill press is just gorgeous, amazing work once again

Yeah, Newfoundland really is a magical place. It think that it has the most eastern point in all of North America and the people are great. Thanks for the compliment!

beautiful work. it looks like you added the motor mount gusset also. what's next to entertain us? thank you for showing your work.

jim

Haha, thanks Jim! I think the next item is going to be a rear blade for my John Deere GT. I have a bunch of stuff ready to start on it and ideas in my head. Yes, the gussets were needed when I found the motor to have a bit more movement than I was happy with.

 

[longlivepunk]

Whew! Just made it through everything and WOW! Love it! The shop is incredible, and I love the barn-doors you built for it. The equipment is great too, I can't wait to see more of that cool little mill you picked up and what you tear into next. That Rockwell belt grinder caught my eye from the start and I was wondering what brand it was. Old Rockwell stuff was built shockingly well, I actually have an old Rockwell metal-lathe around the same vintage (same tag) that I'm fixing up right now and it's a nicely designed little tank!

Keep up the great work!

 

[magnusk750]

Just browsed through the thread, very inspirational! One remark about insulation. Putting plasticvapour barrier into an old barn can be risky. If there is vapour, it might condensate against the plastic surface, moisture the adjacent wood and invite wood worms. With a new concrete floor and the building in use it will probably not be a problem, but to be on the safe side cellulose insulation with strong paper or Tyvek as wind barrier could be a better choice.

About your work situation, I suppose you have contacts with other who are doing similar jobs. could it be possible to be a subcontractor, renovating motors, pumps and other equipment. Could be made in your own shop, thus you don't need to be under the direct eye of customers with their equipment down, wanting everything to be up and running yesterday.

 

[Techie1961]

Whew! Just made it through everything and WOW! Love it! The shop is incredible, and I love the barn-doors you built for it. The equipment is great too, I can't wait to see more of that cool little mill you picked up and what you tear into next. That Rockwell belt grinder caught my eye from the start and I was wondering what brand it was. Old Rockwell stuff was built shockingly well, I actually have an old Rockwell metal-lathe around the same vintage (same tag) that I'm fixing up right now and it's a nicely designed little tank!

Keep up the great work!

Thanks for visiting and the compliments. The mill is going to be a long term project for now but who knows once I get into it. I don't have a lot of patience. The Rockwell tools really are nice pieces. Built a lot better than quite a bit of the stuff you see today. Not all of it, but a lot of it. Do you have any photos of the work that you're doing on it?

Just browsed through the thread, very inspirational! One remark about insulation. Putting plasticvapour barrier into an old barn can be risky. If there is vapour, it might condensate against the plastic surface, moisture the adjacent wood and invite wood worms. With a new concrete floor and the building in use it will probably not be a problem, but to be on the safe side cellulose insulation with strong paper or Tyvek as wind barrier could be a better choice.

About your work situation, I suppose you have contacts with other who are doing similar jobs. could it be possible to be a subcontractor, renovating motors, pumps and other equipment. Could be made in your own shop, thus you don't need to be under the direct eye of customers with their equipment down, wanting everything to be up and running yesterday.

Thanks for the tips and remark. I'll have to keep an eye on it for issues like that. Money was tight at the time so there wasn't a lot of thought possible.

 

[matt_i]

Nice job integrating the VFD! I have a similar setup for my Clausing DP, its functional but completely ugly as far as routing, etc. Have to get to work on making it more "finalized".

 

[RacerRick]

Your work is still outstanding. And I agree, you are making the rest of us look bad. It took me over two weeks just to get the pillars for my hoist up, and in that time you completely restored a drill press, and modified it with a VFD and foot control...

I would go talk to the local community colleges to see if they need any prof's in their industrial programs. You do not need a teachers degree last I checked. I bet you would be a good prof.

Or do your own web restoration show. It has been shown there is market for it, and its not hard to do, but is somewhat time consuming. You would just need to figure out how to monetize it. The easiest way is Youtube. I have a side business that films, edits, and webcasts so I can give you lots of tips if you want.

Basically, you want to make a bunch of 5-8 minute episodes that are clearly titled on what they are for, with tips and tricks on how to do things. You will probably have a 20:1 shooting ratio or greater at first, but that comes down fast as you find your style. Also, your camera setups will get much faster as your figure out how to get the shots you want. With your bright shop, I doubt you would need any extra lighting, but I would get a decent shotgun mic for your camera. If you go the youtube route,, make sure that you respond to responses, have playlists for long term projects, and have a regular publishing schedule.

Then just advertise on all the tool, car, handyman, machinest, hobby boards, etc. so that you get views.

 

[Techie1961]

Nice job integrating the VFD! I have a similar setup for my Clausing DP, its functional but completely ugly as far as routing, etc. Have to get to work on making it more "finalized".

Hey thanks Matt. I'm not sure that I would have gotten it done as nicely if I didn't have this thread. It's a good incentive to get things done.

 

[Techie1961]

Not too much done in there today. I sat in there and stared at stuff for a while until I pushed myself into it. I ran two 230V 20A outlets along "Grinder Row" and rearranged it a bit as well as vacuume the floor. The belt sander and drill press are now in place and plugged in permanent like. Yay! It feels amazing to have them done. Looking at the photo though, I think I need to trade the drill press and table's places.

 

[BuickFarmer]

My drill press is back in service but there were a few little issues. I had some clearance issues around the new motor mount and when I tried to put another coat on the cover, the base coat melted. I suppose that the shop not being really warm slowed the paint curing. I had to sand blast it again and repaint it.

Man don't you hate it when that happens. Sometimes I can't even figure out why that happens, but just strip it and do it again.
It all turned out beautiful in the end though,

 

[BuickFarmer]

Not too much done in there today. I sat in there and stared at stuff for a while until I pushed myself into it. I ran two 230V 20A outlets along "Grinder Row" and rearranged it a bit as well as vacuume the floor. The belt sander and drill press are now in place and plugged in permanent like. Yay! It feels amazing to have them done. Looking at the photo though, I think I need to trade the drill press and table's places.

WOW what a picture!!!!

Looking at the photo though, I think I need to trade the drill press and table's places.

BuickFarmer agrees

 

[Techie1961]

Man don't you hate it when that happens. Sometimes I can't even figure out why that happens, but just strip it and do it again.
It all turned out beautiful in the end though,

Thanks BF! Yeah, just one of those things that you live and learn. You think that you're almost done and then...

It's all good though since I know more about it than I did prior to doing it. Each piece gives me a bit more knowledge.

 

[xtremek]

Looks sweet and I agree you should swap the press and table.

 

[Bears Fan]

That's a thing of beauty now

 

[Davi]

If you ever decide to build a 2x72 grinder with vfd please do a write up. I plan on building one of those someday and from the quality of your work it would make the job so much easier to follow your write up step by step lol.

 

[madoc1]

That's a thing of beauty now

who would not agree with that statement? simply amazing. I can see why you would want to just sit and gaze at what you have accomplished. I certainly would.

jim

 

[Techie1961]

That's a thing of beauty now

Thanks man!

If you ever decide to build a 2x72 grinder with vfd please do a write up. I plan on building one of those someday and from the quality of your work it would make the job so much easier to follow your write up step by step lol.

Haha! I'll be sure to share it if I build one. I really would like one too.

who would not agree with that statement? simply amazing. I can see why you would want to just sit and gaze at what you have accomplished. I certainly would.

jim

Thanks Jim!

Looks sweet and I agree you should swap the press and table.

Done and thanks!

 

[Techie1961]

I was out to pick up a nice little Beaver 2300 bandsaw today but I found time to rearrange the drill and table. Once I get someone to help me get it out of the truck, I'll post some photos of it. It was almost free and in such nice shape as well as being old and cool looking.

 

[Duker]

LOL .... My OCD is killing me... You need to move the belt disk sander to the end and keep all the new painted stuff together!

 

[Techie1961]

LOL .... My OCD is killing me... You need to move the belt disk sander to the end and keep all the new painted stuff together!

Hahaha! Or, I can redo the sander/grinder.

 

[Bears Fan]

****! Now you got me thinking that belt sander needs to be repainted orange/blue, its driving me crazy and its not even mine

 

[Techie1961]

****! Now you got me thinking that belt sander needs to be repainted orange/blue, its driving me crazy and its not even mine

Me too but it will be all better sooner than later if I have my way... which I do.

I found a great deal on this old vertical band saw and picked it up yesterday. While I would prefer a nice Grob or DoAll, this will have to do for now. It seems like it's in really good shape but needs a bottom tire. The stand that it has is a home made wood piece made with 2x4s and such. Will do for now but a different stand is in order. I'll also put a VFD on it so I can use it for metal work which I'm more prone to do.

It's also missing the back bearing cover which kind of ***** a bit.

 

[ZRX61]

Just make one. Carve the shape it needs to be in a piece of hardwood & then hammer a piece of steel into the hole... Or use flow-forming if you have the tools.

It's also missing the back bearing cover which kind of ***** a bit.