Post Recession Shop Rehabilitation Project

[1/2 Cup]

Chris

Well thank your buddy for me. Most appreciated. Now I just need to get my **** organised to get them mounted. Then I'll post up pics.

(That'll get Simon (Hotfr8) off my back too).....

Lyndon
Wine o'clock here, and no shed to make chips in - even if I had the energy....

Lyndon pics are a must...

 

[ODIS]

Love the work on the lathe. Very Nice!

 

[Lyndon]

Lyndon pics are a must...

Chris

Sorry for the hijack....

Steve

They're over on my thread....

Lyndon
Looking in from work....

 

[oldironfarmer]

I like your lathe work!

Most lathe work consists of pretty simple setups and cuts. I'm like you, glacier, but it gets done without paying high prices for stuff that doesn't really do what you want.

 

[NedNorton]

Chris, slow and steady wins the race every time.

Steve (1/2 Cup) - I've got the slow part mastered. I hope that I get this done before the snow comes this fall. The Landcruiser frame is still sitting outside waiting to come in.

Chris

Well thank your buddy for me. Most appreciated. Now I just need to get my **** organised to get them mounted. Then I'll post up pics.

Lyndon
Wine o'clock here, and no shed to make chips in - even if I had the energy....

Lyndon - No worries. We were happy to do it. I see on your thread that you got them mounted. I'm going to send my buddy the link, he will get a kick out it. Oh ya... Always good to hear from you guys. It's never a hijack!

Love the work on the lathe. Very Nice!

Thanks, Odis. Work has been cutting into my shop time but I'm hoping to get back at it this morning.

Andy (oldironfarmer) - Thanks for the good words and great work on your thread. I've been following along and you are cranking through it.
I hear you on the lathe work. Simple setups and cuts is about all I am good for. Having the ability (I use that term very loosely) to build things really frees up what is possible. I can't imagine not having that. I'm sure that it would be simpler but the end product would defiantly suffer. Plus, what would I do in my spare time?

Thanks guys for chiming in. It's always great to hear from everyone. I'm headed into the shop to make some chips.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[rmack898]

Chris,
Nice job on the machine mounts. I'm kind of partial to hockey pucks and use them under most all of my machines. I made some very similar mounts for under my 10EE but nothing as elaborate as yours, my hats off to you.

I can't wait to see the Index all done and making it's own chips. keep up the great work and setting the bar higher.

BTW, I gave up on putting wheels under my machines long ago, good wheels are expensive. I now use rectangular tube for fork pockets and use a pallet jack to move machines around the shop when needed. I can move any machine (except the Pacemaker) in a matter of moments single handed. The pallet jack made life in the shop so much easier.

I had some pics to share but I just made the switch to Mac from PC and I'm still not sure what I'm doing yet.

 

[jbmatth]

Great progress on the feet, and you are making fantastic looking parts. I'm right there with you on how projects always seem to take longer than you expected them to take. I'm going on 4 weeks now with trying to change the axle seal on my truck, but have hit a few hiccups along the way.
JB

 

[NedNorton]

Chris,
Nice job on the machine mounts. I'm kind of partial to hockey pucks and use them under most all of my machines. I made some very similar mounts for under my 10EE but nothing as elaborate as yours, my hats off to you.

I can't wait to see the Index all done and making it's own chips. keep up the great work and setting the bar higher.

BTW, I gave up on putting wheels under my machines long ago, good wheels are expensive. I now use rectangular tube for fork pockets and use a pallet jack to move machines around the shop when needed. I can move any machine (except the Pacemaker) in a matter of moments single handed. The pallet jack made life in the shop so much easier.

I had some pics to share but I just made the switch to Mac from PC and I'm still not sure what I'm doing yet.

Mac (rmack898) - Great to hear from you, Mac. I appreciate the good words. Coming from a guy with your project history means a lot. I considered the pallet jack route but my shop is short on floor space and I just didn't know where I would keep it. Also, my machines are small enough that I can use casters with an 800lb (2400lb total) rating and it keeps the cost reasonable. I'm using these for the mill. (cast Iron wheel, polyurethane outer with zerk fittings)


There is a great caster distributor here in Denver (Consolidated Caster) and they are good about having a bunch of options in stock. My guess is that if I find a K&T or Van Norman down the road, I'm not sure that the caster cost will be as reasonable to move either of those monsters.

JB - I've been reading your thread... Yep, sorry about the axle seal. If it makes you feel any better, I'm on week three for building adjustable feet!

They may, and I stress "may", be done by weeks end if real work doesn't get in the way and we all know how that usually goes.

Thanks for stopping in guys.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[Lyndon]

. . . . (just a small deletion) . . .
I'm using these for the mill. (cast Iron wheel, polyurethane outer with zerk fittings)



Chris

Chris

Do they have brakes on them?

You don't want those big suckers getting away.....

Lyndon
Looking in at work.

 

[shortykorte]

Well I find your Sheetrock sanding abilities more exciting......not!

They say all things need a great foundation and the mill is getting one.

 

[NedNorton]

Lyndon – No worries on the mill going for a walk on it’s own without brakes on the casters. The wheels are only going to be touching the ground when I’m moving it and the sucker will be firmly planted, and leveled (cause I’m OCD like that), on the hockey puck feet the rest of the time. Moving the feet up and down easily was the reason for the fancy adjusters. I just hope they work!

Shorty (shortykorte) – Thanks, buddy. I too miss the good old days of sanding drywall. Is that a tear in my eye? Nope. Just the last of the freaking drywall dust from 6 months ago!
Having never made a machine tool base before I hope that it all works out. If nothing else, after all this, I’ve gotten some much needed lathe practice time. Now I’m just semi-mediocre and sort-of slow. It’s a big improvement from my previous norm of really mediocre and super slow.

Thanks guys for chiming in. You keep me going.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[NedNorton]

Height Adjusters are done… mostly…

I have been putting in a little lathe time here and there, mostly before and after work. And, after the passing of what feels like a decade; I have 4 adjuster assemblies.

A little design change from the prototype. I changed the hex I was using from 1 ¼ to 1 ½. The lower bearing race sits on the shoulder of the hex. I just wasn’t excited about the amount of surface so I ordered up some 1½ stock.



Here is the shoulder on the turned down 1 ¼.


Here it is on the 1 ½. Much better.




Now, my wonderful example of two steps forward one step back (one step forward and 5 steps back?). This is what happens after a 12-hour workday and you head into the shop to quickly finish a part but you forget to lock the damn treading tool. What was supposed to be a quick finish ended up adding another couple of hours to the total. Oops…


I manage commercial construction projects and, against my nature, am up early. It’s just par for the course in this industry. The last few mornings have been even earlier getting a few hours in before work. The last few nights have been late also, getting in an hour or two after work. But, with all that candle burning going on... I have these!


And yes, they are now sitting on my desk so I can spin them every once-in-while during the day to remind myself that I’m tired for a good reason. (My wife will look at my pile of parts and say, with a straight face; "Wow, they look great. After all that shop time, where are the rest of them?")

I still have the feet to do. The blank is already cut and run down to the proper diam. So, I’m guessing I only have another 8 hours give or take. The black oxide solution is on its way from Caswell so these can be finished. I'm really hoping these function as planned. If they do, I’ll make the specs available to anyone who's interested and has a bunch of time to burn on something "simple" like machine feet.

The mobile base frame will happen next week, I think. Work is ramping up again and that doesn’t bode well for the shop time so it may have to wait until the weekend after. Good thing the client on this one is flexible!

What to do for lunch? Pizza? Sub? Tacos? Beer?

Oh ya... I have this mess to deal with (I can hear my old shop teacher yelling at me now to clean up my work area)... Defiantly time for broom... and a beer!

I guess that answers that question.


Thanks guys for following along. I appreciate it.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[Guster]

(My wife will look at my pile of parts and say, with a straight face; "Wow, they look great. After all that shop time, where are the rest of them?")
...
Oh ya... I have this mess to deal with (I can hear my old shop teacher yelling at me now to clean up my work area)... Defiantly beer!

I guess that answers that question.

Sounds like my shop teacher. Though he has never met my wife standing arms crossed, foot tapping, eyebrow raised, head swaying like a mad snake and shouting from the back deck "Are you done in there yet?" In a way that sound more like "Your time is up, wash up and help get dinner sorted or spend time with the kids!!!" while using that voice that sounds like icewater over stainless steel.

I'd rather have the shop teacher back some days.

Mind you, winter days are short here and I had a few solid hours carving up ductile cast iron. While the vacuum cleaner and old oily shop rag kept the worst of it off my ways, apron and lead&feedscrew the floor is black with the stuff and I would still like to give the lathe a thorough clean and lube after that lot. Something to look forward to this weekend when I fix the vacuum cleaner wand to go on the dust deputy so I can vacuum the floor.

 

[rmack898]

Chris,
I totally get the wheel/pallet jack thing. I found some pics of my hockey puck machine mounts but they look "cave man made" compared to yours.

You will be quite pleased with the Caswell black oxide system if you haven't used it before.

 

[Lyndon]

Lyndon – No worries on the mill going for a walk on it’s own without brakes on the casters. The wheels are only going to be touching the ground when I’m moving it and the sucker will be firmly planted, and leveled (cause I’m OCD like that), on the hockey puck feet the rest of the time. Moving the feet up and down easily was the reason for the fancy adjusters. I just hope they work!

Chris

That's my Oh - Derrrrrr moment for the day. I must have been drinking, with the brain out of gear.

I should have realised that.....

It's OK, I just gave myself an upper cut!

Lyndon
Going back to my corner.......

 

[rmack898]

i

I had a few solid hours carving up ductile cast iron. While the vacuum cleaner and old oily shop rag kept the worst of it off my ways, apron and lead&feedscrew the floor is black with the stuff and I would still like to give the lathe a thorough clean and lube after that lot.

Next time you're cutting cast iron, try putting a good strong magnet in a plastic bag under all the action, when you're done pick up the bag with the magnet in it and hold it over the garbage can, remove the magnet from the bag and all the nasty swarf drops in the garbage can. It makes cutting cast iron much easier from a clean up point of view.

Sorry for the slight hi-jack Chris.

 

[ODIS]

So much to learn from you gentlemen. Really enjoy the work at your lathes and all that you do to enhance your time spent in your respective shops! Beautiful.

 

[Major Woody]

Just read this entire thread in one sitting. Bravo!
You don't need to buy a black oxide kit. You can do it yourself with a gallon of "Prep N Etch" from Home Depot, a wad of steel wool and a bag of manganese dioxide that I ordered too much of.
PM me and I'll mail you some and you will be good to go for way less than whatever Caswell wants.
Chris

 

[Zeke]

Well...... I somehow have missed this thread until this morning. I'm here almost every day and I find gems like this now and then that I haven't read or haven't read in so long that it's like reading for the first time.

What can I say that hasn't been said? This thread and similar ones is why the GJ exists.

 

[1/2 Cup]

So much to learn from you gentlemen. Really enjoy the work at your lathes and all that you do to enhance your time spent in your respective shops! Beautiful.

Well said ODIS.

Regards

 

[NedNorton]

Mac (rmack898) – Two things; One… The bases look great! I’m sure they function like a champ. Two… It’s never a hijack. Please feel free to chime in with any advice. I’ll be using the magnet trick next time I have to turn cast iron. I’m sure other folks appreciate your perspective on machining, I know I do. Lastly (I guess this is three), This will be my first time with the Caswell black oxide. It’s great to hear that it will be worth the effort.

Lyndon – You mean you don’t have all the ramblings from this thread memorized? I think you are excused, just this one time.

Ody (ODIS) – Thanks. It’s been a terrific learning experience from my perspective. I’m much better on the lathe than I was when I started. Makes me really appreciate the skill of the folks that do this for a living.

Chris (Major Woody) – I appreciate you making it through the entire thread! I’ve already ordered the Caswell stuff but I’ll PM you for some of the mag dioxide if you are offering. I’m always up for a good way to finish steel here at the house. Can you tell me a little more about the process?

What can I say that hasn't been said? This thread and similar ones is why the GJ exists.

Zeke- Welcome. I’m glad you stopped in. It means a lot to hear that people are getting some value from the thread. I’m continuously impressed by the community here and feel lucky to be part of it. All this helps to keep me motivated.

So much to learn from you gentlemen. Really enjoy the work at your lathes and all that you do to enhance your time spent in your respective shops! Beautiful.

Steve (1/2 Cup) – You my friend, in this regard, are always leading the charge! We are just following as you lead by example.

Thanks for checking in on the happenings. To quote one of our more eloquent members…

I want to give a big thank you to everyone who visits this thread, whether you comment or not. Like so many others have said, it is humbling to see so many views of my brain dump. I hope the things I post make you smile or at least don't make you angry. The Garage Journal is a wonderful place to visit with like-minded people and for the most part it's a place where differing opinions can be shared without fear of reprisal. Then again I've seen a few really powerful weapons on here that certainly keep me in line.

Go read Bob’s thread! It’s a good one!

Cheers,
Chris

 

[NedNorton]

Quick Update

Up early this morning and 18 days, 28 parts later...

Yah baby!!!! (and yes... That is 1.55 parts per day)


I left the all-thread long and will cut it down when the base is welded up and I can get a real world look at it. Most likely, if my drawings are even close, the adjuster should fall around this point.


Plus… Mr. Renick (my old shop teacher) doesn’t have to call me a knucklehead for not cleaning up my work area.


Funny how high school was 25 years ago but I can still hear him saying it. Kinda haunting actually.

Up next… Putty, sanding and lot more paint prep. My Tig welding buddy Michael is a wild-land Firefighter and got called up to a new fire so, the welding will have to wait till he gets back. No big deal, I have plenty to do while he is gone.

Thanks for reading the ramblings. I appreciate it.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[1/2 Cup]

Chris, just fantastic work. Don't worry it would take me even longer to do something like that.

Our shop teachers were no different and it is amazing the things like that stay with you a lifetime.

Have a great weekend.

 

[rmack898]

Our shop teachers were no different and it is amazing the things like that stay with you a lifetime.

I can still picture my shop teacher back in 1972 telling me that I didn't allow for the saw kerf when I presented my bill of materials for a project I was planning. Talk about things that stay with you a lifetime.

Chris, those mounts are top shelf.

 

[Huxley]

Kinda haunting actually.

I vividly remember getting my hand whacked (evil nun style) by Mr. Snell after he volunteered me to demonstrate proper technique on the table saw. He took exception to my finger / hand placement pushing the material & got me good. 7th grade was a long time ago. I wonder if the witnesses recall it 1/2 as well as me.

Reminds me of a joke...
An old crotchety Gym teacher / coach dies. Many attend the funeral, including colleagues, former students & football players. As one player in the procession pays his respect, he leans in close to the corpse & whispers "WALK IT OFF!"

 

[Mr. Roboto]

Chris, those look fantastic. It's a shame they will be hidden away under the machine! I'm sure it was a nice break from all the filler/sanding, though. Making chips is sure a lot more fun than making dust!

 

[Zeke]

I never had a shop teacher that was worth remembering what he said.

 

[dittle fart around]

I never had a shop teacher that was worth remembering what he said.

My shop teacher in high school, yep he was missing a couple of fingers, his favorite saying was "ya don't see donkeys in school cause no one likes a smart ***".

 

[oldironfarmer]

I had a shop teacher that said "keeping your mind on your work keeps your fingers on your hands". I seem to repeat that to myself every time I make a cut. And I still have all ten fingers and two thumbs.

 

[250]

Nice and shiny. They look great.

 

[shortykorte]

The levelers are beautiful. My pea brain doesn't quite understand the 4 upper pieces but I'm sure once install.
Flip it upside down and it would be perfect for the top of my safety jack stands I'm thinking of building.

 

[Lyndon]

I had a shop teacher that said "keeping your mind on your work keeps your fingers on your hands". I seem to repeat that to myself every time I make a cut. And I still have all ten fingers and two thumbs.

Andy

I saw what you did there, very clever.....

Lyndon
Just lookin' in!

 

[NedNorton]

Sounds like my shop teacher. Though he has never met my wife standing arms crossed, foot tapping, eyebrow raised, head swaying like a mad snake and shouting from the back deck "Are you done in there yet?" In a way that sound more like "Your time is up, wash up and help get dinner sorted or spend time with the kids!!!" while using that voice that sounds like icewater over stainless steel.

I'd rather have the shop teacher back some days.

Funny how wives are the same no matter what hemisphere! They must have an international seminar during "Girls Weekend" to learn that stuff. Mine uses the, "When will you be done?" line as she yells down stairs. It means the same, your time is up! Ice water for sure! Mr Renick was easy in comparison.

 

[NedNorton]

Steve (1/2 Cup), Mac (rmack898), Huxley, little fart around, Zeke, Andy (oldironfarmer), Lyndon - On shop teachers... All mine were always simple straight forward guys that always told it to you like it was, or at least how they thought it was. All of the posts got me thinking. I can remember vividly Mr. Renick but can't for the life of me remember the name of most of my professors in grad school and that was only 15 years ago. Probably speaks volumes as to who made a bigger impression and what is more important. I'm still using the table saw techniques I learned from Mr. Renick and I can't for the life of me remember the last time I even thought about inkng and Architectural rendering.

The levelers are beautiful. My pea brain doesn't quite understand the 4 upper pieces but I'm sure once install.
Flip it upside down and it would be perfect for the top of my safety jack stands I'm thinking of building.

No worries... I don't know what they are for either. Just kidding. They are adjusters. A complicated solution to the simple problem of weight. Hopefully I'll have them installed on a soon to be built base soon. (Soon is a relative term. IE before Xmas... 2017 )

Caswell Black Oxide Solution
The UPS guy dropped of a small box containing this yesterday...


This is a "cold" process unlike a standard black oxide treatment so I was a little leery but, after reading a few posts on GJ and PM (practical machinist) I decided to give it a try. The solution was under $50 shipped so I figured, what the heck.

Some of the guys had reported good results using the solution only. Caswell sells a "kit" that has some sealer and a bucket. $30 for sealer and a 2 gallon bucket. I went with the "thrifty" option, bought a 2 gallon bucket for $2 and finished the parts in used motor oil.

First thing, I cleaned the parts in Acetone. The first 2 parts were some oops parts just to see how things were going to work.

Dip in the Acetone, wiped with a clean paper towel, on the fishing line, another dip in the acetone then rinsed in distilled water.


Ready for a swim...


I played around with the amount of time in the solution. I settled on 5 min, take the part out, rub with a paper towel, back in for another 3 min.


I washed the parts with distilled water and then they went into the used motor oil. (Don't we all have a 5 gallon bucket of used motor oil around? Reminds me that I need to go to the recycler.)


The bottom race for the bearing is attached to the adjustment shaft with a grub screw. I drilled the holes in the collar and dimpled the shaft first then tapped holes.


On go the collars with the 1/4-28 grub screws.


Ready for reassembly... (Check out that finish )


Done!


Just as Mac said, the Coswell solution gets the two thumbs up! I still have the feet bases to do tonight and maybe the all-thread. Defiantly more time consuming than just dropping parts of at Denver Metal Finishing but, DMF has a $100 min. I'm hoping that the solution keeps and I can use it in the future.

Thanks for reading along.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[1/2 Cup]

Chris, wow they look sweet.

Thank you for the detailed write up of your experience as well, we can all take lot away from that.

Regards

 

[Grumblebum]

They came up trumps (not the political variety)

And the answer to you 5 gal bucket of oil question is yes.

Is the oxide treatment rust proof once it's done ? Just wondering if you can do any parts on the 60 series that way.

Thanks for sharing. GB

 

[rmalkow2]

That black oxide treatment came out looking fantastic. Great write up on how to do this. I had never seen that process before and as said above we've all learned from your experience. I'm guessing this is similar to maybe a cold, gun blueing process?

 

[oldironfarmer]

I really thought I was the only one that had buckets of used motor oil sitting around. Sometimes I have to drain oil prematurely and I never put used oil back in a good car. But, old tractors don't require much for motor oil, nor does a flathead Ford (with bad rings like mine) so I wind up with buckets I've saved and forget what's in them. Also use used motor oil for quench in the blacksmith shop. Drain oil with lots of miles on it goes into 2-1/2 gallon chemical containers (2, 4-D, Roundup) and wind up on brush burn piles. Motor oil is a great accelerant.

Thanks for the process dialogue. Very well written.

 

[Lyndon]

Chris

Me three when it comes to that process you just detailed. I've never heard of it before, but the results were spectacular, and make the parts look "fit for purpose" now.

Well done, and well detailed too.

Lyndon
Who else knew this stuff????

 

[jbmatth]

I agree with others that finish is very nice, I'll have to keep that in mind. And yes, I have way too much used oil in the shop. It all goes back into the gallon oil jugs, and I have close to 20 gallons now awaiting a stump that needs burned.
JB