rattle_snake
Well-known member
Well, that's a crappy deal.
Evidently running pipe/conduit over septic access is common. Same at my place.
Evidently running pipe/conduit over septic access is common. Same at my place.
Above 1200 Sq/FT Ernie's Place
- Thread starter StormcrowAz
- Start date
Wokspaces above 1200 squarefeet.
Finallygotit
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Todd, don't you just love dealing with the previous owners ****? (see what I did there?) I hear you though.
Luckily when we were purchasing our home, the septic was accessible. Unfortunately he found a kink in the line going out to the leach field which had to be replaced. (The PO wondered why the system would back up at times
. I wonder about him) The septic guy recommended putting in plastic covers as well but he also installed plastic collars to make the access now at ground level. While I had him there, I also had him install a filter between the tank and the leach field. This way the leach field won't clog up anytime soon due to floating debris. I just uncork one of the lids (stand back for that one), pull the filter out and clean it.
Glad you got that whole crappy mess behind you.
Luckily when we were purchasing our home, the septic was accessible. Unfortunately he found a kink in the line going out to the leach field which had to be replaced. (The PO wondered why the system would back up at times
. I wonder about him) The septic guy recommended putting in plastic covers as well but he also installed plastic collars to make the access now at ground level. While I had him there, I also had him install a filter between the tank and the leach field. This way the leach field won't clog up anytime soon due to floating debris. I just uncork one of the lids (stand back for that one), pull the filter out and clean it.Glad you got that whole crappy mess behind you.
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j p smith
Well-known member
Todd after reading your septic story I am going to copy and save it, put it in a folder in the shop so the next time I am having issues that seem so awful I will get out your story and reread it and immediately I will feel better. LOL later, Jeff
slodat
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I had to do a complete sewer replacement at my shop a couple months ago. I feel your pain. Playing with poop is no fun!
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Todd, I don't understand how you got so lucky. My septic system backed up into the basement on Mother's Day. No one was answering their phone and even if they had I couldn't afford to pay them. Started digging in the morning and by afternoon had an open cesspool in the back yard. Spent nights and weekends for two weeks digging a second 16' diameter 12' deep leach pit. Never occurred to me it would cave in. Living the clueless life of a man in his 20s. Today I'd just dig a narrow six-foot trench and climb in.
drivesitfar
Well-known member
Bob: you are hilarious. hell you survived getting hit by a train so I'm guessing you are imortal so why not take on a crapper. 
cheers and have a good weekend!!
cheers and have a good weekend!!
OP
StormcrowAz
Well-known member
Drives – Busy with stuff is right! I hear you on the time thing. I spend my working day behind a desk on the computer and don’t touch one when I get home. While I surf a bit during break/lunch, I often feel bad for not taking the time to posting on other folks threads more often. I certainly appreciate you stopping in and dropping a line or two.
Justin – Hah, I figured the poop jokes might flow after that post. Out of sight and out of mind, I can see how it happens. I’d like to think I’m better than that, but experience and my own past blunders may prove otherwise.
Dan – Yes, this house is full of previous-owner shenanigans. The next guy to own the place will probably say the same of me. The leach field/pit filter sounds like a good idea. I am concerned that the leach pit might be a problem. Hopefully just me being worried. The septic guys didn’t seem too concerned about it, but they’re not the ones that have to fork over the money to fix it.
Jeff – Hah! Glad to hear my crappy endeavors may yield something positive! Good to hear from you and hopefully everything is going well there.
Slodat – Ouch! Definitely not fun. At this point I’ll be good if the pumping was all that’s needed versus a complete replacement. Thanks for stopping in!
Bob – Yikes! In my 20’s I might have attempted that much digging, but now not so much. A new leach pit at this point just might entail a second mortgage on the house!
Made some more progress on my buddies Scout.
He was ready to send the block in to have it rebuilt and since he doesn’t have a truck I offered to drop it off since the shop he chose is on the way home from work. I didn’t think it would be a good idea to transport it on the engine stand, even with ratchet straps that’s a bit too top-heavy and unstable for my liking. Went out to the scrap pile and grabbed the C-channel sections I cut off when replacing the cargo trailer tongue. Chopped those up further to act as skids of a sort. The wire racking I used for the bottom shelf of the band-saw cart originally had some channel supports that were also in the pile. Cut those up and drilled some holes in them for block attachment points. Took the engine off the stand and lowered it about 8-10 inches off the ground and basically welded everything in place. This is about the most down-and-dirty hack job that I can recall doing. The chains holding the block up weren’t close to level so it’s sitting at a funky angle. Somewhat embarrassing, but here it is
20191021_171031
While ugly, it certainly did the job to complete satisfaction. Made loading it in the pickup super-easy.
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Probably wouldn’t go anywhere on its own, but added plenty of ratchet straps for just-in-case emergency braking.
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It made an uneventful journey to work and then to the engine shop. After the return trip home I’ll toss it back in the scrap pile and won’t feel bad about it.
Since we’re on the subject of down-and-dirty…we needed to pull the harmonic balancer/pulley off and I didn’t have that tool, so I made one. Pulled the old leaf spring u-bolt plate (from this vehicle) out of the scrap pile and drilled a few more holes in it. Welded a nut to it and ran some all-thread through it. Welded a washer on one end to **** up against the balancer shaft and then a nut on the other end to drive it. Ugly, but worked like a charm.
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We made some clearance cuts in the firewall for the block and turns out the passenger side didn’t need it. I took the original cut-out section and put it back. I think with a little primer/paint it won’t be too noticeable, if at all.
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The notch on the driver’s side is definitely needed. Did some cardboard mock-ups and transferred to metal. I’m hesitant to do anything further at this point because we no longer have the engine here to triple-check for clearance. Think we’ll leave this in place and move over to something else.
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That something is the floor pans. Now that the originals are cut out, my buddy cleaned and prepped the interior for install. It looks like the factory spot-welded them in place and I thought it would be good to do similar for the replacements instead of just stitching it along the seam. Figured a rosette weld would be good, but that means drilling a lot of holes in the pan. Instead I hit Harbor Freight and picked up their punch/flange tool. Talk about right tool for the job. It might not be Snap-On, but for $30 I think it was money well spent.
20191026_170114
Did some minor fidgeting with the pans trying to figure out how to get them in there, but ran out of time. Hopefully more progress next weekend.
Also, our new rescue garage dog was limping pretty bad so took him to the vet and then to a specialist. He was diagnosed with “osteochondritis dissecans” and had to have surgery on both shoulders. They did tell us that it should be a permanent fix and after recovery he should be pain-free, but will most likely have some arthritis there when he gets old. It only took him two days after the procedure before he wanted to run and play again, even with meds in his system. Trying to keep him in recovery mode is a challenge. Puppy energy…
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Justin – Hah, I figured the poop jokes might flow after that post. Out of sight and out of mind, I can see how it happens. I’d like to think I’m better than that, but experience and my own past blunders may prove otherwise.
Dan – Yes, this house is full of previous-owner shenanigans. The next guy to own the place will probably say the same of me.
The leach field/pit filter sounds like a good idea. I am concerned that the leach pit might be a problem. Hopefully just me being worried. The septic guys didn’t seem too concerned about it, but they’re not the ones that have to fork over the money to fix it. Jeff – Hah! Glad to hear my crappy endeavors may yield something positive! Good to hear from you and hopefully everything is going well there.
Slodat – Ouch! Definitely not fun. At this point I’ll be good if the pumping was all that’s needed versus a complete replacement. Thanks for stopping in!
Bob – Yikes! In my 20’s I might have attempted that much digging, but now not so much. A new leach pit at this point just might entail a second mortgage on the house!
Made some more progress on my buddies Scout.
He was ready to send the block in to have it rebuilt and since he doesn’t have a truck I offered to drop it off since the shop he chose is on the way home from work. I didn’t think it would be a good idea to transport it on the engine stand, even with ratchet straps that’s a bit too top-heavy and unstable for my liking. Went out to the scrap pile and grabbed the C-channel sections I cut off when replacing the cargo trailer tongue. Chopped those up further to act as skids of a sort. The wire racking I used for the bottom shelf of the band-saw cart originally had some channel supports that were also in the pile. Cut those up and drilled some holes in them for block attachment points. Took the engine off the stand and lowered it about 8-10 inches off the ground and basically welded everything in place. This is about the most down-and-dirty hack job that I can recall doing. The chains holding the block up weren’t close to level so it’s sitting at a funky angle. Somewhat embarrassing, but here it is
20191021_171031While ugly, it certainly did the job to complete satisfaction. Made loading it in the pickup super-easy.
20191022_163904 Probably wouldn’t go anywhere on its own, but added plenty of ratchet straps for just-in-case emergency braking.
20191022_165405 It made an uneventful journey to work and then to the engine shop. After the return trip home I’ll toss it back in the scrap pile and won’t feel bad about it.
Since we’re on the subject of down-and-dirty…we needed to pull the harmonic balancer/pulley off and I didn’t have that tool, so I made one. Pulled the old leaf spring u-bolt plate (from this vehicle) out of the scrap pile and drilled a few more holes in it. Welded a nut to it and ran some all-thread through it. Welded a washer on one end to **** up against the balancer shaft and then a nut on the other end to drive it. Ugly, but worked like a charm.
20191005_130959
20191005_130842 We made some clearance cuts in the firewall for the block and turns out the passenger side didn’t need it. I took the original cut-out section and put it back. I think with a little primer/paint it won’t be too noticeable, if at all.
20191026_144247
20191026_164243 The notch on the driver’s side is definitely needed. Did some cardboard mock-ups and transferred to metal. I’m hesitant to do anything further at this point because we no longer have the engine here to triple-check for clearance. Think we’ll leave this in place and move over to something else.
20191026_180555 That something is the floor pans. Now that the originals are cut out, my buddy cleaned and prepped the interior for install. It looks like the factory spot-welded them in place and I thought it would be good to do similar for the replacements instead of just stitching it along the seam. Figured a rosette weld would be good, but that means drilling a lot of holes in the pan. Instead I hit Harbor Freight and picked up their punch/flange tool. Talk about right tool for the job. It might not be Snap-On, but for $30 I think it was money well spent.
20191026_170114Did some minor fidgeting with the pans trying to figure out how to get them in there, but ran out of time. Hopefully more progress next weekend.
Also, our new rescue garage dog was limping pretty bad so took him to the vet and then to a specialist. He was diagnosed with “osteochondritis dissecans” and had to have surgery on both shoulders.
They did tell us that it should be a permanent fix and after recovery he should be pain-free, but will most likely have some arthritis there when he gets old. It only took him two days after the procedure before he wanted to run and play again, even with meds in his system. Trying to keep him in recovery mode is a challenge. Puppy energy…
20191022_153844Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Todd, I love it all!
Finallygotit
ALLIANCE MEMBER
OP
StormcrowAz
Well-known member
Bob and Dan – Thanks for stopping by!
Made some more headway on my buddies Scout. Got all the body bolts broke free to put a new bushing kit in. Leaned on the fenders staring into the engine compartment for a while and pondered the solution for installation of the new radiator. I think we came up with a decent game-plan. The newer radiator is wider than the original, so need to modify the shroud we cut out. That same shroud is also where the front body mount is located. In order to fit the new motor we had to push that as far forward as possible, which is why we cut out the forward cross-member for relocation. Now that we have a good idea where it goes, it’s time to put it back in. Cleaned everything up and burned it in. Hopefully it won’t fall out.
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I think before we put the new body bushings in we’ll try lifting the whole body off the frame a few inches and see if we can squeeze the new floor-pans in from below.
Not sure how or why this got on my To-Do list as it’s not a priority, just seemed like the thing to do at the time. I added a wheel kit to my generator. Harbor Freight sells them, but the heavy duty version is $50. Instead I grabbed two of the cheapest no-flat tires with metal wheels for $7 each. Everything else was the standard “what I had laying around”.
Here’s the generator prior to surgery. It’s a hand-me-down and somewhat beat up, but the price was right and it works. Plus I don’t feel bad about grinding and welding on it. I have been rolling it around on the moving dolly, which was pretty unstable.
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Found a couple 5/8” bolts that fit the new wheels, cut up some angle iron and drilled some holes.
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Upside down welding is fun. At least I have the gantry and didn’t need to tip it over or finagle some funky cribbing.
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Pulled some more pieces out of the scrap pile. A little cutting and welding yields a functional handle.
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Added a couple feet to the front and it rolls around as-intended. Thought I would be crafty and add a mini-receiver hitch so I could haul it around with the John Deere
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This is where things quickly degraded. First I cut the tongue piece too short and it wasn’t giving me enough turn-clearance like I wanted. So I cut a longer piece and took it for a spin. Turns out the 2” of clearance I had is good for smooth concrete/dirt, but the new feet bottomed out on the first small bump I hit. That combined with the longer tongue and overall weight of the generator caused the cross support to bend at the hitch. So that didn’t go according to plan. I suppose I can weld in some more supports to keep that flex out and raise up the attach point to give it another inch of clearance…but that’s for another day. Right now it still rolls around nice by hand so I’ll shelve the tow-behind concept for another time. You live and you learn.
Made some more headway on my buddies Scout. Got all the body bolts broke free to put a new bushing kit in. Leaned on the fenders staring into the engine compartment for a while and pondered the solution for installation of the new radiator. I think we came up with a decent game-plan. The newer radiator is wider than the original, so need to modify the shroud we cut out. That same shroud is also where the front body mount is located. In order to fit the new motor we had to push that as far forward as possible, which is why we cut out the forward cross-member for relocation. Now that we have a good idea where it goes, it’s time to put it back in. Cleaned everything up and burned it in. Hopefully it won’t fall out.
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20191102_150909
20191102_150944I think before we put the new body bushings in we’ll try lifting the whole body off the frame a few inches and see if we can squeeze the new floor-pans in from below.
Not sure how or why this got on my To-Do list as it’s not a priority, just seemed like the thing to do at the time. I added a wheel kit to my generator. Harbor Freight sells them, but the heavy duty version is $50. Instead I grabbed two of the cheapest no-flat tires with metal wheels for $7 each. Everything else was the standard “what I had laying around”.
Here’s the generator prior to surgery. It’s a hand-me-down and somewhat beat up, but the price was right and it works. Plus I don’t feel bad about grinding and welding on it. I have been rolling it around on the moving dolly, which was pretty unstable.
20191102_110529 Found a couple 5/8” bolts that fit the new wheels, cut up some angle iron and drilled some holes.
20191102_110502 Upside down welding is fun. At least I have the gantry and didn’t need to tip it over or finagle some funky cribbing.
20191102_114400 Pulled some more pieces out of the scrap pile. A little cutting and welding yields a functional handle.
20191103_115250 Added a couple feet to the front and it rolls around as-intended. Thought I would be crafty and add a mini-receiver hitch so I could haul it around with the John Deere
20191103_115238 This is where things quickly degraded. First I cut the tongue piece too short and it wasn’t giving me enough turn-clearance like I wanted. So I cut a longer piece and took it for a spin. Turns out the 2” of clearance I had is good for smooth concrete/dirt, but the new feet bottomed out on the first small bump I hit. That combined with the longer tongue and overall weight of the generator caused the cross support to bend at the hitch. So that didn’t go according to plan. I suppose I can weld in some more supports to keep that flex out and raise up the attach point to give it another inch of clearance…but that’s for another day. Right now it still rolls around nice by hand so I’ll shelve the tow-behind concept for another time. You live and you learn.
rattle_snake
Well-known member
Bigger tires/more lift.... always!
Anyhow, nice mod to genny
Anyhow, nice mod to genny
Finallygotit
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Bigger tires/more lift.... always!
Anyhow, nice mod to genny
Or taller axle mounting plates.
OP
StormcrowAz
Well-known member
Bigger tires/more lift.... always!
Anyhow, nice mod to genny
Justin – Thank you for pointing out the error of my ways. I was obviously not thinking clearly. I humbly submit to you Genny Mod 2.0:
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20191104_163010 And of course this means I need to look for a bigger and better tractor to haul this around. Upgrade!
Or taller axle mounting plates.
Dan – The clearance on the genny itself is ok, the low point is the feet I added to keep it level when at rest. A drop-hitch of sort will probably work to raise the front, but I’m thinking of chopping off those feet and replacing with some swivel casters for more rolling action.
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Todd, I like the big tires and a flexible wheelie bar would look good. Or maybe a couple of cane bolts on the round tubes, with or without casters. Slide them down to park and slide them up to travel. These are a little spendy but I bet some tubing and steel rod would do the trick.
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drivesitfar
Well-known member
Storm: your frame welds look good from my chair so hopefully they will handle the bumps and rocks of the desert that your friend drives it over.
maybe some headlights and some sort of drive shaft to the tires and your BIG FOOT GENERATOR could start a whole new line of racing.
keep up the great work and quit bragging that your weather is perfect now that it's November cause I remember when you were sweating your **** off a few months ago.
sunny and cold today in the PNW.
cheers
maybe some headlights and some sort of drive shaft to the tires and your BIG FOOT GENERATOR could start a whole new line of racing.
keep up the great work and quit bragging that your weather is perfect now that it's November cause I remember when you were sweating your **** off a few months ago.
sunny and cold today in the PNW.
cheers
rattle_snake
Well-known member
Todd,
Those tires look like a nice fit and should solve all your issues!
Those tires look like a nice fit and should solve all your issues!
OP
StormcrowAz
Well-known member
Bob - Huh. With the amount of gates I’ve built/installed lately, you’d think I would have thought of that. Great idea, thanks!
Drives - Just stating the facts!
We do live inside an oven for a couple months, but the rest of the year is great. No white stuff falling from the sky here. Todd,
Those tires look like a nice fit and should solve all your issues!
Justin - Thanks! Maybe I’ll work on putting a bitchin’ stereo in it next.
Been a busy couple of weeks.
A buddy of mine bought a new welder (Hobart mig) and of course the first real project is a weld cart. He mocked it all up in 3D and I talked him into bringing his cut list over and using my horizontal band-saw to cut all the tubing. He’s got a nice Swag portaband set-up, but I think the larger horizontal unit is an easier way to go. Plus it’s a good excuse to hang out. I think he’s also added some fabrication squares to his “want” list, after using mine. Got all the pieces cut and welded a couple of the squares together before it got too late. He’ll assemble the rest at home (with the borrowed squares).
20191108_181745 He sent me an updated progress pic – pretty darn nice for someone that’s never welded before:
IMG_0900 More progress on my friends Scout. Pulled the body off the frame and replaced the rear and mid-rear body bushings.
20191109_144712 Also slid the replacement pans in and checked for fitment. Not sure why I expected it to fit without modification. Not like it’s supposed to be made for the vehicle or anything. Is there an eye-roll emoji?
20191109_140449 Not too bad though, really. I’d probably complain less if they weren’t so expensive.
20191109_144515 Burned them in and they feel real solid. Drilled the holes for the new body bushings bolts.
20191117_130815 Got the engine back from rebuild
20191112_152329Did one last fitment check for firewall clearance and welded up the patch.
20191117_130849 Doesn’t look too bad from inside the cab. It’s high enough up that it doesn’t get in the way and probably won’t even see if when you’re sitting in the seat.
20191117_130831 We also relocated the e-brake line. The through-hole for it was right where the clearance cut now is. The new location places the brake pull/release handle just about in line with the steering column. Might be a little awkward to pull, maybe not. Will have to see when the seats get back in.
Also did an oil change and tire rotation on the Tacoma. Had to take a family picture while moving the vehicles around.
20191117_134849 This Saturday was tree-day. Time to remove those Palo Verde trees that were planted over/near the septic tank in the courtyard. It’s been a long while since I’ve touched the chainsaw, so figured it would be prudent to tear it apart and give the carb a good cleaning.
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20191114_165648 I forgot to take a good “before” pic, but this is pretty close. Have only lopped off a few limbs at this point
20191116_101632 A buddy helped out (he has more time behind the saw) and it took us all day but we got it done. Looks bad here, but we took our time and nothing worthy of You-Tube happened. Because Drive’s requested it…I won’t mention the near-perfect weather for working outside. Maybe 80° and slightly overcast…
20191116_152304 Two trees now on the ground.
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20191116_165526The wife is really sad to see the trees go. They were really nice and provided some much-needed shade for the late-afternoon sun on the front of the house. It’s time to start planning some sort of pergola or large shade structure as a replacement.
OP
StormcrowAz
Well-known member
Finally put together the SWAG finger brake kit. It was a lot easier than I was expecting it to be, which seems to be a rarity.
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Needing some bent sheet metal for the Scout was a good excuse to get it done. Welded the modified radiator support back but due to configuration it’s not held on by nearly as much as the original design. Plus the sole front body bushing is sandwiched between the frame cross-member and that support. So bent up a new piece of sheet and added it in.
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Took advantage of all those holes drilled for spot weld removal and rosette-welded the new piece in place. Will hopefully add quite a bit of strength and the radiator flange should mount nicely to the shorter bent section.
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Finally got motivated to start on the belt sander, too. Started by cleaning up the frame pieces, removing surface rust and mil-scale
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Lots o’ clamps
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Deviated somewhat from the original how-to. My square bar is a lot smaller than the one he used in the video, plus I don’t have a 700 pound table to smack it against…so in order to get the bar out from inside the tube I rolled out the shop press. Was pretty easy and hassle-free. The winch modification to the press really shined here, making the table adjustments a breeze.
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Fully welded the base and receiver tubes. Drilled and tapped the holes.
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Not really happy with whoever plasma cut the pieces (my buddy did the outsourcing leg-work, so not complaining too much) as they have a significant taper to them. Plus the holes are equally fubar. Having to re-drill and/or take the die grinder to clean them up to be usable. Adapt and Overcome.
More clamps holding the hinge pieces together. Lined everything up and tacked together.
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Seems to work as intended
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20191201_184112
Hope to make additional progress this week.
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20191123_125001
20191123_134118 Needing some bent sheet metal for the Scout was a good excuse to get it done. Welded the modified radiator support back but due to configuration it’s not held on by nearly as much as the original design. Plus the sole front body bushing is sandwiched between the frame cross-member and that support. So bent up a new piece of sheet and added it in.
20191123_162929 Took advantage of all those holes drilled for spot weld removal and rosette-welded the new piece in place. Will hopefully add quite a bit of strength and the radiator flange should mount nicely to the shorter bent section.
20191123_162902 Finally got motivated to start on the belt sander, too. Started by cleaning up the frame pieces, removing surface rust and mil-scale
20191129_092840 Lots o’ clamps
20191130_102240
20191130_102253 Deviated somewhat from the original how-to. My square bar is a lot smaller than the one he used in the video, plus I don’t have a 700 pound table to smack it against…so in order to get the bar out from inside the tube I rolled out the shop press. Was pretty easy and hassle-free. The winch modification to the press really shined here, making the table adjustments a breeze.
20191130_103856
20191130_104050
20191130_104744 Fully welded the base and receiver tubes. Drilled and tapped the holes.
20191130_123842 Not really happy with whoever plasma cut the pieces (my buddy did the outsourcing leg-work, so not complaining too much) as they have a significant taper to them. Plus the holes are equally fubar. Having to re-drill and/or take the die grinder to clean them up to be usable. Adapt and Overcome.
More clamps holding the hinge pieces together. Lined everything up and tacked together.
20191130_145829 Seems to work as intended
20191201_182955
20191201_184112 Hope to make additional progress this week.
rattle_snake
Well-known member
Nice progress. I've been eyeballing a finger brake for some time now.....
Interested to see the finished grinder design. Keep up the good work.
Interested to see the finished grinder design. Keep up the good work.
drivesitfar
Well-known member
Storm: so even with the Jeep project and all those cool tools you are able to keep your cars in the garage too? or since it's room temps outside now you are ok letting your daily drivers sit outside while you do some cool work inside?
not sure what you made, but wish you were closer so i could loan you a few of my clamps cause i have more than a few.
cheers!!
not sure what you made, but wish you were closer so i could loan you a few of my clamps cause i have more than a few.
cheers!!
fartymarty
Well-known member
It was probably mentioned higher up in the thread, but since I'm too lazy to go look for it, I just let YouTube search for me and I think this is what is being made here:
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OP
StormcrowAz
Well-known member
Justin - Thanks! Seems like lately I’ve been making backwards progress, if that’s possible. Continuing to strive forward…
Drives – My garage is the fairly standard kind that is attached to the house and where our daily drivers live in comfort. Aside from adding some electrical outlets and converting to a tankless water heater a while back, nothing too interesting goes on in there. The workshop is detached, and a ways off from the house, and where all the magic happens.
And thanks for the consideration, somehow I have a feeling “I have more than a few” is not an uncommon theme at your place!
Marty – Yep, that’s correct. 2x72 belt sander. It was a ways back, I’m too lazy myself to see exactly when, too.
So the belt sander project has been throwing me some curve balls. I welded up the hinges and seems like it’s functioning as intended, albeit the swivel action is a little on the tight side.
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20191202_181208 The next step is to attach the plate that the motor bolts to. At this point I did some more reading and noticed the motor I have is the 1750 RPM variety and general consensus that for hogging out rough material and to take full advantage of the quality ceramic belts, higher RPM is needed. So might want to get a different motor. Currently the plate was plasma cut for a 145T frame and am considering a 56 frame motor. Might as well set it up to accommodate both. So looking closer at the plate itself and appears that they cut 5/16ths holes where it’s needing to be tapped for a 5/16th bolt, too. Also, the holes aren’t exactly round.
20191204_162042So took a die grinder to it and it’s now more round-ish.
20191204_162059It will take a 3/8 tap, but then I’d have to drill out the motor frame for that bolt to pass through. Thinking I just might weld-fill those holes and then re-drill for the 5/16 bolt as originally intended. I went ahead and did drill out the bolt pattern for the 56 frame.
20191207_183741 Tapped the first hole no problem and then promptly broke the tap off in the second hole. Yay.
Figured I’d set that down and let it sink in for a bit, maybe work on fine-tuning the hinges to swing a bit easier. Went to take it apart and that turned out to be a cluster as well. While it does pivot OK, getting the two apart is proving to be a giant pain. At this point I think enough has gone wrong to tempt further disaster, so I’ll take a beat, formulate a game-plan, and get back to it later.
Did make some progress on the Scout. Finished up the radiator support and body panels. Verified install and it looks decent. Should look pretty nice when it’s all painted up.
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OP
StormcrowAz
Well-known member
So I ended up weld-filling the original plasma-cut holes and re-drilling to the correct size. Actually managed to tap all of them without breaking anything. I think I was just overzealous on with the last one, trying to cut too much thread at once.
Mounting the motor plate to the rig, making sure everything is squared, leveled, in parallel, perpendicular, and lined up with the stars.
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I’m thinking the plate got bowed a bit from the heavy welds. I had to persuade it back into some semblance of flatness as there are clearance issues with the tracking post that’s added between the plate and the base frame.
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Here’s the tracking post with a ½” rod ran between the two to ensure correct positioning
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Didn’t take in-between pics, but I made the tensioner hinge and tracking hinge.
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Still waiting on the music wire to be delivered so I can make the torsion spring. In the mean-time, I got started on the platen assembly. This begins with the little base tube. This one went a lot easier than the first two bigger ones.
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I hate it when this happens
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Tube turned out nice, though
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I also bit the bullet and ordered a higher RPM motor. Hopefully it can find its way here through the mad holiday shipping season.
Mounting the motor plate to the rig, making sure everything is squared, leveled, in parallel, perpendicular, and lined up with the stars.
20191214_172919
20191214_175321 I’m thinking the plate got bowed a bit from the heavy welds. I had to persuade it back into some semblance of flatness as there are clearance issues with the tracking post that’s added between the plate and the base frame.
20191214_182612 Here’s the tracking post with a ½” rod ran between the two to ensure correct positioning
20191214_191018Didn’t take in-between pics, but I made the tensioner hinge and tracking hinge.
20191215_133454
20191215_133507 Still waiting on the music wire to be delivered so I can make the torsion spring. In the mean-time, I got started on the platen assembly. This begins with the little base tube. This one went a lot easier than the first two bigger ones.
20191215_145337 I hate it when this happens
20191215_145638 Tube turned out nice, though
20191215_160021 I also bit the bullet and ordered a higher RPM motor. Hopefully it can find its way here through the mad holiday shipping season.
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Todd, I love the belt sander project. So much better than swiping a credit card.
Finallygotit
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I hate it when this happens
I almost back-flushed my nose with coffee on this one. Been there, done that.
OP
StormcrowAz
Well-known member
I almost back-flushed my nose with coffee on this one. Been there, done that.
Dan – Apologies for any possible keyboard clean-up this may have caused.
Hopefully you’re holidays are going well and you have a Happy New Year! MWMWMW – Yes, that bin set-up has already proven to be very worth-while. It’s so nice when something is needed, to be able to walk over and grab it without having to dig around for it. Thanks for stopping by!
I’ve been able to spend some significant time in the shop and make good progress on projects. The belt sander in particular is coming along nicely, so far.
Santa came early and dropped off the new motor
20191218_170214 So I bolted it up and looks like I’m about one inch off the horizontal axis. Because I originally intended to use that Baldor motor with the different mounting dimensions, I cut the motor mount plate slightly larger. I thought I was smart by compensating from the original design, but only factored in the vertical height change.
So essentially I had to drill and tap 4 new holes in that plate. Fortunately there’s enough real-estate available, so just more time and effort involved. And the plate now looks like swiss cheese. So re-mounted and think it’s going to be good, with some room for adjustment if need be. I used a laser level to find the center line of everything and that worked out well.
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20191221_102926 The music wire for the tensioner finally arrived, so I welded a tube to a scrap piece of angle iron and then welded the music wire to that as an anchor while muscling the wire into shape. Wished I had a heavier work table for this, as I was fighting the movement of my little weld cart along with bending the wire.
20191221_114541 But it turned out OK in the end
20191221_125917 Move on to making the guide wheel and platen assembly. More clamps and shenanigans involved
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20191222_163636Cutting the solid square stock for the platen assembly. It’s at this point it occurred to me that this project has me using just about every type of tool that I own. It’s fun to play with your toys!
20191222_164943 Here’s the main drive unit together. Still not squared away or torqued down, but satisfying to get this far.
20191222_174707
OP
StormcrowAz
Well-known member
Couldn’t help but throw a belt on there to see what it would look like. Running the belt by hand it stays on there, which I was pleasantly surprised by, but looks like it’s about a half inch off center. Thinking it might be the warped motor plate causing this. When it gets closer to time for adjustment and tweaking I’m hoping that shimming the motor will correct this.
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So between the time we had the pieces plasma cut and now…Jeremy released a new and upgraded version of the table attachment. So I ended up getting some more 3/8” plate and cutting these out by hand. I used the paper templates so I could maximize usage of the material with as little waste as possible.
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Tacked and welded
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Everything blended down
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Here it is in the machine, pretty tight clearances with the main drive unit.
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That’s it for now on the sander. Next step is to fabricate the tables. Going to make one flat and one for 45° work.
20191226_135829 So between the time we had the pieces plasma cut and now…Jeremy released a new and upgraded version of the table attachment. So I ended up getting some more 3/8” plate and cutting these out by hand. I used the paper templates so I could maximize usage of the material with as little waste as possible.
20191227_120329Tacked and welded
20191228_082252
20191228_090617Everything blended down
20191228_115346 Here it is in the machine, pretty tight clearances with the main drive unit.
20191228_124852
20191228_124908 That’s it for now on the sander. Next step is to fabricate the tables. Going to make one flat and one for 45° work.
OP
StormcrowAz
Well-known member
In between all this I did manage to do a couple equipment modifications. The bandsaw has had a few miles on it and figured it would be good to change the oil in the gearbox. Pulled the cover off and seems to look OK.
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Removed the old and replaced with some synthetic stuff that was yellow-metal safe. The modification on this is to replace the metal cover with a piece of Lexan. Cut to size and used the old cover for drilling template. Was also able to re-use the gasket, fortunately.
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Kind of neat to see it working and throwing oil around. Here it is in action
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I also got tired of using the shop press one-handed. Ditched the hand-operated valve that originally came with the ram and replaced it with a foot pedal.
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Modified a ¼-20 eye bolt and attached it to one of the tube-retaining tabs I had already in place on the back of the press. The pedal hangs there out of the way when not in use.
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That’s all for now. Happy New Year, everyone!
20191226_140809 Removed the old and replaced with some synthetic stuff that was yellow-metal safe. The modification on this is to replace the metal cover with a piece of Lexan. Cut to size and used the old cover for drilling template. Was also able to re-use the gasket, fortunately.
20191226_145021 Kind of neat to see it working and throwing oil around. Here it is in action
20191226_145119 I also got tired of using the shop press one-handed. Ditched the hand-operated valve that originally came with the ram and replaced it with a foot pedal.
20191227_090924 Modified a ¼-20 eye bolt and attached it to one of the tube-retaining tabs I had already in place on the back of the press. The pedal hangs there out of the way when not in use.
20191227_092730
20191227_092819 That’s all for now. Happy New Year, everyone!
Finallygotit
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Happy New Year Todd! Great progress on the sander. I really like your idea on the press. I will keep that in mind when I purchase mine.
drivesitfar
Well-known member
Storm: while you are basking in the sun and getting a ton of cool stuff done in your garage I was taking a bit of a break from GJ to see if my time management would improve. actually just the opposite has happened cause even though I post a lot it makes we want to go do the stuff I need to do.
that said I logged on to wish a few of the members a very productive and happy 2020 and hope you finish the Jeep soon so you can work on some of your own personal projects.
thanks for sharing!!
that said I logged on to wish a few of the members a very productive and happy 2020 and hope you finish the Jeep soon so you can work on some of your own personal projects.
thanks for sharing!!
j p smith
Well-known member
Happy New Year Todd. Sander project is coming out very nice!
rattle_snake
Well-known member
Hi Todd,
I like the way you have your press setup. Filed away for blatant plagiarism in the future, thanks.
Sander is coming along nicely. Please explain the horizontal hinges, what is the purpose, alignment?
I like the way you have your press setup. Filed away for blatant plagiarism in the future, thanks.
Sander is coming along nicely. Please explain the horizontal hinges, what is the purpose, alignment?
OP
StormcrowAz
Well-known member
Dan – Thanks! Pretty much stole every idea from this site. Maybe the bent eye-bolt hook for the foot pedal was an original, but there’s probably a cleaner solution out there I didn’t think of.
Drives – Thanks for stopping by and glad to see you back from your mini-hiatus. There seems to always be a never-ending list of projects. I do think retirement would suit me just fine, if I could win the lottery to be able to afford it.
Jeff – Good to hear from you and a Happy New Year to you and yours!
Justin – The hinges on base frame tube and the tilting tube allow the sander to be used in either vertical or horizontal mode.
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Check out Jeremy Schmidt’s video. The first two minutes or so explains the tilting, attachments, and such. Seeing it in action is nice:
Drives – Thanks for stopping by and glad to see you back from your mini-hiatus. There seems to always be a never-ending list of projects. I do think retirement would suit me just fine, if I could win the lottery to be able to afford it.
Jeff – Good to hear from you and a Happy New Year to you and yours!
Justin – The hinges on base frame tube and the tilting tube allow the sander to be used in either vertical or horizontal mode.
20200102_181022
20200102_181032 Check out Jeremy Schmidt’s video. The first two minutes or so explains the tilting, attachments, and such. Seeing it in action is nice:
rattle_snake
Well-known member
Ah I see. I had tried to watched the video before, but like most 'tubes I get inpatient and move on.
I practice, do you think you will rotate the machine or just the workpiece?
Anyhow, nice work as always.
I practice, do you think you will rotate the machine or just the workpiece?
Anyhow, nice work as always.
drivesitfar
Well-known member
Storm: if you'd like to continue our HOLLAND'S 14 vise conversation here on your thread just post up a few pictures and maybe the other followers of your thread that might be local can maybe stop by in person to help you. there are more than a few vise collectors and FLIPPERS (they buy, restore and sell) in Arizona that probably can help too.
tell me since the vise nut doesn't seem to be in your vise can you pull the dynamic jaw out of the static or does it stop cause maybe the back of the slide needs to be cleaned more or filed?
once you have that apart and you can take a few pics of the inside we'll be able to see why the vise nut isn't in the vise and hopefully it's just a broken pin and the casting isn't broken.
as I posted on my thread another member owns one of the Holland's I found and he found some old metal kitchen cabinets to make a bench out of and I suggested he find some old lumber for a top. he found some old 4x8's (or maybe they are 4x10's or 12's cause it's been a few years) and he planed and sanded and put on about 8 coats of varathane to look like this. it's a great bench I remember he was almost afraid to drill holes in it for the Holland's he spiffed up. posted this in case you'd like to make a nice wood topped bench some day and give you an idea what your old vise would look like with a little cleaning and some paint. here's my Reed 4c that was sandblasted and then a few coats of BLO put on about 5 years ago so it probably needs another coat or two of BLO now.
cheers
hope you are enjoying your Saturday.
tell me since the vise nut doesn't seem to be in your vise can you pull the dynamic jaw out of the static or does it stop cause maybe the back of the slide needs to be cleaned more or filed?
once you have that apart and you can take a few pics of the inside we'll be able to see why the vise nut isn't in the vise and hopefully it's just a broken pin and the casting isn't broken.
as I posted on my thread another member owns one of the Holland's I found and he found some old metal kitchen cabinets to make a bench out of and I suggested he find some old lumber for a top. he found some old 4x8's (or maybe they are 4x10's or 12's cause it's been a few years) and he planed and sanded and put on about 8 coats of varathane to look like this. it's a great bench I remember he was almost afraid to drill holes in it for the Holland's he spiffed up. posted this in case you'd like to make a nice wood topped bench some day and give you an idea what your old vise would look like with a little cleaning and some paint. here's my Reed 4c that was sandblasted and then a few coats of BLO put on about 5 years ago so it probably needs another coat or two of BLO now.
cheers
hope you are enjoying your Saturday.
Attachments
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StormcrowAz
Well-known member
Justin - Thanks! And I think it’s situational on what you’re grinding. I will most likely use it most without tilting the machine, but I often find when you get a new tool you end up finding more uses for it than originally expected. If nothing else, I like having the option available.
I made two work tables for the grinder. I really like these fab squares and have been using them a lot.
20200105_093714 
20200105_100209Well, I don’t think the paint is fully cured yet…but I couldn't help myself and went and re-assembled as carefully as I could. I humbly present to you….the Green Machine:
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20200108_175107 Still need to fab up some of the adjuster/tightening knobs, wire it all up, and make sure the belts run true. A little nervous about that, hopefully I don’t need to do much tweaking for the belts to not fly off when you turn it on. Also need to make a new table where it will eventually call home.
drivesitfar
Well-known member
Storm: I'm up at 5am and checking a few of my favorite threads and just saw your post and your amazing new grinder. WELL DONE SIR!!
what you might lack in restoring old tools you certainly are making up with by showing off your fab skills.
I can't recall why you wanted a 3 wheel grinder. was it to clean up the ends of your metal after cutting before welding or making knives or do tell?
congrats on getting it finished.
what you might lack in restoring old tools you certainly are making up with by showing off your fab skills.
I can't recall why you wanted a 3 wheel grinder. was it to clean up the ends of your metal after cutting before welding or making knives or do tell?
congrats on getting it finished.
Finallygotit
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Nice job Todd! 
That piece of equipment looks store bought.
That piece of equipment looks store bought.
OP
StormcrowAz
Well-known member
Drives – Yes, that was quick…I just hit the “Submit Post” button! Thanks for the compliments and I wanted this for mainly general fabrication work. I’ve use my little bench grinder a lot and the belt grinder is a definite upgrade. Don’t think I necessarily “need” a 3-wheel grinder, but I do like the versatility it offers. After I get it running and bolted to a table the first thing I will use it for is to make the contact wheel attachment. I already have a 10” contact wheel ready to go. No plans to get into serious knife making, but I have wanted to give it try, at least. This unit should help a bit.
Dan – Thank you! Like the saying goes…I’m my own worst critic and see all the little things that make it less than perfect. But the pictures seem to do it some measure of justice.
Dan – Thank you! Like the saying goes…I’m my own worst critic and see all the little things that make it less than perfect. But the pictures seem to do it some measure of justice.