Beam Boring Machine Part 6

Tada... the finale....

Well, almost... But read on to find out...

Been busy the last few days, then Monday, my computer crashes and did not recognized boot device...hummm not good...

Tried to remember to take some pics as I went thru the steps. Here’s how it went in pictures.

After soaking in Evaporust for a while, the hardware got cleaned up, the threads chased, cleaned, then lubricated with WD40

In between these small jobs, the frame and pinions rack, which were previously primed got painted .  The journal covers pieces, were cleaned then primed, and painted the next day. 

After "consultation" with my girlfriend, 

moved my spray paint operations outside :-)

The gears got a good scraping and scrubbing
Really impressed by how the spindle came out, straight from its Evaporust bath. Only took a small amount of picking with a dental tool, no sanding...

  

The scene Tuesday nite.  The carriage and pinion’s track are painted, along with the journal covers.

The side tracks are flatten and de-rusted.
The crank handle bar is cleaned, derusted, ready for paint. Its wooden ball handles will need refinishing after.

The remaining of the hardware (nuts and bolts, screws) along with my only BBM boring bit, are still soaking in Evaporust.

Wednesday, all the remaining hardware is cleaned, painted the final parts, decided to paint the side tracks, masking off an area that shown no paint. Duplicating what I found while cleaning them.

Thursday paint touch ups, and start attaching metal parts on the wood sides.

Friday, removed masking tape and scraped paint traces where they dont belong and polished (LV tool wax) spindle and crank shaft. Started re-assembly of components.

As I re-assembled the frame, concentrating on making sure front of frame is square to bed, I did not noticed at first that the frame was crooked...

Loosen/tighten bolts, squeeze this way, push that way, I am quickly chasing my tail around..
Would probably need to re drill square, flat bottom holes in bottom of bed mortise. That was the most damaged area which had lots of rot. Fibers are no doubt compressed not straight and are now stabilized in epoxy.

One of the upper sides appears also to be sitting a bit higher than the other??
I did not measured them, but i am pretty sure they are equal length.
May need some shims also. But for now, i am calling it done. It is back together and I can move it out of the way, and move on. I only started on this project to get it out of the way without loosing spare parts...

Wood handles, would need to be washed. Some areas crack filled, there are lots of dings on one of the knobs. Refinished, probably in a darker stain then waxed.

Before and after pics

Bit as cleaned, will not need much work at all, came out looking sharp out of the Evaporust bath, including the often pesky threads at the tip. Could use a good buffing, bit look a dull grey, typical of chemical rust removal process (chelation). The white stuff you see on the business end are fibers from the paper towel used to pad dry.

Look unused.

Notice the lone upturned cutting spur.

Not a Jennings pattern

As for actual testing, it will be used to drill actual holes in my beam on the floor, for fixing beam to rafters.
That beam being necessitated by my Post drill.
I will probably hang up my Post drill on it, as is, just to get it out of my way in the garage.  It will eventually required a complete tear down and paint job, but it will have to wait till Spring for the weather and me to have time for it :-)


Bob, with one project out of the way.  Next, back on deck, is the Boring Till...

Beam Boring Machine restoration Part 5

Painting, finally

No big whoop, just the first two pieces that I have been working on, the remaiders of parts still await cleaning...

You can see the crude flashing left on the bottom sides

Once satisfied that my parts were dried overnite and last minute checking for rust or crud left over, the pinion rack piece was first to get primer, followed by the main casting after touching up some of the crude flashing pieces with a file. Not to erase them all, just to cleaned them up enough to ensure a good paint adhesion.

The journal areas and seating post were taped over to avoid paint on these surface. They will later be scraped and filed flat as required.

After both pieces were dried enough, and the smell dissipated in the house after opening a few windows :-)
Took both piece outside in the covered porch entrance to the basement, for their final coat.
With today high of +9C, I am not too worry for them to stay another 20 mins or so before I can bring them back inside.

And back inside, back coat done

This little experiment has convinced me to wait until Spring and good weather before attempting to paint my big Post Drill :-)

The first coat of glossy black will happen tomorrow

Meanwhile following the results of this experiments, the remainders metal pieces will all follow a similar treatments, except that not all the hardware will get painted.

Once all these parts are cleaned, derusted and some finish applied, I could begin re-assembling the BBM and give it a test drive.  I just happened to have an overlong 6X6 inch beam on the floor :-)

Bob, left with a smelly nose.

Beam Boring Machine restoration Part 4

...The metal bits

Last part we left with some of the pieces soaking with Krud Kutter (degreaser, cleaner)

Out of the bath, they were covered in a soft goo, took a metal scraper (AKA screwdriver) to removed most of it, then finished with the steel wire brush.

The two parts that were soaking, after scraping and brushing

After cleaning the bucket with soapy water (used Dawn liquid soap, good enough for wildlife after a fuel spill, good enough for my use...)
It was then time for a soak in Evaporust.

Took almost all of my 4 Ltr container, to cover the parts

The side slides (2) were gently scrubbed with the, by now, "dry" blue scrubby.

Not sure I want to paint these. They have some sort of blued finish on them??
I may just clean and wax them. Will see.

After supper managed to sneaked in another hour or so, got my two pieces out of the Evaporust, brushed, rinsed then heated with my heat gun. After a short while, went over the pieces with the dry blue scrubby to eliminate traces of flash rust if present.

The parts after all that, awaiting to be thouroughly dry before primer...Tomorrow??

Evidences of file works on the pinion's rack. 

Cast Steel not cast iron

The main frame, cast iron, has some flashing

 left around some edges, could uses some file work

The tool used, my heat gun and the Blue scrubby

The scene tonite, when I quitted...

And even managed one small step toward my Post Beam drill, got the cement 6X6 footing block, roughly in position in the corner I previously cleared...
The beam, is staying put for now, kind of make a handy bench for my metal bits.

That cement footing is amazingly heavy..!!!

Bob, who still managed to get dirty while wearing gloves, go figures.
Said he, while scratching his fore head... :-)

Beam Boring Machine restoration Part 3

Finally got to spend some time in my shop, each time I try to do something. Either pick up something, put it away in its place or start something.

This past week, I managed to work on the wood pieces, and final waxing coat happenned today and the metal work has started.

Piece on left cleaned but no finish.

The one on the right has its first coat  

All the pieces, cleaned, finish restorated and a coat of wax.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the wood under all the grime and grease from years of storage in a barn, no doubt... Nice oak side pieces with amazing ray flecks, beautiful, but hard to photograph.

These are the products I used on the wood pieces

I first used Murphy oil soap (full strenght) with a blue scrubby pad (an older worn one, rescue from kitchen sink) to scrub the wood and removed all the grime and what have you. Then rinse with a wet scrubby.
Let dry overnite. Next was the Howard-Restore Finish, to bring back some colour to the wood. Then following a close inspection of the parts I glued some broken bits (splits mainly) and applied generously the PC petrified wood hardener on the rotten parts underneath at the front where the top pieces are bolted on.

At this point I did not see a reason to cut in the rot and put in new piece of wood to effect repair. I am confident that the wood hardener would be sufficient at this time, but time shall tell. I will revisit later...

I then finished the wood parts by applying a coat of Howard Feed & Wax.
Very happy how it turned out.

Now time to turn our attention to the metal bits.
First on deck were the two metal slides on each sides of the wood uprights, were the drill chassis slides up and down. They have quite a bow on them.

You can see the speed bumps on the slides parts.

A few minutes with a hammer and a few squeeze in a metal vise, 

they are a lot straighter...

And now the real dirty part, cleaning, degreasing then rust removal.
It would be a waste of Rust removal chemical to treat it as is. Too much dirt to be effective.

The tool used, rubber gloves, a set of three brushes (Steel, brass and nylon)

Reardless of price point they never seems to last more 

than one cleaning  per one tool :-(

Starting to see metal under all the grime

Once scrubbed dry, they got a got coat of Krud Kutter remover 

and let to soak in for at least 20 mins

Once cleaned, these parts will get a primer coat then a coat of Rustoleum glossy black rust paint.  Probably by this weekend??

Now if you will excuse me, I have a mess to clean up before Jean return :-)

Bob, whose hands have acquired the color of the rusty metal :-)

The state of the shop Union address...

OK, tongue in cheek, but I need to do that in order to refocus my limited attention span on...squirrels!... What was that?

For some time now, I have not spent any significant amount of time in my shop, and it shows... Like everything else with a flat surface downstairs, it has becomes a magnet for piles of stuff, that keep moving around as I sort thru years of my life being unboxed. It is a very slow process, lots of small things bring back flood of memories, and I find that more and more I am able to think of Heather without crying...too much.. Oh I still get the occasional tears but mostly now it makes me smile. And it's a good thing, cause life waits for no one...

SOOOO... what is holding me up regainning my workspace and get on with it?
I dont know, lost some interest no doubts, but above all, I must re-owned it.
It was always my (read our) dream, I want it back.

First things first, everytime I want to get started, I remember quickly why I stopped earlier... Oh, yeah got a few unfinished projects in the way.
UH, better start with these...

Taking up space on and around my bench is the Beam Boring Machine, at Parade Rest awaiting the woodwork to be cleaned and treated/fixed etc. Then I can tackle the metal parts which are going to need a super dooper degreasing bath. Ditto for my Post drill in the garage.

Once cleared, I could then put up the Boring till, which still await its tool holders to be bored. Pieces are machined to sizes, just need various holders shaped to be done. Its been so long, I forgot my last final (?) pattern designed. Will probably have to re-prototype.

In order to clear the boring till and finished it, I must cleared the accumulating collection of Brace bits and accessories for the tools to be held in the boring till.
That means another open till of some sort. Will need two, one for the hand tool shop and another for the power tools shop (garage). That one will probably have some sort of closed storage.

Once the boring till is removed from the sharpening station, I could move it to its final (as if there was such things around here) destination. It would need some more work also, my piston fit drawer became solidly wedged in the high humidity this past summer, and yes, it now opens great without having to touch anything. Who knew? Wood moves! :-) NOTE to myself, need a new dehumidifier next summer.

With all of that cleared I could then tackle the wood storage problems in the shop. Problems are, I got no room, yet I am still a wood hoarder! I am getting better, but could use a wood stove.
In the summer I have been, unknowingly to my friends, erasing some previous woodworking mistakes...up in smoke.  I called it Designer Kindling (Tm)
Burns just the same but look good doing it :-)

View from the door to laundry room, 

the door to storage areas is to the right

Seriously, all that wood stuffed everywhere is taking up lots of room. Room I sorely need to keep a workflow in my little cramped shop. I am set up inside the basement into a small room with two walls having a door.  One to the laundry room to access the outside directly, the other to the other side of the basement: the long storage, Gymn, a cold room (veggies and wine) freezer and mechanical rooms.

Maybe on the small side, and yes I could easily expand next door, but that will encroach seriously into the gymasium, so nogo.

I would still like to keep some woods on hand in the shop, but not all that I currently have stuffed every where.

Once the Boring till is mounted on the other side of the window, in line with the existing big plane till, I will see the remaining space in between above the bench.
That space will be covered in perf board and I would make up dedicated storage holders for whatever I choose to put in front.

One thing that MUST go in front is my small collections of tools that always seems to accumulate on or near the bench while I work: Dividers, marking gauges (all remain set throughout the project at hand) shop knife, a few chisels etc.
These are my go to tools used in almost everything I do, they need a dedicated spot in front of my bench. Within easy reach. My bench is only 4 ft long ( a concession to the working spaces I had and moving around the country) I then need all the help I can get NOT to clutter it.  Easier said than done somehow???

My two planes tills are bursting at the seams and I still got piles of tools awaiting their indoctrination into my shop. I need at least one plane till dedicated to my wooden moulders. Think, beaders, complex profiles, Hollows and Rounds etc.
I would then re-dedicate the existing wooden plane storage in my original plane till as for wooden joinery planes only, plane till No 2 would then only have metal joinery planes.

Still need to make three drawers for the saw till. I long ago machined the parts, ready for final sizes and the joinery, but they are...... MIA

6X6 post on the floor, awaiting to be cut to final size

Need to put up a 6X6 post in my small workshop, to properly mount my Post drill. Of course said drill press is awaiting a good degreaser bath, clean strip and repaint before it goes up. That one is in the garage so it does not encroach on space here, yet...

Roughly in front of the plumbing stack 

is where the Post drill would be mounted.

Pile of wood on the left is in the way.

To the right of the drill I want to re-organized the storage shelves and dedicate storage spots for the Miter Boxes I want to keep. No, I do not need 7 :-)
These would be mounted on a stiff plywood board and would  be installed / removed as required on a dedicated station, yet to be build. And located...???

My antique tool chest need a good sorting/cleaning and it needs to be put on a movable platform.

And with all that done, my shop should be ship shape and still leaves 2 more walls to tackle for storage and display, Bonus :-)  So I should be able to fit the proverbial 10 pound bag of s... into a 5 pound receptacle. Or words to that effect.

Then there is always the small WIFI drone which need to be fixed. Still looking for my small Panavise, found the circuit board holder arms, but not the vise yet, sigh!

Finish my lighted storage display: Drill and mount the hardware for the glass shelves, replace the bottom boards, frame opening. Start a rotating exhibit Excell spreadsheet for it :-)

Finish upgrading and relocating LEDs light fixtures. At same time, upgrade lighting in storage areas next door and install 3 way switches.

OK, that should do it.
This is the state of my shop adress for now, lets see If I can make some real progress in 2018...

Stay tuned, same Bat channel

Bob, who having put this down on "paper", helps getting me to refocus...