The Thing in the Garage

[Richard T]

Thanks Kirk, it's in the American style - but without the circular saw and the steam engines.

Adidat - Yeah, it's sap wood and not much use for anything other than firewood. Some might argue the same about all of it, being conifer. :lol:

 

[houtslager]

Damn you sir !

highly jealous of you, saw simerler set ups in the Greek islands although the bandsaws were put in the ground with the rail along side.

Karl

 

[Noggsy]

Excellent work Richard and a very enjoyable thread. It's great to see people having the get up and go and skills to do this kind of thing, well done mate.

 

[AndyT]

This is looking so impressive and such fun! You could make your own lock gates!

Seriously though, having your own sawmill, and being the sort of person who gets a vanload of sycamore just 'arriving' looks a succesful combination.
You'll be needing something to plane that lot with though - how's your other project coming along?

 

[Richard T]

Thanks folks.

Andy T wrote: "You could make your own lock gates!" or .... a wood store 8) other wise where am I going to put it all?

Got on a bit today. As seen in the bootsale thread in the General Dpt, I found this ratchet lever that is (was) a big old die holder.

I took it apart and thought the best way to attach it would be to drill through the belt - drive wheel that I have that fits the bar and bolt into these existing holes in the ratchet lever.

I had a long rummage through my large 'selection' of bolts to try to find some the right width, thread and pitch but long enough to do the job. I found some which may give you an idea of the size of the bolt 'situation'. :shock:

Much later after much drilling and filing ( there was no way I could have lined those holes up first go) and it is on.

The ratchet reverser is a bit of a fiddle but I'm very pleased with it.

The knurled disk in the gap has to be lifted and turned 180 and let down again to change the ratchet direction.
I just wish it wasn't too late tonight to give it a whirl with some wood on. Will have to wait 'til tomorrow and dream of sawdust in the meantime.

 

[jimi43]

Had it not been for the bootfair thread I would have missed this masterpiece Richard!!

Absolutely astounding! =D> =D> =D> =D> =D>

You must use that old plate from the die holders somewhere mate...it is so cool! 8)

I think I shall have to venture north of Watford one day to check this little gem out.....a bit disappointed though...from the very first picture I thought you had the whole thing running from a traction engine for the moment there! Now that would be worth a visit!!! :mrgreen: :wink:

Will watch this with growing interest...and must read it all again! Fantastic stuff mate!

Jim

 

[Mcluma]

I can still remember the first post back in 2009. I even posted on that one.

now 3 years later. its getting there. and it looks very well made. very sturdy and the result is very nice. i'm very jealouse of what you have created there - although not finished, what is there is very nice.

keep posting any updates you done

 

[Richard T]

Thanks Chris .... 3 years. Blooming 'eck.

Not a steam engine Jim, no ..... but you're very welcome to come and have a look any time.

I made some brackets during the last holdfast forging session and put two of the brushes on:

on back wheel and

on the mid wheel.
I had to plane the tops of these brushes flat - pity really, they looked tres eccentric when they were more obviously domestic clothes brushes. Now they are clothes brushes with the tops planed off ... still quite H. Robinson I 'spose.

I've decide to give up on the ratchet operated dog and to make another screw thread one. This has been tricky though as I have not been able to find a G clamp the same as the first - I've only been looking for three years :roll:
So I ended up chopping a wingnut type, drilling a 6mm hole through the threaded bar - and the inside of the wing nut back on as a collar for strength.

They are both 12 tpi but this bar is narrower than the other one so they will be uneven to use .... but not anything like as uneven as the screw and the ratchet together.

Sorry to ignore the bit about the planes Andy - more on those soon.

 

[Richard T]

I've been in the forge again, this time making a scrap holdfast into something else - a buffer.

Also some more brackets for brushes to try two; one on either side of the wheel:

And with it set up thus, yesterday we converted a couple of these - (7'6" conifer poles)

- into these; strips and frame bits for fence panels.

I just cut them by eye but not directly ...as there is still too much stuff up the front end for me to get in a position to reach the lever so Mrs. Doyle had to watch my gestures and move it from the other side. I don't think they're too bad considering.

Although one was a bit skinny.

The only failure I've had so far is this banana of a piece of Wych Elm I cut straight with a chainsaw about four years ago and attempted to re - saw =

You see where the cut veers off line ... twice ... at this point there was a whisp of smoke and the blade took off toward the carriage. I backed up and tried again; same thing. A pity, as the rest of that batch I managed to re - saw without a hitch.

 

[Mcluma]

did you feed it to quickly??

 

[Richard T]

Mcluma wrote: "did you feed it to quickly??"

No Chris, very slowly. You can't whiz Elm through like you can conifer. I think there must be something strange going on with tension at that point. That whole batch of Wych Elm was a big bough - hence its moving so much - I'm surprised the rest re - cut as well as it did.

 

[Mcluma]

Richard,

For the next one you build, make use of haevy angle iron for our tracks, so no debris will stick on (this would have made your brushes obsolete.

You could have used the gear of a sliding gate, It would have brought some of your cost down, and they are easiliy to source

What are your noise levels like? I noticed that you are in a normal residential area, - no issues with the neighbours?

 

[Richard T]

This would seem the way to go wouldn't it? Both angled rails. Yet all the photos, drawings and patent ap.s I've seen are like I have built; angled guide rail and flat load bearing rail - with brushes. And, to be honest, I don't know why. I thought I'd better do it that way as it seems tried and tested in the hope that the reason would become apparent in use. All that I can think is squaring to the blade is easier. That and it was very much cheaper to have three grooved wheels made than six.

The next one??? :lol: The gear of a sliding gate.... I did look into all sorts of things I might be able to salvage gears from, agricultural mostly, but where could I get four the same from? I looked at doing it with chains at one point, double vice style but finally settled on buying rack and pinions which weren't that much in the end, after shopping around.

It's a lot quieter than if I had done it with a circular saw - just normal bandsaw noise. The neighbours are very good. They put up with an awful lot from me what with that, chainsawing, the forge, swearing, etc.. But I have done things for them with it ... so they can't complain too much ... I hope.

 

[jimi43]

If they get too objectionable Richard...you can always turn them into pies! :mrgreen:

On the subject of the wych elm....that bit you turned into longbows....if you are going to chuck it I would be interested in buying some off of you. Wych elm is one of my most favourite of handle materials...as you know. The lump on the bottom before deviation to the right would be ideal for a few of them.

Let me know and maybe we can come to a deal before the meeting in Northamptonshire.

Cheers mate

Jim

 

[JakeS]

I thought I'd better do it that way as it seems tried and tested in the hope that the reason would become apparent in use. All that I can think is squaring to the blade is easier.

The first thing that comes to mind is that if both rails were angled, you'd also need them to be perfectly parallel, or the wheels would ride up them as they converged/diverged away from the width the wheels are set at, which would more than likely alter the angle of the cut. With a flat load-bearing rail, you can have small discrepancies in your frame and all that happens is that the wheel rides slightly closer to the edge at one end of the run than the other.

You could perhaps allow for problems by allowing one of the angle rails to slide sideways perpendicular to the direction of travel, so you square and fix one side and leave the other side free, or allowing the same for the wheels... but the brushes are easier to set up by far than that or perfectly-parallel rails.

 

[Richard T]

Dammit Jim - in the last half hour I have cut some plane peining apparatus out of it #-o but there is still some usable left and I probably have more lying around. I was saving all my remaining Elm for the long awaited draining board project but top man Gil brought me this slab of green Elm over last week:

Which is a draining board and a half I should think so I'll bring some good bits of the wych for you.
I have some (lots) crotch Sycamore that I cut out of the last load that should make some interesting handles too but it will be a bit green still next month ...


Jake: Exactly. :wink:

 

[jimi43]

Cheers Richard...that is most kind of you! I will need to think of something useful to you in exchange.

Jim

 

[gregmcateer]

Richard,

Weyhey!!

I have just come across this thread and gone right back to the beginning and followed it all the way through - Congratulations - Absolutely brilliant. =D> =D> =D>

I love it and please, please can I come and see it in use sometime? (I too am in the Wet Midlands, (Stourbridge).

Cheers,

Greg

 

[Richard T]

'course you can Greg. I'm in Olton which might be a bit of a trek for you ... Just pop me a PM if you think of a time/date and I'll tell you if I'm in or not - I usually am.

 

[BelgianPhil]

I was lucky enough to see the thing in the garage when it was just a collection of things in the garage, the workshop, the house, ... and i am very glad that it cuts elms and conifers and all that woody stuff. But what we really want to know is: will it slice James Bond or mother-in-laws? :roll: