Waiting

Spring started this week, but you would not know it.

The gardens are still to cold to work . . .

The streams are running free with melt-water  . . .

It is in this time of year we have time to kick around the antique shops.  I came across this Stanley No. 68 folding rule.  It is a 6 inch rule that unfolds to 24 inches.  The perfect rule to keep in a pocket while working in the workshop (and only $7!).

Latest Auction Find

At last week's auction I came across an antique hand-cranked grinder.  A bargain at $10.

It's a Niagara Model 60.  Probably around 1910 to 1920.

These have been around a while.  They were quite popular 100 years ago.

Mine is missing the tool rest.  It shouldn't take much effort to make one.  I have seen a few examples of the tool rest in other photos.

I recently saw Roy Underhill using one of these on the Woodwright's Shop to set an edge on a jack plane.  I'll let you know how well it works.

Pedal Power

We went to the Shelburne Museum this past weekend.  This trip, we visited a number of the collections associated with woodworking, tools, toys and carving.  I took a lot of photographs - a lot a material for future blog postings.

For this entry, I thought I'd show some of the foot-operated tools from the Blacksmith Shop and the collections in the Shaker Shed.

The first piece of equipment had me stumped.  It was obvious it was a foot powered machine which would drive a sharp metal tool down.   But what was it? I consulted a book I have on American hand tools (Alvin Sellens' Dictionary of American Hand Tools - A Pictorial Synopsis).  Aha! It was a mortising machine.  One would have drilled out the hole to be mortised, and then squared-up the hole using the foot-powered chisel.

I like the wooden leaf-spring at the top, but it seems that the upper and lower leaf springs are flipped.  I looks like the pedal would not be able to move very far before both springs would come in contact.  I'm just going to go back and ask a few questions.

There was a great foot-powered saw . . .

. . . a foot powered lathe . . .

. . . and a foot powered jig saw.

There was also a slate cutter's bench. It is similar to a shaving bench in operation.  There used to be a lot of slate quarries in the area.  Something else to study!

Caress of Steel

In a previous post, I mentioned I had picked up a 2-man crosscut saw at our local auction house.  I finally got around to cleaning it up this past weekend.

The saw was in very good shape.  The handles were sturdy and well-fastened.  The blade did not appear to be too rusty, and the teeth looked to be in good shape.

I sanded the blade first on both sides with 100 grit paper, and then rubbed it with steel wool.  A good coat of WD-40 was rubbed over both sides.  I was happy with the surface.

I then looked at the teeth.  There are a number of tooth patterns for saws.  This saw is set with a champion tooth pattern.  Two triangular teeth are set slightly out of line of one another, while a smaller 2-pronged tooth (known as the raker) is set in line.  The triangular teeth do the cutting, while the raker help to clean the shavings out of the cut.

I checked the height of the rakers.  They should be just below the cutting teeth.  If the rakers are above the level of the triangular cutting teeth, it will be hard to saw.   Luckily for me, all the teeth were in good shape and at the correct level.  I then mounted the saw in a vice, and proceeded to sharpen the teeth with a file.  I still need to check the set of the teeth (i.e., the offset angles between the teeth) to make sure that they are properly aligned.

I'll have to get the wife out soon and give the saw a try.  I am sure we aren't a matched sawing team.  Hopefully using the saw out won't cause a big fight!

Rainy Day Chores

We finally got a good rain.  It started sometime after midnight and has been going steady.  I expect we will get over 1 inch.  This is good. It has been dry this month and the plants and rivers could use it.  Our creek was nearly dry (just a few puddles), but it is now flowing again.

Dry Creek

Wet Creek

We picked up our corn yesterday.  We get it from a local farm-stand.  It was picked around 8:00 in the morning, and by 3:00 we had it all shucked, wrapped, and in the freezer.  We put way 160 ears!  This will keep us in corn-on-the-cob for most of the coming year.

Our plum (roma) tomatoes have been coming in.  We peeled and froze 4 1/2 dozen this morning.  We have a few more dozen we picked yesterday, and will certainly pick many dozen more in the coming weeks.  We use frozen tomatoes in our spaghetti sauce, chili, soups, etc.  We put about 8 tomatoes into quart size freezer bags after we peel them.  Each bag is roughly equivalent to a 10 - 12 ounce can (no salt, preservatives, and better flavor).

I'll be making pesto today.  We blend our basil with grated parmesan cheese and olive oil.  We divide it into small portions and also freeze it.  We can take some pesto out any time and whip up some pasta, etc. in a snap.

I spent a few ours in the workshop catching up on a few projects.  I had picked up a few hand drills at auctions that needed some cleaning up.  Most needing some lubrication, while one needed its handle glued.  I also worked on the puffin decoy.  Most of the sanding is now done.  I've glued the bill in, and filled some of the big cracks with wood putty.  The decoy will get one more finish sanding and then I'll paint it.

Tools and Toys

We  did some antiquing the last few days, and I found a few items of note.  I picked up a couple of wooden clamps (16" opening).  They weren't antiques, but the price was right ($35 for 2, retail is usually over $25 each).  We picked up a Coca Cola sign (~ 48" x 18").  It was probably made in the last 20 years or so.  It wasn't enameled, but the read and white paint scheme will look great on the barn (only $20).  I'll post a picture later after we get it on the barn.

The most interesting find was a wooden bar clamp.  There were 4 for sale.  I just picked up 1.  It is about 5 feet long.  It would have been used for clamping larger furniture pieces and tabletops.  I really liked the wooden screw.

We had small 'bird house' we got an an auction (actually, it was shoved in a crock we bought - it came free).  I had a spare stair spindle from another project, so I made another decorative bird house to put over in the side garden (I sometime call it the white garden as we have other white items there mixed in with the wildflowers).  I gave it a couple of coats of paint.

We picked up a child's ironing board.  We will touch up the paint.  It didn't have an iron, so I whipped up one.  It too will need to get painted.  I hope our granddaughter will like it.  I am pretty sure she will!

Noisy, Dirty, Scary Things

Rotary Engine

I am reminded of a scene from the classic movie "The Quiet Man". John Wayne's character discusses buying a tractor with his wife, played by Maureen O'Hara. Her response was something to the effect that such machines were noisy and smelly.

There were a lot of' 'serious' machines at the auction today. This included rototillers, edgers, lathes, table saws, a few tractors, outboard engines, lawn mowers, and assorted rotary engines.

There were over 1 dozen engines. These would have been affixed to wheels and used to drive belt-driven equipment. They were being sold by an estate of a gentleman who was a collector. The seller told me her ex-husband got hurt by one of the machines (the one pictured) when it sped-up while he was turning the starter handle. It took out a few of his front teeth and cut his face open.

There were also Gravely walk behind tractors. These were gasoline-powered rotary machines that you could hook to snow blowers, mowers, etc. attachments. The snow blower pictured below looks down-right lethal. Not much of a shield around the blade. From the label, this was most likely a 1960s vintage machine. Gravely started to build equipment in the 1920s and the 2-wheeled walk behinds were made into the 1970s.

Gravely Tractor with Snow Blower

I did put an absentee bid in for an anvil. The wife and I saw some large crocks and decorative items we also bid on. Needless to say, I didn't bid on any of these impressive / aggressive machines (though there are serious collectors and enthusiasts for such equipment).

Hand tools look a lot safer . . .

Keeping Busy

Brrrr!

It was a 'warm' and sunny day. The high is around 34 degF (1 degC). I went for a short (15 mile) bike ride up one of the local hills. The downhills were brutal as the wind felt like it was sucking the heat right out of you. I'd do it again in a heartbeat (once I warm up).

I opened up the jigsaw I got at the auction Friday. I found the speed control board looked like it has a burnt trace. The saw is a Freud FJ85 jigsaw. I got the parts list online. I'll call the customer support line see if I can get a new controller board. The saw sells for around $100 new. It is a 6 amp variable speed saw. If I can get a controller board cheap, it would have been a great investment.

I started on a gate leg table. My daughter pointed me to an approach for furniture making using pre-made stair spindles. Essentially, you use 1x3's and the spindles for the basic frame. I am using dowels to pin the basic frame together, but will mortise the gate leg assemblies together. The forstner bits I picked up at the auction worked great for drilling out the holes for the dowels. I'll post some photos as the project progresses.

I also added a few caps to the end of the axles for the doll carriage we got our granddaughter (it only had 1 hub cap). I touched them up with spray paint. It really helps to complete the carriage.

I'll hit the gate leg table hard next week. I should be able to get the frame together and get the drop-legs assembled and attached. Then I will need to work on the top and sides.

You Win Some, You Lose Some

We went to a local auction house yesterday. They have the outside 'mantiques' (tools, old furniture, etc.) auction as well as the traditional inside stuff (furniture, dishes, toys, etc.).

I picked up a jigsaw for $15 and a set of forstner bits for $30. The saw was a heavy duty saw with nice roller bearing support for the blade and dust collection attachment. The bits were in a wide variety of sizes. I was very happy with the bits, but . . .

. . . the jigsaw doesn't look like it works. I'll work on it tomorrow to see if it is something simple. Oh well, all sales final!

More Toys

We went to a few antique stores yesterday. I am always on the lookout for good antique tools. It is not that I collect them - its just that you can get quality tools for a very good price.

I found a decent spokeshave. It is marked No. 51. Most like a vintage Stanley piece. I sharpened the blade on the wheel and it is good as new. Paid $6. I also found a wooden mallet. The head was tight to the handle. It has seen some use, but it was in good shape. Again, $6!

I am still looking for a decent froe, decent chisels and gouges. I should also look for more bits for the brace I picked up recently.

Happy antique hunting!

The New Addition

If you haven't guessed it, I found a treadle-powered sandstone grinding wheel. It is in good shape, and is a welcome addition for sharpening my tools. At a price of $75, I think it was a bargain. I haven't found a maker's mark on it. I am not sure when it was made. I assume it is early 20th century.

I sharpened my ax, scythe, hatchet, some wood carving tools, an iron from an old block plane, and a half-dozen kitchen knives. The large sandstone wheel spins at a nice rate. The material is not aggressive and gently cleans up a rough surface. It's large surface is great, and the dripping water keeps the wheel cool.

We also found a nice little doll carriage. I am sure our granddaughter will like it . . .

A Great Find!

First - I'll have to keep you waiting . . .

We went antiquing today. I am always on the lookout for tools and other 'mantiques'. I saw some neat old tin signs that would look great on the barn. There were some cool tools, but nothing that I felt I really would use.

Then, I saw it. I've been looking for one of these for a long time. This one was in great working shape, and it had a seat!

I already have a bunch of tools lined up to use the new addition. My son-in-law will be jealous!

We did not have room in the car for it today. I'll have to pick it up tomorrow with the station wagon.

Stay Tuned . . .

Long Overdue

It's been a while since I was in the blogosphere. I have been working on a few projects in the workshop, but the cold weather has kept me away from my unheated workshop longer than I would like. My daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter also came to visit, so I spent my freetime with them (it was a real treat!).

I have started carving a bowl from a piece of wood from my mother-in-law's home. If it looks like it will turn into something nice, I'll post some photos.

I received a few tools as gifts from my daughter and son-in-law. They found a Shelton #14 jack plane. It is in very nice condition and works like a champ. They also bought me a hand brace. Both look to be mid-20th century pieces. I only had to put a few drops of oil on the brace to free up its action. I put a 3/4" wood bit in it and ripped right through a rough piece of wood.

Shelton #14 Jack Plane

Mid-Century Brace

I also got around to making a new frog for a wooden block plane my daughter and son-in-law gave me a few months ago. The old frog was broken on the end and would not hold the iron in tightly.

I ripped a piece of oak down to the correct width, then beveled one side on the table saw. I then traced out the upper curved part, and cut its bevel out on the band saw. The new frog holds the iron in nicely. Now I have to sharpen the iron (it will take a little work).

New Frog for Block Plane

Brrrr ! ! !

Let's see. It's 10 degF (-12 degC) at 3:30 PM. About the warmest it will get today.

I worked out and then went to the workshop. It was very cold in the workshop. I lit the kerosene heater, but knew there was no way it would really warm the workshop up.

I bought bandsaw recently and had some more setup to do on it. I had to adjust the thrust bearings and blade tension. I also squared the table. I then tried out some hardwood dowels I recently bought on the pole lathe. They worked great. I now know that I can turn some hardwood for projects (I can't get greenwood real easily).

After being in the workshop about 45 minutes, I found myself running over to the heater to warm up. I looked at the thermometer - it was only 24 degF in the workshop. It was too cold to keep working. Time to go in.

We had some more snow, so I has to plow the driveway again. Brrrr ! ! !

Plane Talk

I received a few old tools a few weeks ago. My wife had been visiting my daughter and son-in-law and had stopped at a giant flea market. They bought me a wooden clamp and an old wooden bench plane. The clamp is in good working order, though the plane needs the iron sharpened. The wooden body is worn, so keeping the iron blade fixed may be a challenge. I started to sharpen the blade, but I will have to bring it into the barn and work in the vise first before I can tackle it with the oil stone.

I came across a few good site on older tools and prices. I am sure I will follow these sites. Maybe I'll start to collect some old tools just to see how well they work and what it takes to care for them.