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First Shot at "Picking"


PostalTom

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9 hours ago, PostalTom said:

I've seen the Evap-O-Rust at our Harbor Freight store, (another good product from a fine company ;)). 

:lol::lol: Go H-F

Sounds like you've got it under control with the rehab. I'm still a grasshopper too on tool refurbs and keep experimenting. That's the fun of it besides the hunt & the find IMO.

9 hours ago, PostalTom said:

With my truck and lathe both broke down, I can't do much of anything else,

Sorry to hear of the problems Tom. When it rains it pours it seems like. Hoping things get better.

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The Townsman T-1 was a "Keystone" line saw, for homeowners.    However, they usually had one medallion, not three.   The two extras were used in place of a couple regular saw bolts.   The Brass one was the original one.   The other two are from after HK Porter bought out Disston about 1955.   Saw itself is from just before 1955.  

 

Brace will have a name stamped on either one of the arms, and/ or the chuck....looks a lot like a Stanley made brace..

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Thanks @steven newman.  I realize the saw is not of any great value as an antique, but the information is interesting.  How do you determine which medallion to focus on?

 

Dave, not to hijack my own thread to a different topic, but my truck is the one I mentioned some time back.  The original problem turned out to be a weak battery and corroded battery cables.  Once that was fixed, the shop determined I need $3500.00 to repair the front end, and I had three cylinders with cracks in them.  The tech said I needed a new motor.  I said no, I needed to jack up the radiator cap and pull a new truck under it.  I am junking the truck, and looking at used truck tomorrow.    As for the lathe, long story short, I can turn the hand wheel just fine when the speed is set to its highest setting, but as I approach the slowest speed, the hand wheel becomes increasingly hard to turn.  There is a business that performs service on Jet lathes about 50 miles north west of here, I will probably take the head stock there either on the 20th when I get my SSA check, or the first when I get the bulk of my retirement money.  Thanks for the good wishes.

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OK, after further digging around....

 

H.K. Porter moved the Disston Div. up to Canada after the sale....and that is where the Townsman...Rancher....Metropolitan....and Hardtooth saws are from.  There was a backsaw with that line up....Disston/HK Porter were trying to redo the Keystone  line up from the 1930s....so..you could also use the chrome medallion...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, I tried the white vinegar.  What a disaster!  It turned the saw blade black, along with my fingers when I picked it up.  I managed to get my hands back to a semblance of normal flesh, but I think the blade is black with no recovery.  I think I know what happened.  I cut three small pieces of dowel from a 3/8" poplar dowel rod to elevate the blade within the vinegar, and apparently it also soaked something out of the wood to react with the metal on the blade.  Oh well, live and learn.  I'll try going back to some steel wool and WD40 to see if I can remove that black patina and shine up the blade a bit.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I finished my restore of the saw.  Sort of.  It doesn't look bad.  Part of the project was sharpening the saw, using the method shown by Paul Sellers and his "progressive rake" system.  It cuts, but I'm not really happy with the results.  Should I repeat the sharpening, maybe even twice, or is there a different method I should try?

On 3/9/2019 at 10:03 PM, PostalTom said:

With my truck and lathe both broke down

I used the remainder of my tax refund to buy a 2006 Chevy Silverado.  So far, it seems to be a good truck.  I still haven't taken my lathe head stock to the shop.  Other things need the money.  I'll get there eventually.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I got started restoring the brace.  After a little wire brushing, the ID popped up.  It is a Miller Falls 732.  Looking at the pad on the head, I now have a question.

I have a pretty big gap between the head and the rest of the components at the top.  This pic shows the gap with a small screwdriver in the gap to highlight it.

 

brace1.jpg.196c9879acfb593fca1a70822b06655f.jpg

 

This is a picture of the head disassembled.  Am I missing something, a bearing or bushing of some sort?  Or should I just pack some washers in there to take up the gap.  I can't seem to find any kind of a parts breakdown that would help me order a missing part, if that is my problem.

 

968980592_brace2.jpg.e847bc2b7a06166f282427905d57e335.jpg

 

 

Sorry about that picture.  Somehow, part of the left side got clipped off, but you can still see the tip of the crank.  That has the slot for the C-clip just to the left of the wooden pad.  Any suggestions?  

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What i can find seems to indicate that there should have been a bearing in that gap at one point; although another source on the web indicates that some braces the retainer collar slips down too far.   I don't really know if yours is fixed in place and missing the bearing or not.  Is there anything on the shank to "hold" it in position. (or for that matter, anything on the metal base of the upper handle to lock it so the whole mechanism doesn't poke through the handle at some point.

 

I will have to look at my braces in the morning and try to get a better idea - i may have one similar to that.

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The only thing that holds the whole assembly in place is the c-clip that goes on the end of the crank up by the upper handle or pad.  Everything thing slides on to the shaft except the clip and wooden part, the clip is installed on the end of the shaft, the wooden pad screws on to the large metal disc by means of threads in the wood mating up with the threads on the protrusion from the disc, and three screws secure the disc to the pad.  Once all that is put together, I have that gap.  According to my research, Miller Falls transferred or sold out to a Chinese, company, (what a surprise!!), so my chances of getting any information or parts from them are pretty nil.  I think everything will probably work, I just don't like all that slop in the mechanism.  BTW, thanks for the response Peter.  Sorry it took me so long to reply, but I got busy with family issues.

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  • 2 months later...
10 hours ago, oldwoodie said:

Why not open that lathe up and see if it has a nylon sleeve needing replaced? I've made several repairs on mine with little to no problem.

I have opened it up.  I didn't see any nylon sleeves, but I wasn't looking for them at the time.  Here is my problem, maybe you will have some insight into a fix.  The lathe is a Jet with a Reeves drive.  When I shut it down after running it the highest speed, I can turn the hand wheel with no problem.  If I shut it down after running it at the lowest speed, the hand wheel is really stiff.  I don't need vice grips to turn it, but I do have to put some effort into it.  This is a new problem, as the hand wheel would turn easily when new and up to just recently, regardless of the speed at which the lathe was shut down.  When I take the belt off, both the motor pulley and the spindle pulley turn freely, regardless of the speed setting.  I am assuming something is gummed up where one of the pulley halves positions itself at the lowest speed, but I have blown everything out, wiped it down, and put a few drops of 3 in 1 oil on the spindles, as per a local service center, but no help.  I guess my next step is to take the head stock in to that service center and let them overcharge me to fix it.  That may be an unfair statement as I haven't been in there yet, just talked over the phone.

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11 minutes ago, PostalTom said:

  If I shut it down after running it at the lowest speed, the hand wheel is really stiff.  I don't need vice grips to turn it, but I do have to put some effort into it

 

Check the alignment of the pulleys.  It would get tight if that heavy belt was a little askew. 

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14 hours ago, PostalTom said:

I have opened it up.  I didn't see any nylon sleeves, but I wasn't looking for them at the time.  Here is my problem, maybe you will have some insight into a fix.  The lathe is a Jet with a Reeves drive.  When I shut it down after running it the highest speed, I can turn the hand wheel with no problem.  If I shut it down after running it at the lowest speed, the hand wheel is really stiff.  I don't need vice grips to turn it, but I do have to put some effort into it.  This is a new problem, as the hand wheel would turn easily when new and up to just recently, regardless of the speed at which the lathe was shut down.  When I take the belt off, both the motor pulley and the spindle pulley turn freely, regardless of the speed setting.  I am assuming something is gummed up where one of the pulley halves positions itself at the lowest speed, but I have blown everything out, wiped it down, and put a few drops of 3 in 1 oil on the spindles, as per a local service center, but no help.  I guess my next step is to take the head stock in to that service center and let them overcharge me to fix it.  That may be an unfair statement as I haven't been in there yet, just talked over the phone.

Lathes with Reeves drive do not need light oil. The sheaves (or split pulley halves) slide on the spindle which drives your workpiece.  These sheaves have to be lubbed with a grease (not the black stuff) I think I use silicone grease. Lube on both sides and lube the split pulley on the motor shaft also. I have no idea of a time span to do this, but anytime that it will not change speeds that is the problem and is one reason no one likes them. Yes mine is a Jet 1642.

Edited by Gerald
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20 hours ago, Gerald said:

it will not change speeds that is the problem

Gerald, I appreciate the response, but I think you might have misunderstood my problem.  My lathe changes speeds just fine.  My problem is when I shut it down after running it at the lowest speed, I find that the hand wheel on the end of the head stock is very difficult to turn.  This came to light after I had done some sanding on a bowl, and shut the lathe off to check my bowl to see if it was time to change to a different grit of sandpaper.  That's when I noticed it was so difficult to turn.  However, if I turn the lathe off at the highest speed, the hand wheel turns freely, like it did when it was brand new.  The speed change mechanism works good, as far as I can tell.  If you wish, we can set up a phone call to discuss it further, especially since you also have a Jet 1642 and are undoubtedly more familiar with the mechanisms than I am.  Thanks for the interest Gerald.

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2 hours ago, PostalTom said:

Gerald, I appreciate the response, but I think you might have misunderstood my problem.  My lathe changes speeds just fine.  My problem is when I shut it down after running it at the lowest speed, I find that the hand wheel on the end of the head stock is very difficult to turn.  This came to light after I had done some sanding on a bowl, and shut the lathe off to check my bowl to see if it was time to change to a different grit of sandpaper.  That's when I noticed it was so difficult to turn.  However, if I turn the lathe off at the highest speed, the hand wheel turns freely, like it did when it was brand new.  The speed change mechanism works good, as far as I can tell.  If you wish, we can set up a phone call to discuss it further, especially since you also have a Jet 1642 and are undoubtedly more familiar with the mechanisms than I am.  Thanks for the interest Gerald.

Mine worked great for a year or two and then started this and it is all a matter of the lube. The speed handle would only move after starting which could be a problem . And like you the spindle was difficult to turn. Send me a PM if you want to talk.

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