What Are You Working On?

[JMG]

I built this huge frame for this huge mirror today...

[Gabriel]

[Gabriel]

Working on a small standing cabinet with my students. All oak, my first double panel door. Face frame and door are all mortise and tenon joints. Fun stuff.

[JMG]

Working on a small standing cabinet with my students. All oak, my first double panel door. Face frame and door are all mortise and tenon joints. Fun stuff.

Looking good. How are you cutting the tenons?

[michigander]

The snowfall estimates are dropping fast. I might have a chance to start putting the L8 Super Convertible back together tomorrow.

Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati - When all else fails, play dead.

I love this picture. I can almost smell the smell of the crank case, and the gear oil.

[JimVH]

The snowfall estimates are dropping fast. I might have a chance to start putting the L8 Super Convertible back together tomorrow.

Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati - When all else fails, play dead.

I love this picture. I can almost smell the smell of the crank case, and the gear oil.

+1

[Gabriel]

Working on a small standing cabinet with my students. All oak, my first double panel door. Face frame and door are all mortise and tenon joints. Fun stuff.

Looking good. How are you cutting the tenons?

We’ve been cutting them on the table saw (horizontally like you would with a dado stack, but we don’t have a dado stack) and then we clean them up and tweak them to fit with a chisel. Although my long awaited shoulder plane arrived yesterday, so I’m looking forward to the clean up job getting easier.

I’d like to teach them to cut them by hand, but I’ll need a better set of saws first.

[joegoat]

The snowfall estimates are dropping fast. I might have a chance to start putting the L8 Super Convertible back together tomorrow.

Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati - When all else fails, play dead.

I love this picture. I can almost smell the smell of the crank case, and the gear oil.

+1

I've learned that cardboard is my best friend. I make a mess even when I take every precaution to avoid one.

Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati - When all else fails, play dead.

[Goose55]

Restoration of a really nice, large blasted Lane Era Charatan's Make Billiard

I won it recently on eBay for only $36. Here it is before I topped the bowl and began working on the original Charatan's stem. The stem, as you can see, was in pretty bad shape. Needed an overnight soak in lacquer thinner to remove the ugly oxidation, and Star Bond for a number of tooth impressions. When I've got enough applications of Star Bond in the impressions (it shrinks as it dries), and it cures for a day, I'll use a needle file to re-establish a sharp button, and then several grades of sand-papers, finishing w/ micro polishing pads, and then an overnight soak w/ Obsidian Oil on it. Should come out nicely as I've done this many times before, and I think I'm getting better at it.

Here's the pipe before I did anything to it. More in process pics coming...

Progress Update:

After the overnight soak in lacquer thinner and a lacquer thinner wet paper towel scrub to remove most of the oxidation I started filling with StarBond yesterday morning and continued all the way through this morning. Here, below, I have everything filled. I'm estimating it took about 8 applications. So many due to the depth of the tooth marks and the fact that as it dries it shrinks A LOT. I'll let it cure overnight and by tomorrow it should be ready to be worked over with a needle file and progressive grades of sand paper, then micro polishing pads, and finally automotive swirl mark remover. Next post will be the finished result.

Stem button bottom is where the worst of the teeth impressions were


This is a bottom view of the bottom of the stem, where the worst of the teeth impressions were


This is a side view of the top of the stem

[joegoat]

Restoration of a really nice, large blasted Lane Era Charatan's Make Billiard

I won it recently on eBay for only $36. Here it is before I topped the bowl and began working on the original Charatan's stem. The stem, as you can see, was in pretty bad shape. Needed an overnight soak in lacquer thinner to remove the ugly oxidation, and Star Bond for a number of tooth impressions. When I've got enough applications of Star Bond in the impressions (it shrinks as it dries), and it cures for a day, I'll use a needle file to re-establish a sharp button, and then several grades of sand-papers, finishing w/ micro polishing pads, and then an overnight soak w/ Obsidian Oil on it. Should come out nicely as I've done this many times before, and I think I'm getting better at it.

Here's the pipe before I did anything to it. More in process pics coming...

Progress Update:

After the overnight soak in lacquer thinner and a lacquer thinner wet paper towel scrub to remove most of the oxidation I started filling with StarBond yesterday morning and continued all the way through this morning. Here, below, I have everything filled. I'm estimating it took about 8 applications. So many due to the depth of the tooth marks and the fact that as it dries it shrinks A LOT. I'll let it cure overnight and by tomorrow it should be ready to be worked over with a needle file and progressive grades of sand paper, then micro polishing pads, and finally automotive swirl mark remover. Next post will be the finished result.

Stem button bottom is where the worst of the teeth impressions were


This is a bottom view of the bottom of the stem, where the worst of the teeth impressions were


This is a side view of the top of the stem

That should be a nice pipe when it's all cleaned up.

Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati - When all else fails, play dead.

[Goose55]

Restoration of a really nice, large blasted Lane Era Charatan's Make Billiard

I won it recently on eBay for only $36. Here it is before I topped the bowl and began working on the original Charatan's stem. The stem, as you can see, was in pretty bad shape. Needed an overnight soak in lacquer thinner to remove the ugly oxidation, and Star Bond for a number of tooth impressions. When I've got enough applications of Star Bond in the impressions (it shrinks as it dries), and it cures for a day, I'll use a needle file to re-establish a sharp button, and then several grades of sand-papers, finishing w/ micro polishing pads, and then an overnight soak w/ Obsidian Oil on it. Should come out nicely as I've done this many times before, and I think I'm getting better at it.

Here's the pipe before I did anything to it.

Restored pipe



How I Did It

After the overnight soak in lacquer thinner and a lacquer thinner wet paper towel scrub to remove most of the oxidation I started filling with StarBond and continued all the way through the next morning. Here, below, I have everything filled. I'm estimating it took about 8 applications. So many due to the depth of the tooth marks and the fact that as it dries it shrinks A LOT. I let it cure overnight and it was ready to be worked over with a needle file and progressive grades of sand paper, the next morning. Then micro polishing pads, and finally automotive swirl mark remover.

Stem button bottom is where the worst of the teeth impressions were


This is a bottom view of the bottom of the stem, where the worst of the teeth impressions were


This is a side view of the top of the stem

[joegoat]

The rest of the parts to put my Gravely L8 Super Convertible back together should be here tomorrow. The fella I ordered them from missed an entire page worth when he packed my order, but he made it right. I'm still trying to find a close enough match to the Gravely reddish orange paint though.

Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati - When all else fails, play dead.

[joegoat]

Crank case is back together and temporarily mounted to the transmission until the seal sets up. The valve covers are on, but the head is on hold until I determine what size piston and rings I need. The carburetor is torn down for a good cleaning and rebuild. USPS was afraid of our lane again so the stuff I need didn't get delivered. I'm stuck here for today.

Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati - When all else fails, play dead.

[DepartedLight]

[coco]

JoeGoat will pull her out and have her going in no time.

[joegoat]

JoeGoat will pull her out and have her going in no time.

Small window, folding sunroof, standard bug? Might be a worthwhile restoration. My to do list is maxed out though.

Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati - When all else fails, play dead.

[Fainn]

The metal is showing through on my wiper arms, causing really bad glare while driving. I just put a coat of flat black on them and waiting to do the second coat.

[joegoat]

Well, the Gravely L8 has a .020 overbore. The stamping on the piston was extremely faint. No wonder the standard rings had such massive gaps. The good news is, I won't need to drop $50 on a new piston because I doubt the .025 overbore would fit.

Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati - When all else fails, play dead.

[joegoat]

I rebuilt the carburetor for the Gravely LI today. I had bought the rebuild kit for the L8 in the midst of restoration, but the LI needs to be running reliably if we get more snow this year. I also checked the valve clearances on it today. Wow! They were tight! They're now set to .015 and she's running like a top, a bloody loud top. It fires right up your on the first or second pull with little to no choke.
My one fear is that the magneto windings might be failing. It liked to die once it got hot while I was blowing snow last week.
The L8 is starting to look like something. The axle seals are replaced and the PTO nose piece is bolted on. I may have done too much on the work bench though. I about blew an o-ring just moving it a few inches on the bench. I might need the engine hoist to lift that thing back onto the floor.

Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati - When all else fails, play dead.

[Bloodhound]

Internet WiFi issues!!! The provide sets a 300 MBPS target for download speed...I am getting 54.3 GBPS...my wife can't do her Webex meetings and it falls to me to do the "IT" duties for the home network.

I have spent more than 5 hours working with Xfiinity techs...even got one to come to the house Thursday...he left when his meter read 326 GBPS...it went down quickly from there...back to 54.3 or there abouts...

At this point I should be receiving a check from Xfinity and a check from my wife's agency...I am a cop...not an IT tech...my next move...a cop move may be to take the modem to a dark alley and beat the living....OK I won't do that....