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Brian Holcombe
09-27-2018, 12:54 PM
After a long but mainly passive search, one of these machines came up for sale near me. I plan to restore it. It runs well and the pneumatics function but it has a few points i need to address.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/img_1389.jpg

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/img_1392.jpg

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/img_1394.jpg

If nothing else I can greatly admire whomever designed this machine, it leaves me in awe a bit.

David Eisenhauer
09-27-2018, 2:40 PM
Watched a video of this animal in action. Jeez - a hungry buzzsaw for sure. Sounds like a chain gun on a Warthog. Questions - Is the garage starting to get full? Do you tend to dim the lights in the neighborhood from time to time? How does one collect dust for this new addition?

Bill Adamsen
09-27-2018, 3:00 PM
I'm very jealous Brian. Occasionally I see knives come on the market, will be sure to give you a heads up when do.

Brian Holcombe
09-27-2018, 6:23 PM
Mark Hennebury is the man for these machines, so he’s probably made the video that you saw.

To say the garage is getting full is to put it modestly, I think my wife is going to drop a cast iron table on my foot if she sees another one show up here.

im looking forward to using it, I put some rubber feet in the hopes it will quiet it down slightly.

Jim Becker
09-27-2018, 7:17 PM
Yea, not only is "that garage" getting full...it's a tight single version to-boot! What a nice find, however...I enjoyed our conversation about it this afternoon. I didn't know such things existed!

Brian Holcombe
09-27-2018, 7:22 PM
Thanks Jim! The pleasure is mine!

Hah, yes this is small even by one-car standards.

Nick Decker
09-27-2018, 7:55 PM
Like Jim, I had no idea what it was, had to look it up. Cool machine, although I'm guessing it'll rattle your teeth.

David Kumm
09-27-2018, 8:04 PM
Nice get. Mark is the man and likely has some chisels if you need them and lots of advice. His resto work is second to none. I have a Maka in storage but no experience with it. When something like that comes up, need is secondary. Dave

Mark Hennebury
09-27-2018, 9:02 PM
https://youtu.be/KJUJ796jxls

394076




Thanks Brian and David.

Mark Hennebury
09-27-2018, 9:02 PM
https://youtu.be/otCpCn0l4Wo

Jim Becker
09-28-2018, 9:02 AM
Dang....that thang cuts fast! Brian described it to be yesterday when he was visiting, but it's hard to visualize until you "see the buzz". :D Thanks for sharing that video, Mark!

Brian Holcombe
09-28-2018, 9:39 AM
I've been getting a chance to dig in a bit in my late evening hours, mainly to fix aesthetic problems, but also to check the more important functional aspects of the machine.

This looks like it could be just a worn area on the table, but I will check the ways for parallelism next.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/qxRARytwRsa7wAiBglOW1A.jpg

This is quite curious and explains why the machine had an auxiliary table bolted on with a huge shim. I do believe, however that it is just the cutter seat that is out and not the shaft.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/KmHTx2DXTsqx1J4vrbO8Pg-458420054-1538141397573.jpg

If that is the case it will be an 'easy' fix to mill the surface and bring it back into parallel with the table, which I assume it needs to be in order to cut cleanly.

The post connections to the body are in good shape.

Started cleaning up these things, filling holes and reshaping the one corner with a bit of epoxy. If it holds, great, if it does not I will weld a new corner on, but I always hesitate to weld a machined casting.
https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/6ZHRYGcQc672x4zWDuCFg-3986864832-1538141747635.jpg

David Eisenhauer
09-28-2018, 10:31 AM
How do you sharpen the cutters?

michael langman
09-28-2018, 10:56 AM
That is an interesting machine Brian. Wil enjoy seeing you use it in the future.

Brian Holcombe
09-28-2018, 1:16 PM
How do you sharpen the cutters?

Not sure, but I know this to be the most important aspect of running the machines on a continuous basis without damaging them. The machine came with a spare chisel that is sharp and to spec.

I know there is a long road ahead.


That is an interesting machine Brian. Wil enjoy seeing you use it in the future.

Thank you!

Mark Hennebury
09-28-2018, 2:59 PM
Hi Brian,

The machine is a very interesting design. The driven shaft has a slightly off-center section to provide the swing of the oscillating head ( which the chisel bolts to) So it works a bit like a crankshaft. where it gets more interesting is that the oscillating head has a center plug with an offset hole bored through it, that fits over the driven shaft and cam be locked to that shaft in various positions radially providing an infinitely variable throw ( within the range) So you can vary the length of the mortise by adjusting the shaft and oscillating head. Of course all of the parts add room for tolerance, so you will have to check that all the shafts and bores are snug. then you can get and accurate readout of cut in reference to the axis of rotation and to the table.

There are several things that you need to check;
1. is the chisel mount surface a perpendicular plane to the shaft axis of rotation.
2. Does it stay a perpendicular plane during a full rotation of the shaft. Does it change angle of elevation?


Once you have established these two points are running true, then you can reference it to the table,


Once you get it apart and make sure that things are not cracked and bent and worn you will know more and be confident on what the cause of any problems will be. then it is simple a process of checking and verifying each step.

Brian Holcombe
09-28-2018, 4:25 PM
Thanks Mark!

So far I was able to check the main shaft for runout, it's .002".

1) Definitely out of perpendicular, but the good thing is that the crank doesn't appear bent. The seating area for the chisels is a bit rough and I think that is what is causing the issue.

2) Doesn't change elevation from one end of the throw to the other, but as it rises it does, which seems to confirm my suspicion that it is not perpendicular.

So far nothing cracked, still checking for bent parts.

Brian Holcombe
09-29-2018, 8:35 AM
Dave Cav, thanks for the message!

Brian Holcombe
09-29-2018, 6:53 PM
Bit of fun and a bit of a headache trying to unfreeze this.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/img_1408-1.jpg

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/img_1405.jpg

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/img_1403-1.jpg

Patrick McCarthy
09-29-2018, 7:56 PM
Ford Blue?? Kinda figured you for a Chevy guy . . . . .

Brian Holcombe
09-29-2018, 8:30 PM
....Petrol Blue....but I see it now. I picked Grey for the base that is pretty generic, maybe I’ll use it for the whole machine.

I managed to unfreeze the eccentric, that took heat, oil, beeswax and a puller. Guess it wasn’t maintained all that often. so far I’ve discovered one noisy bearing also, which I’m happy to have found as this would not be any fun if there weren’t anything to fix. :D

Brian Holcombe
09-30-2018, 8:08 AM
I found the table ways are not in parallel with the uprights. The table itself, aside from some scars is pretty good.

So, now I either recut the ways, or have the uprights removed and re-bored.

Bob Vaughan
09-30-2018, 9:56 AM
I've rebuilt a few of those things over the years. When running correctly they are smooth and quiet. They'll do a 3/8 wide x 1-1/4" deep mortise in about six seconds. There's a bit of fool around to set one up, so its not versatile like a hollow chisel mortiser but the mortise is far superior. Tooling gets pricey.
Whenever I've got a lot of the same size mortises to do, I always wish I had mine back.

Mark Hennebury
09-30-2018, 10:59 AM
I found the table ways are not in parallel with the uprights. The table itself, aside from some scars is pretty good.

So, now I either recut the ways, or have the uprights removed and re-bored.

I am not sure how that would happen, unless the guide rails got bent, seats cracked, casting warped or poor machining.
You would assume that this was all machined accurately in jigs at the factory. There is no adjustment, so either it was not machined accurately at the factory or it changed after.
I have seen the castings cracked around where the guide rails are seated before, but yours did not look to be cracked from the photos you sent me. There is not much metal around those seats to machine oversize, and it would probably be much more accurate to clamp the rails to a milling table and skim the dovetail ways. I have had a bunch of machine work done on several different models; shafts repaired, new guide rail made, motor mount re-bored, and base for guide rails re-bored and bushed, casting repaired etc. Its great if you have a good machine shop to do that stuff; I have some horror stories to tell. Not too many shops want to bother with small, fussy one-of jobs. And you may run into" that's close enough for woodworking attitude" from time to time.
Are you going to do the machining yourself? I prefer to do as much as i can myself.

Brian Holcombe
09-30-2018, 11:09 AM
I plan to do it myself, anytime I can buy the cutter for less than what I expect to pay I’ll just do that. I found an indexable cutter that should be able to manage the cut, it’s a big one. The cut should be fairly light work. I’ll block it up by the uprights with parallel blocks, check them against the Mill then double check the ways and cut them.

I still plan to get the table resurfaced, after all this I can’t see looking at someone’s cutter crash every time I use it.

I have a great little machine shop, I used to work there and the owner and his son do the work. They do automotive mainly so I don’t see him having the stuff to cut ways but I will likely find out before I buy my own.

I plan to check the rails for straightness also. I don’t imagine they are bent, but always pays to check.

Brian Holcombe
09-30-2018, 1:33 PM
I've rebuilt a few of those things over the years. When running correctly they are smooth and quiet. They'll do a 3/8 wide x 1-1/4" deep mortise in about six seconds. There's a bit of fool around to set one up, so its not versatile like a hollow chisel mortiser but the mortise is far superior. Tooling gets pricey.
Whenever I've got a lot of the same size mortises to do, I always wish I had mine back.

Bob, thanks for confirming my hopes that they’re quiet when running well. Mine is louder than I expected, but I found most of the bearings were on their last legs or just plain crunchy so it should quiet down considerably.

The tooling is a concern, but if it can do what I expect it will be money well spent. When I have a lot of similar mortises to cut it will be a nice piece of mind to have them all neat and accurate.

Darcy Warner
09-30-2018, 1:56 PM
Makas are sweet machines.

Mel Fulks
09-30-2018, 2:53 PM
Makas are sweet machines.
Yep, we used to use them for sash bars since no ragged edge was left after going thru the "sticker". The hollow chisels
would sometimes leave a ragged edge even though the "sticker" removed a whole 1/8th inch of wood.

Tom Bain
09-30-2018, 6:33 PM
https://m.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=43MEBKvaZLE

Brian Holcombe
09-30-2018, 6:40 PM
:D

Getting here was tough, all the grease in this beast is thickened and so everything is frozen and requires careful efforts to break down without damaging anything.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/img_1412.jpg

A minor reward, I sanded and filled the chips then painted. I liked the green but I like a more modern aesthetic of color, grey and black. I’ve seen Mark do this on his machines and decided that if I get one I will do similar.

I also peeled the dealer tag off.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/img_1413.jpg

Jim Becker
09-30-2018, 9:06 PM
Great color choices...it will fit right in!

Brian Holcombe
10-01-2018, 12:14 AM
Thanks Jim!

I've been trying to save as much as possible on this machine, the original parts are just gorgeously made. Such quality, I've yet to find a void in any of the castings or a cheap piece of hardware anywhere.

I came across this, beat to death from years of scuffing and whatnot. Decided to try my hand at polishing it up;

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/img_1415.jpg

Success:

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/img_1416.jpg

Installed:

The cable was really high quality and featured a Hubbell plug, so I decided to clean those up as well. Scotch bright and gunk-remover work really well.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/img_1419.jpg

brent stanley
10-01-2018, 9:25 AM
:D

Getting here was tough, all the grease in this beast is thickened and so everything is frozen and requires careful efforts to break down without damaging anything.



A minor reward, I sanded and filled the chips then painted. I liked the green but I like a more modern aesthetic of color, grey and black. I’ve seen Mark do this on his machines and decided that if I get one I will do similar.

I also peeled the dealer tag off.



Wow.....that casting looks amazing.

David Kumm
10-01-2018, 10:31 AM
Brian, what type of filler did you use and how did you polish the glass ( plastic ). Buffing compound? Dave

Brian Holcombe
10-01-2018, 10:40 AM
Thanks gents! David, I only filled where there was a big chip in the original paint, otherwise I simply sanded. The filler was steel filled epoxy, worked quite nicely and dries extremely hard.

On the plastic I sanded the scars out with 150grit, then worked through 220, 320 then switched to wet for 400, 800 and 1500 and finished it with blitz silver polishing compound.

Mark Hennebury
10-01-2018, 11:26 AM
It's Looking really nice Brian.

David Kumm
10-01-2018, 11:42 AM
Is the epoxy similar to JB weld and how hard is it to work with vs a body filler or glazing compound? What type of paint? Sprayed? Dave

Brian Holcombe
10-01-2018, 12:15 PM
Thanks Mark!

David, it's JB weld putty type. I prepped the area by sanding and removing anything loose, then mixed and applied. Very easy to use. In most cases I left it to setup for about 30 minutes then shaved the top off with a sharp knife. A bit rough on the knife but easier than sanding it down.

Dupli-color rattle-can. I used brake caliper paint for the electrical box (for no reason other than it's tough and offered the matte finish I wanted) the other stuff is Dupli-color's equivalent of 'Cast-blast' which is just a cast iron color. I used Duplicolor because it lays on a bit thicker in appearance than true cast blast, where cast blast really looks like cast iron. It's a high temp ceramic based engine paint, I figure it'll do well here given it's intended application.

David Kumm
10-01-2018, 1:01 PM
If I have a machine that will see grease and oil, I top off with SprayMax clearcoat. It is a two part spray can and even acetone won't remove it. I find that painting goes well or goes awful. Some parts are easy and some bubble and crack. Likely I got careless with prep. Dave

Brian Holcombe
10-01-2018, 1:33 PM
Thanks David! I'll put that suggestion to use.

Some parts are really easy, some I've been able to just wash off and everything is perfect others require the full battery of options.

Next I need to remove all of the original paint from the bolts and restore their oxide coatings.

Some bolts aren't original and need replacing since someone ran the nearest size standard bolt through the metric threads...on key areas like the part that holds the cutter. That area is a mess at current.

So I'll be cutting threads out of the table and blade holder then installing threaded inserts.

William Hodge
10-01-2018, 2:06 PM
Brian, The work you're doing looks great. It's saving a great machine.
I used a Maka SM6-P for a few years.
One weak point in the design you should be aware of is the motor shut off rod. When the head goes up, a metal tab on a rod hits a button that disconnects electric power to the motor. There is a small set screw on that rod which can loosen up, allowing the tab to slip, and the motor will unexpectedly start up, even if the head is fully retracted. The machine should be treated as running whenever the switch is on.

Brian Holcombe
10-01-2018, 4:13 PM
Mine is different, there is an on/off for the cutter and the pneumatics operate separately. I don’t know if someone specifically changed the wiring because of this issue or not but the wiring was played with, so I assume so.

In any case, thank you for mentioning that, certainly a worrisome thing.

Brian Holcombe
10-02-2018, 12:21 AM
Cleaning, polishing and painting.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1428-1.jpg

The shaft is straight, knocked the rust and grime off. Cleaned up some minor scarring around the eccentric.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1427-1.jpg
https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1426-1.jpg

The motor body I cleaned but couldn’t spin it up to polish. Also I did not want to change the dimension by sanding.

Brian Holcombe
10-02-2018, 8:10 AM
Bearings arrive today but I need more variety if greases. Electric motor grease, anti-galling moly grease, anti-seize bolt grease.

Also, planning to remove the paint from the bolt heads, painted hardware is a weird pet peeve of mine, all the mangled hardware gets replaced as well.

Joe Calhoon
10-02-2018, 8:31 AM
Looking nice Brian! And moving along quickly.

do you have the info on sharpening from Maka? If not I can take a picture from my manual.

Brian Holcombe
10-02-2018, 9:37 AM
Hi Joe, Thank you for your compliment and also that manual would be very helpful. Sharpening will be an adventure for certain.

Joe Calhoon
10-02-2018, 9:51 PM
Here you go Brian. There is also about 6 pages in the manual about the types of lube for the various models including the SM. It’s a bit confusing though. They have a drawing of my STV with the lube points and type and just list the SM lube but not where it goes.

If if I get your PM I can take pictures of these pages and send.
joe
394345

Brian Holcombe
10-02-2018, 11:50 PM
No worries Joe, Mark sent over the manual for this model a bit earlier today. Thank you, kindly, however.

Thanks for the detail on the chisels. I see they say to lube the sliding posts pretty commonly, every 50 hours. I picked a long term grease for the aluminum body/iron sleeve area.

Was then:

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/img_1411.jpg


Is now:

New bearings on pretty much everything now, I cheated and froze the shafts since I don’t have a press handy. Worked pretty well.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1433-1.jpg

Might get to the machine work soon enough, the bits arrive soon.

Brian Holcombe
10-04-2018, 10:26 PM
Still waiting on the inserts for the dovetail cutter. In the interim I changed the majority of the bearings, cleaned the hardware and buttoned up the motor.

I have an adversion to painted hardware coming from the days of restoring cars. A painted bolt would always crack a line of paint around its perimeter, enough to painful if it was a newly painted fender .

Also replaced the beat up machine screws around the escutcheon plate and the locking bolt at the fence with a Krupp handle. Planing to replace the motor lock with a steel handle.

I found a light galling on the aluminum motor housing, removed that and greased with Molykote BR2, the carrier practically fell onto it, super smooth action.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1435.jpg

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1437-1.jpg

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1438-1.jpg

Jim Becker
10-05-2018, 9:00 AM
Ya know...if that "other thing" doesn't work out, you can always become a an old iron restoration pro! LOL Darn...that's great looking work!

Nick Decker
10-05-2018, 9:25 AM
Good choice on the unpainted hardware. Looks more professional and purposeful, to me anyway.

Brian Holcombe
10-05-2018, 9:46 AM
Haha, thanks Jim! Much appreciated!

Thank you, Nick! I'm looking forward to assembling this beast and seeing the whole thing together again.

Nick Decker
10-05-2018, 10:09 AM
Your reference to restoring cars caught my attention. Kind of like a Maaco shop, where they paint everything but the bumpers and windows. :)

Brian Holcombe
10-06-2018, 4:36 PM
Haha, anything not taped or covered was getting painted. :D

Working my way through the pneumatics while I wait for some tooling to arrive.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1445.jpg

Broke everything down, cleaned, checked and greased.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1447.jpg

Painted the pedal. Need to replace the knurled bits if I can find them, they work but a few were vise-gripped

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1453.jpg

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1455.jpg

Then the buttons:

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1457-1.jpg

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1460-1.jpg

Brian Holcombe
10-06-2018, 4:40 PM
https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1461-2.jpg

Brian Holcombe
10-07-2018, 1:46 AM
The stops have been a concern on this machine for many, I’d like to replace the depth with a micro adjust at some point. For now I fixed up this.

I suspect this is automatic mig weld. It’s ugly.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1469.jpg

I left the fillet.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1471.jpg

Polished the contact surface then blackened the piece

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1474-2.jpg

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1476-1.jpg

Honed the contact surface to 3k, cleaned and blacked the shaft and pad.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1478-2.jpg

wrapped up the last one of these completing the pneumatics less changing the lines.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1468-1.jpg

Phil Mueller
10-07-2018, 8:51 AM
Enjoying following along on this restoration, Brian. Thanks for posting. It seems we are bothered by many of the same imperfections...vise grips on knurled knobs should be a crime.

Brian Holcombe
10-07-2018, 9:35 AM
Thanks, Phil! Glad you are enjoying. I agree completely, and it makes me want to exchange the lines out for something else if I can get all the right hardware. I can get metric to AN banjos then use small sized AN lines with a nylon wrap that will look appropriate and work very well. This will also allow an easy transition to NPT without additional connectors or lines.

Brian Holcombe
10-08-2018, 8:24 AM
The air piston clamp is pretty much kaput. It got damaged somehow (the previous owner disclosed this) and so I’ve been looking into repair or replace. I think I will replace it, I see a company called Fabco which seems to make a very nice pancake style piston.

I had been thinking to wait on the hydraulics but then thought better of it. Little sense in rebuilding 90% only to setup then take apart again.

These await further disassembly

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1483.jpg

These I polished up Mark Hennebury style.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1482.jpg

Peter Christensen
10-08-2018, 11:13 AM
I'm enjoying this thread because I have never seen this type of machine before. I do have a request though. Could you resize you pictures a little smaller. I'm on a WiFi internet where the tower antenna is a few miles away and the download speeds are slow compared to a hi speed cable or fiber optic. It takes a few minutes to open this thread each time I open it. The pitfalls of living rural. Thanks.

Brian Holcombe
10-08-2018, 12:05 PM
Hi Peter,

I will do my best, there seems to be no easy way to resize photos on a mac, I can do it on my blog but it is also a tedious process.

I'd rather than come through much smaller.

Peter Christensen
10-08-2018, 12:30 PM
I just put the pics on the desktop and then open them in Preview. (Double click on it and it opens in Preview.) In Tools there is Adjust Size and after that you either save it or save it with another name.

Mark Hennebury
10-08-2018, 12:33 PM
http://www.picresize.com/

jack forsberg
10-08-2018, 12:35 PM
I'm enjoying this thread because I have never seen this type of machine before. I do have a request though. Could you resize you pictures a little smaller. I'm on a WiFi internet where the tower antenna is a few miles away and the download speeds are slow compared to a hi speed cable or fiber optic. It takes a few minutes to open this thread each time I open it. The pitfalls of living rural. Thanks.
Hi Peter. most likely the machine came from the hand chisels for the hinges for (1)(Fitscheneisen) German doors and windows


(1)
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitschenband

394627

machines powered by hand were soon made the just swing a knife in a curve .

394628

later still an oscillation type was made still hand operated

394629


you will note the chisel looks like the Maka now the the sides of the mortise are not round but square . motor driven machines came next.

394630

The Maka here vibrates like a Harley and if the machine is not set up proper it will will ware itself out . mine had wallowed the offset shaft most likely from not setting the counter wights .

The Germans were not the only one to make a swing chisel . Not sure if all have ever seen a French type swing chisel that was made in the 60s from company's like Sauterau. Unlike the German Maka it uses 3 chisel two stabbing the end grain and one swiping it clear,and may be the cleanest hole mortiser,

394641

here is on in action


https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=yk00VCUaRP0

Brian Holcombe
10-08-2018, 1:34 PM
Ok on the pic resize I will resize the new post. We’re on a new page.

Thanks for the history, Jack.

I had an apprentice last year who worked on an alternax, while lamenting my choices she recommended it. I looked for an Alternax for a while but I doubt any more than a few are in the states. Parveau did not reply to my inquires and so I did not pursue it further.

They make a three chisel and a single chisel. Also Lari and Lari and Centauro make swing chisel mortisers as well as a few other brands.

jack forsberg
10-08-2018, 2:27 PM
Ok on the pic resize I will resize the new post. We’re on a new page.

Thanks for the history, Jack.

I had an apprentice last year who worked on an alternax, while lamenting my choices she recommended it. I looked for an Alternax for a while but I doubt any more than a few are in the states. Parveau did not reply to my inquires and so I did not pursue it further.

They make a three chisel and a single chisel. Also Lari and Lari and Centauro make swing chisel mortisers as well as a few other brands.

ya bet there thin on the ground the Alternax . you can get a swing chisel bar for the chain mortises too. but they only go up to 5mm i think

https://www.timbertools.com/Mortise-Slotter-Chain-Sets-Special-Order.html

394650

Brian Holcombe
10-08-2018, 4:04 PM
Very interesting, amazing how many unique devices for mortising exist.

On the build:

The air fittings are a bit beat up (er, vise-gripped! :mad:) and I need to be able to accommodate a new pancake piston in some sort of visually appealing manner rather. I've searched for the thread on the fittings that are equipped with the machine but they're mainly 13mm....and practically impossible to find at least where I have searched thus far. Everything I have found is either 12mm or 14mm.

I'm searching out options for changing the air-fittings to AN (Army-Navy) type. AN fittings are a straight fitting with a 37 degree flare. They work in a huge variety of applications depending on their construction. I can use a nylon wrapped rubber hose which will be neat in appearance a bit more flexible than the plastic lines, a will far out an exceed the max pressure.

I had hoped to find a conversion fitting, which is the typical approach here, but no such animal exists so far as I'm aware.

Malcolm McLeod
10-08-2018, 8:22 PM
Seems like a couple of posts back you were looking for 'pancake' air cylinders...?? If still looking, try search on respective websites for products by Bimba, Festo, and/or SMC. All have very diverse product ranges (search "low profile", "flat", "pancake").

... Also seems like your beasticule may be metric-ish and I'm not sure about metric offerings by them? (been several years since I spec'd such).

Oh, and you can work on my cars or tools ANYTIME! Looking good.:cool:

Brian Holcombe
10-09-2018, 12:46 AM
Thanks Malcolm! Much appreciated.

I may have found the connector thread, I believe it is BSPP 1/4 which measures 13.2mm OD and is a straight thread. I measured the pitch this seems to be it, also fairly common use in Germany and the EU from what I've read.

Found the connector to make the jump. I like the idea of using such a connector rather than machining the threads.

Brian Holcombe
10-09-2018, 8:34 PM
Made headway on the machine work, I wanted to go for the hardest work first so to get it accomplished. The next part will be to reseat the chisel bed and to fix some threads. I might need to move the bolt holes for the table handwheel. I’ll find out soon.


I resized these....I think. Hopefully it is better.

I started by setting the uprights parallel. I checked this with the indicator.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1516.jpg

Next I checked the ways to verify the error I found with quick checking. One side was .005” and the other was .010” out.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1517.jpg

Time to start cutting. Easy cuts, .002” per pass on the bed, .0005”-.001” on the sides.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1518.jpg

Hour or so later:

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1520.jpg

place the table on and check, table’s out .003”

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1521.jpg

I cut the table but didn’t photo it.o

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1522.jpg

Brian Holcombe
10-09-2018, 8:46 PM
I need a bigger machine for the table work surface so I will bring that to a real machine shop. I can do but not in a single pass.

David Eisenhauer
10-09-2018, 11:14 PM
Great progress Brian and I like how you are not skipping steps. This beast should be right for a long, long time after you are through working it over.

Brian Holcombe
10-10-2018, 12:22 AM
Thanks David! I certainly hope so, I like to work sometimes and wonder if the original designer could somehow see the work would they be mortified or give a passing nod. The ford blue might get a furrowed brow, but I’d hope the machining would get a passing nod.

A long ways off, but nice to finally start getting some shop floor space back.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1524.jpg

Larry Edgerton
10-10-2018, 6:40 AM
You do nice work Brian, but your drywall skills could use some improvement.:)

Nice! I would like to have one of those as well. Of course I would like to have one of everything.

Brian Holcombe
10-10-2018, 7:58 AM
Hah, while I’d love to take credit for it, the drywall work isn’t mine.

Thank you! That is always the way, as I continue with this machine I dream of the next.

Jim Becker
10-10-2018, 9:42 AM
Hah, while I’d love to take credit for it, the drywall work isn’t mine.

Yea, ya gotta love how builders leave garages looking like a kindergarten class did the mud work... :) :D

Brian Holcombe
10-10-2018, 10:21 AM
:D:D Haha, that's a good description. The structural work in this house is pretty good, But the drywall and ‘finish’ carpentry was so terrible. The rooms I’ve repainted so far took days and days of drywall work, it’s actually easier to make a new wall than to fix the work they left.

Brian Holcombe
10-17-2018, 7:32 AM
Moving forward, got some odds and ends out if the way.


Cleaned up the arm for the clamp and replaced the hardware. This was brutal to take apart but now works with ease.


https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1559.jpg


New Krupp handles in zinc, these things I like. Replaced the bolt with a button head so that it is out of the way and does not score a line around it’s perimeter in use.


https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1580.jpg


New hoses along with straightening out some of what’s in the electrical box. That I will go through in greater detail before I run it for any length of time. Someone jumped something to remove the pneumatic switch from operation so I will repair that. The machine does not have a fan so I don’t believe it is made to be continuously running.


Also working out a new way to group the hoses together, that plastic coil junk is something I hate so I’m searching for a neater solution that doesn’t collect dust as readily.


https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1572-1-1.jpg


More Krupp handles, putting them on anything that gets constant adjustment.


https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1579.jpg


Steel handles here, not searching for the 30mm wrench when I need to adjust these to lay the table flat.


https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1581.jpg

David Eisenhauer
10-17-2018, 10:18 AM
Is all of the major re machining done on the tables/ways/beams/arms/whatever so that everything is now flat, square and parallel? I seem to recall something need re doing so that things stayed lined up and you needed to outsource the work.

Brian Holcombe
10-17-2018, 2:00 PM
I remachined the ways, but the tabletop surface will be done by a machine shop near me.

Malcolm McLeod
10-17-2018, 4:43 PM
...
Someone jumped something to remove the pneumatic switch from operation so I will repair that.


Perhaps consider a 2-position 'Bypass/Interlock' switch in the enclosure door..?? This would enable you to easily (or make it keyed, so it's not so easy) either use the pneumatic switch (interlock), or not use it (Bypass). ...Sometimes people supplement the OEM features for a good reason.

Brian Holcombe
10-17-2018, 7:08 PM
I suspect they decided to bypass the air switch for safety reasons in that the cutter is either fully on or fully off. I would, however, prefer it to function with the foot pedal so that I don’t have it constantly on during production runs. I’m aware of how the machine cycles so I know to keep myself out of the way when it is armed.

Mark Hennebury
10-18-2018, 12:02 AM
I suspect they decided to bypass the air switch for safety reasons in that the cutter is either fully on or fully off. I would, however, prefer it to function with the foot pedal so that I don’t have it constantly on during production runs. I’m aware of how the machine cycles so I know to keep myself out of the way when it is armed.;

Hi Brian, the motor switches on and off automatically at the beginning and end of each cycle. It is not set to run continuously.
You press the foot valve, it locks in the down position, that starts the cycle,
That runs air to the feed unit to start the feed.
The head feed starts, and as the head moves it releases the air switch, which runs air to the air /electric switch to start the motor and engage the clamps.
The feed continues until it hits the depthstop, which the trips and resets the foodpedal, reversing the feed.
When the head returns to the top it compresses the switch turns off the motor and releases the clamp.

I have on occasion set it up on some machines so that i can set the clamps separately, that gives me the option of clamping the wood prior to pressing the footpedal, and the clamps remain engaged after the cycle ends, and until you release them. I should add that you should make sure that you set it up so that you cannot start the feed with the clamps off.

Brian Holcombe
10-18-2018, 9:03 AM
Thanks Mark, very much appreciate the clarification on how it should be operating. Thinking through it, my guess is that they simply bypassed the switch since both wires are connected to one side of the switch. Good chance that the switch may have failed and that was the 'keep it cutting wood' way of running the machine after that. So, I will test the switch and attempt to source a replacement if it is indeed bad.

I'd certainly prefer the machine to operate as intended, having it constantly on would be dangerous and having to manually turn it off between cuts seems like a nuisance.

I've been combing over the pneumatic and electric diagrams that you provided and comparing to what I have on the machine.

Joe Calhoon
10-18-2018, 9:26 AM
My STV operates as Mark describes except that I have two buttons to activate the cycle. So hands away from the workpiece. There is a foot pedal to pre activate the clamps but you have to keep it pressed. This all takes some getting use to. It’s for good safety reasons but inconvenient. It’s ugly if the movement starts and clamps are not touching. For sure you don’t want to have fingers close to the cutter. I would like to change mine to work as Mark describes with the feed and clamps controlled separately.

Mark Hennebury
10-18-2018, 9:35 AM
Hi Brian,
I often just rip all of the electrics out of machines when rebuilding them, and start from scratch; it is too difficult to trace all of the wires and figure out what people have done.

The air system is pretty simple when you break it down.
The foot switch comprises three parts; the pedal, switch and piston.
And four air lines.
One air line is the supply in to the switch and two lines out, both go to the feed unit. one of these goes to the forward feed and one to the return feed.
The fourth line is to the piston that resets the foot pedal.
The foot pedal has three positions. up, down and midway.
1.Up and the air goes to the return feed to return / keep the head at the start position.
2.Down and the air goes to the forward feed of the feed unit to feed the head into the cut.
3.Midway and the feed stops, no air goes through the switch.

The depth stop sends air to the piston on the footswitch to reset it to the UP position, which reverses the feed and returns the head to the start position.

The switch that is activated at the end of the return stroke, powers the motor control and clamps
when compressed at the end of the feed return, it shuts of the motor off by deactivating the motor contactor and releases the clamps,
When the feed starts and the head moves forward releasing the switch, air goes to the air/elecrtic switch to activate the contactor and to the clamps to activate the clamps.

Mark Hennebury
10-18-2018, 10:05 AM
I have had couple of the larger machines like Joe's and the foot pedal holds the clamps on while you have your foot on it, and you have two start buttons, to make sure that your hands are not in harms way. I have had a few machines with safety clamps that release if you happen to clamp your hand under one. The two start switches always annoyed me. The foot pedal clamp is good, but like Joe said , takes a little getting used to.

I find the separate clamp handy in some circumstances;

If you only have a few mortises to do and don't want to set up stops. You mark out all of your mortises on your stock. Then you put a piece of masking tape on the table edge approximately where your mortise will be, place a scrap of your stock, (always have extra stock for test and setup) on the table, clamp it, cut a mortise, without releasing the clamps, transfer (with a square and knife of pencil ) the position of the mortise onto the tape. release the clamps and remove the test piece, and cut all of your mortises by lining up with the marks on the tape that is on the edge of the table.

It is also good to set your chipbreaker with the mortise cut in the scrap and still held, you can accurately position your chipbreaker, (and stops if you want.)

Brian Holcombe
10-18-2018, 1:35 PM
Thank you both! Very much appreciate the support in doing this as it can be a bit daunting.

I can imagine the stock not being clamped would not do well at all, hah. It would be exciting though, I'm sure of that. :D

Digesting this information and checking over things again tonight. I've been waiting on some wipers and seals, once they arrive I can reassemble the hydraulics and go through that system to see if it does indeed function properly when the air is applied through the standard sequence.

The motor starts and runs, I ran it yesterday. It is considerably quieter than when I took it apart. The new bearings and belts helped considerably. Prior to taking it apart I would have liked to run it with ear protection (without cutting anything, just running) now it seems unnecessary though I'm sure I will feel differently when it is actually cutting.

I do like the idea of a wholesale re-wiring, I may well do that given how simple the system is overall even though the details are a bit confusing at the moment.

I have to run an air line out to the shop also, so I'll be doing that soon enough. I did manage to purchase a good regulator however so that is one thing down. This gives me the excuse to plumb a line for the Felder as well in preparation for setting that up with air clamps.

Mark Hennebury
10-18-2018, 2:01 PM
Thank you both! Very much appreciate the support in doing this as it can be a bit daunting.

I can imagine the stock not being clamped would not do well at all, hah. It would be exciting though, I'm sure of that. :D

Digesting this information and checking over things again tonight. I've been waiting on some wipers and seals, once they arrive I can reassemble the hydraulics and go through that system to see if it does indeed function properly when the air is applied through the standard sequence.

The motor starts and runs, I ran it yesterday. It is considerably quieter than when I took it apart. The new bearings and belts helped considerably. Prior to taking it apart I would have liked to run it with ear protection (without cutting anything, just running) now it seems unnecessary though I'm sure I will feel differently when it is actually cutting.

I do like the idea of a wholesale re-wiring, I may well do that given how simple the system is overall even though the details are a bit confusing at the moment.

I have to run an air line out to the shop also, so I'll be doing that soon enough. I did manage to purchase a good regulator however so that is one thing down. This gives me the excuse to plumb a line for the Felder as well in preparation for setting that up with air clamps.

Brian, more than happy to help.

The electrical is pretty straightforward and i can run you through that when you are ready if you wish.
The feed unit is easy to bleed if you know how to do it, and a real pain if you don't, (peanut butter jars are your friend.) I can help you with this also.
Your doing a great job.

Brian Holcombe
10-18-2018, 8:48 PM
Thanks Mark! Much appreciated.

I’ve been thinking about how to bleed it. I know that is one if the purposes of setting it horizontal. I’ll definetly be reaching out soon.

Brian Holcombe
10-22-2018, 1:10 AM
Fixing up a few parts. This is the floating dovetail, allows for adjustment in the ways. It was a special mess, I thought I would clean up the reference and the angle but instead it needed all sides trued. Likely I will need to cut slotted holes for the adjustment. I found a twist in it, so I started by cutting a new reference and working from there.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1628.jpg

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1629.jpg

I trimmed the ends and recut the angle, I will have to take a photo.

Onto the chisel holder, needed quite a bit of help. I recut the seat and installed threaded inserts then filed them flush to make them disappear as best as possible.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1632.jpg

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1636.jpg

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1637.jpg

Patrick McCarthy
10-22-2018, 8:36 AM
Brian, fascinating to watch. Impressed with the attention to detail - - but not at all surprised!

Best, Patrick

michael langman
10-22-2018, 11:13 AM
You have been doing a fine job on the rebuild Brian. Bringing back some memories too. Your gonna be making some really nice projects with the Maka pretty soon.:)

Brian Holcombe
10-22-2018, 4:46 PM
Thanks gents, much appreciated!

Brian Holcombe
10-27-2018, 6:59 PM
Received the table back from the shop, I’m very glad that it was machined as The machinist made mention that one corner was low by a few thousandths. Nice to fix that in addition to having a nice surface to look at. The site of the crash could not be completely removed but it was considerably reduced.

Table back on;

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1655-1.jpg

This is only a mock up, the ways are .030” from closing. There are oversized holes in the table to allow adjustment. I’ve decided to elongate those to allow the remainder of the adjustment and a touch of clearance. The ways need probably a few thou clearance and that is all. So I await sized end mills.

Covered the air lines

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1657-1.jpg

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1656-1.jpg

Finished reinstalling these parts

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1659.jpg

Next will be a batch of machine work, I’m currently searching for a boring head for the mill in order to process a fence and some other parts.

Jim Becker
10-27-2018, 7:15 PM
Wow....that re-milled table looks great! (as well as the other stuff, too)

Jeff Bartley
10-28-2018, 7:08 AM
Looking great Brian! What did you use to cover the air lines? It almost looks like tubular nylon webbing, the type used for rock climbing rigs.

Brian Holcombe
10-28-2018, 9:27 AM
Thank you both!

Jeff, that describes it accurately. McMaster describes it as expandable polyester sleeving, this is the first that I’ve used it and I think it works quite well. I sized it to one tube and it expanded to cover both tightly.

The sleeve around the foot pedal tubing was more of a dense weave, very similar to the material used on welders.

I ordered a new air piston, and a big hunk of aluminum to make a mount. I matched sizing to the original as best as possible. The piston is 2-1/2” rather than the original which I believe is 60mm. I found some npt to BSPP fittings for that but I may simply recut the thread to accommodate BSPP and have the assembly look factory.

Given how many different shafts I need to fit im now on the hunt for a boring head for the mill.

Joe Calhoon
10-28-2018, 9:40 AM
The Maka is looking great Brian! Your metal working skills are awesome. Are you spraying the paint and what brand?

Mark Hennebury
10-28-2018, 11:23 AM
Brian, Great work! the Maka should cut crisp, clean accurate joints with how tight you have made it.

Brian Holcombe
10-28-2018, 7:22 PM
Thank you, both! I am eagerly awaiting the point where I can begin cutting joints with the Maka. This restoration has been very helpful in my understanding of the machine.

Joe, the paint is Duplicolor, I’ve been pretty happy with it but I might go back to VHT again at some point to see how they compare.

Brian Holcombe
10-31-2018, 8:43 AM
Spotted the adjuster holes slightly. I sprayed wax onto the table previously.


https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1709.jpg

And finally, I tightened up the ways, it moves nicely.

I’m now able to move some parts out of my way.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/img_1711.jpg

I replaced the hardware for the fence with shouldered bolts and washers. I’m a bit nutty about hardware, I like heavy washers and washer faced bolts for bridging a gap. The bolts I’m replacing were probably themselves replacements for the originals, they were a hex bolt and washers, two washers which collapsed in on themselves slightly.

Brian Holcombe
11-02-2018, 6:28 PM
Air piston arrived; my heart was aflutter. I have not seen the competition, but this looks real fancy. I will build a mount for it next, this will bolt to the mount.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/img_1735.jpg

Im debating my approach now to the air system for blowing out chips, I’ve been thinking to use a solenoid which goes on with the motor and turns on two small spray nozzles (one for each mortise).

Plumbed some heavy weight copper. Still waiting on a gauge for the regulator. I’m waiting Mainly because I haven’t bought one yet.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/img_1732-1.jpg

I managed to strip the key for old lock, so I replaced it with this one which just uses an Allen key, and replaced the cord grip.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/img_1733-1.jpg


Next up, note machining work. I’ve also got to fab some sort of dust hood, I wonder if any of you have photos of the originals.

Peter Christensen
11-02-2018, 6:36 PM
Do you have good air dryers keeping the lines dry? Of not I would put a "T" instead of the elbow and a short length below with a quarter turn tap to drain the line if it gets any water in it.

Jim Becker
11-02-2018, 7:39 PM
Do you have good air dryers keeping the lines dry? Of not I would put a "T" instead of the elbow and a short length below with a quarter turn tap to drain the line if it gets any water in it.
Agree........

Brian Holcombe
11-02-2018, 7:47 PM
Thanks gents, the regulator has a drain.

William Hodge
11-02-2018, 8:05 PM
For the chips, I set up a 2" dust collection hose right at the point where the chips exit. The chip spray from this machine is pretty consistent through the cut, compared to other machines with moving cutters.

To lessen blow out on the right side of the chisel, I would mount a 5/16" thick backer over the work. This seemed to support the wood well enough. The dust collection hose would be attached to this backer stick.

Darcy Warner
11-08-2018, 7:57 AM
Just picked one of these up with a ton of tooling.
I was more excited about the tooling.

Brian Holcombe
11-08-2018, 8:17 AM
Thank you, William!

Darcy, I can certainly understand why. Carbide, HSS or a mix of both? By the time I’m stocked up on tooling to cover a good range of mortises it will likely quadruple the costs involved in buying the machine.

Darcy Warner
11-08-2018, 2:27 PM
Tooling I got with mine.

396280

David Eisenhauer
11-08-2018, 4:51 PM
I still wonder how the tooling gets sharpened.

Brian Holcombe
11-08-2018, 5:57 PM
Tooling I got with mine.

396280

Yeah, that is pretty sweet,

Darcy Warner
11-10-2018, 9:27 PM
Finally got my operational. Still needs a few things, plus that stupid foot pedal.

https://youtu.be/doV9L_2UTEI

Brian Holcombe
11-11-2018, 9:04 AM
Is it leaking at the hoses or in the mechanism?

I’m going to put air to mine soon, and then bleed the hydraulics. I’ve got the line complete but need to build out the clamp before proceeding.

Brian Holcombe
11-16-2018, 12:04 AM
Slow but steady progress, been mostly planning and collecting fittings and so forth. I've been wanting to be careful about my modifications, the machine is very thoughtfully designed so hopefully my changes compliment that, minor as they are.

I'm making a part to hold the clamp out of a big chunk of aluminum, I'm separating this into two at the end then using the cutoff to make another part. I don't have a lathe, so instead I'm using my rotary table. Not the fastest way to machine a round part, but it works. It will come in handy for placing the bolt holes accurately.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/IMG_1804.jpg

Next I will hog the center out. Unfortunately I spent a good portion of the evening debating how to hold the piece while it was in the rough, so little machine work was done.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/IMG_1805.jpg

Back at the shop, I picked up an air manifold and adjustable lines to use for the chip nozzles. This mimics the other manifolds on the machine and maintains the same tubing diameter, so myself of anyone else in the future need not use multiple size air lines.

I also have a solenoid on the way for this, I plan to bury that in the electrical box. I want the nozzles to spray only when the machine is cutting so to minimize how much air they consume. I planned a solenoid for that action. This has been a bit of PITA, however, as the conduits running to the box have room only for one line, so I will have to increase the size of those conduits or run the lines separately from those conduits. Likely I will simply increase the conduit size and run a modern type of liquid tight conduit, but I'm not 100% sure of that being my approach just yet.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/IMG_1801.jpg

I had to change my air setup a bit, I wanted a branch very early on in the line so that the chip blasters don't interfere with how the machine works. I've yet to run the second line yet, due to my contemplations above.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/IMG_1802.jpg

Here is the drain.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/IMG_1803.jpg

Brian Holcombe
11-17-2018, 12:09 AM
I have a request; if any of you would be so kind to take a photo of your wiring (240v) it would be greatly appreciated. This stuff has obviously been touched by someone prior to me and so I just want to compare notes to see what was changed if anything. I sincerely doubt that they simply ran new wires without touching anything but who knows. I did remove the jumper from the pressure switch but that's it so far.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/IMG_1809.jpg

Someone left the box on the right just swinging there by one bolt and mangled all of the surrounding threads. I needed to move it in any case to account for the addition of a solenoid so I took the board out and cut new holes, then painted it.

I tidied up the wiring for the moment, but plan to actually remove all of it and start fresh and use more than just red. Ideally I'd like to bring the colors back to whatever was there originally.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/IMG_1812.jpg

Thanks gents.

Mark Hennebury
11-17-2018, 12:51 AM
It appears that someone stripped out the original electrical equipment and replaced it.
This is one of the ones that i rebuilt. i am doing a new website so i have taken everything down from my old one and slowly rebuilding it so the machine rebuild pages are all down for a while. I will see if i can find a few more photos if you need.

396799

Mark Hennebury
11-17-2018, 12:59 AM
Brian,
there is a transformer, disconnect switch, reverse switch, contactor with thermal overload, a second contactor and and air switch.

396800

Brian Holcombe
11-17-2018, 1:15 AM
Thanks, Mark! That explains a lot. I have forward and reverse, contactor, transformer and air switch. Looks like I’ll have to investigate the wiring a bit more with my electrical tool. The machine functions properly aside from the air switch which was jumped. Once I get everything connected I will be able to check that switch to see if it functions.

I think I’ll put a distribution bar in so that I can delete the double stacked connections, they’re bugging me more than anything.

Darcy Warner
11-17-2018, 8:35 AM
Yeah, I was going to say there is a lot missing compared to factory.

Brian Holcombe
11-17-2018, 11:06 AM
Mark, good luck with the new website I'm sure it will be beautiful!

I'm searching out distribution blocks currently, that seems to be the majority of what's missing, functionally. It was replaced by stacking up wire rings on terminals. Not the best way to wire something, aesthetically.

Malcolm McLeod
11-19-2018, 7:23 AM
Mark, good luck with the new website I'm sure it will be beautiful!

I'm searching out distribution blocks currently, that seems to be the majority of what's missing, functionally. It was replaced by stacking up wire rings on terminals. Not the best way to wire something, aesthetically.

I'm scared to offer advice - especially 2 days after your last post - - since I've discovered you are the Master of All Trades, Jack of None...:cool:...but here goes.

I've designed a couple (lot) of control panels in the last couple (30) years. :o Phoenix Contact is my current favorite terminal block provider. Look at Allied Electronics or Mouser Electronics sites.

Two ways to go depending on space available, both use DIN rail:
1- Look at a simple 2-connection terminal block (TB) (https://www.alliedelec.com/phoenix-contact-3044102/70169573/), with commoning jumper(s) (https://www.alliedelec.com/phoenix-contact-3030271/70169249/) installed to a give you the required number of termination points (wires land on the edges, common bar (cut to length) installed in the center).
2- Look at QUATTRO format (https://www.mouser.com/new/Phoenix-Contact/phoenix-contact-pt-25-s-quattro/). This gives you 4 terminations per TB, and still allows for commoning jumpers.

For a given number of terminations, option 1 will be relatively long and narrow, option 2 shorter and wider. ...What fits best in your panel?

**************
Been following along; impressive work so far! When you get it roaring, I want to ask, "why the Maka?" Everybody here seems to be big fans, but curious that Maka quit making them?

Jim Becker
11-19-2018, 8:54 AM
Gary Campbell might also have some thoughts on this...while he's "the" CNC guru, he's a master of all this electronic control stuff!

Mark Hennebury
11-19-2018, 9:33 AM
Brian these are the standard ones that i see in the machines that i rebuild.

396962396963396964396965

Brian Holcombe
11-19-2018, 11:37 AM
Thanks Jim, that is a good suggestion!

Thanks Malcolm, I appreciate your insights, that's a cool setup! I had been thinking of the blocks that McMaster sells, but this more modular approach might work depending on how the rail lays out. Here's what I've been thinking of using prior to reading your comment:

https://www.mcmaster.com/6367t16

Do any of you guys know where to purchase this from:

https://new.abb.com/low-voltage/products/conduit-fittings/adaptaflex/non-metallic-products/non-metallic-fittings/adaptaseal-adaptaring-fittings/type-a---adaptaseal-(new)

I've been wanting to add another two lines of conduit to accommodate the additional air lines going into the control panel. I finally figured out that the thread in the machine currently is Panzergewinde size 11, or PG 11. This appears to be a fairly common European conduit arrangement but all of my googling has led me no where.

If I add conduit, I can easily replace the existing conduit with the contemporary version of the exact thing so that it all matches.

Thanks Mark, much appreciate the photos. Those are very helpful, I want this to wind up much more like that and much less like it is currently. :D

Malcolm McLeod
11-19-2018, 12:19 PM
...
Do any of you guys know where to purchase this from:

https://new.abb.com/low-voltage/products/conduit-fittings/adaptaflex/non-metallic-products/non-metallic-fittings/adaptaseal-adaptaring-fittings/type-a---adaptaseal-(new)

I've been wanting to add another two lines of conduit to accommodate the additional air lines going into the control panel. I finally figured out that the thread in the machine currently is Panzergewinde size 11, or PG 11. This appears to be a fairly common European conduit arrangement but all of my googling has led me no where.

If I add conduit, I can easily replace the existing conduit with the contemporary version of the exact thing so that it all matches.
...

The metric spec makes it tough on this side of the pond; even Canada seems to cling to imperial (1/2" NPT) for most fittings like this. I suspect bulk buying of small fittings like this is just too tempting.

Is the thread you are trying to match in a motor pecker-head, or other deep thread? Or, in a thin-wall box? If thin-wall, I'd just drill it out to fit the 1/2" NPT - - but your diligence so far is probably enough of an answer. If you do go the NPT-route, you can giggle for 'liquid tight fittings'.

If you must match the PG11, You might try Gerrie Electric (https://www.gerrie.com/Location.action) in southern Ontario? If they can't supply the PG11 fittings, they may be able to refer you to proper source.

Brian Holcombe
11-19-2018, 12:33 PM
Thanks Malcolm, I’ll give them a call.

The cast iron base of the machine and the peckerhead are cut for these threads. If I can’t get the fittings I’ll probsbly use an adapter for the peckerhead and machine the base to accept NPS.

Brian Holcombe
11-25-2018, 12:31 AM
Malcolm,

Thanks for suggesting the two connection blocks and communing jumpers, really happy with them and they take up such little space that the entire assembly was about 3" shorter than the other setup I had planned.

What are you using to keep them in place and which end cap is best? Thank you, kindly.

Appreciate the comments and suggestions, this is shaping up to my eye but I'm certainly interested to take any criticism or suggestions one might have:

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/IMG_1838.jpg

When I redo the conduits I plan to reorder these so that the air lines and electric are not tripping over one another. Not sure why the electric was on that end of the box anyways, but I'm planning to move it to the far right, then the motor line and the air lines on the left.

Malcolm McLeod
11-25-2018, 8:31 PM
... to keep them in place and which end cap is best? ...

Nearly any 35mm end-cap will work; I think this one shares the same profile as the TBs (https://www.alliedelec.com/phoenix-contact-0800886/70169101/), so should blend in.

Layout looks good. If you want to get REALLY fancy, you can color match the TBs to the wire color (makes working on it easy). Also, wire numbers are always a good thing.

In a panel this small I suspect 90% of OEMs skip labeling because the wire runs are so short and so few. If wires leave the panel or run in wire-trays or conduit (hidden for part of run), then labeling is a must. (Since you basically re-built this from scratch, I think you'll be fine w/o labels. ;))

Only other caution is mixing air and electrical. I am sure the other re-build gurus here can speak to the mess that will form in old panels: picture a air system with a decrepit dryer, a lubricator near the point of use, and a leak inside the panel - - it will leave a goo that defies description, and often shorts the electrical. I have even been called to document old systems that have 2-pos valves or other air components that intentionally (or thru negelect) are venting into the panel. Moral :: Outside can leak like a sieve, but make sure your in-panel air connections are tight!

Edit: On 2nd thought, I offer something that is really nit-picking - - but you seem to excel at it :cool: (this is a good thing!!). Consider the 'flow' of electrical power. For instance, all the pentrations should be on the bottom, but then try to wrap the main supply line around to land on the top of the distribution TB, then feed off of it in descending order of voltage and amperage. Keep the air in one lower corner. This flow helps keep high voltage off of low voltage components, should a wire come loose. Again, for a panel this small, this is truly a nano-nit, ...but of such things come 'quality'.

Brian Holcombe
11-25-2018, 10:05 PM
Thanks Malcolm, I'll put those nit-picks to work.

Appreciate the professional insights, I like the idea of flow from one end to the other going high to low. I put all the high side on the right and all of the low side on the left, so the right side to position seven from the left is 240v 20a and the left side is 115v.

The wire numbers are a good idea, even in this box, the stuff heading out to the switch gets mildly confusing, I broke it up with black and red to make it easier to visualize, but numbers would make it dead simple.

Might be best to baffle off the air connections so that they cannot get involved with the electric except for the connection on the air switch. I have seen oil and electric, that's not a pretty sight. I repaired a leak on one of the motors on my Bridgeport recently and there was oil all over the electrical connections, it was looking quite dangerous.

Brian Holcombe
11-25-2018, 11:47 PM
Bit more touching up, cleaning up and so forth. I kinda hate wire ties, but they really helped keep things orderly in this case. I've long wanted something better, but the wraps I ordered and used for the other part of the wiring were not so great and the short runs did not seem to warrant wire trays.

Anywho, here we are and I plan to order those end clamps very shortly:

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/IMG_1852.jpg

Mark Hennebury
11-26-2018, 12:25 AM
Hi Brian, most of the machines that i see have the wires routed through these tracks, the tops just clip on so are easy to remove for working on. keeps the wires tidy when you have a lot of wires.
397466397467397468397469

Brian Holcombe
11-26-2018, 12:40 AM
Thanks, Mark! I will track some of those down and perhaps reroute these again and with numbers on each circuit.

Phil Mueller
11-26-2018, 8:05 AM
All looks great Brian, but I’m getting a bit like all I want for Christmas is to see this thing tear into some wood. Are you going to be able to make that happen? :D

Also, if I may point out one thing that looks slightly less than a Brian standard of quality:

397471
What’s up with the jagged insulation cut? HA!

Brian Holcombe
11-26-2018, 8:42 AM
Hah! You’ve got me there. That was a cut made with dykes because I did not want to go back to the basement and get a razor.

I’m not far off now, actually. I’ve got to finish the clamp mount and fence, then I can test the air system, electrical system and then bleed the hydraulics.

Now that I’ve re-wired it I want to make sure the circuits operate what they should when they should before plugging it in. I want avoid having any magic smoke come out. :D

Dave Cav
11-26-2018, 2:54 PM
I think we're all looking forward to the video.

Brian Holcombe
11-29-2018, 12:01 AM
Looking forward to making the video!

Hopefully this is a bit more respectable then prior attempts:

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/IMG_1876.jpg

The main coming in from the line is still a bit hokey, the rest fairly happy with. I'm thinking to wrap the main line in a expandable wrap and delete the hold down there. A few more things to tidy up arrive tomorrow.

Also...very strange, I found this as I was taking it apart....not sure what to make of it. :D:D:D

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/IMG_1877.jpg

Jesse Brown
11-29-2018, 12:20 AM
Also...very strange, I found this as I was taking it apart....not sure what to make of it. :D:D:D


Definitely keep that bit!

BTW, best thread ever--thanks for posting the great pictures.

Brian Holcombe
11-29-2018, 9:56 AM
Thank you, Jesse!

Phil Mueller
11-29-2018, 6:24 PM
HA! Love it!

It looks great...not quite as nice as my A/V set up...
397706

...but commendable, nonetheless.

Brian Holcombe
11-29-2018, 7:29 PM
Looks very similar to mine, hah. I buried it behind my wall as well.

Thank you!

Martin Wasner
11-29-2018, 8:58 PM
Submitted without comment....

https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=397718&d=1543543049

Malcolm McLeod
11-29-2018, 9:09 PM
Submitted without comment....



My only comment is that the electricians have already lost 2 of the panduit covers. :rolleyes: FIRE'EM!!

__________________________________________________ _________
Sorry, missed the width variation at lower right :: makes 3 they have lost!

Martin Wasner
11-29-2018, 9:19 PM
My only comment is that the electricians have already lost 2 of the panduit covers. :rolleyes: FIRE'EM!!

__________________________________________________ _________
Sorry, missed the width variation at lower right :: makes 3 they have lost!


We were just buttoning up. They're all back on now, they were almost all stripped off.

Van Huskey
11-29-2018, 9:36 PM
Submitted without comment....



I think this is one of those pictures that when viewed by an old NASA engineer would cause them to opine that Apollo 11 had less wiring and it went to the moon and back.

Malcolm McLeod
11-29-2018, 9:38 PM
We were just buttoning up. They're all back on now, they were almost all stripped off.

OK, OK ...they're not fired.

(Looks very CNC-ish?? Don't know the brand, but looks like 3 servo axes and a VFD (spindle?).

Malcolm McLeod
11-29-2018, 9:40 PM
I think this is one of those pictures that when viewed by an old NASA engineer would cause them to opine that Apollo 11 had less wiring and it went to the moon and back.

I've seen the electronics bays on Apollo and it had miles and light-years of wire!

Darcy Warner
11-29-2018, 9:46 PM
Submitted without comment....

https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=397718&d=1543543049

I will open up the 10 foot long control panel on my 22AL moulder, that's like half of one bay.

Martin Wasner
11-29-2018, 10:29 PM
I will open up the 10 foot long control panel on my 22AL moulder, that's like half of one bay.

What in a moulder would have that much control stuff going on? This is probably double what's going on in my widebelt and that's a pretty straight forward machine.

Martin Wasner
11-29-2018, 10:30 PM
OK, OK ...they're not fired.

(Looks very CNC-ish?? Don't know the brand, but looks like 3 servo axes and a VFD (spindle?).

Yep, router

Darcy Warner
11-29-2018, 11:45 PM
What in a moulder would have that much control stuff going on? This is probably double what's going on in my widebelt and that's a pretty straight forward machine.

Control circuits for heads, beam up and down, forward/reverse, all the limit switches, the controls for the hydraulic feed, feeder deck, VS feed control, DC braking for each head, there is more I am forgetting.

Jim Becker
11-30-2018, 8:45 AM
I think this is one of those pictures that when viewed by an old NASA engineer would cause them to opine that Apollo 11 had less wiring and it went to the moon and back.

Totally.......

Brian Holcombe
11-30-2018, 8:55 AM
Gives new meaning to the idea of a walk in closet :D

Ole Anderson
11-30-2018, 9:16 AM
How did I miss this thread? Excellent attention to detail Brian! Any chance you are doing a YouTube series on this rebuild?

Martin Wasner
11-30-2018, 10:50 AM
Control circuits for heads, beam up and down, forward/reverse, all the limit switches, the controls for the hydraulic feed, feeder deck, VS feed control, DC braking for each head, there is more I am forgetting.

That makes sense of all of the adjustments are motorized. You probably add 40 wires with each head.

My moulder is pretty simple, even the feed rate is mechanical with a cvt.


Brian, I've said it in my head a dozen times, but it really does look fantastic.

Brian Holcombe
12-01-2018, 9:10 AM
Thank you, both!

Brian Holcombe
12-02-2018, 12:41 AM
Returning to the mount, I finished cutting these parts on the mill. I don’t have a metal lathe so I used a rotary table, it took eons but maybe still less than it would have on the wood lathe.

in any case, I used a roughing bit on the mill to size it, it leaves a cool finish but departed drastically from the air cylinder. I cut the finish on the wood lathe then polished it up to be comparable.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/img_1927.jpg

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/img_1929.jpg

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/img_1928-1.jpg

Next I need to make a hole in the side, along with a bearing surface, for the shaft that held the previous clamp. Then buy bolts sized the correct length :o.

Brian Holcombe
12-02-2018, 12:43 AM
Also I plan to make some bolt holes in the piston so that it can hold a piece of wood to be used as the clamping surface.

Once the bracket is cut for a hole in the side I will put it back in the lathe and polish the face.

Jim Becker
12-02-2018, 9:45 AM
The contrast of that very modern looking metal cylinder assembly sitting with those nice, traditional Japanese hand tools in the background is striking from a photography standpoint... :) And wow...you do great work! Very creative using the table on the mill and then finessing on the wood lathe. Bravo!

Joe Calhoon
12-02-2018, 10:14 AM
Your metalworking skills are impressive Brian! I have been almost a week now restoring my Festo feeder polishing, painting and some minor repairs. Well, it looks OK but nothing compared to your work!

You made a comment here early on about how painted bolts bother you. I polished up mine as best I could but wondering if blackened might look good. Do you know the process for that?

Patrick McCarthy
12-02-2018, 10:15 AM
Brian, i always enjoy your posts and am very impressed with your talent and craftsmanship.

Also, your sense of humor isn’t too bad either; “cut by Phil” was one of the funniest things i’ve Seen posted in awhile, and i am sure Phil enjoyed it too.

Wish you lived in my neighborhood. Patrick

Joe Calhoon
12-02-2018, 10:43 AM
No kidding Patrick, I wish he lived next door!

Patrick Walsh
12-02-2018, 11:03 AM
There has got to be something Brian is not good at. He must be a idiot savant of some sort.

Wait I know what it is, anything half assed!

For real though you must lack social skills or something major. No way your this good at everything lol..


No kidding Patrick, I wish he lived next door!

Brian Holcombe
12-02-2018, 12:24 PM
Thank you, Jim! Much appreciated.

Joe, thank you! I’ve seen your rebuild of the shaper, you do fine work! That machine is a beauty.

Wrt the bolts, the best thing is to preserve the black oxide, if possible. I soak the bolts in acetone until the paint lifts then brush them with a nylon bristle brush. That does a nice job. Oil them afterward. If they’re damaged at all just replace them. If they’re common sizes and the coating has been removed it will be less expensive to replace them. If they’re unusual bolts then it may be best to hot dip them. I continue to experiment with various cold blues but none are very durable, so I will use them to touch up a part or put a coating on a bare part but that is one part of my process id like to further improve.

Thanks Patrick M! I manage to get myself in trouble often enough with a one-liner...I just can’t help it sometimes.

Hah, Patrick W, just ask my wife, she will tell all of my secrets.

Brian Holcombe
12-06-2018, 12:40 AM
Finally finished up this part, decided to leave the machined finish in the top. Knocked the piston down a bit and fitted the side for threads. I will thread the shaft next.

Also, I’ve formed a plan for the chipbreaker and dust hood. I plan to build both before I run the machine so to avoid the temptation of skipping the dust hood for any length of time. Sawdust and a lack of regreasing were the main culprits in all of the frozen parts, no sense in continuing that cycle.

Countersunk the bolt heads.

I did this at the wood shop, needed an easy solution so I drilled a 1/4” brass rod to fit the end of a stepped drill bit. Worked great and was very easy to find center.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/img_1969.jpg


Easy way to get the angle. I found center using a fitted pin

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/img_1965.jpg

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/img_1966-1.jpg

I don’t have a good sized end mill for cutting the shoulder, so I used the rotary table and a carbide end mill. Was very happy with the cut. I sunk the threads down a touch to allow for a step on the shaft. The step will make for a precision fit and very sturdy arrangement between shaft and mount.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/img_1967-2.jpg

Wrapped up.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/img_1968-1.jpg

Dan Baginski
12-06-2018, 3:21 PM
Didn’t know what that was until I watched a YouTube video. That thing is fierce!

Brian Holcombe
12-07-2018, 8:35 AM
Fierce is a great description of it!

One step closer;

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/img_1979.jpg

Martin Wasner
12-07-2018, 9:07 AM
Brian, when I win the lottery, you're coming over to rebuild and restore three pieces.

Jim Becker
12-07-2018, 9:09 AM
Brian, when I win the lottery, you're coming over to rebuild and restore three pieces.

The only problem with that is that Brian makes things look better than new and you won't want to use them. LOL

Brian Holcombe
12-07-2018, 9:29 AM
Hah, I appreciate that sentiment! Thanks gents.

I'm thinking to use UHMW plastic for the clamping pad, along the fence and for the chip breaker. Have you guys any experience in cutting it with woodworking tools. I assume it will not damage HSS or carbide woodworking tools but I thought it best to check first with you folks.

Jim Becker
12-07-2018, 9:31 AM
No harm cutting the plastic...best results from the correct type of blade, however.

Brian Holcombe
12-07-2018, 10:43 AM
Thanks Jim!

Dave Cav
12-07-2018, 2:25 PM
In a previous life I was the facilities manager for a seaport. We used UHMW for facing piers and wharf rails. Regular carpentry tools, no problems.

Malcolm McLeod
12-07-2018, 2:54 PM
Let me know when you’re moving to Texas. I’m sure my brother Guido, can persuade my neighbor to make you a deal on his house - neither of you can refuse.:cool:

I’d think you need to go easy on your air pressure to the clamp. That’s a lot of cantilever you’ve got going on, plus I’d lose sleep over the steel shaft into the aluminum cylinder mount. It may have a tendency to wallow out due to stress concentration?

....No idea how much clamp force you need on this beast?

Malcolm McLeod
12-07-2018, 3:03 PM
Just to further the hijack, this is my typical playground.... in mid-commissioning, so still needs cleanup and covers:
398241398242
Maybe 40 of those next year? 400 in next 3-5 years?

Brian Holcombe
12-07-2018, 3:29 PM
In a previous life I was the facilities manager for a seaport. We used UHMW for facing piers and wharf rails. Regular carpentry tools, no problems.

Thanks Dave!


Let me know when you’re moving to Texas. I’m sure my brother Guido, can persuade my neighbor to make you a deal on his house - neither of you can refuse.:cool:

I’d think you need to go easy on your air pressure to the clamp. That’s a lot of cantilever you’ve got going on, plus I’d lose sleep over the steel shaft into the aluminum cylinder mount. It may have a tendency to wallow out due to stress concentration?

....No idea how much clamp force you need on this beast?

Hah! Sounds like a few of my extended family.

I agree totally, but the original is actually cast aluminum, thinner around the mount and pinned. All that seemed like a lot of stress risers to me, so I decided to thread this one and put a heavy shoulder on it. I increased the shoulder size by .030".

I sized the cylinder to be identical to the original, or as close as I could get. I'll probably start off at about 85 PSI which is about 6 bar, the recommended minimum from Maka. I dont know if perhaps these have become more efficient over time, so another reason to start on the light side of the pressure recommendations.

I don't know what the failure mode would look like, perhaps it will crack around the mount or bust off with applied pressure, but worst case I figure I'll have to make another one out of steel if it fails.


Just to further the hijack, this is my typical playground.... in mid-commissioning, so still needs cleanup and covers:
398241398242
Maybe 40 of those next year? 400 in next 3-5 years?

Beautiful! I've really come to appreciate this work, it is very nice.

Jeff Bartley
12-08-2018, 8:48 AM
Brian,

First: your work on this is just fantastic! I've really enjoyed watching the progress.

I wonder if UHMW is the best choice for the clamp pad? I wonder if leather would be better at keeping the work from vibrating back and forth with the cutter? I would think it would take less clamping pressure, I'm just thinking out loud here.....

I can't wait to see chips fly from this machine!!

Brian Holcombe
12-08-2018, 9:39 AM
Thanks Jeff! Good point, perhaps a hard leather or hard non marring rubber might be better. I’ll do some searching and see what’s out there.

Patrick Walsh
12-08-2018, 9:47 AM
You should just look at what Mac “air tight clamps uses”

I made my own air clamps and was able to source the feet pretty easy. The ones I purchased don’t have the rubber of macs but in all honestly work fine. I just put a scrap of wood atop my workpiece. Problem solved.

398304





of
Thanks Jeff! Good point, perhaps a hard leather or hard non marring rubber might be better. I’ll do some searching and see what’s out there.

Brian Holcombe
12-08-2018, 11:22 AM
Those are nicely done, Patrick! Sounds good, medium-hard durometer rubber might be the trick.

Here's what I'm thinking:
https://www.mcmaster.com/1312n15

Patrick Walsh
12-08-2018, 10:54 PM
Yeah but I just paid a machinist to make me the parts and ordered the rest. I did nothing but tell the guy what I wanted. I also have bases for them to fit all my sliding tables.

The stick back stuff you found looks like exactly what I need. By the time I was done with these having not had a relationship with a machinist prior I was pretty over them. The machinist I did find was a bit of a pot head a d went way out into left field reinventing the wheeel when I asked him for simple things. Point is I never put anything in the feet as I was just over it. I also noticed rubber base feet on other people’s clamps and figured I should be able to source them. After searching a bit I gave up.

I need to make two more sets of these sometime soon so maybe I’ll figure out the feet next time.

Your machine is looking great Brian. Really really nice.


Those are nicely done, Patrick! Sounds good, medium-hard durometer rubber might be the trick.

Here's what I'm thinking:
https://www.mcmaster.com/1312n15

Brian Holcombe
12-09-2018, 10:03 AM
It came out nicely, looks professional. Well done!

Im realizing now that I need to add a square reference to the clamp block, something which can be quickly and easily undone when it needs to be purposefully taken out of square.

I have something in mind for that.

Kris Cook
12-09-2018, 11:29 PM
Brian - I just found this thread and read from the beginning. I own a 50 year old German car, and watching your rebuild brings back some good memories of working on it, and watching others on a forum dedicated to those cars rebuild components.

I had never heard of a Maka before this but it is nice to see your work to such a high standard, and bringing new life to an old machine.

Brian Holcombe
12-10-2018, 9:01 AM
Thanks Kris! There is certainly a lot of overlap between the two. As a kid building cars I never would have expected that it would be such a primer for woodworking.

brian zawatsky
12-11-2018, 9:49 PM
Submitted without comment....




That looks an awful lot like the relay cabinet of a Weeke router

Brian Holcombe
12-18-2018, 9:03 AM
Planning out the 'dust hood' which may well be very simple, or mildly complex depending on the tubing shape I start with.

Wondering, do you guys who have these machines running feel that 2.5" worth of dust port is enough for this machine or should I be planning on something larger. I've watched a few in action and can't quite make my mind up.

Thank you.

Joe Calhoon
12-18-2018, 9:30 AM
Brian, my STV has 6” ports left and right. I only use the left side as that is the direction we usually run the cutters. The hood has a channel from the dust port to get close to the cutter. It works pretty well but I find the hood to be a bit cumbersome when changing and adjusting cutters. Hard to describe, will get a picture today.

The SM 6 is a different animal though with the tilting. Don’t know if I have ever seen a dust hookup on those. Might be a good idea to run it a bit and see how the chips flow before designing the hood. I need to fix the air blaster on my STV at the head. I believe that would help chip flow and keep the cutter cooler.

Brian Holcombe
12-18-2018, 10:17 AM
Thanks Joe! Sounds like I need to bump the sizing up. It's an awkward spot to collect from because of the tilting as you mention.

I'm building a new chipbreaker so I'm using the holder as a foundation for the dust port.

I've been thinking it could be as simple as a tube coming off the left side with an angled cut to allow for the machine head to travel completely.

Brian Holcombe
12-31-2018, 1:17 AM
All of these holidays have been really getting in the way of the work! :D

At last a bit of progress. Plugging away at the remaining parts to build and soon enough I will test some system.

The fence is boring looking but that offers advantage down the road if it is needed for fixturing. I put some bearing bronze feet on it to avoid the screeching that comes with iron fences on machine tables that are not normally oiled.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/img_2169.jpg

It’s not complete, I need to bore a receiver for the shaft and counter sink the bolt head. I will also cut and tap bolt holes to hold the Teflon plate.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/img_2168-1.jpg

I also plan to shorten the shaft so that it’s not a knuckle buster.

Patrick McCarthy
12-31-2018, 2:25 AM
Always impressive, sir.

Brian Holcombe
12-31-2018, 10:57 AM
Thank you!

I picked up some stainless steel for the dust hood. Stainless was cheaper given the minimum quantity was considerably lower and the parts already nearly to size.

Patrick Walsh
12-31-2018, 11:49 AM
Looks real Brian!

Goddam holidays infringing on work time. It’s a co start battle for me also. Get a day off work and finally time to work on your own projects and blam other people want my time. Really sucks to be wanted right ;)

Brian Holcombe
12-31-2018, 1:20 PM
Thanks Patrick! Hah, it’s probably good for me to take a break but the itch to accomplish something is ever present.

Martin Wasner
12-31-2018, 3:56 PM
You gentlemen need some incentive. I took the 24th and 25th off. Worked everyday since.

My incentive is getting drawings to the floor and code to the router so the employees have something to do.

I even spent a little time polishing up my $400 shaper.

Darcy Warner
12-31-2018, 8:52 PM
You gentlemen need some incentive. I took the 24th and 25th off. Worked everyday since.

My incentive is getting drawings to the floor and code to the router so the employees have something to do.

I even spent a little time polishing up my $400 shaper.

I was forced to not work on Christmas.

Phil Mueller
01-01-2019, 10:00 AM
That thing sure looks nice and shiney. Are you sure you’re going to be able to actually use that museum quality tool? Once up and running, I’ll bet it gets wiped down thoroughly after every use...at least for awhile :D

I guess growing up around metal machining and all (your dad was/is in that buisness, right?) and taking an interest in it has really paid off. You’re able to do things 99.9% of us would have to pay for. At least we know who to call if we need something fabricated!

Brian Holcombe
01-01-2019, 12:35 PM
You gentlemen need some incentive. I took the 24th and 25th off. Worked everyday since.

My incentive is getting drawings to the floor and code to the router so the employees have something to do.

I even spent a little time polishing up my $400 shaper.


I was forced to not work on Christmas.

Livin' the dream. :D


That thing sure looks nice and shiney. Are you sure you’re going to be able to actually use that museum quality tool? Once up and running, I’ll bet it gets wiped down thoroughly after every use...at least for awhile :D

I guess growing up around metal machining and all (your dad was/is in that buisness, right?) and taking an interest in it has really paid off. You’re able to do things 99.9% of us would have to pay for. At least we know who to call if we need something fabricated!

Thanks Phil! My father was a metal fabricator, he actually bought the mill to use as a heavy duty drill press, given that I know how to operate the mill he decided to gift it to me after he retired.

I started metal work while young, probably 10 years old, and built a small shop in my father's spare shed to make knives (I have no idea why my parents allowed this). I built a belt grinder for making the steel blanks and cutting the bevels. I did a touch of woodwork having made handles and so forth.

I worked in an automotive machine shop as a youth (through a few college years as well), I started by sweeping the floors and cleaning the equipment before I was old enough to use the equipment (needed to be 18). We did not make a lot of parts, but we repaired everything along with engine restorations and building engines for racing. The owner would also take on very unusual jobs that he found interesting, so we did a bit of parts making. I gained a very broad range of experience there because this shop handled everything that the smaller shops couldn't manage and everything that CNC shops didn't want to deal with.

That said, I'm using the mill more now than I ever did in the machine shop. We had specialized machinery for many tasks. Cylinder Boring, for example, was handled by a very heavy duty boring machine made to easily register engine blocks. It bores huge diameter holes very accurately. The owner has an obsession with sturdy equipment, so the shop has some really awesome pieces of older equipment.

Anywho, with respect to this job it’s actuslly more a necessity than anything, it’s difficult to find anyone willing to make one off parts for a reasonable rate since a busy shop is taking on much more highly profitable work than I would be willing to pay for and if they need any specialized tooling they will definitely turn the job down.

Martin Wasner
01-01-2019, 6:03 PM
Livin' the dream. :D

Self employment is a lot like being married in that half the time you can't imagine your life any other way. The other half, involves murder and disposing of evidence.

Brian Holcombe
01-02-2019, 12:34 PM
:D:D

I have tinnitus so sometimes I can’t hear things, and other times I just pretend I can’t hear things. Makes for a smooth running home life.

I think I’m going to add a stop to the fence, and also finally buy some chisels for this machine.

Jim Becker
01-02-2019, 1:30 PM
I have tinnitus so sometimes I can’t hear things, and other times I just pretend I can’t hear things. Makes for a smooth running home life.
Do not underestimate SWMBO's ability to discern the difference... ;) ...trust me on that!

Brian Holcombe
01-02-2019, 3:08 PM
Do not underestimate SWMBO's ability to discern the difference... ;) ...trust me on that!

Hah! :D

Here's what I've got in mind for a fence, time to get this operation on a roll since I have a project coming up which will put this machine to good use if I can get it done in a reasonable amount of time.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screen-Shot-2019-01-02-at-2.58.28-PM.png

The knob on the backside represents a steel machine handle. I'm thinking to make a clamshell type arrangement where the machine handle tightens and grips both sets of shafts. I'm not sure what to do just yet to maintain a basic tension on the arrangement (maybe springs retained by bolts) so that it doesn't just get super loose when the handle is loosened. Some basic tension will allow for smooth operation I assume. I'd really like to cut this in cast iron but I may have to settle for aluminum so that I'm not hanging 10lbs of material two feet out.

The micro fence is so that the stop can be positioned in from the end of the fence, allowing for positioning for end-cuts.

Steel shafts and they will extend into the side of the fence and be retained by housing and bolt. Should make for a sturdy arrangement.

I thought to use an aluminum extrusion like I did on the felder but it takes up a huge amount of room, so I'm thinking to do something else.

Mark Hennebury
01-02-2019, 3:26 PM
Hi Brian,
the original stop rods go in the holes on either side of the table and have a sliding stop on them, i will see if i can find a photo.

Mark Hennebury
01-02-2019, 3:41 PM
Brian, Not great pics, but you get the idea.

400086400087

Brian Holcombe
01-02-2019, 4:22 PM
Thanks Mark! Happy new year, good to hear from you!

I'm borrowing on the original arrangement a bit and had debating using the original holes. However I got to thinking it would be nice to have it on the fence so that if I tilt the fence the stop will still be in-line with the part. The original stop is long gone for this machine so some re-inventing of the wheel won't cost me too much additional effort.

What are your thoughts on this idea? Good, bad or otherwise.

Mark Hennebury
01-02-2019, 4:40 PM
Happy new year to you too Brian. I have seen models with long extrusions mounted to the fence and the stops on the extrusions. seems a better way to me.

Phil Mueller
01-02-2019, 8:54 PM
Thanks for sharing, Brian. What a great childhood. Can you imagine that happening today? Letting little Brian go out to the shed and work with machinery making knives? LOL!

Brian Holcombe
01-02-2019, 9:28 PM
Happy new year to you too Brian. I have seen models with long extrusions mounted to the fence and the stops on the extrusions. seems a better way to me.

Thanks Mark! I'm going to revisit this design a bit. I find I often come out of the gate with something, then change it a bunch of times before it makes it to print. I have an extrusion on the Felder and no real reason not to do that on this machine as well, but I suppose I wanted something a little different.

Brian Holcombe
01-02-2019, 9:47 PM
Thanks for sharing, Brian. What a great childhood. Can you imagine that happening today? Letting little Brian go out to the shed and work with machinery making knives? LOL!

Hah, yeah I can't imagine letting my son do the same at this point, but he'll probably be in the workshop pretty early too (under close supervision).

My father was good about giving a quick lesson on how to operate the equipment safely, then letting me figure things out on my own. I had a woodcutting bandsaw, a big buffing wheel, air compressor, drill press and a surface grinder.

Brian Holcombe
01-03-2019, 9:10 AM
Looking for suggestions on a flip-down stop for t-track. Woodpeckers has one but I'm not keen on the bright red not the proprietary track.

I like this a lot, but without the angled block or digital aspect would be fine:

http://www.akhurst.com/product/accurate-tech-pro-stop-digital-stop/

Martin Wasner
01-03-2019, 6:59 PM
I do not own any of these, but was entertaining them.

Ilike the J.A. Dawley for the way you can set stops for repeat cuts.

http://www.jadawley.com


The Maya stops seemed high quality, but wouldn't fit the application I had in mind well.

http://www.mayaposi-stop.com/systemoverview.asp



Both of those have proprietary extrusions. I wonder if something could be whipped up with 80/20 stuff? Probably? I could never wrap my head around how it would work though.


I ended up having copies of the Biesemeyer fence and stops made. Probably not a great fit for what you're doing, but perfect on a assembly bench.

Brian Holcombe
01-04-2019, 12:53 AM
Thanks Martin, those are awesome but don’t think they will work for this. I will file those away for the chop saw, which is a project hopefully coming up after I wrap this up. I ended up just ordering parts to make the stop. I changed it a bit from what I showed above. I think it needs to be slim and sturdy and that’s where I’m having trouble finding a good ready made setup. The slim stuff out there on the market looks like it’s fragile.

The maya stops look really top notch, the posi stop especially which is a slick idea. I’ll probably end up buying them for the chop saw.

I had a chance to finish the fence proper. I bored the reciever, shortened the shaft, cut a d profile into it then drilled and tapped the shaft (again, fixing what went haywire the first time) and bored the countersink for the bolt. All in that was 2 hrs of machine work.

Adding bearing bronze inserts paid off, moves without screeching.


https://youtu.be/HrdXHmlTbU0

Patrick McCarthy
01-04-2019, 1:09 AM
So sweet!


When i retire i’m Moving to your neighborhood just to watch and learn . . . . And drool more . . . .

Brian Holcombe
01-04-2019, 9:00 AM
Thanks Patrick! I think I’d rather move to your neighborhood. Clear out some Santa Barbara warehouse space for me and I’ll be on the road. :D

Jim Becker
01-04-2019, 9:18 AM
SMooooooothe!!!!!

Patrick Walsh
01-04-2019, 12:01 PM
Ok now you just made me one upping you wit my t-75 restoration I possible.

You incredibly talented.

I can’t help but think u musta been loosing your mind at DWR not exercising your creative and meachanical abilities.

Brian Holcombe
01-04-2019, 12:26 PM
Thank you, both!!

That T-75 is going to be sweet, and that's the fun part of this stuff comparing notes really helps out the whole group. Heck, I wouldn't even know this kind of machine existed if not for the forums.

Yes, definitely, however I learned so much on that job with other very relevant items I feel it was time well spent. Still, there were day's I thought to haul a work bench in and have at it in the boring moments.

Patrick Walsh
01-04-2019, 9:27 PM
Brian,

You are so right, I have learnt so much comparing notes with regard to so many tasks. Pretty much if you have the will and are good enough a googling you can normally come up with the answer to most things thanks to people sharing their experiences.

I can’t wait to get to the Martin. I’m already searching high and low for a t23 sliding table. A little afraid the enconomy is gonna tank and those of us that make a living making stuff are gonna be instead asking “would you like fires with that” ? So maybe I stop spending for a minute ;)

Brian Holcombe
01-06-2019, 1:56 PM
Exactly, we're very lucky to be in a time period where so many people are willing to provide their experience.

Ah-ha, i've been on the same search :D I'm also looking at some of the older German machine from other brands as long as they have the features needed. I don't need something quite as hulking as a Martin but would like a quality build.

-- Has anyone tried to contact Lussalt recently? I emailed their manager about a chisel order but have not gotten a return. I'm starting to think they may be on holiday? They make a carbide tipped cutter with air holes running through it that I would like to purchase.

Some progress, I made a setup for the chip breaker. This will provide the ability to hold chip breakers which are wide or long and provide 3/4" of adjustment to take up space as the breaker is consumed. A new one can be applied in wood or plastic easily. It's aluminum so any kind of accidental contact won't destroy the cutter.

This will serve as a base of attachment for the dust collection. I plan to form the dust chute soon, then modify it if need be once the machine is cutting. I should certainly go the other way around but I think I can intuit where the shavings will go and I don't really want to operate it without dust collection.

Almost there, I tested the air system the other day and need to investigate a tiny leak in the foot pedal (I think I used the original o-ring there and probably should have replaced them, the original looked perfect but may have been too far crushed).

All starts here and the machining takes time. I've been remembering things that I have forgotten on getting a clean cut. This is where I started, but after this cut I started using a spray of WD-40 and the follow up cuts were clean without the tiny drag marks.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_2289.jpg

Grooved for keys and cut a recess for the insert.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/img_2291.jpg

Cut a slot for the bolts, I may have to enlarge that slot if it proves too close to the cutter.



Installed on the machine

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_2300.jpg


https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_2287.jpg

I'm thinking this will provide a nice register for the parts being cut.

I purchased most of the parts for the stop, but awaiting some bushings and various cutters. I plan to make the sliding part in aluminum so to make it slide with ease I decided to installed graphite embedded bronze bushings. They're inexpensive but will require some careful fitting.

Patrick Walsh
01-06-2019, 2:45 PM
Brian Halcombe king of the corner cutters.

What a hack!

Brian Holcombe
01-06-2019, 3:10 PM
Brian Halcombe king of the corner cutters.

What a hack!

:D:D:D

more words.

Patrick Walsh
01-06-2019, 5:35 PM
More words,

You lost me or is my true blonde nature showing through. I’m not very smart....


:D:D:D

more words.

Brian Holcombe
01-06-2019, 5:41 PM
There is a minimum length for the post, I just wanted to post the smilies but needed to make the post longer.

Brian Holcombe
01-16-2019, 12:27 AM
Progress, but still a good ways to go before this looks like something worthwhile.

I made the block, cut and reamed holes then pressed in graphite impregnated bronze bearings. I brought it to the machine shop for honing afterward.

Later I bored holes to receive the shafts.

Next I plan to make two retainers from aluminum, one for the end and one for the fence side, those I might press on, I’m not sure yet. Still working out the clamping aspect of it but I think my original plan may work.

This work has been interesting, it needs to be fairly precise so it is also keeping me on my toes.

I managed to get everything for a very basic micro adjuster wheel with a button for quick changes.

Once I Get close to a finished product I plan to do some detail work so that it’s a little better than just a block, something to neaten up the appearance.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/img_2344.jpg

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/img_2343-1.jpg

Patrick McCarthy
01-16-2019, 10:57 AM
Progress, but still a good ways to go before this looks like something worthwhile.

Once I Get close to a finished product I plan to do some detail work so that it’s a little better than just a block, something to neaten up the appearance.

You, sir, are killing me. I was just about to comment upon the rather haphazard and obviously jerry-rigged nature of this contraption, but now i feel compelled to give you a bit of time to make it a bit more precise. Geesch, seems like some guys will drag almost any-old-thing into their shops . . . . . Just sayin’ . . . .

Brian Holcombe
01-16-2019, 12:55 PM
Hah! :D

In the same vein I was talking with the machine shop owner that because McMaster sorts parts by detailed specs that I tend to go overboard. As example, I did not know that graphite impregnated bearings were readily available. So where something like a cast iron part with a bit of grease would normally work perfectly it get me thinking about how to build it with bearings. A line of thinking I probably wouldn’t consider if not for that evil/wonderful catalog.

Start looking for a seemingly innocent thing like a handwheel, then you find the plain old zinc one.....but wait they also make a turned and polished aluminum....better still a stainless steel one....wait better still you could add a micrometer to it :D :D.

Brian Holcombe
01-21-2019, 9:08 AM
I was cutting parts with my router the other day, my incra stop extension bar moved very slightly with every cut and result was that I had to redo four hours of work. When I realized this I was not thrilled, and removed the extension bar. It reminded me of how important a robust design is.

So, I’m happy to say that this stop does not move. I don’t slam work against a stop, but I think this could handle that without issue.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/img_2367.jpg

Unfortunately I need to redo the ends, I used an end mill to cut them to size, expecting to ream them slightly over size after that. Well the endmill cut it .005” oversized! I reamed them to the next size up then installed sleeves but I plan to redo it and change the design slightly as I do.

Once I get it right I plan to radius the end caps.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/img_2368.jpg

Jim Becker
01-25-2019, 5:20 PM
Ok, boys and girls...I got to "fondle" this thing today when I was visiting with Brian. WOW. The pictures do not do justice to just how fine the work he has been doing is. That puppy is a "work of art" in addition to being a very kewel tool! LOL

Brian Holcombe
01-26-2019, 9:13 AM
Thanks Jim! Thanks for stopping over as well.

Patrick Walsh
01-26-2019, 9:41 AM
I must say it’s pretty rediculous the extent you have taken this project to. I’m not quite sure the t-75 is gonna live up to the bar you have set.

What I want is a full shot of the machine as it’s sits today as appose to these little teaser photos. Come on man give us some occilating chisel mortising tool porn. I want pictures from the front, the back the left side, the right side, upside down....

Kinda crazy I have learnt a thing or two just internet stalking your post.. I’m interested in learning more about the bronze bearings used in the fence as I can think of a million areas to incorporate them into say my air clamps and million various other things.

One question about the fence. My fd 250 came with a simular setup although not nearly as nice. Recently I went to use it when making the passage doors. It didn’t work out as the fence was not long enough. Also if referencing off the same side for all the joinery when cutting mortise on say one side of a stile “top to bottom” you would be forced to flip your workpieces vrs slide it side to side as one stop would always be in the way of the other. I guess that’s where a flip stop solves the problem and longer extensions for the fence.

How much length have you incorperated into this fence. I would kinda hope quite a bit as something like shoji could require some serious length if to just shift left to right as apposed to flipping the work piece.

Brian Holcombe
01-26-2019, 1:09 PM
Thanks Patrick! Much appreciated.

Good questions, I have done some thinking and experimenting with this over the past while with the felder.

Anymore I always plan my cutouts so that I can flip without losing accuracy. In a double tenon, single cutter layout you can delete the offset error by first flipping for half the cutout then resetting the stop the cutting the other half of the positions by flipping.

This removes the error from the offset and maintains a similar level or error in stop positioning. I mitigate that error by working of a preset gauge. I set the gauge to the cutter then bring the stop into position. This has allowed me to work without needing super long extensions and stops along the length (for joinery machines).

I cut my tenons after the mortises are produced so ensure the ability to account for the spacing between mortises, which if the sticks are consistent in size that is a thing I can account for at the beginning of the cutout.

Brian Holcombe
01-26-2019, 4:26 PM
Here is an update with photos of the stop and the machine. The micro adjuster's stop is not finished and the ends of the main double-bar setup are not finished. I goofed on those ends, so I'm remaking them.

The wheel has a button, so that you can make big adjustments fast, then spin it to dial in the last little bit bring it home. That way if you want to go to the outer boundaries you can do so quickly without spinning the wheel 100x.

I have planned some thumb screws for locking down the micro adjuster. If I had to do this again I might put the wheel up top for easier access from both sides, live and learn. It works very nicely however with a fine feeling to the adjustment.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_2411.jpg

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_2412.jpg

The threaded shaft is plain (stainless IIRC) but it rides in bearings. The bearings have flanges so that the wheel can ride nicely, I was able to setup for about a .002" clearance so the adjuster is nice and tight without any slop back and forth.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/img_2418-2018176110-1548537863806.jpg

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_2413.jpg

Patrick Walsh
01-26-2019, 4:57 PM
Well Brian,

She or he is very very perty..

And that fence is pretty slick. You gotta really want something to think something like that up then figure out how to execute it not to mention make the time to do it.

This makes me itchy to work on my machine. That’s not a weekend activity though as I have plenty of other stuff I have to tend to on weekends.

Patrick Walsh
01-26-2019, 5:03 PM
Your approach requires one to mortise first and tenon second.

I’m not sure why but I always tennon first and mortise second. I guess I just like dropping my marking gauge down my shoulder to my tenon and transferring the dimension.

I may want to rethink this approach consodering I can’t just flip unless I find dead center like 100%. At least on the fd I find finding dead center less than a exact science. If using birds mouth bits sure you can just align both tips with a centered layout line but for whatever reason I never get literally exact. For whatever reason I can stack cutters on my shaper to cut tenon and get my tenon perfectly centered. Clearly this is all dependent as stock dimensioned exactly to each other.

Regardless a million way to skin a cat even though I hate that saying.


Thanks Patrick! Much appreciated.

Good questions, I have done some thinking and experimenting with this over the past while with the felder.

Anymore I always plan my cutouts so that I can flip without losing accuracy. In a double tenon, single cutter layout you can delete the offset error by first flipping for half the cutout then resetting the stop the cutting the other half of the positions by flipping.

This removes the error from the offset and maintains a similar level or error in stop positioning. I mitigate that error by working of a preset gauge. I set the gauge to the cutter then bring the stop into position. This has allowed me to work without needing super long extensions and stops along the length (for joinery machines).

I cut my tenons after the mortises are produced so ensure the ability to account for the spacing between mortises, which if the sticks are consistent in size that is a thing I can account for at the beginning of the cutout.

Jim Becker
01-26-2019, 5:05 PM
Patrick, I like the idea of mortise first myself...it's easier in my mine to pare down a tenon to fit than to stuff a mortise to take up space when things are too loose.

Brian Holcombe
01-26-2019, 5:05 PM
Thanks Patrick! Indeed, this one has really caused me to up my game and making something I felt befitting the original designers intention. I also have a secondary want in that this is an experiment for the miter saw station that is in my head, so I've been experimenting with manual stop ideas while I continue to dream up a CNC version given that there is no reason why a manual one couldn't be converted to CNC once it becomes affordable for me.

We didn't make a lot of parts at the machine shop, so I've also been taking on these projects to stretch my abilities and improve my layout skill and tactic. Machine work, because of the tight tolerances, reminds me where I failed in logic whenever I've failed. Sometimes in woodwork those little errors can be fitted around after the fact, not so much in metal work (not always in woodwork either).

David Kumm
01-26-2019, 5:08 PM
Wonderful work Brian. Improving the improvements is part of the fun and an education in itself. Dave

Brian Holcombe
01-26-2019, 5:10 PM
Your approach requires one to mortise first and tenon second.

I’m not sure why but I always tennon first and mortise second. I guess I just like dropping my marking gauge down my shoulder to my tenon and transferring the dimension.

I may want to rethink this approach consodering I can’t just flip unless I find dead center like 100%. At least on the fd I find finding dead center less than a exact science. If using birds mouth bits sure you can just align both tips with a centered layout line but for whatever reason I never get literally exact. For whatever reason I can stack cutters on my shaper to cut tenon and get my tenon perfectly centered. Clearly this is all dependent as stock dimensioned exactly to each other.

Regardless a million way to skin a cat even though I hate that saying.

The rebuilt Felder allows me to find center with reliability, before hand it was more of a crap-shoot. So on a single tenon layout, I find center then take a test cut and check my accuracy. If I'm dead-on it will be accurate enough that it will be within a similar range of tolerance in my tenoning. My tenons range +/- .005" with my current approach to cutout (router table).

If your shaper cutters are infinitely adjustable then the approach I take to double tenons should work for you. If not and you need a hard set distance between the mortises (due to your shaper cutter) then you would need to cut the tenons first and test cut your mortises until everything is in proper alignment.

Brian Holcombe
01-26-2019, 5:12 PM
Wonderful work Brian. Improving the improvements is part of the fun and an education in itself. Dave

Thank you! Absolutely, and doing so has been very enjoyable. Getting my head back into machine work a bit has been fun.

Brian Holcombe
02-19-2019, 9:31 AM
Taking a moment away from the fence, I decided to attend to the dust hood. I wanted to make something that would bolt on to the chip breaker and be quickly removable in case I want it out of the way for setup.

Working with 304 stainless, not because I want it to be stainless but because I can get shorts and small pieces in stainless. I plan to paint this when it's complete to avoid too many shiny metal things all in the same space.

I used the Ironworker shear to trim the pieces to size:

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/img_2565.jpg

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/img_2566.jpg

This will next transition to round and have the welds ground smooth.

I will likely leave the welds on the bracket that gets installed. It will be a simple tab stitched on (can't full weld a tab or it warps everything).

This will transition from 4" dia tube to 4" square to 2" x 4" opening and should cover the range of travel with exception to perhaps the furthest extreme.

Edit; My camera blurred some of the weld areas around the outside so it looks like there is a section missing. Well, that's odd.

Brian Holcombe
03-31-2019, 8:50 PM
I'm all but decided to scrap my air duct and move onto something simple such as this. I'll weld a tab for attachment. This is simple, much neater looking and has better air flow characteristics.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/img_2848.jpg

Joe Calhoon
04-04-2019, 10:48 PM
The Maka is looking good Brian! I think that will be a effective DC collection point. My STV has a DC hood that folds out of the way for changing cutters or making adjustments. It is a bit awkward even folded back and thinking about doing something like you have. Will be interested to see how it attaches. Does that model Maka reverse?

Brian Holcombe
04-05-2019, 8:27 AM
The Maka is looking good Brian! I think that will be a effective DC collection point. My STV has a DC hood that folds out of the way for changing cutters or making adjustments. It is a bit awkward even folded back and thinking about doing something like you have. Will be interested to see how it attaches. Does that model Maka reverse?

Thanks, Joe! Excellent, very much appreciate your feedback. I'm working to make this an easy thing to take on and off if I need to have it out of the way for setups.

This model is reversible but, it I'm not sure if I can put my chip breaker on either side, I'll have to check that out today.

Brian Holcombe
04-24-2019, 11:37 AM
OK, getting this machine up and running soon so that I can process some work through it. I'm running into a snag; I basically duplicated the wiring as it was setup how it arrived, cleaning up the ugly, but not changing anything. However, the previous setup bypassed an air pressure switch, so the machine runs all the time when the lever switch is turned to the forward position. I assumed at the time that if I put the pressure switch back into the loop it would correct this issue, it has not.

I need to ask a couple stupid questions so I can move forward with a few changes to my wiring layout and correct this issue.

I have a step down transformer in the box with 240v going to it and producing 120v

On the 120v side there are four lugs, two are jumped with a fuse, one produces 120v and the last line produces low voltage. I assume this to function like a neutral line, but I'm not sure of the function. It's not marked as a ground and the original setup did not have it wired to the chassis, instead it is wired to one of the lugs on the magnet starter's coil.

This is where my confusion begins. The previous wiring arrangement had the pressure switch tied into the low voltage (neutral?) side of the arrangement, however they had both lugs on one side of the switch, bypassing its function. When these are now reconnected properly, if the switch works, does it then affect anything? I'm starting to think that the switch should be on the 120v side of the wiring, not on the low voltage side.

The pressure switch theoretically interrupts the low voltage side. Should this be setup so that the low voltage connection between transformer and coil is uninterrupted?

- The hot wire from the transformer runs to a lever switch, when the lever switch is operated 'on' it runs to a pilot lamp and to the coil directly.

The machine functions, so I hate to start rerouting things without a clearer understanding of the implications, so I've formed some assumptions and I'm hoping to acquire some information to help me proceed in correcting these issues.

My assumptions so far:

- The pressure switch should be on the 'hot' side of the setup and not the neutral.

- The neutral side of the setup should be continuous, and not interrupted.

I don't believe the pressure switch to be currently functional in any case, so I'm sourcing a replacement. The air going to it is acting properly but seems to have no affect on the function. I believe the pressure switch has failed closed, so it is always on. I can't find any adjustment on it, so my assumption is that it has failed and not that it is out of its proper range.

Brian Holcombe
04-24-2019, 11:42 AM
Here is a visual reference.

This is my current arrangement:

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/IMG_1876.jpg

This is the "original" or as received arrangement.

https://brianholcombewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/IMG_1809.jpg

Malcolm McLeod
04-24-2019, 12:01 PM
OK, getting this machine up and running soon so that I can process some work through it. I'm running into a snag; I basically duplicated the wiring as it was setup how it arrived, cleaning up the ugly, but not changing anything. However, the previous setup bypassed an air pressure switch, so the machine runs all the time when the lever switch is turned to the forward position. I assumed at the time that if I put the pressure switch back into the loop it would correct this issue, it has not.

I need to ask a couple stupid questions so I can move forward with a few changes to my wiring layout and correct this issue.

I have a step down transformer in the box with 240v going to it and producing 120v

On the 120v side there are four lugs, two are jumped with a fuse, one produces 120v and the last line produces low voltage. I assume this to function like a neutral line, but I'm not sure of the function. It's not marked as a ground and the original setup did not have it wired to the chassis, instead it is wired to one of the lugs on the magnet starter's coil.

This is where my confusion begins. The previous wiring arrangement had the pressure switch tied into the low voltage (neutral?) side of the arrangement, however they had both lugs on one side of the switch, bypassing its function. When these are now reconnected properly, if the switch works, does it then affect anything? I'm starting to think that the switch should be on the 120v side of the wiring, not on the low voltage side.

The pressure switch theoretically interrupts the low voltage side. Should this be setup so that the low voltage connection between transformer and coil is uninterrupted?

- The hot wire from the transformer runs to a lever switch, when the lever switch is operated 'on' it runs to a pilot lamp and to the coil directly.

The machine functions, so I hate to start rerouting things without a clearer understanding of the implications, so I've formed some assumptions and I'm hoping to acquire some information to help me proceed in correcting these issues.

My assumptions so far:

- The pressure switch should be on the 'hot' side of the setup and not the neutral.

- The neutral side of the setup should be continuous, and not interrupted.

I don't believe the pressure switch to be currently functional in any case, so I'm sourcing a replacement. The air going to it is acting properly but seems to have no affect on the function. I believe the pressure switch has failed closed, so it is always on. I can't find any adjustment on it, so my assumption is that it has failed and not that it is out of its proper range.

Do you have a cheap (HF $10-$15) multi-meter? You can check continuity across the PS easily.

Your reference to ‘low voltage side’ threw me, but I think you settled in calling it the ‘neutral’ which should be correct. I often see safety related components installed on the neutral side of the coil in motor starter circuits; the most common being the overload(s) relay. The ‘hot’ side of the wiring to the coil is where the buttons and switches get installed (at least in my experience).

From the perspective of electrical flow it doesn’t really matter where the pressure switch goes - so long as it interrupts flow when and where you want.

If you wanted pressure switch to absolutely stop motor, no matter what is happening with switches, I’d put it on the neutral side.

If you have some automation scheme in mind - say to start the motor as soon as pressure switch closes, but only when an HOA switch is in ‘Auto’ - then I’d put it on the ‘hot’ side.

Malcolm McLeod
04-24-2019, 12:25 PM
Have you done a schematic?

This is EE or Electrician’s bible, blue print, and troubleshooting guide all rolled into one.:cool:

Brian Holcombe
04-24-2019, 12:28 PM
Thanks, Malcolm, greatly appreciate your input here. I’ve got a multi meter, and checking it. The switch shows no resistance no matter what, so I went ahead and sourced an adjustable switch. I sourced one that I can set below the minimum operating range of the air system so that the chisel won’t stop mid cut if the pressure drops momentarily out of the operating range.

Awesome, that straightens everything out in my mind, now.

Brian Holcombe
04-24-2019, 12:29 PM
I haven’t written a schematic, but after this I’m thinking that, along with numbered wires would be a wise way to proceed.

Mark Hennebury
04-24-2019, 4:54 PM
Hi Brian, This is a diagram of the basic functions for a Maka. so you have two systems, the power circuit and the control circuit. The control circuit is tapped of of the transformer. and controls the coil of the contactor to turn the motor on and off. You then have a safety pressure switch, then a start, then stop, or multiple stop buttons.


408594

Brian Holcombe
04-24-2019, 7:16 PM
Thanks, Mark! Appreciate the detail. Gives much food for thought.