Vintage Martin T75 restoration

[Darcy Warner]

I always wire wheel every nut, bolt, washer, etc. I hate replacing hardware with new crap. Every machine I parted out, I took all the old hardware off of and kept.

[Martin Wasner]

You can send metal through a widebelt. You just can't hog material off, which you don't want to do anyways.

I'd send it though and crank the bed up until it's just touching.

Blow it out before you start, blow it out when you're done.

[Patrick Walsh]

I am enjoying even through the dust.

If in anything I’m amjourney guy. I have spent my life doing exactly what I won’t pretty much at all times. I have done this at the sacrifice of a conventional life “wife/family/kids” but the reality is it had not been much a sacrifice because I never had any interest in any of those things.

I have however done very little saving for tomorrow. This is going to result in me having to work till the wheels fall off. At least right now I enjoy my work enough it really doesn’t feel like work at all. The only thing I would rather do most days than go to work I’d be with my dog. Now if I was actually wealthy I acan thing of a million things I d rather do than go to work but that’s hardly the case.

Im kinda young I guess, forty one....

I still have the f]get up and go that I had at 22.... I sure hope it lasts as it’s pretty fun being so high strung.

Patrick, enjoying this rehab. I suspect you’re a bit of a youngin’ compared to some of us. Let me just say that I absolutely relate to the romantic aspect of keeping as much original as possible, and the fun zen of cleaning every last little piece. You’ll have decades to enjoy this machine, so be proud of the fact that you know how to sand/fill/prime/fill/sand/prime, whatever. It’s a skill I don’t have, but can appreciate. Take a deep breath (well, not while sanding!), and enjoy every minute. You know what the Harley folks say...it’s the journey, not the destination.

[Patrick Walsh]

I think at this point I have a good 3-4 behind a wire wheel just with what I have apart at this point. It’s all been cleaned with various wire brushes but I want the stuff perfect and like i mentioned niter blued..

I always wire wheel every nut, bolt, washer, etc. I hate replacing hardware with new crap. Every machine I parted out, I took all the old hardware off of and kept.

[Patrick Walsh]

So I had a unexpected day today. I was not quite sure exactly what I was going to do this morning when I finished up last night. I have various odds and ends related to the items I have taken apart so far but not many as I am pretty anal retentive about starting a task and finishing it. I get no joy from moving from one thing to the next knowing the prior task will need more attention at a later date. Quite the opposite, I really get enjoy,ent for. Starting and finishing something. I don’t like loose ends at all.

I ordered a kneedle scaller last night and die grinder. This left me lacking enthusiasm to strip the little bits and pieces I had left with a 5” DA and wire brush and laquer thinner.

As a result I stated taking more bits and pieces off the saw itself and getting everything in a good long laquer thinner soak.

This is what the saw looks like now. This thing is really starting to look like I really up to something big.

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We just don’t make anything remotely like this anymore. Even the newer martins access door panels are sheet metal on bolts or to today’s standards nice rolled sheet metal doors on ok hinges much better than the Italians do but still nothing like this quality.

I really get excited when I see stuff this nice. It makes me feel better about life thinking even if it a time long gone at this point at one place in time people actually took pride and the time to do not only a good job but a excellent job. Pretty much everything we make anymore is garbage destine for a landfill. There is the exception but it’s rare.

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Look at the hinge. The whole assembly is solid cast.

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This is the side door the above is the back door.

Again solid cast everything and heavy as a heck!

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This picture is cool looking down through the top of the saw out what is the dust shoot with the shoot removed.

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And this is my bounty of parts for the day. Everything including the chain is getting a good soak. Actually half of it is out of the soak and paint removed ready for a de rust soak. I got I terupted this evening by a family member and took the time to catch up. A little aggravating as I’m not in the shop tomorrow but working in the field so this will be it on the saw for the week. In all honesty I got more done this week with regard to the saw than I ever would had though last Sunday watching football.

Yet again I have to get back to my doors this weekend. The finish is undecided but I have also been making samples all week a coat at time trying to decide a new route to the French polish. The only issue is I don’t like any of them...

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[peter gagliardi]

I told you, you were going to like that saw.
It’s hard not to admire a well engineered, and built piece of machinery, especially when you know you will be using it, and caretaker for only a portion of IT’S lifetime.
Enjoying this.

[Brian Holcombe]

That is really a work of art and engineering. I wouldn’t think to cast a door and make a heavy steel hinge, but nice to see that they have.

[Patrick Walsh]

It’s making me froth at the mouth with the though of finding a t21 sliding table shaper.

I’d love a brand new t27 or my budget t12 lol likes that in my budget but I will buy it if I don’t find a nice t21 sliding table.

Point is something is nice about brand new but something is waaaaaay nicer about this machine than even the t73 I have been working on everyday for a couple months and it’s a very nice saw. Just not this nice. I’m not sure much is though. I feel very lucky, even fortunate to own this machine.

I told you, you were going to like that saw.
It’s hard not to admire a well engineered, and built piece of machinery, especially when you know you will be using it, and caretaker for only a portion of IT’S lifetime.
Enjoying this.

[Patrick Walsh]

See it’s excatly the kind of thing I would think to and want to do. My peers as they do would look at me and shake their heads and think “why that’s stupid, your stupid, it’s a waste on every level and your just crazy” I would think why can’t anybody ever be as concerned with doing the best they can vrs the bottom line, and why do I often feel like the last person left on earth that care about quality and a job well done. I would them fester in my disappointment in people till I distracted myself with being ocd about another task lol..

That is really a work of art and engineering. I wouldn’t think to cast a door and make a heavy steel hinge, but nice to see that they have.

[Jeff Duncan]

You can send metal through a widebelt. You just can't hog material off, which you don't want to do anyways.

I'd send it though and crank the bed up until it's just touching.

Blow it out before you start, blow it out when you're done.

What kind of metal are we talking about? I personally wouldn't run anything like steel or iron through my wide belt, too risky! Can't have the DC running while sanding so all the dust is going to go where when you blow it out??? Iron dust floating around a wood shop??? I guess if it was aluminum it wouldn't be so bad?

I tried it once years ago on some SS but it was on a drum sander without dust collection..... and it was not pretty. I wouldn't do it again, but to each their own I guess

good luck,
JeffD

[Patrick Walsh]

Yeah. It my machine so no chance I’m taking the risk. I guess even if it was I wouldn’t risk it. If it was cheap homeowner woodcraft thing than fine but otherwise no way.

I’ll put the sweat equity into a block and pice of paper. I actually bet I could use the edge sander or a drum mounted to a drill to get a straight scratch pattern.

Hmm how else could a I get a perfect straight line]ier scratch pattern rigging something up. I’m pretty sure the piece is steel.

I also do t want to remove much of the metal as I’m not sure how tight the tolerance it is machined to and need remain.

What kind of metal are we talking about? I personally wouldn't run anything like steel or iron through my wide belt, too risky! Can't have the DC running while sanding so all the dust is going to go where when you blow it out??? Iron dust floating around a wood shop??? I guess if it was aluminum it wouldn't be so bad?

I tried it once years ago on some SS but it was on a drum sander without dust collection..... and it was not pretty. I wouldn't do it again, but to each their own I guess

good luck,
JeffD

[Warren Lake]

metal in a wide belt? where do the sparks go? into your dust collection with air sucking them same time. I was in a shop that nearly blew up after a CNC machine stuck and a bit rubbing on baltic started a fire. Ive had stroke sander belts wander and throw sparks or even an edge sander

[Patrick Walsh]

Yeah as I said it’s not gonna happen but I am admitting I did think that would work perfect if I could and was willing to do it.

Like I said even if it was my machine I wouldn’t do it. I get pissed when my shop mate draws little penis in the dust all over my Martin jointer. I mean it’s funny as what is not funny about dust weeners but I dint want them permanently etched into my $28000 jointer for eternity.

Just like I’d kill a employee if I saw them put metal through my widebelt sander.

[Martin Wasner]

I wouldn't run the dust collector.

When a widebelt is dedicated for metal, the air is pulled through a wet collector. That's why I said blow it out before you start so there's nothing in there to start a fire. Blow it out afterwards just to prove you're not a jerk.

Your just cleaning the parts up, so you're just going to remove the bare minimum of material and slowly. It's not going to do anything. They only difference between a wood widebelt and one for metal is drum durometer hardness and abrasive fpm.

Non-ferrous metal just run it through like normal. I've ran aluminum through mine a few times to get a consistent scratch. I do grab a set of junk belts when doing it.

Bring it over, you can run them through mine.

[Darcy Warner]

I love drawing dust wieners all over everything.