Vintage Martin T75 restoration

[Patrick Walsh]

I like your motorcycle guy.

That's a terrible perspective and just another excuse for crap work and the degradation of a job well done.

That's not a hit on you but the mentality of "ah it's gonna get all beat up" doesn't fly with me.

Cabinets, furniture, interior finish work be it trim, hardwood fooors, tile, plaster yada yada could all be said will be used and thus degrade. To just say it's gonna get used and end up blemished anyhow just is not a perspective I can get aboard

But you are right the handles will tarnish pretty quick from use, "I can polish them back" and yes that tarnish will hide the imperfections and yes the plating will wear off if used enough..

So as tuff as I'm being on your perspective you are right.

[David Kumm]

Patrick, the white glove comment was tongue in cheek. The point is you really need to be careful in picking someone to plate stuff again or you may end up with a worse job and just keep paying over and over. That is what happened to my motorcycle guy. Took several attempts. Dave

[Brian Holcombe]

Might be worth having a conversation with the plater and asking for a redo on a few parts. Retired fellow doing this stuff for fun on the side would probably be happy to help out someone interested in a perfect result.

[Joe Jensen]

I love what you are doing. Double check that once plated the parts still fit together. Plating is a lot thicker than you might realize and slip fits might now be too tight.

[Jeff Duncan]

Oh I will and I will,

You know I work a lot and this is going in my home shop. It will see use but very light. I see that as good as it should remain in great shape for me to fully enjoy when I retire.

Or you know I don't think I'll work for the guy I work with forever because I don't see him staying in the business more than another ten years.

And I'm not going back to general construction and I'm not gonna be some robot putting together boxes with dowels off a cnc machine.

Point is I'll probably be self employed st some point snd building custom cabinets and or furniture or doing millwok.

I'll be pretty happy to put a 200hrs a year on the saw till I'm 67 then usevthe crap out of it..

Do yourself a favor and don't go into business for yourself in this profession. The guys who make money at this are the ones who think business first, craft second. I've got over 20 years in and seen a lot of other guys come and go in that time. Never made as much $ for myself as I could working for someone else, but I love the work and that's what's kept me going.... at least up until the last year or so. There's a LOT of money in this area, but you have to be a pretty good businessman to make a good pay for more than a couple years.

good luck,
JeffD

[Martin Wasner]

The guys who make money at this are the ones who think business first, craft second.

The best craftsman isn't going to make it without putting business first. You can be both, but keeping the lights on and food on the table is paramount. I'm fortunate, I'm pretty good at the business end, and really useful on the shop floor. I also get to work on some really good projects. I could easily turn things into a factory pumping out melamine eurotrash, but chose to do it the hard way. I don't make much but I'm pounding away equity and setup to start doing pretty well financially if I can keep the schedule full.

It isn't easy, but I think it can be done. Gotta be at the right place, at the right time, and a little lucky.

[Patrick Walsh]

You know Brian I’d like to think so but I’m just not sure.

Some people just get defensive when you are critical of their work.

I’d like to think it was as easy as speaking up but you know when that doesn’t go well you always just wish you had kept your mouth shut.

And like I said with my uncle involved it’s not worth creating a potential headache for him or coming between the relationship he has with this guy.

Now was this some guy or company o found on my own I’d 100% say I was not happy and ask for a redo of a handful of the parts.

Might be worth having a conversation with the plater and asking for a redo on a few parts. Retired fellow doing this stuff for fun on the side would probably be happy to help out someone interested in a perfect result.

[Patrick Walsh]

Oh I was also concerned about that. I made clear areas that could not be plated. I also didn’t plate some parts out of this concern.

I actually put back together a few kipp levers and so far so good. Worst case I’m told the stuff can be sanded off.

I love what you are doing. Double check that once plated the parts still fit together. Plating is a lot thicker than you might realize and slip fits might now be too tight.

[Patrick Walsh]

Jeff,

Honestly I would never go into business for myself making cabs. I have been a tradesman my whole life. My whole career through I have been told by employers and my uncle who is amexibit maker who rents in the mill building I now work that has been a revolving door of cabinet shops for 40 years that cabinet shops are a dime a dozen, come and go and look out when a recession hits they all fold.

I’m in a situation where I don’t have to make a $100k a year and could easily get by on $50.mthat could change the v]next number of years and I may need to make the $100 oikemit or not. God willing that’s not the case and worst case I can find a job in a ay shop in a pinch makimgmwhatni need or maybe better align myself with enough people or,the right people to make just enough out of my own shop to make that $50. I would not have to do but a 3-4 small/medium kitchens a year to pull that off and I could be just fine.

But I’m with you I will hands down take a job working for someone any day over doing this for myself. Same goes for general construction be it building homes or running trim or general renovations, sure some make a killing but most don’t and imst4ad kill them self or just accept being poor and alway living behind the with ball.

Do yourself a favor and don't go into business for yourself in this profession. The guys who make money at this are the ones who think business first, craft second. I've got over 20 years in and seen a lot of other guys come and go in that time. Never made as much $ for myself as I could working for someone else, but I love the work and that's what's kept me going.... at least up until the last year or so. There's a LOT of money in this area, but you have to be a pretty good businessman to make a good pay for more than a couple years.

good luck,
JeffD

[Patrick Walsh]

Everytime I really get into the guts of this saw I just fall deeper in love with it.

So much so I had to announce outloud to my shop mate this love and make clear how impressed I am.

It’s a fact even the 2002 t73 is not made this well..

It was a slow day today on the saw as I had field work to tend to first thing so not pre work morning session. Then after work the shop was full of friends and i guess sometimes you have to make time for others especially when they are good people.

I did finally take the trunion apart and all I can say is wow!

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I got the tapered pin out of the gear attached to the worm gear. The sprocket was yet again pressed onto the shaft. I just couldn’t find a way to use the wheel puller to get it off.

I’m half inclined to just leave it assembled as I can easily clean, prep and paint around it. It dies feel like cheating though as it will be the one and only part on the whole machine I didn’t take fully apart.

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And that was all today

Tomorrow i have to spend my time masking off pieces I previously painted but only painted one side in preparation for more paint this weekend. Its not many pieces so it won’t be a Marathon paint session. I will probably prep this trunion or go nuts south thr blstrr on.

That’s all, let’s gope tomorrow is much more productive..

[Patrick Walsh]

Having a hard time getting in gear with the work in the saw this week. Not for a lack of willingness but mostly the logistics of the rest of my life. Also the machine and process of restoration seems to be at a phase in process where it is just hard to get big chunks done all at once. Maybe it’s just I’m back to disassembling and prepping parts.

Yesterday morning I spend a couple hours taping off and papering parts I previously sprayed but could only paint one side of. Tonight I’ll get the second side of those parts sprayed.

I also am trying a new method of cleaning my parts as I also switched to sand blasting. Now my process is sand blast, drop back and clean all machined surfaces with a wire wheel or scotch brite, soak in Zepp Industrial Strength Degreeser the. I. Rust remover. I’m pretty floored by the Zepp product it’s nasty stuff and cuts oil and grease like crazy. Previously I was relying on the laquer thinner used to strip my parts to remove oil and grease. I also use parts prep prior to and in between coats of paint but just getting that first layer of oils and grease off is a very important.

The trunion I’m opting to not strip as the paint is in great shape and honestlynit doesn’t need it and it would be a pita with lots of tight nooks and crannies.

I also cant see to figure out how the heck to get the worm gear fully out of the trunion. Clearly the cogs are held on by the same tapered pins found elsewhere on the machine. I have removed one. But then it seems I need a wheel puller once again to get the cog off. The isssue is I can’t figure how to get the puller around the cog as other things are in the way. Prying with anything else seems like a very bad idea. I’m also concerned about how to press the cog back on if I do get it off. So I think this is one piece that will not be fully taken apart. No big deal as I can full clean and restore it in place.

I used just the Zepp to do the initial cleaning of the trunion. Man don’t get this crap on your skin.

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The worm gear I can’t figurenhow to get out.

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Pieces tomthe motor and hand wheel blasted, then soaked in Zepp then soaked in rust remover then dried with a rap and compressed air.

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And my first screw up. So far this is the first piece I have ruined or compromised. Not to bad but I am really upset with myself. I always shoot for perfection but you know I’m just not good enough to ever obtain it. I’m always floored be in makers, athletes, academics and or whatever and whomever that can obtain perfection. I’m pretty good at most things I set off to do but I’m just never the best. I’ll keep trying as I greatly respect perfection and the pursuit of it.

I think I can probably recreate the original paint?

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That’s it gottamgo build stuff for a few hours then huff volatile chemicals all night..

[Patrick Walsh]

Doing this project in a timely fashion is taking a major conserted effort. I’m so glad I had no idea when I started. I mean I knew it would be a poop ton of work and I all reality thatnitnwould be as much work as it’s turning out to be but dam this is a lot of work.

At this point m-f I’m getting in 2nhrs before work and another 2-4 after work the. At least another 8 hours on the weekend.

Good news is I’m getting to the end of most all the parts. By weeks end I should just have the base and the top to tend to regarding paint. I’ll also have a piece here and there to redo based on various causes. Some are holidays, some are runs, some is dry spots where I didn’t go heavy enough.

Anyway last night I intended to spray, per usual that didn’t happen as all my,parts still neeeded masking and the booth to be cleaned and setup for all my parts. Many of them hang yada yada. The prep just cleaning the booth, setting up saw horses various supports for various pieces then blowing everything down, spraying with prep wash then racking everything seems to take about four hours per batch. Then the painting about the same depending on coats.

For the trunion pieces I switched to a epoxy primer followed right away by the Imron. The pieces had zero body work from the factotum unlike the external pieces. They have the rough texture of what I believe to be a sand cast and that’s how I’m keeping them. Not because I’m lazy but because largely I’m trying to reproduce exactly what the factory would had done. Yes the paint is a bit more glossy but that’s about it.

Parts ready for the booth, that’s 2 hours of masking. All those parts still need to be wired so they can hang, that’s about another 30 min work.

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These are all pieces from last week or the week before that need two sides sprayed that I opted to not hang. As a result what you see is also about two hours of masking.

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I was at the shop till 9pm last night, I left without spraying a thing. I was tempted to work till my eyes bled and just get it all done. At the last minute I decided that was a bad idea as getting sloppy and tired shooting finish is a bit self defeating,

So I went back this morning, I got in at 5:45 and was done spraying by 9:30. I’ll have pictures of that work tomorrow. I went home walked the dog, ran some errands and ate some lunch. With thoughts of some much to do yet burning a hole in my brain I went back to the shop mid afternoon for a couple hours and prepped most of the rest of the small pieces. I thought about painting them and again last minute decided to give myself a break and ease up.

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I’m gonna have to make some kind of wire brush to get the inside of that spring.

Still with the bug to keep at it but knowing painting was a nuts idea I removed some tape from a couple pieces I am happy to call done.

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Not one piece is actually perfect but you know it’s good enough for a machine that will take abuse.

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[Patrick Walsh]

Sadly the last two triangle pieces above need to be painted as I failed to paint one small surface that is exposed.

Bellow is the rip fence extension. This piece attaches to the far right of the cast table. The rip fence can be slid onto it, locked and the whole thing flipped down as to get the fence completely free of the cast table.

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The piece is not done done. I’ll do things like tend to the brass, I’ll glaze some black paint into the brass scale where it has worn away. I’ll probably clean or polish the machined surfaces a bit more.

Look at those reflections. That’s what I expect. I can only imagine how nice this could be is I color sanded and polished everything.

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Tomorrow I empty the booth and come home and work on my Bonsai as its that time again. There’s a narrrow window to transplant trees and although I don’t have the time to deal I’m gonna have to make it.

I’ll finsh prepping the rest of the Small,pieces this week and get them painted. The following week sandblast the base and underside of top. The following week prime and polyfill. The following week sand the poly fill then seal and paint. Then I bet it takes me a good month or two to put the thing back together. Part of that is the time involved in moving it back to my house piece by piece.

What I’d give to be able to afford to take a couple weeks off and just have at this thing day and night..

I’m still dreaming of a sliding table t21 if you can believe it.

[Mark Hennebury]

Great finish on the paint there Patrick!

The only photo that i have found of that gear is this one,It looks like i knocked the pins out, removed the sprocket and pressed the shaft out. hope that helps.

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[Patrick Walsh]

Thanks mark.

I got the pin out on the outer cog no problem.

I’m not sure how or if I really need to get the worm gear off the other end as there is no place to push the pin out as it is encapsolated by the trunion assemble on two sides. I guess I could pound it out slightly then wrestle pulling with pliers.

Honestly I think I’m gonna clean these pieces up on the trunion. If I am happy with them I’ll mask everything off and paint the trunion with them in place.

I still need to source a side pin spanner to get the arbor apart so I can prep paint and replace the bearings. I’m also starting to think I’m gonna need a arbor press to get all these bearings back on.

And the motor, the dam motor. I still can’t get it it 100% apart. I have one last piece “not the fan” stuck on the shaft and again I’m not quite sure how it comes off. I’ll get pictures when I’m done drinking my coffee at a relaxing oacemthe one day of the week I do such.

I complain but I’m really I can’t quite decide is it nice to drink coffee and relax for a minute. Or can I hardly wait to go look at my fresh paint and maybe spend a couple hours prepping the rest of the small pieces. Any kind of project I get into I have a hard time getting my mind off forward progress till it’s done.

I think I may bring some of the small parts related to the fence home and remove masking and start putting them back together being i have the plating back now.

Great finish on the paint there Patrick!

The only photo that i have found of that gear is this one,It looks like i knocked the pins out, removed the sprocket and pressed the shaft out. hope that helps.

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