Vintage Martin T75 restoration

[Patrick Walsh]

Right now Brian the finished pieces are all sitting in a space I have the heat crancked to like 90% three four days a week and then to like 70% the rest of the time.

I am gonna start to bring home any parts that are completely finished and completely put back together. At this point I’ll wipe some oil on the machined surfaces.

I’m reluctant to wipe anything with oil at this point in the event I want to repaint something. Most pieces I can find some kind of minor imperfection and I know I could get them 100% if I really wanted to. I him and how about it daily and every week o throw a few previously painted pieces in with the next batch of unpainted pieces. I’m nearing the end though “kinda” so only so may chances to sneak a piece in here and there. I suspect I have 3-4 more paint sessions left and that’s it.

Looks good Patrick, I wouldn't coat the bare surfaces, probably just wipe on oil. Unless it's in a cold/damp shop it shouldn't be any trouble to keep it from rusting.

[Patrick Walsh]

Cleaned the booth tonight and got my parts all setup. Then I bailed, had impainted I woulda been coming home at 11pm or something.

Tomorrow morning all I have to do is walk in blowmit all off one last time tack it and spray.

Pictures bellow of last weeks small pieces or the internal pieces. Again I didn’t go nuts on the prep on these. Don’t get me wrong I sand blasted them all, cleaned them all, degreased them all hit the, with prepsall and masked them. But no filler was used and I sanded nothing.

I also switched to a epoxy primer it is does not lay down nearly as nice as the eurithane. So you know they have more orange peel but they are also sand cast and you’d never know. The pieces like th head of the motor that could have been perfectly glass like just don’t need to be imop as they are inside the machine only to be seen when something is wrong.

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[Patrick Walsh]

Wel tow steps forward one step back. Or you win some you loose some. As aggrivating as loosing can be in the moment it’s part of the journey and always where you learn the most.

So the painting went great today, I was done by 9am. I shoulda just gone home and hung with the dog and that was the plan last night when I left everything in the booth ready to go but skipped the painting. Anyway it was warm out and sunny and I figured I need to figure out the sand blaster. So I had at it again, I emptied the whole thing ran air through it, filled the unit with brand new media through a screen. And nothing, absolutely nothing. Another guy in the building has a small like Harbor freight gravity feed type unit with no top. Lone behold that thing worked great, no clogs nothing just consistent dreamy sand blasting fun.

I spent about 1.5 hours blasting the base. About the same amount of time I spent screwing with the other sand blaster. I coulda blasted all day and easily been done with the base but you know my family would like to see me now and again so I packed it in. Cleanup is a bear just blasting out in a parking lot. But you I know it’s faster than bubbleing myself off.

The booth everything ready to go.

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Primer easy peasy...

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These pieces are repaints. I wet sanded them to 1500 grit holly smoked that was my first time wet sanding and I’m floored by how nice you can get stuff.

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[Patrick Walsh]

I’m really stating to get the hang of this autobody paint stuff. It’s taken a little time to get it dialed with regard to orange peel, particulate, tip sizes, how close or far to hold the gun, cleanliness, use of autobody tack cloths and not big box ones, reducer, temperature, lots of little things that actually affect each other.

A redo that o sanded to 1500 cuz it had more orange peel than I could tolerate.

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Pictures may not show but the paint is dead flat like a mirror. There is zero distortion in reflections much like after a piece has been color sanded. It’s kinda like gambling to get the paint to lay down like this. It’s right on the edge of it may or may not sag.

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Another piece I redid and I’m so happy I did. Look at my reflection. It’s not distortion free but darn close.

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It’s success like this that gets me high like a drug. It’s so makes failure so worth and it. It also reinforces my moral around hackentry and the ethic of trying again and again and again and not excepting half measures ever!

I replaced the hose for the air supply and I’m getting like zero particulate. I’m totally anal retentive and drive man nuts with my ranting about just doing things right the first time, going to the upteenth level be it machine setup, maintnace or just stuff like insisting when milling lumber for project that must stay flat that the lumber is processed slowly and always stored between on perfectly flat surcease. Same for finished work. My boss and shop mates think I’m a bit much about this kinda stuff but you know when the piece never moves after it’s built thenproof is in the pudding. Same with a clean booth, I have been getting lots of flack for being so addimant that the booth is a mess and need be clean to do good work. I’d say the proof is in the pudding.

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Then sandblasting..

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Removing the paint I removed today taught me a lot about how the machine was painted at the factory. Again I’m convinced it was painted largely assembled. It’s also clear that much like my procedure of fill prime, polyester, block sand, seal, paint the factory I’d the same. There is defiantly. Thick layer of high build primer fully ove the entire surface of the machine. The same goes for body filler. You blast through the green, then the gray high build prime, under that is a white body filler but only i areas with large discrepancies.

I’m gonna be sanding for weeks on this one. I’m sure I’ll have a base layer of body filler, then epoxy prime, then polyester, then block sand, then probably another coat of polyester, then block sand again and finally seal and paint.

Oh boy!

[Mike Delyster]

I’ve been following along since the start of your journey with this saw and thought I should chime in.
I really enjoy seeing vintage equipment refurbushed and you are doing an amazing job. The detail you put into the painting and shiny bits is over the top.
Your getting to the part where I usually find myself not wanting to stop working on it. After I found all the pieces I need and get everything painted. Then get to move on to reassembly, thats my favourite part.

Looking great Patrick.

[Tom M King]

"right on the edge of it may or may not sag"

That's the difference between using a good gun, and a cheap one too. The better the gun atomizes the paint, the wider that sweet spot.

[Patrick Walsh]

Make glad you took the time to say something.

You are so right Mike. You know this saw feels much like a child to me at this point. I’d like to say I’m hardly gonna know what to do without it but you know I have a very very long list. I am gonna miss it though!

At this point I have a serious routine going I rather enjoy. Monday-Friday I’m up at 5am and to work about 5:45. I work on the saw till about 8:15 clean up and build cabinets for eight hours. At 4:30 it’s back to the saw and just about everyday I can hardly wait to work on it. I still have another month to go without assembly and or moving the machine home.

Honestly it may be pretty anticlimactic for many following along as once I’m done the saw will not be put together right away. As I have mentioned I have a front Porsche to build on my house along with a fair amount of exterior trim to run. Not only does this work need to commence ASAP but I need my shop setup to do the work. If I drag this machine home and into my shop it will take me another month to put it togehter and calibrated, then another month before I get the electrical straightened out as it’s three phase and I only have single phase at home. A 100 amp service to boot lol. Yup I’m nuts and I get in over my head everything I do. As is clear my moral is if it’s worth doing at all it’s only worth doing if your gonna be all in.

This machine has refined my love of everything Martin and everything about vintage vrs new. I get emails from overseas daily from a few sources advertising machinery. As many know I’m after a T21 sliding table or a newer version. I’m pretty over spending $45k on one and to be honest for what I do I don’t want electronic anything. Recently I saw a Martin jointer from the 60-70’s and I couldn’t help but lust for it. I know I have a t54 but I got to thinking man I bet that would be a pretty easy Reston and I could sell my $26800 jointer. I can fully see myself with a full shop of perfectly restored vintage Martin machines. The only isssue is I have the t54 although I don’t much want to move it into my little shop. I also want the matching planer and suspect the new planer is far superior in finished cut quality to a vintage machine from the 70’s. One machine at a time. I’m still fairly young and eager so only time will tell. But yeah the vintage thing is so rewarding from a number of aspects.

Oh and my win some loose some succces failures from above. I left out the failure lol. I don’t have pictures but I’ll get them tomorrow. I went to put a piece together. The piece had six threaded Allen set screws that go in the face and out the back. I stuffed these holes with masking tape. Should be easy peasy right. Well not so much. I went to put these threaded screws back in and as careful as I am I was not careful enough. The masking was not perfect and the rim of the screw holes and first part of the threads had gotten some point in them. When I went to tired a few of the screws as careful as I was it chipped the paint back from the hole enough I have to re paint the whole piece. I spot primed it, and then patched it. I’ll sand it back tomorrow to 1500 grit and spray it along with the other side of the trunion.

I was pretty pissed to say the least and mostly because I was going to use corks but in my haste opted for tape. Partially because I wanted to get it done and partially because I was feeling the hurt regarding $$. Just goes to show haste makes waste and cutting corners always catches up with you at some point.

My thought is take a few pieces home with me a day then moving it all home won’t be such a bear. I figure less chance this way of damaging something rather than trying to pack it all in my truck at once. I also figure the less time it spends at the shop the safer it all is as I’m sure and can tell peoples curious hands are all over it. I have it tucked away in a back room but I can often tell when someone has been snooping.

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I’ve been following along since the start of your journey with this saw and thought I should chime in.
I really enjoy seeing vintage equipment refurbushed and you are doing an amazing job. The detail you put into the painting and shiny bits is over the top.
Your getting to the part where I usually find myself not wanting to stop working on it. After I found all the pieces I need and get everything painted. Then get to move on to reassembly, thats my favourite part.

Looking great Patrick.

[Patrick Walsh]

Tom,

That Satajet gun is really really just unreal. As much as it does the work for you I really am not worthy of such a nice gun. Only today I figured out the sweet spot atomizing with imron and it. I felt like a dope when I got it dialed in and it was like magic. I couldn’t help but think how did I not figure that out weeks ago with all the fiddling and test shots I had done.

I had also been shooting my primer with I think a 1.4 devilbliss gun. It was fine for the etch and the eurithane but with this epoxy it was a nightmare. I borrowed a 1.8 for the primer this week and what a difference. Still though it’s obvious how nice that satajet is.

Hi my name is Patrick and I’m addicted to everything tools.

"right on the edge of it may or may not sag"

That's the difference between using a good gun, and a cheap one too. The better the gun atomizes the paint, the wider that sweet spot.

[Brian Holcombe]

The Martin may take a while longer to reassemble and dial in due to the heft of the parts, but I broke the Ulmia table saw down to nuts and bolts from a nearly fully assembled machine, moved it into the basement and had it completely assembled and dialed in by the next morning. These things actually go together pretty quickly, IMO. The Maka is not much different, with the parts complete and bearings in place it doesn't take long at all to do the wrenching.

Taking it apart is forever because you want to inspect everything as it comes apart.

[Darcy Warner]

Do not search for anything Bauerle, Schwabedissen, Kolle, otherwise you may change your mind about a vintage Martin shaper. The SMF-2 shapers with the tenoning table set up is the most beautiful, well designed shaper I have ever seen. Bauerle sold/made more machines than Martin did in the 60s and 70s. Largest woodworking manufacturer in Germany at the time.

[Patrick Walsh]

Wow Brian that’s pretty good.

And a good point on going back together vrs taking apart. It’s pretty amazing how youmjust remember how to put everything back together. You are right it has to do so much with taking ones time with disassembly.

The other thing I appreciate about this is I already know this machine inside and out. In contrast to say any machine in the shop I work were if something goes wrong I barely know where to start and am inclined often to not start as there not my machines to screw up. Most of that has to do with everything having didgital everything. I mean you open up the electrical control panel on any of those machines and it just makes your head hurt. I suppose is]f I was a electrical engineer it would be different.

The other thing that will slow me down is taking the utmost care to not scratch, chip, ding or screw up anything. The pieces are all crazy heavy. I’ll 100% be using. Engine lift to put the trunion and motor in. The cast iron top will probably be the last piece to come home and my guess is take 4-5 guys to carefully lift into place.

The Martin may take a while longer to reassemble and dial in due to the heft of the parts, but I broke the Ulmia table saw down to nuts and bolts from a nearly fully assembled machine, moved it into the basement and had it completely assembled and dialed in by the next morning. These things actually go together pretty quickly, IMO. The Maka is not much different, with the parts complete and bearings in place it doesn't take long at all to do the wrenching.

Taking it apart is forever because you want to inspect everything as it comes apart.

[Patrick Walsh]

I’m well aware at this point of the mentioned brands. I suppose you are right if I was gonna travel across the pond to source some equipment I might as well consider them.

But you know I just figure from this side of the pond finding any of the above nevermind a SMF-2 is just kinda crazy. As it is I have seen one t23 sliding table for sale thus far in the last three years. One t25 sliding table that was way overpriced imop. The seller wanted more for the thing than he payed for it in mint condition and it was no longer mint. I really shoulda moved on that t23 I KCI myself bad about that.

But you find be a SMF-2 and I’ll buy it. Just not this month cuz I’m broke. Gotta finish this saw get back to working 40 hours plus a month overtime. My 40 hr a week take home is pathetic..

Do not search for anything Bauerle, Schwabedissen, Kolle, otherwise you may change your mind about a vintage Martin shaper. The SMF-2 shapers with the tenoning table set up is the most beautiful, well designed shaper I have ever seen. Bauerle sold/made more machines than Martin did in the 60s and 70s. Largest woodworking manufacturer in Germany at the time.

[Darcy Warner]

I have two of the SMF-2's. Both just the regular old tilting spindle variety though. I have had a couple of their planers, love to find a BS, have had a couple schwabedissen and kolle planers. Bauerle was built better than their Martin counterparts during that time.

[Patrick Walsh]

Bs?

I noticed that Bauerle planer on your Facebook page. It’s looked the part and I have a feeling is probably a very very nice machine.

What are you doing with the two SMF-2’S/

I have two of the SMF-2's. Both just the regular old tilting spindle variety though. I have had a couple of their planers, love to find a BS, have had a couple schwabedissen and kolle planers. Bauerle was built better than their Martin counterparts during that time.

[Darcy Warner]

Bandsaw, the older ones were beautiful and well made.

Redoing the shapers for myself, slowly. Have about 15 personal machines I want to set up and get running now that I have the space. I am going to make a section to set up all my Bentels and all my real old stuff, 1870s to early 1900s. I basically have an entire wood shop I have collected from that era.