OldTools Archive

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273702 Dan Beck <drumsandbacon@g...> 2021‑05‑16 Some finds that I need help identifying #photo-notice
Hello Gents,

My father-in-law was an antique dealer and a bit of a hoarder, and over the
years he amassed an entire two-story, two-car garage worth of stuff. He passed
away last June, and my mother-in-law, my wife, and I have been slowly cleaning
out "the barn". Lots of junk (most of the good stuff he sold as he found it) but
also a lot of unusual little and not-so-little treasures. As hand tools are
found, my mother-in-law sets them aside for me. I've been gifted about a dozen
pipe clamps, dividers of all sizes, a large box full of unused sandpaper, pocket
knives, bevels, a couple of mechanic vises, etc. This past weekend I found a
small wooden box and was drawn to it because of the nice dovetail work. When I
opened it I came across all sorts of interesting odds and ends, and I'm hoping
you fine gentleman might be able to tell me what these items are. Here are some
photos:

https://groups.io/g/oldtools/album?id=264159 

Thanks,
Dan
 
-- 
I'm a simple man. I like pretty dark-haired women and breakfast food.
273703 Alex Moseley <alex.moseley@g...> 2021‑05‑16 Re: Some finds that I need help identifying #photo-notice
Dan, you have a nice assortment of machinist’s tools. 

The Brown & Sharpe is a protractor head for a combination square. It looks like
it should fit a 12” combo square rule, for measuring and reproducing angles
other than 90*.

Next is a dial caliper that measures to the thousandths of an inch. 

After that we have a surface gauge. Used on top of a surface plate, you can make
a repeatable mark at a set height on your work piece. I’ve also seen chairmakers
use these at the workbench to mark where to level the feet of chairs.

A 3/4-14 NPTF pipe tap (the F indicating it is specified for fuel lines)

The ball peen hammer appears to me to be shop-made.

IMG_5736 looks to be a Lufkin micrometer head.

IMG_5735 is an outside micrometer.

IMG_5734 appears to be part of a Starrett protractor. There should be a blade
that pivots, with a pointer that indicates the angle.

IMG_5733 - I am not sure on this one.

IMG_5732 is a double ended caliper. When measuring wall thickness, you don’t
have to remove the tool from the workpiece to get the measurement.

Cheers,
Alex
273704 Paul Fuss <paulfuss1@g...> 2021‑05‑16 Re: Some finds that I need help identifying #photo-notice
Dan,

IMG_5734 appears to be the horizontal angle guide from a Starrett
surveyor's transit (e.g. no. 99 or 101).

Paul
273706 Kirk Eppler 2021‑05‑16 Re: Some finds that I need help identifying #photo-notice
On Sat, May 15, 2021 at 9:57 PM Dan Beck  wrote:

> . When I opened it I came across all sorts of interesting odds and ends,
> and I'm hoping you fine gentleman might be able to tell me what these items
> are. Here are some photos:
>
> https://groups.io/g/oldtools/album?id=264159



I agree with Alex except on picture 5732.  That may be a watchmakers tool.
If there are little indentation on each tip, then pretty sure it’s a
watchmakers.  I can’t find a vintage catalog right now.  Mine has indents
where this has nubs.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-E-F-B-Co-Truing-Caliper-Watchmaker-Tool-Bench-
Repair-/113998572134?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286



Kirk in Half Moon Bay, very little productive yesterd

> --
Sent from my iPad, apologies for the Auto Correct errors. Kirk
273715 Charlie Driggs 2021‑05‑16 Re: Some finds that I need help identifying #photo-notice
I’d be curious to see the end-to-end dimension of the tool in #5732 .. This
generically seems to be a go / no-go tester for thickness of sheet metal or
anything else being made with a critical thickness dimension in either flat or
curved material being measured.  One end would be held on a reference thickness
(gauge) and the other side of the tool would be slid onto the edge of the item
being tested — if it clears the edge and slides across, then the thickness is
less than or possibly equal to the comparative gauge thickness.  Whether that is
good or bad depends on what is desired.  No doubt at all that this style tool
could also be used in the watchmaking trade as well, as parts that are made
either too thick or not thick enough could cause an issue with watch mechanism
clearances or accuracy (by varying the momentum of the spinning part/mechanism);
measuring of curved parts would be aided by having the round button tips Kirk
mentions.

#5736 initially looked to me as the micrometer core of an inside micrometer, but
whether that is true or not would depend on how the reference shoe/foot was
attached and referenced to the surface to accurately measure depth.

Charlie Driggs
273717 Erik Levin 2021‑05‑16 Re: Some finds that I need help identifying #photo-notice
Nice set. Very nice, and useful, find.

The surface gauge looks to have an interesting surface treatment. Jeweled?

The pipe tap is a 'skip tooth' type, as well as for fuel fittings. Skip tooth
has every-other thread segment removed to the root diameter. This is intended to
reduce friction during tapping, among other things. The fuel fitting designation
means that the root is intended to deform the crest of the mating thread and
form a true mechanical seal, as opposed to standard pipe threads, which will
mate with these just fine, where the flanks contact and thread sealant insures
no leakage through the helical path at the crest and root.

Charlie wrote:

>#5736 initially looked to me as the micrometer core of an inside micrometer,
but
>whether that is true or not would depend on how the reference shoe/foot was
>attached and referenced to the surface to accurately measure depth.

It's just a general purpose mic head, intended to be used wherever fine
measurements or adjustment are needed. My optical comparators have the same
style (larger and direct read rather than vernier, but the same style) for table
travel. I have several other tools and fixtures that take these heads. This is a
very nice one. It reads to the ten-thousandth of an inch.

1735: the J T slocomb mics are interesting. This looks to be a 1" to 2" range.
Be careful if you try to unthread the spindle. The are are two parts to the
thread, one in the frame by friction, and one that is face-splined to it, with a
bronze spring in between. They make up for wear automatically, but if the
spindle is unthreaded, all of the way out, the spring may be lost and the
floating part can be lost up inside the thimble. It is an easy fix.

3734: I believe Paul is correct and it is from a transit.

3733: Other views may help.


The B&S protractor head is a nice style, as it is two sided. The single sided
are more common, being less expensive and not restricting rotation of the rule.
This has the advantage that you can mirror an angle easily. I use both types, as
they do serve different purposes.



*** This message was sent from a convenience email service, and the reply
address(es) may not match the originating address
273719 Troy Livingston <horologist@w...> 2021‑05‑16 Re: Some finds that I need help identifying #photo-notice
I agree it is a caliper type poising tool. These are pretty common and I
probably have at least a dozen different types.

For a watch to run accurately the balance wheel need to be in poise, all
points of the rim must be of equal mass or weight.  The balance wheel
pivots go into small depressions in the faces of the caliper tips and
the wheel can then be spun to see if there are heavy spots and to make
sure the rim of the wheel spins true.

Troy
273724 Dan Beck <drumsandbacon@g...> 2021‑05‑17 Re: Some finds that I need help identifying #photo-notice
Thanks for all the responses and info. I truly appreciate it. I will take and
post a few more photos of 5733 and the few others that were mentioned.

-Dan

-- 
I'm a simple man. I like pretty dark-haired women and breakfast food.
273726 Kirk Eppler 2021‑05‑17 Re: Some finds that I need help identifying #photo-notice
On Sun, May 16, 2021 at 1:58 PM Erik Levin via groups.io  wrote:

>
> The surface gauge looks to have an interesting surface treatment. Jeweled?
>
>
Commonly called Engine Turning.  See more here

https://www.cnccookbook.com/guilloche-rose-engines-jeweling-engine-turning-
artistic-machining/
-- 
Kirk Eppler, in Half Moon Bay, CA, slowly getting up to work speed for
today.
273799 Chuck Taylor 2021‑05‑25 Re: Galoots, I urge you...
Paul,
A tale well told, sir. Only one question:  How was the bourbon? 

Chuck Taylornorth of Seattle USA
273802 Richard Wilson <yorkshireman@y...> 2021‑05‑25 Re: Galoots, I urge you...
Paul,   

One of the great posts..  up there with tractor collecting and dog control.


Richard Wilson
Yorkshireman galoot



> On 25 May 2021, at 00:14, Paul Gardner  wrote:
> 
> Gary, I think you may have written this specifically for me and it's spooky
> how prescient your advice turned out to be in my case.  I read your post
> yesterday morning before heading down to the shop in the afternoon.  I'm
> currently working on a project that is going to have staked, tapered
> octagonal legs with a decorative insert of walnut at one end that should
> look interesting when turned down to the requisite cone on the lathe.  The
> legs are 1.5" square at this point so the plan was to route a stopped .5" x
> .5" x 3.5" channel on center on all four sides and glue in the Claro walnut
> inserts. For the sake of expediency (or so I thought) I decided to
> (literally) dust off the old portable Porter Cable router table and reunite
> it with its tailed demon counterpart and an appropriately sized chewing
> utensil.  Then I clamped the whole shebang to my table saw.  Things were
> going fine right up until getting to my third to last cut when a more than
> expected amount of smoke from a knackered cutter began emanating from deep
> inside the cut.  I turned the infernal machine off and waited a beat, but
> the smoke stubbornly refused to dissipate.  I backed the work out and sure
> enough found a tightly packed clump of maple sawdust glowing happily from
> inside the groove.  Also revealed was a compressed, incandescent mass
> welded to the apex of the router's "cutting" bit.  It was more hookah than
> router at this stage of the game.  I let that smoke in place while I turned
> the leg piece over and dealt with ember trapped within, administering the
> tappy tap tap treatment to it against the table saw top.  Despite there
> being only a smattering of saw dust on the table, this missionary ember was
> surprisingly successful at converting the natives to join it in its new
> state of enlightenment.  No Boy Scout could hope to produce this kind of
> efficiency during a fire starting competition at the jamboree without being
> sarcastically reminded by officials that cheating ran counter to Scout Law.
> Grabbing the only thing I had to hand, a medium sized adjustable crescent
> wrench, I launched full berserker mode into pummeling any orange or yellow
> threat aiding in this conflagration.
> 
> Having completed that I returned my attention to the Beacon of Gondor atop
> the router table.  Wrench still in hand, I try to ginglery pry the burning
> goo from the bit but it proves difficult to shift.  That is, until it
> suddenly becomes very easy.  I then watch with horror as the blob of Greek
> Fire arcs majestically beyond the saw table, onto the floor, and out of
> view. The floor around the saw is not the dandruff like dusting of fibers
> underneath the router table.  It's the kind of pillowy mounds of finely
> grated cellulose that dedicated Sampson Boat Co. fans will instantly
> recognize every other Saturday beneath Tally Ho!  The frantic hunt that now
> commenced to find the ember by this Electronic Neanderthal to would have
> easily secured me a call back in any "Quest for Fire" audition for the part
> of "Fire Keeper" for my poignant yet panicky portrayal of the scene in
> which the custody of the flame is lost.
> 
> As luck would have it, I found the wayward ember quickly.  As luck wouldn't
> have it, the once unified mass had now split into dozens of smaller copies
> and dispersed like dandelion seed across the floor.  I'm going to need a
> bigger wrench.  A mad, grape stomping dance commenced in concert with the
> hasty moving any object that could be shifted within a five foot
> radius. This continued for 5-10 minutes before I felt confident the
> immediate danger had passed.  But now a careful and meticulous cleaning of
> the whole... what the hell?!!
> 
> The router is still smoking!  No longer from the cutter head but from a
> place lower down, beyond view. Thus, I quickly need to remove the router
> from the base bolted to the table. Prior to improvising its use as a
> cudgel, the wrench had been employed to make fast the locking bolt
> controlling the depth adjustment.  The ability to shift the bolt by hand
> was now beyond the capacity of my Low-T infused fingers.  And the wrench
> was nowhere to be found. During the stomping episode, or perhaps just
> prior, I apparently relocated the wrench to some other convenient flat
> surface... in another dimension.  A shortish sprint to the mechanics chest
> was now in order to fetch a substitute, but the pathway lay sufficiently
> encumbered by a freshly minted obstacle course thanks to the hasty
> relocation of aforementioned objects.  The router was still smoking by the
> time I got back.  I blew out whatever detritus remained under the router
> table (proving I'm capable of learning from past mistakes), loosened the
> bolt and gently twisted the router down until it was free.  Diligently
> smoking away on the metal housing by the collet was a burning pellet of
> compressed maple that would have made any employee at Traeger beam with
> pride to claim it one of their products.  The pellet was quickly dispatched
> with the fiendish relish one doles out to a tick removed from much beloved
> dog.
> 
> The clean-up took about 30 minutes with a dustpan and brush as at this
> point I was loath to introduce forced air (from either compressor hose or a
> vacuum) into the mix.  I cleaned the cutter with carburetor cleaner and
> elbow grease and honed the edge on the diamond stone.  I reinserted the bit
> and quickly reinstalled the router to the base.  With any luck I could
> finish the last two passes and put this whole shambolic episode behind me.
> Oh, I think to myself, before I start I should put that 2nd coat of paint
> on the wooden staircase that I recently repaired from the ravages of dry
> rot. That way, it will be dry by the time I finish with this leg business
> and can call it a day and walk up that staircase. Twenty minutes later I
> was back at the router table, checking the fence alignment and adjusting
> the featherboard.  I turn the power switch on at the table and a cacophony
> unleashes. Within seconds the vibrations overpower whatever fastness I
> thought I administered to the locking bolt and 26,000 RPM of American made
> fury drops onto the cast iron table saw.  I jump back as the router has
> evidently tipped over, the bit engaging with the table and sending the unit
> ricocheting around the small confines of the portable table with the
> fierceness of a bobcat trapped in a pillow case.  Moments later the router
> is vomited out and comes to sufficient rest where I deem it safe enough to
> approach to kill the power.  I find the cutter bent 15 degrees from the
> shaft and a burr lined divot newly engraved in the cast iron table.  That's
> it, I'm done.  Twenty minutes later the whole mess is put away and I've
> scraped the cast iron to remove the burrs.  One shouldn't imbibe too
> quickly on the heels of such a debacle.  I let a good quarter of an hour
> pass before any bourbon is poured.
> 
> Paul, in SF
> 
> 
> 
> On Sun, May 23, 2021 at 2:38 PM gary allan may via groups.io  yahoo.com@g...> wrote:
> 
>> ...especially if you have never done it:  Set fire to a decent pile of
>> planings in some safe place, like a BBQ, or a fireplace, and be prepared to
>> wonder at the sudden and tremendous release of energy. This is why we sweep
>> up, and why we are so careful about sparks in our shops. I'm about to do it
>> myself, a little ritual I do every spring/summer.  I do it every year
>> because it's SO amazing, and humbling.
>>  I'm not saying my shop will never catch fire---that would be SO
>> wrong---but if it ever does, it won't be on account of ankle deep shavings
>> covering the floor from last week.
>>                         all the best to all galoots, everywhere; gam in
>> OlyWA/USA
>> 
>> 
>> How horrible it is to have so many people killed!---And what a blessing
>> one cares for none of them!
>> Jane Austen
>> 
>>    On Sunday, May 16, 2021, 08:49:35 AM PDT, Kirk Eppler via groups.io
>>  wrote:
>> 
>> On Sat, May 15, 2021 at 9:57 PM Dan Beck  wrote:
>> 
>>> . When I opened it I came across all sorts of interesting odds and ends,
>>> and I'm hoping you fine gentleman might be able to tell me what these
>> items
>>> are. Here are some photos:
>>> 
>>> https://groups.io/g/oldtools/album?id=264159
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> I agree with Alex except on picture 5732.  That may be a watchmakers tool.
>> If there are little indentation on each tip, then pretty sure it’s a
>> watchmakers.  I can’t find a vintage catalog right now.  Mine has indents
>> where this has nubs.
>> 
>> 
>> https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-E-F-B-Co-Truing-Caliper-Watchmaker-Tool-
Bench-Repair-/113998572134?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Kirk in Half Moon Bay, very little productive yesterd
>> 
>>> --
>> Sent from my iPad, apologies for the Auto Correct errors. Kirk
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 



-- 
Yorkshireman Galoot
in the most northerly county, farther north even than Yorkshire
IT #300
273806 gary allan may 2021‑05‑25 Re: Galoots, I urge you...
Paul you wrote:

  "I apparently relocated the wrench to some other convenient flat
> surface... in another dimension."

ROTFLMAO!

A tale told by a survivor, full of caution and care, signifying how easily all
our efforts can lead to disaster, and yet another reason to fear the tailed
demon, live with him though we must....thanks for sharing!

                       best to all; gam



How horrible it is to have so many people killed!---And what a blessing one
cares for none of them!
Jane Austen 

    On Tuesday, May 25, 2021, 04:45:45 AM PDT, Richard Wilson
 wrote:
 
 Paul,  

One of the great posts..  up there with tractor collecting and dog control.


Richard Wilson
Yorkshireman galoot



> On 25 May 2021, at 00:14, Paul Gardner  wrote:
> 
> Gary, I think you may have written this specifically for me and it's spooky
> how prescient your advice turned out to be in my case.  I read your post
> yesterday morning before heading down to the shop in the afternoon.  I'm
> currently working on a project that is going to have staked, tapered
> octagonal legs with a decorative insert of walnut at one end that should
> look interesting when turned down to the requisite cone on the lathe.  The
> legs are 1.5" square at this point so the plan was to route a stopped .5" x
> .5" x 3.5" channel on center on all four sides and glue in the Claro walnut
> inserts. For the sake of expediency (or so I thought) I decided to
> (literally) dust off the old portable Porter Cable router table and reunite
> it with its tailed demon counterpart and an appropriately sized chewing
> utensil.  Then I clamped the whole shebang to my table saw.  Things were
> going fine right up until getting to my third to last cut when a more than
> expected amount of smoke from a knackered cutter began emanating from deep
> inside the cut.  I turned the infernal machine off and waited a beat, but
> the smoke stubbornly refused to dissipate.  I backed the work out and sure
> enough found a tightly packed clump of maple sawdust glowing happily from
> inside the groove.  Also revealed was a compressed, incandescent mass
> welded to the apex of the router's "cutting" bit.  It was more hookah than
> router at this stage of the game.  I let that smoke in place while I turned
> the leg piece over and dealt with ember trapped within, administering the
> tappy tap tap treatment to it against the table saw top.  Despite there
> being only a smattering of saw dust on the table, this missionary ember was
> surprisingly successful at converting the natives to join it in its new
> state of enlightenment.  No Boy Scout could hope to produce this kind of
> efficiency during a fire starting competition at the jamboree without being
> sarcastically reminded by officials that cheating ran counter to Scout Law.
> Grabbing the only thing I had to hand, a medium sized adjustable crescent
> wrench, I launched full berserker mode into pummeling any orange or yellow
> threat aiding in this conflagration.
> 
> Having completed that I returned my attention to the Beacon of Gondor atop
> the router table.  Wrench still in hand, I try to ginglery pry the burning
> goo from the bit but it proves difficult to shift.  That is, until it
> suddenly becomes very easy.  I then watch with horror as the blob of Greek
> Fire arcs majestically beyond the saw table, onto the floor, and out of
> view. The floor around the saw is not the dandruff like dusting of fibers
> underneath the router table.  It's the kind of pillowy mounds of finely
> grated cellulose that dedicated Sampson Boat Co. fans will instantly
> recognize every other Saturday beneath Tally Ho!  The frantic hunt that now
> commenced to find the ember by this Electronic Neanderthal to would have
> easily secured me a call back in any "Quest for Fire" audition for the part
> of "Fire Keeper" for my poignant yet panicky portrayal of the scene in
> which the custody of the flame is lost.
> 
> As luck would have it, I found the wayward ember quickly.  As luck wouldn't
> have it, the once unified mass had now split into dozens of smaller copies
> and dispersed like dandelion seed across the floor.  I'm going to need a
> bigger wrench.  A mad, grape stomping dance commenced in concert with the
> hasty moving any object that could be shifted within a five foot
> radius. This continued for 5-10 minutes before I felt confident the
> immediate danger had passed.  But now a careful and meticulous cleaning of
> the whole... what the hell?!!
> 
> The router is still smoking!  No longer from the cutter head but from a
> place lower down, beyond view. Thus, I quickly need to remove the router
> from the base bolted to the table. Prior to improvising its use as a
> cudgel, the wrench had been employed to make fast the locking bolt
> controlling the depth adjustment.  The ability to shift the bolt by hand
> was now beyond the capacity of my Low-T infused fingers.  And the wrench
> was nowhere to be found. During the stomping episode, or perhaps just
> prior, I apparently relocated the wrench to some other convenient flat
> surface... in another dimension.  A shortish sprint to the mechanics chest
> was now in order to fetch a substitute, but the pathway lay sufficiently
> encumbered by a freshly minted obstacle course thanks to the hasty
> relocation of aforementioned objects.  The router was still smoking by the
> time I got back.  I blew out whatever detritus remained under the router
> table (proving I'm capable of learning from past mistakes), loosened the
> bolt and gently twisted the router down until it was free.  Diligently
> smoking away on the metal housing by the collet was a burning pellet of
> compressed maple that would have made any employee at Traeger beam with
> pride to claim it one of their products.  The pellet was quickly dispatched
> with the fiendish relish one doles out to a tick removed from much beloved
> dog.
> 
> The clean-up took about 30 minutes with a dustpan and brush as at this
> point I was loath to introduce forced air (from either compressor hose or a
> vacuum) into the mix.  I cleaned the cutter with carburetor cleaner and
> elbow grease and honed the edge on the diamond stone.  I reinserted the bit
> and quickly reinstalled the router to the base.  With any luck I could
> finish the last two passes and put this whole shambolic episode behind me.
> Oh, I think to myself, before I start I should put that 2nd coat of paint
> on the wooden staircase that I recently repaired from the ravages of dry
> rot. That way, it will be dry by the time I finish with this leg business
> and can call it a day and walk up that staircase. Twenty minutes later I
> was back at the router table, checking the fence alignment and adjusting
> the featherboard.  I turn the power switch on at the table and a cacophony
> unleashes. Within seconds the vibrations overpower whatever fastness I
> thought I administered to the locking bolt and 26,000 RPM of American made
> fury drops onto the cast iron table saw.  I jump back as the router has
> evidently tipped over, the bit engaging with the table and sending the unit
> ricocheting around the small confines of the portable table with the
> fierceness of a bobcat trapped in a pillow case.  Moments later the router
> is vomited out and comes to sufficient rest where I deem it safe enough to
> approach to kill the power.  I find the cutter bent 15 degrees from the
> shaft and a burr lined divot newly engraved in the cast iron table.  That's
> it, I'm done.  Twenty minutes later the whole mess is put away and I've
> scraped the cast iron to remove the burrs.  One shouldn't imbibe too
> quickly on the heels of such a debacle.  I let a good quarter of an hour
> pass before any bourbon is poured.
> 
> Paul, in SF
> 
> 
> 
> On Sun, May 23, 2021 at 2:38 PM gary allan may via groups.io  yahoo.com@g...> wrote:
> 
>> ...especially if you have never done it:  Set fire to a decent pile of
>> planings in some safe place, like a BBQ, or a fireplace, and be prepared to
>> wonder at the sudden and tremendous release of energy. This is why we sweep
>> up, and why we are so careful about sparks in our shops. I'm about to do it
>> myself, a little ritual I do every spring/summer.  I do it every year
>> because it's SO amazing, and humbling.
>>  I'm not saying my shop will never catch fire---that would be SO
>> wrong---but if it ever does, it won't be on account of ankle deep shavings
>> covering the floor from last week.
>>                        all the best to all galoots, everywhere; gam in
>> OlyWA/USA
>> 
>> 
>> How horrible it is to have so many people killed!---And what a blessing
>> one cares for none of them!
>> Jane Austen
>> 
>>    On Sunday, May 16, 2021, 08:49:35 AM PDT, Kirk Eppler via groups.io
>>  wrote:
>> 
>> On Sat, May 15, 2021 at 9:57 PM Dan Beck  wrote:
>> 
>>> . When I opened it I came across all sorts of interesting odds and ends,
>>> and I'm hoping you fine gentleman might be able to tell me what these
>> items
>>> are. Here are some photos:
>>> 
>>> https://groups.io/g/oldtools/album?id=264159
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> I agree with Alex except on picture 5732.  That may be a watchmakers tool.
>> If there are little indentation on each tip, then pretty sure it’s a
>> watchmakers.  I can’t find a vintage catalog right now.  Mine has indents
>> where this has nubs.
>> 
>> 
>> https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-E-F-B-Co-Truing-Caliper-Watchmaker-Tool-
Bench-Repair-/113998572134?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Kirk in Half Moon Bay, very little productive yesterd
>> 
>>> --
>> Sent from my iPad, apologies for the Auto Correct errors. Kirk
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 



-- 
Yorkshireman Galoot
in the most northerly county, farther north even than Yorkshire
IT #300
273807 gtgrouch@r... 2021‑05‑25 Re: Galoots, I urge you...
I think the moral of the story is to avoid tailed apprentices!

I thoroughly approve that message.

Gary Katsanis
Albion New York, USA

	-----------------------------------------From: "Paul Gardner" 
To: "gary may"
Cc: "Dan Beck", "eppler.kirk@g...", "oldtools@g..."
Sent: Monday May 24 2021 7:14:57PM
Subject: Re: [oldtools] Galoots, I urge you...

 Gary, I think you may have written this specifically for me and it's
spooky
 how prescient your advice turned out to be in my case. I read your
post
 yesterday morning before heading down to the shop in the afternoon.
I'm
 currently working on a project that is going to have staked, tapered
 octagonal legs with a decorative insert of walnut at one end that
should
 look interesting when turned down to the requisite cone on the lathe.
The
 legs are 1.5" square at this point so the plan was to route a stopped
.5" x
 .5" x 3.5" channel on center on all four sides and glue in the Claro
walnut
 inserts. For the sake of expediency (or so I thought) I decided to
 (literally) dust off the old portable Porter Cable router table and
reunite
 it with its tailed demon counterpart and an appropriately sized
chewing
 utensil. Then I clamped the whole shebang to my table saw. Things
were
 going fine right up until getting to my third to last cut when a more
than
 expected amount of smoke from a knackered cutter began emanating from
deep
 inside the cut. I turned the infernal machine off and waited a beat,
but
 the smoke stubbornly refused to dissipate. I backed the work out and
sure
 enough found a tightly packed clump of maple sawdust glowing happily
from
 inside the groove. Also revealed was a compressed, incandescent mass
 welded to the apex of the router's "cutting" bit. It was more hookah
than
 router at this stage of the game. I let that smoke in place while I
turned
 the leg piece over and dealt with ember trapped within, administering
the
 tappy tap tap treatment to it against the table saw top. Despite
there
 being only a smattering of saw dust on the table, this missionary
ember was
 surprisingly successful at converting the natives to join it in its
new
 state of enlightenment. No Boy Scout could hope to produce this kind
of
 efficiency during a fire starting competition at the jamboree without
being
 sarcastically reminded by officials that cheating ran counter to
Scout Law.
 Grabbing the only thing I had to hand, a medium sized adjustable
crescent
 wrench, I launched full berserker mode into pummeling any orange or
yellow
 threat aiding in this conflagration.

 Having completed that I returned my attention to the Beacon of Gondor
atop
 the router table. Wrench still in hand, I try to ginglery pry the
burning
 goo from the bit but it proves difficult to shift. That is, until it
 suddenly becomes very easy. I then watch with horror as the blob of
Greek
 Fire arcs majestically beyond the saw table, onto the floor, and out
of
 view. The floor around the saw is not the dandruff like dusting of
fibers
 underneath the router table. It's the kind of pillowy mounds of
finely
 grated cellulose that dedicated Sampson Boat Co. fans will instantly
 recognize every other Saturday beneath Tally Ho! The frantic hunt
that now
 commenced to find the ember by this Electronic Neanderthal to would
have
 easily secured me a call back in any "Quest for Fire" audition for
the part
 of "Fire Keeper" for my poignant yet panicky portrayal of the scene
in
 which the custody of the flame is lost.

 As luck would have it, I found the wayward ember quickly. As luck
wouldn't
 have it, the once unified mass had now split into dozens of smaller
copies
 and dispersed like dandelion seed across the floor. I'm going to need
a
 bigger wrench. A mad, grape stomping dance commenced in concert with
the
 hasty moving any object that could be shifted within a five foot
 radius. This continued for 5-10 minutes before I felt confident the
 immediate danger had passed. But now a careful and meticulous
cleaning of
 the whole... what the hell?!!

 The router is still smoking! No longer from the cutter head but from
a
 place lower down, beyond view. Thus, I quickly need to remove the
router
 from the base bolted to the table. Prior to improvising its use as a
 cudgel, the wrench had been employed to make fast the locking bolt
 controlling the depth adjustment. The ability to shift the bolt by
hand
 was now beyond the capacity of my Low-T infused fingers. And the
wrench
 was nowhere to be found. During the stomping episode, or perhaps just
 prior, I apparently relocated the wrench to some other convenient
flat
 surface... in another dimension. A shortish sprint to the mechanics
chest
 was now in order to fetch a substitute, but the pathway lay
sufficiently
 encumbered by a freshly minted obstacle course thanks to the hasty
 relocation of aforementioned objects. The router was still smoking by
the
 time I got back. I blew out whatever detritus remained under the
router
 table (proving I'm capable of learning from past mistakes), loosened
the
 bolt and gently twisted the router down until it was free. Diligently
 smoking away on the metal housing by the collet was a burning pellet
of
 compressed maple that would have made any employee at Traeger beam
with
 pride to claim it one of their products. The pellet was quickly
dispatched
 with the fiendish relish one doles out to a tick removed from much
beloved
 dog.

 The clean-up took about 30 minutes with a dustpan and brush as at
this
 point I was loath to introduce forced air (from either compressor
hose or a
 vacuum) into the mix. I cleaned the cutter with carburetor cleaner
and
 elbow grease and honed the edge on the diamond stone. I reinserted
the bit
 and quickly reinstalled the router to the base. With any luck I could
 finish the last two passes and put this whole shambolic episode
behind me.
 Oh, I think to myself, before I start I should put that 2nd coat of
paint
 on the wooden staircase that I recently repaired from the ravages of
dry
 rot. That way, it will be dry by the time I finish with this leg
business
 and can call it a day and walk up that staircase. Twenty minutes
later I
 was back at the router table, checking the fence alignment and
adjusting
 the featherboard. I turn the power switch on at the table and a
cacophony
 unleashes. Within seconds the vibrations overpower whatever fastness
I
 thought I administered to the locking bolt and 26,000 RPM of American
made
 fury drops onto the cast iron table saw. I jump back as the router
has
 evidently tipped over, the bit engaging with the table and sending
the unit
 ricocheting around the small confines of the portable table with the
 fierceness of a bobcat trapped in a pillow case. Moments later the
router
 is vomited out and comes to sufficient rest where I deem it safe
enough to
 approach to kill the power. I find the cutter bent 15 degrees from
the
 shaft and a burr lined divot newly engraved in the cast iron table.
That's
 it, I'm done. Twenty minutes later the whole mess is put away and
I've
 scraped the cast iron to remove the burrs. One shouldn't imbibe too
 quickly on the heels of such a debacle. I let a good quarter of an
hour
 pass before any bourbon is poured.

 Paul, in SF

 On Sun, May 23, 2021 at 2:38 PM gary allan may via groups.io  wrote:

 > ...especially if you have never done it: Set fire to a decent pile
of
 > planings in some safe place, like a BBQ, or a fireplace, and be
prepared to
 > wonder at the sudden and tremendous release of energy. This is why
we sweep
 > up, and why we are so careful about sparks in our shops. I'm about
to do it
 > myself, a little ritual I do every spring/summer. I do it every
year
 > because it's SO amazing, and humbling.
 > I'm not saying my shop will never catch fire---that would be SO
 > wrong---but if it ever does, it won't be on account of ankle deep
shavings
 > covering the floor from last week.
 > all the best to all galoots, everywhere; gam in
 > OlyWA/USA
 >
 >
 > How horrible it is to have so many people killed!---And what a
blessing
 > one cares for none of them!
 > Jane Austen
 >
 > On Sunday, May 16, 2021, 08:49:35 AM PDT, Kirk Eppler via groups.io
 >  wrote:
 >
 > On Sat, May 15, 2021 at 9:57 PM Dan Beck  wrote:
 >
 > > . When I opened it I came across all sorts of interesting odds
and ends,
 > > and I'm hoping you fine gentleman might be able to tell me what
these
 > items
 > > are. Here are some photos:
 > >
 > > https://groups.io/g/oldtools/album?id=264159
 /> >
 >
 >
 > I agree with Alex except on picture 5732. That may be a watchmakers
tool.
 > If there are little indentation on each tip, then pretty sure
it’s a
 > watchmakers. I can’t find a vintage catalog right now. Mine has
indents
 > where this has nubs.
 >
 >
 >
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-E-F-B-Co-Truing-Caliper-Watchmaker-Tool-Bench-
Repair-/113998572134?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286
 /> >
 >
 >
 > Kirk in Half Moon Bay, very little productive yesterd
 >
 > > --
 > Sent from my iPad, apologies for the Auto Correct errors. Kirk
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >

 



Links:
------
[1] https://groups.io/g/oldtools/unsub
273814 Paul Gardner <yoyopg@g...> 2021‑05‑26 Re: Galoots, I urge you...
Hey Chuck,

The bourbon was James E Pepper 1776 which is just one of a ridiculously
generous collection of quality libations gifted to me by the Flea-Bag
Galoots on the occasion of my 50th birthday last year.  That, combined with
the good fortune of dodging amputation or self-immolation to the power tool
pantheon? It was perhaps the best first sip of a drink I've ever had.

Paul, in SF

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