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    Hi guys, no, I'm not dead... LOL. Finally managed to mill a few boards/posts though!

    Haha, well, I hang out with a lot of geezers, so it must have rubbed off a bit too much... I just find them so much more interesting! So much to learn from old machinists, woodworkers, mechanics, millwrights... And most of them are more than happy to have someone that's interested to share their...
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    Hi guys, no, I'm not dead... LOL. Finally managed to mill a few boards/posts though!

    No, I finished with them in May of last year. Got sick of working 120 hrs every two weeks on maintenance, and that was what they needed for the job, so they let me go on a technicality more or less. Sucked at the time, but it was actually the best thing that could have happened. Got me...
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    Hi guys, no, I'm not dead... LOL. Finally managed to mill a few boards/posts though!

    Most of the time I mill right down to individual boards. I rarely if ever work with green wood, so I don't really have to worry so much about the shrinkage factor involved with drying. I have my chain sharpening figured out well enough that I can *usually* mill about 1/16"-3/32" oversize, and...
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    Hi guys, no, I'm not dead... LOL. Finally managed to mill a few boards/posts though!

    Well I know it's been a while since I contributed anything at all here... and to be honest I haven't even checked in even to read what you all have been up to in probably 4 months or more. Been way too busy; spent April and May in school doing my 1st year of Automotive Service Technician...
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    Tool Forum

    ATF works great for really cold temps. I have a bunch of very high-grade synthetic compressor oil that I got while I worked at the mill that I run in the compressor that's in my unheated shop. So far it's been good down to -20 and up to +30 Celsius. I don't run that one very hard though. I don't...
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    Tool Forum

    Heh, how ironic, i was bored so I decided to check things out here, and lo and behold i had been summoned! Whatcha need, Ted??? I do have a few things i could post but i'm on my phone right now and don't have the pics handy. I built myself a nice heavy welding table back in September, found a...
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    Tool Forum

    I think that for 90% of what you will want to do, that 40A service will probably work for you. The 50A input rating is based on the max capacity of the machine; the "normal" range of what the vast majority of welding is done at is between 75-130A for 3/32" and 1/8" diameter rods. Unless you're...
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    Tool Forum

    Well those welders are upwards of $300 or so new alone, so if it works (and especially if it came with any goodies) you done alright. Yeah, they're AC-only, but you can still use 6011, 6013, and 7018 rods with that just fine, and those will cover 98% of the welding the average joe-blow will want...
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    Milling first log

    Hey Bob, ya I pop in and read a few things here from time to time, but I honestly haven't done any CSMing to speak of since 2010 so I haven't had much to contribute. :( I've done a bit more milling of short cedar pieces for my old woodworker friend a couple times, but that's it... Honestly...
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    Milling first log

    Saw bars are made from air-hardening steel. It is possible to drill them with regular HSS drill bits if you're patient and keep the steel nice and cool, but that's really hard to do with larger holes. It's handy to have an old junk bar lying around that you can use as a backer to lay the bar to...
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    Double cut on a larger diameter log

    Your best bet would probably be to use a Mini-Mill type affair and make the cuts vertically. An unsupported bar tip running horizontally will succumb to gravity, even if only slightly, but it will throw things off. I'd do a vertical cut, then roll the log 180°, line up the mill again (which...
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    4 stroke chainsaw mill problem

    Good that you got that one figured out; been there a couple times out in the bush scratching my head wondering why the heck I can't even power thru a measly 10" dia. log. Luckily I usually take a backup saw... Got any pics of your homebuilt mill? I haven't been around the forums much in the...
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    Chainsaw bogging down

    LOL, Exhaust screen is the first mod I make to every saw I run. As in, get rid of the thing. Good call though. Also, if the saw's been running a lot of heavy gas (as many are when used for milling, 40:1 or lower) they can accumulate a lot of carbon deposits in the exhaust port quite quickly...
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    Tool Forum

    Nice. I'm going to build myself a press like that one of these days; I have a couple lengths of 12DP gear rack, just need to find a good spur shaft to use for the lever. The rest of the parts shouldn't be too hard to cobble together out of old and redundant machine parts from the mill. I also...
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    Tool Forum

    Heh, been there a couple times myself... Today I skinned my right middle finger's second knuckle because I forgot the old mechanic's rule of "mind where your fingers will go if the wrench lets go". The wrench did let go, sending my fist crashing into the corner of 1/2" plate steel. Oh goodie!
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    Tool Forum

    Heh, from what I understand there were plenty of experienced adults killed and maimed by similar machines too... though new ones are just as capable of taking a guy out; a bit more guarding over the drive components now, but if you choose to get careless around the chuck, the result is the same.
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    Tool Forum

    Antique 16" Monarch Metal Lathe Hey guys, haven't been around in a while. But I've been busy nonetheless! I got a new toy yesterday, check 'er out! - It's a very early (as in 100 years old) Monarch metal lathe, and yes, it is as big as it looks. 16" swing and over 6' between centers...
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    Tool Forum

    For a crank pulley, you're probably going to want something that has a counterweight to the piston to avoid vibration (unless the crank is so weighted). I have a small old compressor head here somewhere with a pulley like that. My big one is a 3-cylinder which is self balancing, so no need for a...
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    Tool Forum

    A couple other things - I spent Sunday afternoon getting the old Yates knife grinder up and running. You guys may remember me posting pics of it back in the summer of 2010 as I tore it down and restored and painted it. Well, it's sat in my basement for 18 months in mechanical working order but...
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    Tool Forum

    Yeah, once I have the capabilities and tooling, I will make something up. Hopefully this lathe project turns out well... If it does, I'm gonna move on to building a milling machine, or building an overarm milling head to add on to the lathe. Here's a couple pics of the lathe stuff so far: OK...
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