Bike builders that have machine tools/shops

[MEASURE TWICE]

Rick seeing your lathe reminded me of how much I miss the access to the machine shop where I retired from, it’s been over six years since I’ve used one but I probably could figure it out.

I think only time I actually got time using a lathe was in high school auto shop. To recycle the copper on windings of starters and alternators, they were chucked on a lathe. A little scary shoving a chisel (though clamped and adjustable) to scrape away just the copper wire. Cardboard boxes full of the stuff got to recycle.

 

[indian22]

Greg I think back on my Jr. High and High school years & classes of mechanical drawing, industrial art, agriculture, wood working etc. practical classes are either not offered or seldom offered in the vast majority of school systems; even in rural America. Auto shop you mentioned Greg. Basic business and book keeping are gone. Home economics for girls gone and replaced by........

The fifties and sixties were very good if you throw out the two police actions in the far East, but of course that can't be disregarded or tarnished. We should owe that to all our vets!!

Despite Covid and politics etc. now has some good stuff going on as well, but getting an actual education that benefit's both the young person and our society is getting harder for parents to provide even when they actually care....back to bikes if I can manage to find my way off this soap box!

Rick C.

 

[curtisfox]

I think back on my Jr. High and High school years & classes of mechanical drawing, industrial art, agriculture, wood working etc.
I had all them and glad I did, made my boys go also, they even took up cooking classes, my oldest made a tent in one class. Now look at the forum and you can tell the younger people just don't have a clue, but good is they are trying to learn. .................Curt

 

[Oldbiscuit]

I remember back to my jr and sr high school days, I took wood shop and small engine class as well as mech drafting. St high I took auto mechanics, advanced welding and advanced drafting. I’ve used all those skills yet to this day and feel sorry fo today’s students who graduate without basic blue collar life skills.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

I acquired a Pilliod machinist tool box when I was searching for Gerstner chests to flesh out my home machine shop while keeping my Tool Maker Journeyman set intact. The Pilliod was encrusted with years of the crap we breathed. I kinda
figgered with out knowing that the original finish was lacquer as there was no surface checking. First swipe with alcohol brightened and further application cleaned to almost new.

 

[fasteddy]

Tom,
Half alcohol and half lacquer thinner used with 4-000 steel wool. Alcohol softens the finish and the lacquer thinner cleans it off. Keep going until it's clean. It will need a new finish applied.

Steve.

 

[Greg58]

Our school system is a exception, the classes offered are much better now than they were when I was in school. We moved all classes to one campus called the Central education center, full auto mechanics shop, machine shop, welding and much more. It's a combined campus with a local technical college, there's even a aviation class with simulators, full radio studios and complete beauty shops. The machine shop has everything, I would have went to school more if all this was available!

 

[indian22]

That's a bit of great light for my day Greg. Some hope for developing skills for some youth still in our nation. We have vocational schools in our area and some high school students are taking advantage of course work off campus and can select from 4 vo-tech locations within 30 miles with the closest being 10 miles away. These are all tax payer supported & I find this a good use of resources.

Tom I'd definitely pick up a wood chest at the right price, but for now I'm going for quick organization/ protection of tools. I had six orders arrive yesterday & they need a place of their own.

I'll be ordering a decent lathe cover today. We are a dusty clime so tools catch a lot of grit left uncovered.

I've only discovered one item that is FUBAR that being a compound gib that had been mangled greatly on two sides obviously a repurposed gib that had seen massive misuse over a long period of time. That too is an order item. I've inspected, cleaned and oiled all the pieces and reassembled. with the gib being the only part needing replacement. Big sigh....however deburring is not a step of quality control that was followed so bearing surfaces would have been quickly marred. The steady rest was a true "scraper" & will require some fine file work before actual mounting.

Fortunately the metal gears are fine as are the chuck & spindle. I will be making some modifications once I get the basics covered. The absence of locks on all but the tail stock is a huge oversight in the design, but can be simply rectified with a bit of machining. I find some comfort in knowing that all these inexpensive lathes have similar omissions of features and quality control and some are hundreds of dollars higher in price.

I went into this with eyes wide open, experienced and well researched so I still find this lathe a good buy, but only because I know how to make it functional first and then put it to use turning parts to repair and upgrade itself.

I'm finding the 4" three jaw chuck to be good though limiting. I may just jump in and buy a 4 jaw self centering chuck to get by with until my 5" independently adjustable chuck comes in stock (June).I'm not a big fan of three jaw chucks! I can repurpose this 3" one on an MT-2 arbor for tail stock mounting or on an indexer. An assortment of chucks and arbors are always useful for machine work. Even on Mini's.

Rick C.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

This is the tool chest Steve.
Paid $56 USD + $18 USD shipping ouch in 05 with no key. That is where the fun began.
After cleaning with alcohol only. See photo.
I removed the lock, clever mechanism. Two 14ga. hooks on activating rose and swung left and right into the lid recesses. Cute. I made a polycarbonate housing for the lock to watch the action, as I sawed and filed a key until the key cycled the locking mechanism freely. put the lock back in the case, closed the lid, turned the key in the lock.
Lid, sheeza no move. I have copied keys, but never made one to cycle a lock. When I die, some lucky dope has a key.
Tom

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Rick, if you ain't seen these yet....
CASTLECREEK 4-Drawer Collector's Chest - 667205, Coins, Collectibles & Displays at Sportsman's Guide
CASTLECREEK Rolling Storage Cabinet - 667207, Coins, Collectibles & Displays at Sportsman's Guide
Stackable.
Better ones would be made from plywood veneer. I thought about a rolling base for my working GerstnerW62 with lower. Having it made of 8ply 3/4" walnut veneer. Just looked at Gerstner web site, bout croaked.
No wonder the bidding was a fierce years ago. I knew it was China driving the prices but Holy Cheet!
No wonder the average Joe is going Kennedy or the like. Wood cases existed to protect measuring and layout tools in the days before air-conditioning. The case created a stable atmosphere to guard against rust. When I started my Apprenticeship in 1969, Starrett, Brown & Sharpe, and Lufkin had started to satin chrome the most handled tools.
Tom

 

[fasteddy]

Perfect, Tom. You had to clean off the years of shop overburden and did that perfectly.. The few I did weren't that fortunate. They had to be rebuilt and I had to make the door for two of them.

I miss the old lock smiths and hardware stores where you could carry the chest in and they would dig through boxes until they found one. Good locksmith would look and know what type it was. Not today.

Steve

 

[Greg58]

Talking about talented locksmiths brings this to mind, I was amazed to watch a local locksmith stand in the back of a Chevy S10 and look at the key hanging from the key ring and make a plastic key on a device that looked like the old dymo label maker. If anyone remembers GM cars in years past had separate keys for door and switch, it took him two tries but he got it. A man with that kinda talent would be rare today.

 

[Oldbiscuit]

I’m an institutional locksmith for the college where I work. There are lots of tricks to the trade, but after doing it for 25+ yrs, you get to where you can look at a key and pretty much guess the bitting. Every lock maker has their own spacing and bitting, but with the new computerized key cutters, it makes it pretty easy. On the older autos, you could use a Curtis Clipper to cut the key, you just had to install the correct head in the clipper. I collect and restore old antique padlocks, many of which were purchased locked with no key. I either pick them open and impression a key or impression the key as I work to open them. Lots of fun.

 

[Oldbiscuit]

That being said, I don’t do automobile locks, because all the newer cars have coded keys and if you cut one wrong, it’s money out of the profit. I mostly work with commercial grade locks and hardware and build the master keying system for all our buildings on 3 different campuses. I mess around some with residential locks for people, but only so far as to rekey their existing locks. I won’t sell and install residential locks as it gets to be a headache when they can go to their local big box store and buy cheap junk. End of rant

 

[indian22]

Ol' bisquit making a living for many decades, even when it's been an overall joy, deserves a "rant" occasionally as it seems to clear and reset ones systems. One thing I enjoy about being old is not having to chase the dollars and enjoying the tasks at hand.

Rick C.

 

[indian22]

Tom 8'x 23"x 33" ""strong back'" bench that you mentioned in Ralph Hop's thread got my attention for strength & frame simplicity. I've a concept in mind for a bench which would incorporate three "tool post" stands on the front of the bench to which I can securely attach an assortment of tools on locking swivel plates and arms such as vise, anvil, chop saw etc. I've a lot of heavy wall steel tube 2.5" diameter x. 1/2" wall thickness which are cutoffs from a job I did years ago and I've no idea how much this material would cost at todays pricing. This might be a project that I feel justified in using some of this heavy tube on.

Limited space is my problem and everything has to snug up to a wall. I might get away with going 40" in width. The heavy , locking swivel posts would allow working on lengthy material such as full length tubing cuts 20 ft. sticks using material support jack stands. Bench can be cleared of mounted tools for large flat work. I'm starting to see small square footage as a non issue with bike building and with some bike parking too.

I'll only require 4"x4" and a couple of sheets of heavy plywood to build the bench.

Rick C.

 

[MEASURE TWICE]

Bicycle seat found on the beach?

 

[Greg58]

It wouldn't take five minutes riding on that to realize it needs padding!

 

[curtisfox]

Put some workings under it and hang it on the wall LOL..........Curt

 

[MEASURE TWICE]

Leather seats on the track bikes were hard with no springs. Never understood riding on those either.