And considering the colors you've chosen Mike it's the perfect month for this phase of the project!:D
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And considering the colors you've chosen Mike it's the perfect month for this phase of the project!:D
Looks like fun Mike, gonna be way kewl when it's all up and running!!!!!
Mike,
Love what you are doing.
Jack.
Ditto all the above, very cool project!
“...Looks like more fun than work…”
Ok, I’ll admit that it has been enjoyable designing, collecting and refurbishing parts and getting it set up to put together. I did question my sanity about 2 toning the pulleys instead just shooting them one color a couple of times though :whacked:
The rough part has been rearranging the shop to get everything aligned and make room for the engine and jack shaft (I’m still working on that). I ended up losing 6 feet of bench and 30 feet of shelving. Losing the bench space doesn’t bother me too much but there was a LOT of stuff on those shelves that had to be sorted thru and a new home found for the things.
Once I get that done, I’m also going to re-do the corner where I have the computer workstation set up. It currently has a couple of built in shelves I’ll be ripping out to make room for the small roll-top desk that my Granddad (from my Mom’s side) used in his business.
So are you running the master jack shaft up high, or along the wall? In the old reproduction shop they had the master shaft running across the beams at the open ceiling level about eight to ten feet up, with belts dropping down to equipment, or to smaller jack shafts mounted at floor level. One or two of the long, leather belts ran with a twist, to reverse the drive for proper cutting. Cool stuff!
Hi Roger. The line shaft (the long shaft with the pulleys that drive the tools) will be about 8' off the ground and 18" out from the wall. I plan on making the hangers L shaped and attaching them both to the rafters and the wall studs.
Basically the shaft will be directly above where the grinder and post drill are located (I still have to build shelves for the compressor and generator).
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...tom/Zshop1.jpg
The whole 2 pulley jackshaft /tensioner arrangement is really there just to provide a way to engage-disengage the main shaft. The tensioner pulley will be lever activated to take up the belt slack and engage the upper shaft. 100 years ago they made some really neat clutch pulleys for use on the engines and line shafts. The problem is when you do find them they currently go in the $750-1500 price range (which is far more than I have tied up in the entire line shaft).
I’ll be using 4” wide belts from the engine to the jack shaft and from the jack shaft to the overhead line shaft. If I ran the belt directly from the line shaft to the engine (say at a 45 degree angle) even with a lot of slack in the belt it’s weight would be enough that it would either still try to turn the line shaft, or worse would allow the belt to sit on top of the turning engine pulley and burn up. Positioning the driven pulley directly above the drive pulley allows the belt to fall free when there is slack and eliminates both problems.
This arrangement allows me to hand crank the engine to start it while only turning the small jackshaft instead of the entire line shaft. I’ll also be able to run the engine for extended periods of time without engaging the line shaft if I wish.
I think I’ve got most of the rearranging done and stuff is where it’s going to sit.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q.../Zshopren1.jpg
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q.../Zshopren2.jpg
The part I think I’m happiest with is the corner where I spend most of my time when I’m not actually working. I pulled out the built in shelves where I had my laptop so I could use the roll top desk that had been my Grandfathers (from my mom’s side of the family). He had used it in his business in the 20s-30s. The chair is actually pretty comfortable….and on cold mornings just the right distance from the stove :D
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q.../Zshopren3.jpg
The stove has been converted to burn waste oil so it actually serves 2 purposes. I’m waiting on a heat reclaimer (hopefully it will be here next week) which should help warm the rest of the area.
I guess it’s now on to actually hanging the line shaft.
Silly question?? But.. any concern(s) over the exhaust from running the engine in the room?
".....Silly question?? But.. any concern(s) over the exhaust from running the engine in the room?......"
OOOOH YEAH. I'll be piping the exhaust out thru the wall.
It's all in the details! LOL..
Maybe you need to find a old style windmill to power the shop.
Wow Mike what a cool shop setup. Love all the old tools, it's like stepping into the past!
I ended up making an unexpected trip back to Illinois a few weeks ago as Mom had had a stroke and was hospitalized. She’s currently convalescing and we hope she will be able to go home in a month or so.
My brother’s the type who really doesn’t care about the old “rusty junk”, so my sister and I decided to clean out the old storage shed while I was back there so our youngest sibling wouldn’t decide one day to just have all the stuff hauled off as scrap. We came across a few more things that my dad had saved when he and mom moved off the old family farm almost 40 years ago. Unfortunately I didn’t think to get any before pictures on some of the stuff before I restored it but mostly it was just a rusty mass.
This is an old fruit press/lard press/sausage stuffer. I went ahead and cleaned and restored while I was back there and gave it to my sister who also loves this stuff .
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psa8eb63f9.jpg
This is my dad’s old vice. This was around the farm as far back as I can remember when I was growing up. I can remember dad using it a lot, besides using it myself all those years ago. I’m planning on putting it back in service but when I no longer have a use for it I think I will pass it on to my great nephew (dads Great Grandson).
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psdb8f6401.jpg
I had grabbed an old pail that was in the shed to throw some odds and ends into. After I got it unloaded when I got home I noticed for the first time the raised letters on the side CB&Q RR CO (Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Rail Road Company). My Granddad had worked for the Rock Island and CB&Q railroads in 1920-21 so this is likely about the age of the pail.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps081ab28b.jpg
Mom surprised me and said I could have the old bell in the basement and that I might as well take it back to AZ with me (I’m glad now I took the EL Camino this trip). It’s history as far as I know it is; Granddad got it after he left the Railroad and went back to farming (sometime in late 1921). It came off one of the steam locomotives that was scrapped in Galesburg Il during that time frame. It hung on a 12 foot tripod on the family farm and was used as a dinner/alarm bell until they started farming with tractors. Dad took it down in 1975 when he moved off the farm and it sat in my parents basement for the next 38 years.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps8d77302c.jpg
I really debated whether to clean or leave it and cleaning finally won out as I wanted to see if I could find any serial numbers on it to tie to a specific locomotive. I did find some stamped numbers but no luck so far deciphering them.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps1427b1ec.jpg
I’ve got to build a carriage for it so I can try to yell at the Grandkids with a straight face for ringing it.
Finally this is an old Inland running board mounted tire pump I found in a corner. As far as I can tell these are close to the original colors. The seals are about shot but it will still move a little air.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps5042b34e.jpg
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psd5f5e3af.jpg
Of course everybody’s a comedian, while Cade and I were putting the pump together his mom took this picture and later commented she couldn’t decide which caused more glare, the bell or the top of my head.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps9756807f.jpg
:rolleyes:
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Hope you're Mom comes through this okay! Some neat "old things" from the day too.
Some really neat old stuff and great resto work Mike!!! As for the glare, the bell is a close 2nd IMO!!!!!!:LOL::LOL::LOL:
Gotta love old stuff, maybe that's why the wife has kept me...lol
Love all the old garage equipment & the line shaft powered equipment reminded my of O'man Hayes's blacksmith shop back when I was a teenager. He used a huge electric motor connected to a Model A transmission to power his shop via line shafts.. I was amazed at how it worked & ran everything in his shop, canvass belts running everywhere throughout his shop....joe
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Mike - just a thought: would the leathers from a 'bulldozer' type water pump fit the tyre pump?
I don't know if that's what you call them over there . . . they're a double acting reciprocating water pump that used leather washers as seals.
They were also common in windmill pumps.
These washers are still readily available here in N Z in sizes ranging from 1" to about 6".
( They're also pigs of things to fit . . . the second one goes in easily, but the first one . . . Oh boy!)
Wow what a treasure trove of stuff. I'm also into old stuff for the shop. Thanks for sharing. My wife's Mom passed away last summer. This week we had a family vacation on the coast. Monique's Dad surprised us with her mom's old grain mill. It's a Magic Mill with a 3/4hp Dayton motor, stone grinding wheels and steel drawer for the flour. here are a few pics, thought you might appreciate it.(hope I'm not side tracking your thread)
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps25a4d56a.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps88215185.jpghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps13731807.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps25a4d56a.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...ps5a50e98e.jpg
"....the bell is a close 2nd IMO!!!!!!......"
Thanks Dave :LOL:
John, I know the washers your talking about but I don;t know if I could find any big enough....might be something to check into at some point.
"....hope I'm not side tracking your thread...."
Not at all Steve. The industrialization of America from the turn of the century to WWII and the items associated with it are very interesting to me. Besides the items themselves, the manufacturing processes that evolved and flourished at that time that made these items available to the general public is fascinating. It’s also a good reminder of how self reliant our ancestors were during that time compared to where we are now.
Well heck, somebody had to say it!!!:LOL::LOL::LOL:Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike P
I finally got things caught up enough to get back getting the lineshaft up. I had a couple of offers for help on getting the thing up in the air, but in the end schedules didn’t work out and I put it in myself. In spite of having to rearrange the shop and all the trips up and down the ladder, it was worth the effort.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps65efb67c.jpg
The old adage we use when building cars that “it will take twice as long and cost twice as much as you expect” applied equally well to this little project. I thought I had majority of the stuff collected when I had the shaft, pulleys, bearings and belt gathered. By the time it was in the air and turning I had gone thru 60 feet of angle iron, 35 feet of flat stock and 40 feet of lumber, not counting copper tubing, fittings, wire etc.
The jackshaft and belt tensioner was pretty straight forward, but I had to build the exhaust twice. The first attempt I used 1 ¾” exhaust pipe and it caused the engine to load up badly. For the second attempt I used 2 1/2” pipe I had laying around, which worked out great. You might have noticed the 1” nipple and pipe cap at the 90 degree bend. I put that in so I could see and hear the exhaust when I fine tune the mixture on the carburator.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psdb1b8835.jpg
The Motsinger Autosparker (DC generator) draws a surprising amount of power. By turning the governor spring almost all the way in I can get a bit more than 12 volts out of it. I dialed it back to around 6 volts though so it not working all that hard. I also built a handle with a wedge on the end so I can disengage it completely from the pulley if I don’t want to run it at all. I put a 6V light in the old railroad lantern and also wired up a goose neck work light that can be used with either the grinder or drill.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps3c2590d0.jpg
The grinder was pretty straight forward. I did built a movable belt guide to slide the belt from the loose to tight pulley rather than just use a stick as was common when these were in general use.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psaa45d8ab.jpg
The compressor is the newest piece of equipment, it’s only about 50 years old. Rather than belt it directly to the line shaft, the power goes thru a smaller belt and pulley setup and is activated by applying a belt tensioner. The adjustable pop off valve is set to 50 PSI and once the pressure is achieved it can be shut down by manually by releasing the belt tensioner. An old 30 pound Freon tank is used as pressure tank.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps417aab4a.jpg
The post drill had also been set up for a V Belt and is activated by a spring loaded belt tensioner. I used a countershaft similar to the one on the compressor and it’s also activated by a spring loaded tensioner pulley. On the drill it allows the pulleys to be changed easily to change the speed. Spindle speed is currently about 140 RPM which is slow enough to engage the auto feed (which I really don’t use when I’m actually drilling anything but it is neat to watch work occasionally). I’ve drilled a few ½” holes on some 3/8 flat stock and the drill barely loads the engine.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psc180dd15.jpg
I didn’t want to have to loosen the lineshaft (and realign it) every time I needed change a V belt, so I bit the bullet and ordered some Flexco V Belt splices. They work well but are very expensive.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...psdbf896a7.jpg
Here is a link to the shaft working, you might want to turn the volume down a bit. The actual noise level when the line shaft is running is really quite reasonable by the way.
V Line 1 - YouTube
Enjoy. :3dSMILE:
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That's so cool! I had a smile on my face the whole video!!! Thanks for the show!
Yep, very cool! Thanks for posting, and for keeping us informed as you made progress.
Way kewl Mike!!! When I was very young the blacksmith shop in Larchwood still ran with the belt system, complete with Lathe, drill press, etc. Wasn't really old enough to understand all of it then, would be a blast to maybe someday track some of the equipment down!!! Friend of mine has one of the old massive drill presses that was converted to an electric motor, still works like a charm!!!!!
Would be fun to bring a bunch of students from a machine shop or other such school their for a visit!!!!
".....Would be fun to bring a bunch of students from a machine shop or other such school their for a visit!!!! ...."
Your right Dave it would, but our local High School doesn't even offer Shop or automotive classes anymore due to liability issues. It's a shame. Kids haven't changed, my grandkids are fascinated with it and it's MY responsibility to teach them about safety.
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I enjoyed your video as it brought back memories of days gone by, thank you. On a side note, the furniture shop at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Mo. runs a set up very similar to yours and is quite fascinating to watch.
Ken,Quote:
Originally Posted by NTFDAY
I talked to one of the fellows in that shop several years ago when they were just getting it going, and he shared that they found the shop, basically as it is today, sitting in an old building which housed the W.O. Perkins Lumber Company. They basically diagrammed the layout, then took it apart, labeling pieces as they went, and then built the new shop based on the dimensions of the old shop building. If you're going to take in SDC anyway it's definitely worth spending some time to look at their furniture shop - table saw, drill presses, band saw, shaper, jointer, and maybe more, all belt driven from a main shaft like Mike's, but about two or three times longer. It's an amazing shop, and they make most of the furniture they sell in their Heartland Home Furnishings store on site.
AWSUME I have been in shoe repair shops that ran the same way. But that was a long time ago. Your grandkids are fortunate.
Thank you Mike for your ability to keep a small part of history going and congratulations on teaching your grand kids the love of old machinery and more importantly, the safety of being around and working along side of moving parts like belts etc. well done sir.
That's very cool. Thanks for sharing it and congratulations for doing such a great job putting it together, and also teaching the youngins about it.
It reminds me of a few old mills around the N.E. U.S. that I've been in that still had the water wheel driven shafts and belts in place but by the time I was there the machines were running on motors.
Such a cool setup. It appeals to the antique lover in me. You've got all the cool elements from the generated lamp, to the compressor and grinder and drill press. Just think when you guys have your next power outage, and all the neighbors are bundled up by their fireplaces, you can be having a good time out in the shop! Having it power the lights was very clever and usefull!
Kool stuff,Mike..We have a few old shops like that here,,set up for display only,,and it's possible to stand in one place,almost for about a half hour,,just soaking up the details that go into a setup like that..Absolutely brilliant..:cool::cool:
When I started college, every ME student took classes on Casting & Welding, Machine Processes (lathe, drill press, band saw, etc), and two semesters of Mechanical Drawing. Went away for four years of USN and a couple of years messing around before going back. All of the hands on classes were gone, the machinery was stored away in a basement, and the story was that only the theory was of value to an engineer. Bull Hockey!! I got more out of the hands on classes I had in those first two years than any book could have shown me! You remember getting your hands dirty, and investing some sweat equity. Those classes were the first time some of the kids had ever even SEEN a wrench, much less had to use it!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike P
Know what ya mean, Mike! No shop classes here anymore either. I guess all the kids are either going to be professional athletes or own a computer company like Microsoft, right???
"..... I got more out of the hands on classes I had in those first two years than any book could have shown me! You remember getting your hands dirty, and investing some sweat equity. Those classes were the first time some of the kids had ever even SEEN a wrench, much less had to use it!!......."
"..... I guess all the kids are either going to be professional athletes or own a computer company like Microsoft, right??? ......"
I couldn't agree more guys. Theory is all fine and good, but to my way of thinking it really has no relevance unless it actually supports some practical application.
One of the things I like about this old equipment is that I really don't have much explaining to do on how things work to Cade, he can see and understand it for himself.
On a side note I've started on the carriage for the old bell yesterday and got to spend some quality time using the the drill, grinder and compressor. The old Waterloo Boy seems to be happier now that is has a real job again rather than just running to be running once in a while. :LOL:
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Yep 2 years ME and had to go put it to use first son came along no school just work. I made it just fine. but working with my dad and grandfather for many years before had a great influence over me. The main thing I got out of it was there are books. If you don't know whats going on READ. Don't be afraid to ask questions. You can do most anything you have the will to do.
This is likely the last piece I have to restore for the old shop (for now anyway). I was able to find a serial number on it that should be the engine number it came off of. As far as I can tell from my research it came of CB&Q engine 381 which was built in 1880 (then rebuilt in 1901) and scrapped in 1920 or21.
Other than a good cleaning, the big part was building a carriage for it. The original carriage would have been cast iron, and are almost impossible to find. A friend of mine bent me up four 90 degree bends out of thick wall tubing and I took it from there.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...pscdffac58.jpg
I had a brass plaque made to attach to it so the history will now go along with it when it’s passed on.
http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps0a9870d6.jpg
If you’re curious about what it sounds like here’s a short video clip.
Train Bell - YouTube
I The Grandkids haven’t seen it yet but I suspect I know when they do :rolleyes:
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Fantastic, that thing could wake the dead:D
Impressive shop, thanks for posting and sharing.