What's On Your Workbench?

[StereoPlayer]

Glueing up my brother in law’s broken Squier acoustic guitar. He paid $12 for it! Somehow, around his grandkids, the neck got cracked…hmmm.
I hope it works for him…
View attachment 4746242

Polished it up, oiled fretboard and bridge.
Back in service.

 

[StereoPlayer]

BTW, my workbench is the bar in my lower Tri level house. I’ve never used it as a bar…

 

[Lo-E]

So, this happened today:

A cabinetmaker friend of mine decided that 4 vintage bandsaws was one too many so he sold me this late-‘30s Walker-Turner 12” bench top model.

It was mostly restored by the previous owner who mounted it to that typewriter stand (absolutely ingenious) and fabricated the table to replace the missing original. I’ll probably put a little bit of crown on the tires, get some things aligned a little better and make a slightly nicer table.

For now, it tracks reasonably well and runs straight and quiet so there’s no rush to do the other work.

It’s powered by this cute, little 1/3HP motor, which seems to be strong enough:

and it’s a huge step up from what I was using previously!:

 

[TerribleTim68]

OMG! I started on that exact same Craftsman band saw!
Congrats on the slight upgrade.

 

[Lo-E]

OMG! I started on that exact same Craftsman band saw!
Congrats on the slight upgrade.

I inherited the Craftsman from my father who bought it for one job in the early ’80s and didn’t use it again until he gave it to me about 10 years ago.
After the excruciating process of setting it up it actually cuts really well.
Much better than it has any right to.
That said, if it breaks (and it will) I’m not going to expend any effort to save it. I plan to leave it set up with a fine-tooth blade and use it for light work.

 

[Beej]

So, this happened today:
View attachment 4756493
A cabinetmaker friend of mine decided that 4 vintage bandsaws was one too many so he sold me this late-‘30s Walker-Turner 12” bench top model.

It was mostly restored by the previous owner who mounted it to that typewriter stand (absolutely ingenious) and fabricated the table to replace the missing original. I’ll probably put a little bit of crown on the tires, get some things aligned a little better and make a slightly nicer table.

For now, it tracks reasonably well and runs straight and quiet so there’s no rush to do the other work.

It’s powered by this cute, little 1/3HP motor, which seems to be strong enough:
View attachment 4756496
and it’s a huge step up from what I was using previously!:
View attachment 4756494

Mmmm... solid wheels...

 

[Matt Liebenau]

Nice. I have a bigger floor stand bandsaw but I still have that same Craftsman. I mostly use it to cut out pickguards or a quick cut off of some brass or aluminum stock.

 

[TerribleTim68]

I've got the ShopSmith band saw now, which is on a power station base so it's "free standing". But it only has a 6" resaw capacity so you really can't use it for resawing tops. Plus, it's under powered for that anyways. Much over about 4" and it bogs hard. For that, I head to my boss's shop and use his bandsaw, which isn't much better but it is better enough.

Some day...some day.

 

[Lo-E]

I've got the ShopSmith band saw now, which is on a power station base so it's "free standing". But it only has a 6" resaw capacity so you really can't use it for resawing tops. Plus, it's under powered for that anyways. Much over about 4" and it bogs hard. For that, I head to my boss's shop and use his bandsaw, which isn't much better but it is better enough.

Some day...some day.

This little guy opens to about 5-1/2” so it’s quite limited for resawing.

At work there are some big monster 38” Oliver saws but politics dictates that I’d have to do some serious negotiation to be allowed to use them.

Much easier is to visit the guy who sold this saw to me. He has a big 30” saw, a wide drum sander and happily accepts beer in trade.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

This little guy opens to about 5-1/2” so it’s quite limited for resawing.

At work there are some big monster 38” Oliver saws but politics dictates that I’d have to do some serious negotiation to be allowed to use them.

Much easier is to visit the guy who sold this saw to me. He has a big 30” saw, a wide drum sander and happily accepts beer in trade.

Beer and/or breakfast burritos… the universal shop currency!

 

[Bruce Johnson]

So, this happened today:
View attachment 4756493
A cabinetmaker friend of mine decided that 4 vintage bandsaws was one too many so he sold me this late-‘30s Walker-Turner 12” bench top model.

It was mostly restored by the previous owner who mounted it to that typewriter stand (absolutely ingenious) and fabricated the table to replace the missing original. I’ll probably put a little bit of crown on the tires, get some things aligned a little better and make a slightly nicer table.

For now, it tracks reasonably well and runs straight and quiet so there’s no rush to do the other work.

It’s powered by this cute, little 1/3HP motor, which seems to be strong enough:
View attachment 4756496
and it’s a huge step up from what I was using previously!:
View attachment 4756494

Very cool! I have one of them too, in my stable of antique machinery. Walker-Turner made the Driver Line machines from 1938-1940. They were simpler, lighter duty lower cost machines than their industrial line, but they put some effort in adding some art deco styling to the covers. Handsome looking machines. They were trying to get into the growing home shop market. Men were starting to buy woodworking machines for their shops in their sheds and barns. But Delta ended up winning that market. Walker-Turner got completely consumed making machines for the war effort in the 1940's, and abandoned the Driver Line.

They made the Driver Line bandsaws in three sizes: 12", 14" and 16", and only for those three years. In 1940 only, the Driver Line machines were also sold through the Sears, Roebuck catalog with Craftsman badges on them.

My 12" Driver Line bandsaw is in real nice condition, almost all original, repainted nicely in metallic blue by the previous owner. A few years back, I also had a Craftsman Driver Line 16" bandsaw. I sold it to a Luthier friend.

 

[Crawforde]

I am pretty happy with my hand tools, but a nice band saw or lathe would tempt me, and I’d be willing to make room in the garage or get a good wheeled cart.
I have a little lathe on a cart, but the most it was ever used for was when my daughter was making pens and pencils, and I’ve made a couple of handles.

 

[the baint]

I am pretty happy with my hand tools, but a nice band saw or lathe would tempt me, and I’d be willing to make room in the garage or get a good wheeled cart.

Pretty much describes me, too, regarding the bandsaw.

 

[Lo-E]

Very cool! I have one of them too, in my stable of antique machinery. Walker-Turner made the Driver Line machines from 1938-1940. They were simpler, lighter duty lower cost machines than their industrial line, but they put some effort in adding some art deco styling to the covers. Handsome looking machines. They were trying to get into the growing home shop market. Men were starting to buy woodworking machines for their shops in their sheds and barns. But Delta ended up winning that market. Walker-Turner got completely consumed making machines for the war effort in the 1940's, and abandoned the Driver Line.

They made the Driver Line bandsaws in three sizes: 12", 14" and 16", and only for those three years. In 1940 only, the Driver Line machines were also sold through the Sears, Roebuck catalog with Craftsman badges on them.

My 12" Driver Line bandsaw is in real nice condition, almost all original, repainted nicely in metallic blue by the previous owner. A few years back, I also had a Craftsman Driver Line 16" bandsaw. I sold it to a Luthier friend.

Pretty interesting bit of history! I had read 1935-1938 for this particular model but information on the internet is often suspect.

I believe these were sold through Sears before the Craftsman line was introduced. I know that’s true of a little Sears Dunlap jointer I have from ‘38.

Mine is missing its original table and the funky rack & pinion adjuster for it but I don’t really need that and I plan to make a slightly larger table for it anyway. This 12” saw is about as big as will fit in my wee shop space. I’ll probably put a 1” riser block in it so I can use 80” blades and get a little more height.

It’s amazing to me how much better made ’budget’ vintage machines are than most of what’s available today.

 

[Crawforde]

The tools, pics of them in use, and the old tool facts and stories are a big part of why I check in here.
And the basses.

 

[polygon]

Never seen before. Cleanly broken scarf joint after little contact with microphone stand (bass player look over shoulder on drummer, not jumping around). Don't know what I will do yet . I try to decide between two possibilities. Unglue fretboard from both pieces, sand, glue all pieces together in several steps, refinish back of the neck. Or I can try some king of thinner epoxy directly?

 

[Smilodon]

Is it the glue that failed, or is it the wood right next to the glue joint?

 

[dwizum]

Is that a crack in the fretboard under the 2nd fret? If the fretboard is damaged at all, I'd start over with a new one.

 

[polygon]

Smilodon: yes it's failed glue. There is residue of glue on both sides.
dwizum: nono, just bad photo.

I am thinking that I will detach fretboard, but it will be hard align and glue all these pieces together without need of lot of cleaning in the wood.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Maybe sand/glue, and fill the resulting seam with CA glue scraped/sanded flush? Then buff out the whole neck? Never seen a scarf joint break clean like that, they always seem to break in the wood, leaving a raggedy joint. Probably better it broke at the glue.