Tried to finish my hemlock saw job last night when I got home from my real job but.... I'd done some tuning to the sawdust elevator hoping to make it work right. It didn't. The sprockets are worn to the point of being hooked. Because of this they don't release the chain when it goes around them. I'm going to stick a smaller elevator under it until I've get time to put some new sprockets on it and it really needs a new motor too. The big problem occured with the setworks on the mill. The part to which the handle and pawls attach broke :( the second set I made. When I started to disassemble it I saw that it had been repaired at least twice and possibly three times in the past. It has been arc welded twice and bandaged with a thin piece of steel brazed on to the cast once. I got it apart and Dad took it with him to work (Cheboygan Co Road Comm) to see if their welder could patch it up again. If they can't and make it hold I'll have to take it to a welding shop and have one made out of steel. That's probably the best thing to do anyway. It shouldn't take much. A piece of roll stock a foot long with a 1 1/4" hole and three pieces of 1/2" flat stock welded to it. Two with holes at each end for the pawls and one for the handle to bolt on to. Ahh, the joys of sawmilling 8) 8) 8)
The ole mill is worth it. 8)
It's handy to have a welder at work to fix it up.I took a part for my Model A to an old machinist.He had some good stories about them,and we had a enjoyable afternoon fabricating a whole new piece.When I left he wouldn't take my money,,just said bring it around for a look sometime.
Good people!
Its just break down week Greg. This week so far our chipper gave us trouble., the debarker broke down, the gangsaw broke, and yes, even the most well maintained, oiled and smoothly running mill in America broke. (Just my off bearer belt blew its lacing, but a time consuming fix) :)
I was not there Yesterday, I was at MFRA board meeting all day in St.Ignace. Don't know what shape I will find it today. The fellow that I have running it while I am gone is at the "Dangerous" point. He thinks he knows what he is doing now.
The part is just about fixed the mechanic needed the handle that bolts on to it to see what he had to grind off and what he could build up. I've got a welder but have never had much luck welding cast iron. If it was made out of steel I'd have been back in business in minutes. Yes it was the week for breakdowns. I was putting a brandnew moldboard on my JD 4 bottom plow today and it broke as I was tightening it up >:(. Now that pi#*ed me off especially since the place I bought it from closed at noon today and this happened at one and I wanted to get my ground plowed this weekend so I could my oats planted next week which are already going in late ::)..... The "Dangerous Point" :D I worked with a guy who got like that but he never got past it. He doesn't work for us anymore ;D
Hey Corley ever try nickel rods on cast ?
Yes I have. I've welded short pieces of pipe into a couple of Farmall manifolds when the threads wore out. It worked good but I'm not real confident in my abilities to weld something like this that has stress on it. The guy that welded the piece up for me used nickel cast but he had an oven of sorts that he put it into to cool after he welded it and he used a acetylene torch to keep it hot while he welded. I guess that's the key. Get it hot to weld let it cool slowly when done.