Sleigh build

hardtailjohn · April 16, 2013, 12:12:46 AM

This winter, a friend brought his cutter in to my shop to be rebuilt. He didn't figure on it being a big project, but the more we dug into it, the more we found..as usual.

As soon as I pulled the shoe, you could see there was alot of water damage to the bottom of the runners. One runner had been replaced as the result of a wreck some time ago, but even it needed attention.

So, due to the lack of available air dried white oak (or even better, ash), I ripped up some 1/4" strips of kiln dried white oak, and built a fire in the steam box.....

hardtailjohn · April 16, 2013, 12:33:48 AM

I built a mold, painstakingly engineered to the "TLAR" (That Looks About Right) springback tolerance, and fastened it to one of my old wing layout tables.

The steamed blanks were left in the mold overnight to cool and dry, so they'd be easier to lay up and epoxy.

After I'd let the blanks dry for a few days, I grabbed most all my clamps from various previous projects, and a healthy batch of West System epoxy, and I set out to laminate a new set of runners up for this little cutter.

The outcome was seen in about 2 days.... (as is evident, the owner had been busy getting acquainted with paint stripper on the good running gear parts)

While the epoxy was drying on the runner blanks, I'd built new beds for the body to perch on. This is a very well engineered little cutter, with mortise and tenon work where needed, and a fine set of irons to brace it all the way around. As this thread progresses, I'll show you what I mean. Anyway, here's the beds with the blank runners...

We've come a ways since this, but I need to upload some more pictures to my gallery...so stay tuned.

SwampDonkey · April 16, 2013, 04:40:22 AM

Your breathing life into that old girl John. It's coming along nicely. Looks like a lot of work involved, not just in the bending. Can't wait to see it all restored.

Lud · April 16, 2013, 07:18:36 AM

Real nice work. I got my sleigh at a neighbor's selling out auction nearby years ago and touched it up, saving some of the original handpainted decoration. My two Newfoundland males could pull the nieces around the yard. Great memories ...and the sleigh is hung up in barn as is traditional.

Great job!

thecfarm · April 16, 2013, 07:49:37 AM

I'm staying tuned. ;D One thing I hate to see is that old stuff on display outside year around. I know people are proud of it,but they don't realize that is why they got to enjoy it,it was kept under cover for them to enjoy. Than they leave it outside day after day. Than it rots away.

Axe Handle Hound · April 16, 2013, 08:24:35 AM

Very nice work! How do the arched running gear parts connect to the runners?

clww · April 16, 2013, 09:41:49 AM

Very impressive work and photos, both.

pineywoods · April 16, 2013, 10:10:51 AM

John, what's the part with all the clecos next to the steamer? Looks like maybe a rudder, but too many braces..

bedway · April 16, 2013, 11:31:54 AM

Excellent work, my hats off to you!

hardtailjohn · April 16, 2013, 03:57:15 PM

Thanks guys. Pineywoods, that's a '47 Stinson 108-3 I'm rebuilding. (that's one of my "other" jobs)
This sleigh project is a bunch of fun. The bent legs all connect with mortise and tenon joints. If you look in the background, there's a carriage I'm building as well.... I need more projects.... NOT.
I'll try to get some more pics uploaded today.

hardtailjohn · April 24, 2013, 12:25:28 AM

Ok....got some more pictures added to my gallery, so I'll catch up a bit more to where we are now.....
The mortise and tenon joints from the legs to the runners have been a challenge. They are at angles fore and aft, so fixtures were made to hold the blank in the proper relationship while drilling the mortise. The tenons are also somewhat deteriorated in places, one so bad that I had to replace the tenon by building a new tenon and inserting it into the leg with epoxy, but overall the fits have been pretty good.

The ends of the runner are fit into the top shoe as well as against the false runner. Originally they had a rivet through there, but we haven't totally made our mind up on that yet....

One of the nicest things about this project is that it's small and light and we can flip it over to access things on the underside! Here we're getting ready to fit the shoes.

Tonight we bolted the shoes on temporarily. The shoes need to be countersunk, and the runners will receive a coat of epoxy before the shoes go on permanently.
In the meanwhile... I went to an auction and bought a "swell body" cutter... something I've wanted for a long time, so that will be the next sleigh project when this one is done.....

SwampDonkey · April 24, 2013, 04:46:37 AM

Thanks for the update John. Coming along very nicely. It's going to be like new, maybe better. I like these restores.

Is there a new Discovery channel program coming out on restoration projects? ;)

Magicman · April 24, 2013, 09:49:38 AM

I missed the beginning of the project, but you certainly met the challenge head on. What a wonderful way to breath life back into a tired old girl.

hardtailjohn · May 08, 2013, 12:10:32 AM

OK... time for another update.
I forgot to show the "patch" I had to do on one of the tenons. It was just too far deteriorated to use, and I really didn't want to spend the time to bend another leg, so I hauled it to the bandsaw and cut the old tenon completely out, cutting a full "mortise" (if you will) into the leg. Then I cut a tenon from oak and bonded it in, trimmed it to the proper size and now I have a nice, tight, new tenon!

We filled and bonded the tenons with West System Epoxy blended with #407 Low Density Fairing Filler. I wanted to stick with West System all the way through and that way I can seal the wood as well as bond it. Usually, I use something like Elmer's Wood Glue on tenons, but this way everything is compatible and the whole thing will be sealed with epoxy... should last a few years. The fairing filler allowed us to fillet it a tiny bit, which should also help keep moisture out.

Then it was time for a coat of epoxy on the whole runner.... almost makes me not want to paint it!

That's where it sits tonight. Next step is more epoxy on the runners, and then start to coat the rest of the wood in the running gear.

SwampDonkey · May 08, 2013, 05:32:21 AM

Been enjoying your rebuild.

I've never had the opportunity to use that type of epoxy. Looks like it fixed the joint right up with it.

Peter Drouin · May 08, 2013, 06:30:20 AM

Nice job

mesquite buckeye · May 08, 2013, 12:08:50 PM

Pretty neat. ;D 8) 8) 8) 8)

Looking forward to seeing it in the snow.

hardtailjohn · May 10, 2013, 10:23:59 AM

Swampdonkey, it's great stuff! I've messed with some a few years ago, but a friend of mine and master woodworker (restores wooden boats and other interesting stuff) turned me on to the West System. Very easy to use, and understand. They've got a base product that you start out with, then add fillers to modify it for whatever your intended purpose is. I'm using it alot now, and the joints are much stronger than the wood! They've got a big book that you can download called " Gougeon Brothers on Boat Building" or something very close to that....it explains the whole works in easy to understand detail.
I highly recommend it!
Thanks for the compliments, everyone!
John

SwampDonkey · May 10, 2013, 02:07:15 PM

Thanks John for the information. I may find the need to try it some day.

hardtailjohn · February 09, 2014, 02:58:33 AM

OK.... been way too lax about updating this! Winter came back and we got started on the sleigh again, just after the 1st of the year.
When I quit working on this last spring, I had another day of working on the irons, as this sleigh has been wrecked somewhere in it's past, and whoever did the repairs, left a little to be desired on the workmanship.... So, I recruited some good help and in about half a day, we had the last of the irons fit up and ready to head back to the blast cabinet and on to the paint booth.

With the work done on the running gear, I grabbed the body and started to pull it down to see if there was anything we could salvage..... as you can see below, we didn't find any real surprises.

So, off we go, with new wood all the way through the body as well... starting with the floor.

The back required some sawn corner pillars, and I didn't have anything quite thick enough to make all the dimensions I needed, so out came the West System and we layed up some oak for new rear corner pillars.

Next morning they were ready for the bandsaw..

The new rear pillars are mitered in and ready to epoxy

All the excess was planed and sanded off, and then we assembled the back to the bottom and fit the seat front pillars as well.

It's finally starting to look like something other than parts!

SwampDonkey · February 09, 2014, 04:02:16 AM

Thanks for carrying this thread onward John. It's been a real treat. I like these old implements probably more than the horses hauling them.

8)

There was a lot of stuff here at the old place that dad's uncles let rot into the ground. :'( :(

There was an old wood hauling sled that dad did patch up and use back in the 70's with the horse and later gave it to mom's brother to use for stove wood with his own horse.

But I had a cousin who bought a sled much like the one your fixing and it sat outdoors on his father's lawn for years until it rotted. I didn't find anything quaint about destroying that sled out in the elements. :