# Machine mods, oddities, and fix-ups



## Loren (May 30, 2008)

*Old Delta 20" Bandsaw*

I've had the saw for a long time. It was an unappealing, original but distressed gray 
and when I set out to paint it I found some white metal primer laying around
so I used that. I liked the way the white reflected light so I kept the color.

Maybe someday I'll get around to painting it some fancy color, but for now
I like the white.










Originally the old girl was wired for 3 phase. I put 22 amp motor on her. It's
115 volts, which is odd. My electrician put in a 30 amp circuit for the saw. If
I had to do it over again I would just wire her for 230 volt. I guess the electrician
thought adding a 30 amp RV outlet would be a good garage improvement. I
also had some 230 volt outlets put in at the same time for other machines.

The tension knob was a real knuckle-buster, so I made an extension for it that
lets me twist is kind of like a gas-tank lid. I usually tension to 6 or 7 half-turns
and then back down again when I'm done. The saw groans when the tension
comes off.










Recently I added my own self-made mobility kit cobbled from stuff I had on hand.
My system is admittedly not perfect but it doesn't increase the footprint of the
saw much and didn't require much metalwork and no welding. If I had a welder
handy I would have made it differently.










The saw would be more stable on the wheels if I had made the board longer 
but that would have it sticking out to the front and back of the saw. Still, if
you do this yourself, especially on a smaller saw, I recommend making the board
longer and setting the wheels farther out.










The third wheel is nestled compactly in the armpit of the saw frame. While this
gets it out of the way nicely, it's movement is restricted as it can only pivot about
100 degrees. Before I added the wooden steering handle assembly the wheel
was very difficult to control as it would cooperate when pushing the saw but 
would turn unpredictably when pulling it. The handle allows me to control the
angle of the wheel, which is a pivot caster with a wheel break and a 3/8" axle
I switched out for a longer bolt to attach the handle.










With a bit of practice I've learned to muscle the saw around. Getting it where
I want it is kind of like those old remote control cars that would only go straight
or turn left, forward or backwards. Steering the saw would be much easier with
180 degrees of turning, but that would put the wheel sticking out where I don't
want it. While my design is awkward, it does meet my needs as I don't need to
move the saw often or far. I used to just push it around a few inches at a time
by putting my shoulder into it like a linebacker.


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

Loren said:


> *Old Delta 20" Bandsaw*
> 
> I've had the saw for a long time. It was an unappealing, original but distressed gray
> and when I set out to paint it I found some white metal primer laying around
> ...


This is going to be really helpful when my saw arrives. I anticipate having to do something with the tensioner. I'm wondering if an aftermarket detensioner will fit this old girl.


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

Loren said:


> *Old Delta 20" Bandsaw*
> 
> I've had the saw for a long time. It was an unappealing, original but distressed gray
> and when I set out to paint it I found some white metal primer laying around
> ...


Nice looking bandsaw.


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## HokieMojo (Mar 11, 2008)

Loren said:


> *Old Delta 20" Bandsaw*
> 
> I've had the saw for a long time. It was an unappealing, original but distressed gray
> and when I set out to paint it I found some white metal primer laying around
> ...


That thing is fantastic!


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

*Belsaw planer dust collection*

Belsaw dust collection

The steel chute was salvaged off an instant hot water heater.

Be careful of the swing of the planer handle. If this chute were placed any closer to the centerline of the cutterhead, the Belsaw crank handle would not clear the center port of the chute. You might get away with just making a 4" hole in the top of the planer, perhaps offsetting it in some way to not conflict with the swing of the crank handle.

In any case the chips won't go straight up on their own. The Belsaw has a round steel deflector on the infeed end that throws the chips up and out the outfeed end. Simply putting a dust port on top won't catch anything. An additional deflector is needed.

I used a couple of plywood wedges, a piece of lexan, 6 screws and duct tape to assemble the deflector and attach it to the planer. I made it a little too wide however and it is currently jammed into the planer between two metal parts. I should have made it with a bit more clearance so the planer top can be raised. As it is, I need to take off the deflector and cut it down by about 1/8".


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

Loren said:


> *Belsaw planer dust collection*
> 
> Belsaw dust collection
> 
> ...


Looks great… now all I need is a Bellsaw…


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Loren said:


> *Belsaw planer dust collection*
> 
> Belsaw dust collection
> 
> ...


Keep your peepers peeled - there are Craftsman-badged Belsaws and the RBI
and Woodmaster are basically the same. They are all really good quality machines
that produce great results and can be found at bargain prices on the used
market.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

*Kity K5 machine*

By today's standards in N. American machinery the K5 is not impressive in terms of power or capacity. When these were still available they were priced at around $1400 I think and that was 20-30 years ago. Mine is 1983 vintage.

Now I have some really good machinery and I didn't need the K5 but I had an opportunity to get one at a good price and I am curious about the engineering of European combination machines. I've owned several INCA combo machines and a Robland for awhile.

The Kity has a 5" jointer, a 5" thickness planer, and a x-y slot mortising table that mounts to the planer bed. This is by far the coolest part of the machine and the main reason I bought it. I don't intend to use the mortising table because 1) due to the direction the jointer/planer cutterhead spins it requires left-hand end mills and I have right-hand ones, 2) the chuck is too small to take 1/2" shanks, and 3) I already have a more robust slot mortising machine and 4) I don't have a need to do slot mortising on job sites. Still I should mention that the x-y table on the KITY is very similar to the INCA ones and equally well made. In fact I'd say it's the part of the machine that exudes the most quality and I suspect that's because KITY used it on higher-end machines as well. At some point maybe I'll set it up with a router as the engine.

While I'm writing about INCA I should mention that I believe the French-made INCA machines were made in the same factory as the KITY machines and that KITY borrowed some engineering ideas from INCA. KITY machines use a lot more formed sheet metal parts while INCA machines use mostly Injection Molded Cast Aluminum (which is what "INCA" stands for) for the same sort of parts.

The power unit, 1 HP motor, is mounted to the base of the table saw. The saw is pretty chintzy in terms of how the tilt works and the blade raises and lowers. Very chintzy in fact. There is no positive stop for a 90 degree angle to the table and the "trunions" are just slotted pieces of sheet metal. The design does keep the weight down and the cost of manufacture as well. All the tables are nicely finished anodized cast aluminum, so it's not like the machine is cheap through and through, it just makes a lot of compromises.

The table saw does have some cool things about it though. It takes a riving knife, which mine didn't include. The rails can be slid to the left or right to support cuts and 2 support tables are included. The fence is kind of lame and you have to clamp it at both ends. The saw is certainly not designed for heavy work at all, but I'm actually thrilled because the miter gauge is well made and has this right-angle casting with allows it to be used for cutting tapers.

The shaper is small but well though-out. I didn't test it because using this shaper doesn't interest me. When these machines came out the small spindle moulders (shaper) was what people in Europe used, since handheld routers were expensive and the explosion of supply of 1/2" shank router bits had not occurred yet. These days a 1/2" router inverted in a simple table will outperform this little KITY shaper in many ways at not much cost… so unless you were to acquire a K5 with a whole bunch of cutters for the moulder I would recommend investing your tooling dollars in router cutters instead.

In the past I owned a larger KITY shaper with a 1.5 HP motor and used it for a few jobs. It was a compact and neatly engineered little machine, but underpowered. It had a really cool little sliding table I was sad to part with when I sold it. This shaper appears on a higher end KITY 5-in1 combo models and the sliding table can be moved to the table saw as well. On a later version of the K5 the mortiser runs on its own motor, the jointer/planer is bigger and in fact the whole machine is bigger and more robust.

Now you have to understand that I bought this machine to take it apart and use it as a jobsite tool. I have little use for the shaper so I took everything off the stand and disassembled the stand. I am going to use the jointer/planer and table saw only as a portable unit for installations where a little jointer and planer would be most useful. I mentioned earlier that the saw's miter gauge is usable for cutting tapered filler strips, which are needed often installations and hassle to cut safely on site with most common jobsite power tools. Really, ask anybody who does installations. The ability to cut tapers and manipulate straightness and thickness of small parts on a jobsite are difficult to do quickly and safely without bringing a lot of conventional gear. The table saw and jointer/planer combo however solves that problem in a compact package that is light enough for one person to carry up stairs.


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## Bearpie (Feb 19, 2010)

Loren said:


> *Kity K5 machine*
> 
> By today's standards in N. American machinery the K5 is not impressive in terms of power or capacity. When these were still available they were priced at around $1400 I think and that was 20-30 years ago. Mine is 1983 vintage.
> 
> ...


This would be an ideal tool for a small spaced shop and still have all those tools available to use in one location.


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

Loren said:


> *Kity K5 machine*
> 
> By today's standards in N. American machinery the K5 is not impressive in terms of power or capacity. When these were still available they were priced at around $1400 I think and that was 20-30 years ago. Mine is 1983 vintage.
> 
> ...


when you think about it you should be able to do anything with that setup.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Loren said:


> *Kity K5 machine*
> 
> By today's standards in N. American machinery the K5 is not impressive in terms of power or capacity. When these were still available they were priced at around $1400 I think and that was 20-30 years ago. Mine is 1983 vintage.
> 
> ...


Hi Loren. I have a Kity combo machine that I bought 16 years ago. It has a table saw, shaper, mortiser, jointer and planer. It is a economy machine mainly for hobbyists, but it has served me well. I have only had to replace a starter capacitor the whole time I've had it. You can see it on my workshop photos. After moving to a new house in 2001 I was grateful that it wasn't so heavy to move.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Loren said:


> *Kity K5 machine*
> 
> By today's standards in N. American machinery the K5 is not impressive in terms of power or capacity. When these were still available they were priced at around $1400 I think and that was 20-30 years ago. Mine is 1983 vintage.
> 
> ...


KITY hasn't been imported to the USA in over a decade I think. 
The company went under a few years ago but I think the
KITY assets were acquired by another machinery maker in
Europe.

I've seen a couple of Asian-made knock-offs of the K5
jointer/planer for sale on Craigslist. I have no idea who 
imported them or when.


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Loren said:


> *Kity K5 machine*
> 
> By today's standards in N. American machinery the K5 is not impressive in terms of power or capacity. When these were still available they were priced at around $1400 I think and that was 20-30 years ago. Mine is 1983 vintage.
> 
> ...


That is a cool machine- kind of like a Shopsmith,but without the lathe and bandsaw…but with other tools. it looks like you can have more than one tool available at any time which is a plus. I have never seen one. Thanks for posting. I learned something new today!!.......................Jim


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Loren said:


> *Kity K5 machine*
> 
> By today's standards in N. American machinery the K5 is not impressive in terms of power or capacity. When these were still available they were priced at around $1400 I think and that was 20-30 years ago. Mine is 1983 vintage.
> 
> ...


It has one motor and you switch the belt around but setups
can mostly be preserved.


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## Magnum (Feb 5, 2010)

Loren said:


> *Kity K5 machine*
> 
> By today's standards in N. American machinery the K5 is not impressive in terms of power or capacity. When these were still available they were priced at around $1400 I think and that was 20-30 years ago. Mine is 1983 vintage.
> 
> ...


Nothing Here other than Copymatch.com Owned by Loren Woirhage in Easthampton MA, (Long Way from CA) or the Book?


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## onlywood4my (Aug 26, 2013)

Loren said:


> *Kity K5 machine*
> 
> By today's standards in N. American machinery the K5 is not impressive in terms of power or capacity. When these were still available they were priced at around $1400 I think and that was 20-30 years ago. Mine is 1983 vintage.
> 
> ...


Hi Folks, I just got a kity for £200!! The kity 2600 is now on sell at £2,599.10p only.
For info contact: www.kityuk.net


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## ARBY (Feb 10, 2015)

Loren said:


> *Kity K5 machine*
> 
> By today's standards in N. American machinery the K5 is not impressive in terms of power or capacity. When these were still available they were priced at around $1400 I think and that was 20-30 years ago. Mine is 1983 vintage.
> 
> ...


Hi Loren, I have a Kity BestCombi (K5) which I have had for about 3 years. 
I wonder if you have any advice for me?

With a view to resurfacing the thicknesser table I unbolted the planer infeed and outfeed tables then decided it looked too complicated!
however I now find I cannot get the tables to sit level with each other; there does not appear to be sufficient adjustment now, but there used to be, so I must have something wrong! 
Can you suggest where to start, do I set up the outfeed table first?

I am in the UK and cannot find anyone who can service this machine or supply spares. I have the owners book which is totally useless, but very little else.
Perhaps with your experience you might have some ideas.
I would be very grateful for any advice you could offer.

ARBY

PS as a newbie I apologise if I have posted this in the wrong place.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Loren said:


> *Kity K5 machine*
> 
> By today's standards in N. American machinery the K5 is not impressive in terms of power or capacity. When these were still available they were priced at around $1400 I think and that was 20-30 years ago. Mine is 1983 vintage.
> 
> ...


The outfeed table is fixed but adjustable by loosening, as
I recall, 4 bolts heads. Then you have to play around with
it to get it even with the knife edges at the apex of their
arc and also in aligned with the infeed table The infeed
table would be moved up to the same plane and
you should be able to finagle the outfeed table. It took
me about half an hour I think.


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## ARBY (Feb 10, 2015)

Loren said:


> *Kity K5 machine*
> 
> By today's standards in N. American machinery the K5 is not impressive in terms of power or capacity. When these were still available they were priced at around $1400 I think and that was 20-30 years ago. Mine is 1983 vintage.
> 
> ...


Hi Loren,
firstly thanks so much for your rapid response.

A quick update: I bit the bullet and removed both infeed and outfeed tables again. The infeed is attached to the height adjuster with 4 studs and nylock nuts, and I found the inner two were not pinched firm; I also found a wood chip underneath the bed stopping it from seating properly!

So a good clean out, re-torque the nuts, and at last I could get a flat bed. After a couple of hours and resetting the knives I have now got a working planer! (I think it deserves some new knives now though).

Once again thanks for your help, it was gratefully received.

ARBY

PS. I am really impressed with your seven string guitar, I've no idea how you would play it though, I struggled with 6 !!!
Thanks again.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Loren said:


> *Kity K5 machine*
> 
> By today's standards in N. American machinery the K5 is not impressive in terms of power or capacity. When these were still available they were priced at around $1400 I think and that was 20-30 years ago. Mine is 1983 vintage.
> 
> ...


I'm mostly a 6-stringer these days because 7 strings don't
really work great for my present styles.


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## knedo (Mar 10, 2016)

Loren said:


> *Kity K5 machine*
> 
> By today's standards in N. American machinery the K5 is not impressive in terms of power or capacity. When these were still available they were priced at around $1400 I think and that was 20-30 years ago. Mine is 1983 vintage.
> 
> ...


I am new to this sight.

I have a Kity K5 saw, planer, thicknesser, mortise cutter & shaper combination machine.

I am a hobbyist, and I 'inherited' the workbench from my late father in law.

I have learned to love the machine, and fondly respect it too and over the years have done successive shop fittings, built chests of drawers, numerous bookcases, hundreds of bee hives, including the X40 multiple frames needed in both hive & supers, picture frames and a gazillion other odd jobs.

In 2011 I was washed out in the Brisbane QLD, Australia floods. I saved the machine, but realised after the floods that I lost the mitre gauge, rip fence, and a bunch of various shaper blades for the router/shaper. Sadly these were lost in meters of mud, and simply bulldozed away.

I'd gladly buy these, at a reasonable price, from someone who has lost his love for the machine.

OR

If you have any idea where I could replace these fairly important parts?

Help!!

& thanks Loren too


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

*Record RPML 300C mini lathe*

I've been looking for a used mini lathe on and off for awhile. Just recently I passed on good one with electronic speed control because I didn't feel like making the drive. In my area second-hand mini lathes are not too uncommon, and really I didn't feel like I needed something fancy.

I've owned 4 or 5 wood lathes but since I don't turn much and it is usually small things I want to turn, I've found they didn't earn their keep in terms of the space they require and got rid of them. I really only have the hankering to turn handles and finials and things like that. If I ever want to do something big I can do it on my large Legacy Mill, which isn't the same as a lathe exactly but it's light enough to store overhead with an electric ceiling hoist so the storage problem is nullified.

I was pleased though to find this little gem for sale close to me. I paid $150 which is about fair I reckon. What's cool about it is the fit and finish are quite nice and the little sucker weighs a wopping 90 lbs. with the motor. That's heavier I think than most of the current crop of imported mini-lathes, though of course I am completely out of luck in terms of available OEM accessories like a bed extension. Oh well.

Sitting it on my bench and turning this crude pine test piece there was no noticeable vibration. If you see one available don't be too concerned about making a bad buy… it's a robust little machine and as I said, the fit and finish are quite good.

Nice looking little lathe too.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

*Panel saw flip stop system*

I made a bunch of these flip stops for my panel saw. I used 1/4" x 1/2" aluminum bar stock offcuts I bought on ebay from a surplus dealer for very cheap. The brass 1/4-20 thumb nuts were bought from an ebay seller as well. I bought some t-bolts from Woodline USA (like toilet bolts) but these brass thumb nuts don't fit them (regular 1/4-20 nuts do), so I used regular 1/4-20 hex head bolts and they work well, though perhaps sliding in the t-track a little less smoothly.

The t-track was a cool find from Woodline USA because it has 2 tracks in one extrusion and it's not expensive. This setup allows me to have "set-and-forget" flip stops set for common cuts on the upper track and 1 or 2 stops for regular movement on the lower track.

I had to design the stop system to be out of the way in less than 1.5" of depth with the stops flipping to stand proud of the plane the panel to be cut rests on. That plane is delineated by the white melamine support bars.

While such a stop system would not be as useful for crosscut fences on miter saws and table saws, it could be recessed into a working table for drilling applications and things like that…. and of course for a vertical panel saw it solves the problem of a stop system neatly.

###

Making the stops is not difficult but does require some precision in drilling the parts due to their small size. If I started over I might get 5/16" or 3/8" by 1/2" aluminum bar because it would allow the drilling of parts to be a less precise and fussy process. As I did it you can see that the flip-stop is drilled very close to its corner (centered 1/10th inch in from the edge and end) and the profiled sliding part is drilled on its end 1/10" down from its top surface. I misdrilled a few parts as I was figuring the process out. Also the washers are the smallest I have on hand but ones with a smaller OD would be better and make the drilling a little more forgiving.

The end drilled part is tapped for a 6/32 machine screw. I used Loctite, and twist the screw in as hard as I can by hand. The aluminum quickly develops some slop in the fit so making it tight to start prevents floppy flip stops.

Profiling the bar sections to fit in the channel was done on my linotype saw-trimmer in sections about 5" long. The linotype saw has a clamp for holding small pieces of metal so it does this with precision and safety. Lacking such a saw, I would recommend cutting the profiled pieces with a straight bit buried in a straight wood fence on a router table and a work-holding jig with a couple of De-sta-co style clamps to hold the aluminum securely.

After the lengths are profiled I do a little filing and test the length in the track for a good fit. If the "tongue" doesn't engage in the track, then the stop will twist when bumped and right-angle accuracy isn't available.

The profiled section could be made in Delrin or maybe even wood. Wood doesn't hold small tapped threads very well and is prone to splitting so I would recommend the plastic or metal. I didn't look but you can probably find something plastic already made for t-track that would work if you don't want to mess the router jig for profiling the part.

After the parts are profiled and fit it the track, I cut them to length (1-1/8" long), drill a center hole and then work the part some more with a file to get it smooth enough on all edges to slide well in the track.

This aluminum can be cross-cut on a table saw or miter saw, but you should make a jig to hold the parts since they are so short. It is important the ends be square for the flip stop to be accurate.


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

Loren said:


> *Panel saw flip stop system*
> 
> I made a bunch of these flip stops for my panel saw. I used 1/4" x 1/2" aluminum bar stock offcuts I bought on ebay from a surplus dealer for very cheap. The brass 1/4-20 thumb nuts were bought from an ebay seller as well. I bought some t-bolts from Woodline USA (like toilet bolts) but these brass thumb nuts don't fit them (regular 1/4-20 nuts do), so I used regular 1/4-20 hex head bolts and they work well, though perhaps sliding in the t-track a little less smoothly.
> 
> ...


That is really slick, Loren!


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## mprzybylski (Nov 21, 2011)

Loren said:


> *Panel saw flip stop system*
> 
> I made a bunch of these flip stops for my panel saw. I used 1/4" x 1/2" aluminum bar stock offcuts I bought on ebay from a surplus dealer for very cheap. The brass 1/4-20 thumb nuts were bought from an ebay seller as well. I bought some t-bolts from Woodline USA (like toilet bolts) but these brass thumb nuts don't fit them (regular 1/4-20 nuts do), so I used regular 1/4-20 hex head bolts and they work well, though perhaps sliding in the t-track a little less smoothly.
> 
> ...


Loren, this is very cool. Can you give a direct link to the woodline page for the track? I can't seem to find it, hopefully they still produce it. Thanks.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Loren said:


> *Panel saw flip stop system*
> 
> I made a bunch of these flip stops for my panel saw. I used 1/4" x 1/2" aluminum bar stock offcuts I bought on ebay from a surplus dealer for very cheap. The brass 1/4-20 thumb nuts were bought from an ebay seller as well. I bought some t-bolts from Woodline USA (like toilet bolts) but these brass thumb nuts don't fit them (regular 1/4-20 nuts do), so I used regular 1/4-20 hex head bolts and they work well, though perhaps sliding in the t-track a little less smoothly.
> 
> ...


http://www.woodline.com/p-2206-90-deg-mini-t-track.aspx


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## mprzybylski (Nov 21, 2011)

Loren said:


> *Panel saw flip stop system*
> 
> I made a bunch of these flip stops for my panel saw. I used 1/4" x 1/2" aluminum bar stock offcuts I bought on ebay from a surplus dealer for very cheap. The brass 1/4-20 thumb nuts were bought from an ebay seller as well. I bought some t-bolts from Woodline USA (like toilet bolts) but these brass thumb nuts don't fit them (regular 1/4-20 nuts do), so I used regular 1/4-20 hex head bolts and they work well, though perhaps sliding in the t-track a little less smoothly.
> 
> ...


Ok, I take that back, I did see that  what are the dimensions of that thing and how long is it? I don't see that info anywhere on the site.

Thanks for the link.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Loren said:


> *Panel saw flip stop system*
> 
> I made a bunch of these flip stops for my panel saw. I used 1/4" x 1/2" aluminum bar stock offcuts I bought on ebay from a surplus dealer for very cheap. The brass 1/4-20 thumb nuts were bought from an ebay seller as well. I bought some t-bolts from Woodline USA (like toilet bolts) but these brass thumb nuts don't fit them (regular 1/4-20 nuts do), so I used regular 1/4-20 hex head bolts and they work well, though perhaps sliding in the t-track a little less smoothly.
> 
> ...


48" long.


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## 559dustdesigns (Sep 23, 2009)

Loren said:


> *Panel saw flip stop system*
> 
> I made a bunch of these flip stops for my panel saw. I used 1/4" x 1/2" aluminum bar stock offcuts I bought on ebay from a surplus dealer for very cheap. The brass 1/4-20 thumb nuts were bought from an ebay seller as well. I bought some t-bolts from Woodline USA (like toilet bolts) but these brass thumb nuts don't fit them (regular 1/4-20 nuts do), so I used regular 1/4-20 hex head bolts and they work well, though perhaps sliding in the t-track a little less smoothly.
> 
> ...


Looks good man, thanks for sharing.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

*Video - Euro style vertical shop made panel saw*


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

Loren said:


> *Video - Euro style vertical shop made panel saw*


Top cool.
What a build.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## woodklutz (Oct 27, 2010)

Loren said:


> *Video - Euro style vertical shop made panel saw*


Man are you good. Wonderfully thought out.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Loren said:


> *Video - Euro style vertical shop made panel saw*


Thanks. There was a lot of blundering involved and re-doing
the assembly involved. Like any machine you'd buy, I found
that often the part I wanted to work on was buried under
other parts and there was often a lot of disassembly 
involved in making even the smallest changes.


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## Bieser (Oct 30, 2012)

Loren said:


> *Video - Euro style vertical shop made panel saw*


Very nice! Great video explanation.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

*Hitachi resaw with 3" wide blade*

This saw looks pretty bad. Like everything, I got it used. It was originally sold by a dealer in Hawaii so I reckon the humidity did a number on the paint. Then it found its way to the mainland and was owned by at least 2 coastal cabinet makers before I bought it.

The 3" wide blade makes resawing a breeze and setups for cutting 1/8" pieces are a breeze. I used to dread resawing because the setup was so tricky. With the Hitachi, as long as the blade is sharp it's going to cut straight.

The motor is weird, 110 volt universal (brush type) with a gearbox. The saw sounds really weird starting up. Power is not bad though. I haven't used it on any woods that would properly be considered hard. Feed rates can be very quick compared to what I was used to with other resaw blades on general purpose band saws.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

Loren said:


> *Hitachi resaw with 3" wide blade*
> 
> This saw looks pretty bad. Like everything, I got it used. It was originally sold by a dealer in Hawaii so I reckon the humidity did a number on the paint. Then it found its way to the mainland and was owned by at least 2 coastal cabinet makers before I bought it.
> 
> ...


I had a friend back in my cold molding days at my shipyard who owned one of these. He made a home made power feed for it and could resaw all the 1/4" mahogany for a 36' boat in a day. He used stelite tipped blades. Best of all it was all perfect 1/4".
Great saw.


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## NormG (Mar 5, 2010)

Loren said:


> *Hitachi resaw with 3" wide blade*
> 
> This saw looks pretty bad. Like everything, I got it used. It was originally sold by a dealer in Hawaii so I reckon the humidity did a number on the paint. Then it found its way to the mainland and was owned by at least 2 coastal cabinet makers before I bought it.
> 
> ...


Wow, looks like a work horse


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Loren said:


> *Hitachi resaw with 3" wide blade*
> 
> This saw looks pretty bad. Like everything, I got it used. It was originally sold by a dealer in Hawaii so I reckon the humidity did a number on the paint. Then it found its way to the mainland and was owned by at least 2 coastal cabinet makers before I bought it.
> 
> ...


Nice score! That 3" wide blade should be the answer to the "wandering bandsaw blade" when resawing. I'm amazed that a 110 volt motor powers this (guess the gearing is the answer). Enjoy and post a vid of it in action!


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

*radial arm thickness sander*

In the past I had this old Performax 22/44 sander set up on a Delta turret radial arm saw. I used the motor on the saw for a few years, but it wasn't very satisfactory. I took the sander apart and haven't used it in years but I've decided to get it going again.

I removed the carriage and turret from the Delta RAS (it's a 9" and never had a guard so I never had any interest in using it for its intended purpose - still, it is very well made). I have a 2HP motor I'll rig up to power it this time. I also have the conveyer unit.

Performax started out selling the original 22/44 as a radial arm saw attachment. This sander is made from that original Performax model. The conveyer was sold separately.

These days with used drum sanders not holding value particularly well, I would never mess with cobbling together such a setup… but, you know, I had the parts on hand.


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## runswithscissors (Nov 8, 2012)

Loren said:


> *radial arm thickness sander*
> 
> In the past I had this old Performax 22/44 sander set up on a Delta turret radial arm saw. I used the motor on the saw for a few years, but it wasn't very satisfactory. I took the sander apart and haven't used it in years but I've decided to get it going again.
> 
> ...


Looks like you might be able to run a bolt from the old pivot arm pivot to the sander arm and really stiffen that thing up. One problem with the open end sander is insufficient rigidity to the arm.


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## JL7 (Apr 13, 2010)

Loren said:


> *radial arm thickness sander*
> 
> In the past I had this old Performax 22/44 sander set up on a Delta turret radial arm saw. I used the motor on the saw for a few years, but it wasn't very satisfactory. I took the sander apart and haven't used it in years but I've decided to get it going again.
> 
> ...


Loren, I have the same old sander….use it all the time, with upgrades…...Today, I added the new paper holding things (instead of the plastic)......blog here.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

*New digital height readout on ugly drum sander*

The Delta turret radial arm saw column that serves to move
my drum sander's head up and down has quite a lot of
backlash in the screw - over 1/4 turn. This made adjustment
maddening in the past because (in part) I had a weaker
motor (wimpy 10 amp or something one on the 9" saw
carriage) on it before. It was easy to take too deep a cut 
and induce slippage of the belt. The new (well, salvaged) 
20 amp motor is much brawnier of course so it can take 
a more aggressive cut easily.

The DRO was easy to install. I tapped holes in the sander
arm casting and into the cast iron saw column. I pounded
the bracket to a modified shape on a piece of railroad
track. Installation only took about 40 minutes to 
figure out and execute.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

*Bandsaw blade coil stock*

I've started buying coils and soldering my own blades.

This is a Nicholson old stock (no longer made) 5/8 3tpi wood
cutting band coil. It is 100' and I paid $69 shipped for it.

I'll get 11 blades for my 104" bandsaw (INCA 710) at a 
price per blade of about $6.25. For comparison, Lee Valley
sells 1/2" x 3tpi welded blades for my saw for $25 each.

I buy the coil stock on ebay… I have yet to see 1/2" x 3tpi
stock at such a nice price.

My saw takes up to 1" wide blades so going with 5/8" 
is not a problem.

Cutting, scarfing and soldering a blade takes about 10 minutes.


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## renners (Apr 9, 2010)

Loren said:


> *Bandsaw blade coil stock*
> 
> I've started buying coils and soldering my own blades.
> 
> ...


That's quite a saving you are making, I was always under the impression that you needed a specialized machine costing thousands to join the ends together. Nice one.


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## BBF (May 13, 2013)

Loren said:


> *Bandsaw blade coil stock*
> 
> I've started buying coils and soldering my own blades.
> 
> ...


Renners if you don't want to solder them together you can use one of these not costing thousands of dollars.
www.grizzly.com/products/Blade-Welder-1-2-KVA-1-8-1-2-/T10499
www.grizzly.com/products/Blade-Welder-4-2-KVA-3-8-3-4-/T10500
These are very similar to the bandsaw welders we use to the toolrooms that I have worked in.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Loren said:


> *Bandsaw blade coil stock*
> 
> I've started buying coils and soldering my own blades.
> 
> ...


I use something like this:

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,41036,41048&p=41049

I bought it originally for repairing skinny blades that break
easily.

Instructions by Bob Vaughn here:

http://wiki.vintagemachinery.org/BandsawBladeSoldering.ashx


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## Surfside (Jun 13, 2012)

Loren said:


> *Bandsaw blade coil stock*
> 
> I've started buying coils and soldering my own blades.
> 
> ...


I've always wanted to weld together a band saw blade stock. But I have no equipment for it. Anyway, cool one.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Loren said:


> *Bandsaw blade coil stock*
> 
> I've started buying coils and soldering my own blades.
> 
> ...


I don't weld them, I solder them. Big difference.

My soldering set up sells for about $35 these days. 
Useful if you ever break blades too.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

*Stroke sander*

Minimax (SCMI) stroke sander I bought at auction, super
cheap.

The machine must have been a problem for a couple of 
owners at least. I bought it as is, and my impression was
the seller had bought it the same way. The motors run
and it works fine.

The problem is the welder who did some of the fabrication 
wasn't reading the drawings correctly. The welder used
10mm plates where 15mm plates are needed. The previous
owners has tried bushing these parts with piece of hardwood.
This worked on one side but not the other because the
welder had messed something else up too.

I drilled out a weld to reposition a small part, welded 1/4" 
pieces of steel onto the plates, and now the machine
operates as it should.


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## Pono (Mar 10, 2012)

Loren said:


> *Stroke sander*
> 
> Minimax (SCMI) stroke sander I bought at auction, super
> cheap.
> ...


nice score looks like a good machine


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Loren said:


> *Stroke sander*
> 
> Minimax (SCMI) stroke sander I bought at auction, super
> cheap.
> ...


I'm thrilled actually. This thing will save me a lot of time and
it's so simple mechanically there's almost nothing to
go wrong with it.


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## BJODay (Jan 29, 2013)

Loren said:


> *Stroke sander*
> 
> Minimax (SCMI) stroke sander I bought at auction, super
> cheap.
> ...


Pardon my ignorance,
I've never heard of a stroke sander. I've seen large stationary belt sanders and drum sanders, but never a stroke sander. How does it work?


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Loren said:


> *Stroke sander*
> 
> Minimax (SCMI) stroke sander I bought at auction, super
> cheap.
> ...


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

*Cantilever roof support for outdoor machine*

I welded up these cantilever supports and bolted them to
the back of my stroke sander. The sander is about 11'
long. I'll put some corrugated roofing across there
to keep the rain and dirt mostly off the machines. 
It doesn't snow in my climate so the almost flat pitch
is okay.

The machine in front of the stroke sander is an 
edge banding press. I made the cantilever arms 
long enough to support roofing for both.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

*router mortiser*

Quickly made router mortiser using a KITY mortise table from a K5 combination machine.

Range of height adjustment is limited by the arc. The build was simple though and I have other tools for mortising as well - I wanted to make this something I could quickly set up for quick slot mortises since my other slot mortiser is a sort of multi-router type tool and I would rather leave that set up for making tenons. Since I am developing chairs, I don't want to use loose tenons.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

*Making a replacement extension table for Tannewitz table saw*

Tannewitz made these saws with a robust rack and pinion fence
with about a 9" range. In order to cut wider than 9" you have
to re-locate the fence using a series of tapered holes in the
extension table. Without the extension there is only one set of
holes to the left of the blade, severely limiting the fence's usefulness
in working sheet goods.

My recently acquired 1930s-era Tannewitz JS variety saw came
to me lacking the extension table and a few other parts. I contemplated
giving up and selling the fence to install some sort of modern
aftermarket fence, but many fences would have to be modified
anyway to be compatible with the sliding deck to the left of
the blade.

It occurred to me to weld up some doohickey to drill tapered
pin holes into in order to have some additional fence position,
but then it occurred to me that I could salvage the cast iron
table off a trashed Craftsman table saw I had hauled home
a few weeks ago, thinking I could salvage the arbor in order
to cobble up an improved belt-driven head for my panel saw.

I cut the table off with a cut off wheel on an angle grinder. 
The iron wasn't too difficult to cut with the wheel.










After I cut it off I spent about 20 minutes trying to make
the remaining rough edges look a little better. For some 
reason a previous owner of the Craftsman table saw had
made some dramatic modifications, drilling holes and breaking
out part of the hole in the top, perhaps even putting
two saws together like Frankenstein…. it's quite a bizarre 
collection of parts.










Here's the table propped up in position so I can look at it
and consider how to go about drilling matching holes 
so I can bolt it to the Tannewitz with a reasonably flush
joint across the top.










Here's what the original OEM extension table would look like:










Here's my replacement table cleaned-up, bolted in position
and the first pair of tapered holes drilled for mounting the
fence.










Here's a view of the set-up for drilling the middle set of holes:


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## changeoffocus (Dec 21, 2013)

Loren said:


> *Making a replacement extension table for Tannewitz table saw*
> 
> Tannewitz made these saws with a robust rack and pinion fence
> with about a 9" range. In order to cut wider than 9" you have
> ...


Loren 
Nice piece of machinery and clever use of cast off parts. 
You attention to detail is to be admired. 
I searched your saw brand after your first post and has quite a following. 
Interesting subject as usual please post a video with sound of it running. 
Bob


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Loren said:


> *Making a replacement extension table for Tannewitz table saw*
> 
> Tannewitz made these saws with a robust rack and pinion fence
> with about a 9" range. In order to cut wider than 9" you have
> ...


I've ordered a new starter for it. It will be awhile before
it's ready to use.

I'm actually hoping it will spin a blade quieter than my other
saw, which is pretty loud.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

*Making replacement metal parts for vintage machines*

Embedding videos doesn't seem to work on Lumberjocks anymore.

The video is comments on how I went about making some replacement
parts for a Tannewitz JS sliding table saw carriage.


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## SASmith (Mar 22, 2010)

Loren said:


> *Making replacement metal parts for vintage machines*
> 
> Embedding videos doesn't seem to work on Lumberjocks anymore.
> 
> ...







Nice video.
You can embed videos but you have to use the old embed code from youtube.


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## freddy1962 (Feb 27, 2014)

Loren said:


> *Making replacement metal parts for vintage machines*
> 
> Embedding videos doesn't seem to work on Lumberjocks anymore.
> 
> ...


Nice job on the repair Loren.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Loren said:


> *Making replacement metal parts for vintage machines*
> 
> Embedding videos doesn't seem to work on Lumberjocks anymore.
> 
> ...


Thanks for figuring the code out, Scott.

Is there a legacy embed code still generated by Youtube, or 
does it have to be done by hand?


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Loren said:


> *Making replacement metal parts for vintage machines*
> 
> Embedding videos doesn't seem to work on Lumberjocks anymore.
> 
> ...


Here is how you get to the old embed code…


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Loren said:


> *Making replacement metal parts for vintage machines*
> 
> Embedding videos doesn't seem to work on Lumberjocks anymore.
> 
> ...


Thanks Rick.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

*Pneumatic case clamp by Handy Manufacturing co. *

Model 43. Circa 1914-1957. I'd guess it's on the later end of Handy Mfg.'s run.


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## cathode (May 18, 2014)

Loren said:


> *Pneumatic case clamp by Handy Manufacturing co. *
> 
> Model 43. Circa 1914-1957. I'd guess it's on the later end of Handy Mfg.'s run.


You can figure out the clamping force exerted by that piston by multiplying the surface area of the piston by the air pressure… It looks like the bore of the piston might be around 9-10" or so… lets say 10" bore @ 120 PSI..

10in diameter / 2 = 5in radius,
3.14159 x (5×5) = 78.539 square inches surface area of piston
120 pounds per square inch x 78.539 square inches = 9424.68 pounds of force.

I bet if you were doing bent laminations, you could make your 'moulds' in two halves, put the lamination in the middle, chuck it in that press, and go crazy. the 4" stroke might be a limiting factor though but you could crank that wheel to pull the back cheek closer allowing the air cylinder to close it all up.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Loren said:


> *Pneumatic case clamp by Handy Manufacturing co. *
> 
> Model 43. Circa 1914-1957. I'd guess it's on the later end of Handy Mfg.'s run.


That's good to know. When I acquired the clamp I was excited
about using it for laminations. It may go farther than 4"... it just
hit the back jaw and stopped.

It was seized until yesterday and I just got the sprocket system
working again.


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## cathode (May 18, 2014)

Loren said:


> *Pneumatic case clamp by Handy Manufacturing co. *
> 
> Model 43. Circa 1914-1957. I'd guess it's on the later end of Handy Mfg.'s run.


Almost 5 tons, that's a *LOT* of force. don't put your hand in  Good luck and I look forward to seeing what becomes of this.


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## changeoffocus (Dec 21, 2013)

Loren said:


> *Pneumatic case clamp by Handy Manufacturing co. *
> 
> Model 43. Circa 1914-1957. I'd guess it's on the later end of Handy Mfg.'s run.


Interesting machine, your collection is amazing.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Loren said:


> *Pneumatic case clamp by Handy Manufacturing co. *
> 
> Model 43. Circa 1914-1957. I'd guess it's on the later end of Handy Mfg.'s run.


If you think I got it bad, this guy is out of his freaking mind:

http://www.owwm.net/


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

*SCMI stroke sander demo*


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

*Motor winding connective wires, smoked*

Here's part of a European c-face motor with damaged connective
wires coming off the winding. It's rather a proprietary sort of
arrangement powering a slow-speed gearbox, so I have to figure
out how to repair the wires or have the core rewound. Ugh.


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## Sigung (Nov 20, 2013)

Loren said:


> *Motor winding connective wires, smoked*
> 
> Here's part of a European c-face motor with damaged connective
> wires coming off the winding. It's rather a proprietary sort of
> ...


That's an expensive proposition. You might want to consider just buying a new motor it might be cheaper in the long run.


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## EEngineer (Jul 4, 2008)

Loren said:


> *Motor winding connective wires, smoked*
> 
> Here's part of a European c-face motor with damaged connective
> wires coming off the winding. It's rather a proprietary sort of
> ...


I opened your picture in a separate window and blew it up. It *looks *as though the only thing damaged are the connecting wires. I see no evidence of overheating or degradation of the varnish on the actual motor windings. If (and you really need to check this) that is the case, then the solution might be simple. At a minimum, I would do a quick resistance check from the motor windings to the case of the motor to make sure the varnish insulation hasn't broken down.

I have repaired damage like this to a motor. I walked the connection back to where it connects to varnished wire from the windings and replaced the degraded wire. A good solder joint and some shrink tubing and it was good to go again. I think that one is still running in my shop.

I would be concerned about why that wiring failed in the first place. In my case, it was just old age and failure of the insulation on the connecting wires. Is that round black thing to the lower left of your motor a capacitor? If so, then maybe failure of that cap led to overheating and destruction of the wires. Without a circuit diagram or some idea of what the hell they are actually doing with the motor, it is impossible to gauge the success of just replacing the bad wires.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Loren said:


> *Motor winding connective wires, smoked*
> 
> Here's part of a European c-face motor with damaged connective
> wires coming off the winding. It's rather a proprietary sort of
> ...


Well, that's good news. As a European format c-face motor
with an 11mm spindle finding an affordable replacement 
could be rather tricky.


----------

