# tragedies



## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*sealed with a trip*

Let me show you why tonight's shop-time sucked…



Sigh… So I had a 2gal bucket of Anchorseal - prized wood end grain sealer for drying logs and planks. I was carrying it to a spot in the shop where I was to seal up a bunch of European olive bottle blanks I resawed and cut up from a large log tonight. My foot got hung up really well on something - maybe my rolling stand - and I lurched forward hard. Of course, I never trip like that, but since I was carrying a bucket of liquid wax emulsion… I hadn't put the lid on the bucket properly - just sat it lightly on top - because I had just been using it, and was only bringing it over to use it closer to where I was working.



I should have capped it AND carried it by the pail handle. Alas, I absolutely launched its contents out of it. It was the same kind of 2-handed motion you'd do if you were trying to throw the contents of a bucket out a window, or into someone's face. I emptied it entirely, while screaming "NOOOOooooo!", and it made the same kind of noise you get when emptying a bucket into the tub, a sickening splash and splatter. I recall closing my eyes and not wanting to open them ever again. You'll note my shoe is rather well sealed now. I guess that new shoe purchase I keep putting off will get bumped forward on my to-buy list.



You can see the joy in my eyes there. I'll do a separate post soon on the bottle blanks, because the inside of that European olive log is just beautiful, and I got a lot of pretty pictures. The sealer on my arm is from the initial launch of everything out of the bucket.

In an earlier photo, you see a scrap of plywood coated entirely. I emptied it back into the bucket, then started using it to 'lift' the viscous sealer off the floor. I couldn't just scoop it up, because the floor is a mess in my shop, covered in sawdust, screws, tree parts, labels, plastic strips - in short, it needs a hardy cleaning. So, I kept laying the sheet in the puddle, then picking it up and flipping it over quickly, and using a turning blank as a scraper to 'shave' the new surface of sealer back into the bucket. You can see the scraped ply board in this shot:



I managed to get a pretty clean 3" high volume back into the bucket, enough to seal up the blanks. I'm normally quite dainty in my sealings, trying not to get any on my hands, because I don't like sliminess. It was too late for that now, though, and I just ended up plunging my hand into the bucket with each blank in many cases. Way faster! My hands should be silky smooth tomorrow  The worst part was that I was trapped in the garage, because my hands were now frictionless. Even after I wiped them down, I had a very hard time with the smooth brass doorknob. I could've starved in there!

Cleanup's going to be fun. I imagined paper towels, sponges and a bucket, a steam cleaner to melt and suck it all back up, something absorbent and a heat gun to melt the dried stuff in, yanking it free like an eyebrow waxing, or just letting it dry out, and using a metal or plastic scraper. Shame the floor is rough concrete. That won't help any. Here's an example of how fruitless paper towels would be, in video form:

http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377

It's so thick, sticky, and waxy, the paper towels just push it around. I've spilled a blob or three here and there on the floor before, and once they get dusted in sawdust, those spots become slippery like ice. This spill is going to pose some interesting problems for me, even after I clean it up.

I ordered the 5gal bucket last week, as I was nearing the halfway point on this, and now I'm going to be doing all this resawing. It arrives this week. Stay tuned for the MEGADISASTER I'm planning for that container once it gets here!

Sigh…


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## cabinetmaster (Aug 28, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *sealed with a trip*
> 
> Let me show you why tonight's shop-time sucked…
> 
> ...


Gary, I feel for you man. I've had similar accidents and it can be very frustrating. Glad you weren't hurt.


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## spanky46 (Feb 12, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *sealed with a trip*
> 
> Let me show you why tonight's shop-time sucked…
> 
> ...


Sorry about that Gary! Pictures are one thing but movies with sound and no swearing or expletives…You must be a saint!
Can't tell you all the times I have tripped in my shop!


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *sealed with a trip*
> 
> Let me show you why tonight's shop-time sucked…
> 
> ...


good chance to " clean up " the shop !

it's allways in the details .


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## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *sealed with a trip*
> 
> Let me show you why tonight's shop-time sucked…
> 
> ...


ARRRRGH!


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## RobS (Aug 11, 2006)

gfixler said:


> *sealed with a trip*
> 
> Let me show you why tonight's shop-time sucked…
> 
> ...


Did something similar with black stain just a week ago, the only good news for me was that I ended up not wanting to use the stain anyway, so lost the money but did not want the product, not for the current project. Was wearing flip-flops at the time, ened up with Ozzy Ozbourne black toe nail polish, so be thankful for the shoes.

Live and learn…


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## Kindlingmaker (Sep 29, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *sealed with a trip*
> 
> Let me show you why tonight's shop-time sucked…
> 
> ...


Oooooohhh… Anything but Anchorseal! Great photos though and thank you!


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## bluchz (Mar 1, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *sealed with a trip*
> 
> Let me show you why tonight's shop-time sucked…
> 
> ...


ouch!!! that hurts the feelings and the checkbook. It was a bad day but it could be worse, at least nobody got hurt!


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## SCOTSMAN (Aug 1, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *sealed with a trip*
> 
> Let me show you why tonight's shop-time sucked…
> 
> ...


ouch I felt that!!! what a bummer.Alistair


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *sealed with a trip*
> 
> Let me show you why tonight's shop-time sucked…
> 
> ...


To bad man it's happen to the best of use


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *sealed with a trip*
> 
> Let me show you why tonight's shop-time sucked…
> 
> ...


What a nightmare! I really feel for you. Isn't there some kind of solvent that takes wax? Better wear spiked shoes in the shop til you've got it cleaned up.


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## bowyer (Feb 6, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *sealed with a trip*
> 
> Let me show you why tonight's shop-time sucked…
> 
> ...


I know exactly how you feel, my oops moment involved a gal paint and new carpet. Replace the round door knob with a lever style, easy opening with elbows!!
Rick


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## SCOTSMAN (Aug 1, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *sealed with a trip*
> 
> Let me show you why tonight's shop-time sucked…
> 
> ...


or dentures.LOL hey I have all my own.Alistair


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *sealed with a trip*
> 
> Let me show you why tonight's shop-time sucked…
> 
> ...


Thanks for the solidarity, folks! I actually did get hurt. When I tripped, I did something to the outer edge of my left foot. Almost feels like a fracture, but when I press on it and move it around, it doesn't hurt, and I think a fracture should. I've had knocks like this to the feet plenty, though, with my long and storied soccer career years back. I'm sure it's just a bruised bone, same as always. Hurts a little to walk today, but I'll be back at full strength soon enough.

Thanks again, all! We are truly a bunch of clumsy people


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

gfixler said:


> *sealed with a trip*
> 
> Let me show you why tonight's shop-time sucked…
> 
> ...


Sorry gary. A nice/bad mess.


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## pommy (Apr 17, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *sealed with a trip*
> 
> Let me show you why tonight's shop-time sucked…
> 
> ...


Gray thats got to hurt man sorry but i had to laugh i did the same thing awhile back with some paint for indoors but i never had the balls to show everyone

enjoy the clean up mate

Andy


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## TraumaJacques (Oct 25, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *sealed with a trip*
> 
> Let me show you why tonight's shop-time sucked…
> 
> ...


Hi Gary
Sorry for the spill I have been a fan of your blog for a while and totally get the free wood thing but I must ask you this…What in the world are you gonna do with it all? now others may have asked you this, but I do not have time to read every comments. it appears to me that all your wood is about 12 inches in length. Just my two cents.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *sealed with a trip*
> 
> Let me show you why tonight's shop-time sucked…
> 
> ...


That is the pits!! :-(( Sorry to hear this. My guess is a pressure washer would be the way to take it off to floor. I have one of the little ones that hooks up to a hose for water supply. You can get adapters that go from kitchen faucet to hose thread. That way you could send hot water through to help soften the wax, Those pressure washers will take the finish off concrete if you're not careful. I'm sujre it will take teh wax off.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *sealed with a trip*
> 
> Let me show you why tonight's shop-time sucked…
> 
> ...


Thanks Karson and Andy.

Jaques - Good question! I'm just having fun. I guess there's a general idea here that if you're loading up on free supplies, you're trying to form a business, or at least offset costs, but I'm really not. I'm just fascinated by processes. I have often been known to buy all the stuff necessary for processes (anodizing, distilling, machining, etc), but never really make anything out of them. There are always new processes to learn and try out. So, any ideas? 

I think pretty stuff will end up in frame and panel cabinets, as I have about 10-15 cabinet ideas I need for myself in various rooms and the shop itself. I've considered trying instruments when I get better, as I dabble in a few, and would love more than anything to make, say, a stringed instrument I could then fiddle around on. Book-matching my own instrument fronts and back would be very enjoyable for me. I have tables I want to make. Lately I'm a bit on about bottle stoppers, and that's why I cut out about 25 blanks last night. They can be very beautiful, are pretty quick and fun to make, and people always need them it seems. I already have customers lined up for some. I admit, one of them is mom.

I also love little boxes, like jewelry boxes, and thin slabs of pretty, found woods would make keepsake boxes extra special when I give them as gifts. I have some people who want a lazy susan or three, and making them out of wood I prepared from the tree all the way through to the finished piece would give me - and subsequently them - a nice little story behind the piece. Too, I have a lot of little ideas I want to try out on my mini mill and mini lathe, with CNC processes that would be nightmarishly difficult to do by hand.

Oh, another thing - finishes. I'm really happy to have tons of pieces of various woods for really trying out every combination of varnishes, oils, stains, dyes, and whatever else on the same wood, in mixed ratios, and with varying orders of application and layers. Once I build up a big knowledge of that stuff from hands-on experience, I'll know my favorites, and how they look, and what they do to wood, and then with minimal testing, I'll have a really strong picture of how I want to finish future projects in woods I don't know well. For example, I can then do 3 tests of things I'd prefer to use, and know "this is the one."

Finally, it's just fun! I'm having a blast. I have 1 other woodworking pal out here, and he's starting to pick up the pace in his new 2-car garage (so jealous), having gotten the same saw table as me, and now a compressor and 3 nail guns. He made a bunch of boxes in short order, and they all came out perfectly I hear. He's also really good at repair and refinishing of older and antique pieces. I could give him the gift of a pile of slabs to do what he will with next year when they're dry enough. It's no loss to me when they were free, right? There are few woodworkers I know here, because I'm in the tech/entertainment industry, at a computer all day.


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## HokieMojo (Mar 11, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *sealed with a trip*
> 
> Let me show you why tonight's shop-time sucked…
> 
> ...


i forgot to mention this in an earlier post, so I guess here is as good as any spot. I remember you got some softwoods (leyland cypress maybe). Remember that all that sap will cause problems even after the wood is dry. This may be one time that a kiln would be valuable. I've read on here that is is called eitehr pitch setting or sap setting. Basically, the theory goes that whatever temperature the sap reaches, is the new minimum temperature that the sap will start to run again. In other words, you will probably want to get your logs up to a nice warm temp (over 150?) for a sustainable time period. That way sap won't run from a finished project if it ever is exposed to heat in a kitchen, attic, or direct sunlight in front of a window.

Also, sorry about the spill. I've had some bad issues but it ussually involves a dropped tool or project. Thsi is messier, but hopefully less costly. Hope your foot feels better.


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## Kindlingmaker (Sep 29, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *sealed with a trip*
> 
> Let me show you why tonight's shop-time sucked…
> 
> ...


Gary, Use floor stripper that you would strip the wax off your kitchen floors with… Just a thought.


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## clieb91 (Aug 17, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *sealed with a trip*
> 
> Let me show you why tonight's shop-time sucked…
> 
> ...


Gary
Just got a chance to see the pics. Ouch, hope it cleaned up well.
Sounds like some good ideas for usage of all that wood. Glad you are able to process it look forward to seeing the finished and the in progress pieces.

CtL


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*National Lampoon's Economic Downturn Vacation*

I work in video games, and it's seemed this year to be pretty immune to the recession. Kids always want their video games, and when you can't do much else, like building that addition, or moving to a new place, picking up a game or two to play away the misery is a comforting alternative.

Or so we thought.

Looks like it's finally trickled up, or down, or sideways, and as such, we had The Meeting today. While not officially laid off, I'm on 'forced vacation' starting tomorrow morning. The good news is that I don't have to get up early! The bad news is that we're waiting on a deal with another company before we can all come back. These kinds of things are notoriously painful and slow. There's a lot of wishy-washy back-and-forth when trying to get a game started, or in this case, finished. We were told that they "don't want to cancel it," but there's a lot of negotiating still going on. Meanwhile, the bosses - who are really great guys - have tried every avenue they could imagine - old contacts, cell phone games, 1-off stuff we could all do separately, like the script I alone wrote for another company earlier this year, and of course, subcontracted work for larger games being made elsewhere - a usual savior for us. Unfortunately, large companies are all saying the same thing - the recession has them fighting just to feed the mouths in their own companies.

There are 40 in our employ, and with one side job going still, only 5 will be coming in to work on that, and I'm not on that project. I do have 19 vacation days saved up, and will be paid for them as the days off add up, but after that I'm unpaid until we get work. The bosses gave the other company an ultimatum - we must know where we stand by the 15th of October. That's sort of the cut-off date., but if we get the greenlight to continue tomorrow, we'll be back to work on Friday. It's all up in the air. It's looking like at the very least, some layoffs will unfortunately be in order. The other company hasn't even paid us for all the work we've done up until now, so we're robbing our own coffers to pay ourselves for that for the time being. Fortunately, I'm one of about 9 leads, and the bosses privately told us that they will consider us last during layoffs. This isn't really favoritism, though. Mostly it's just seniority, and our knowing how the bulk of our programs and processes work. Small comfort, though. I'd hate to lose any of us. It's a great group, and the end of the day was filled with hugs, well-wishes, and scribblings down of email addresses so we could all stay in touch in the interim, or in case that's it for the company.

Meanwhile, I have some unexpected free time. Sleeping late, cleaning the workshop "for realz," sawing up huge Eucalyptus logs, finally conquering The Ebay Pile (most of which isn't even worth selling anymore - anyone need a 3" thick book on Visual Basic 6.0 from half a decade ago? How about two of 'em?  - it's all queued up, and for that much I am excited. I do wish I had no money worries so I could go buy all the lumber I need for the half dozen or so projects I really want to build - organizers, wood storage, cabinetry, shelving, etc. Plywood is pricey! I've had this happen once before in about 2003, free after we were all let go at the end of months of hard work at a company, trying to enjoy the time, worrying alongside that about finding new work. I'm fine, though. I have a good amount saved up in several different areas. However, with the incredibly high cost of living here in LA, it really isn't as much as it seems. You can scale things for yourself by noting that a 1-story, 2-bedroom, 1-bath house of about 800-900 sq. ft. on a sub-1-acre lot, with a 1-car, detached garage, all built in and negligibly maintained since 1924 currently goes for - starting - about $650k, rents for about $2500/mo, no A/C. It's crazy times.

Anyway, good luck to us all. Apparently none of us is safe from this economical beast.


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## Innovator (Jan 20, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *National Lampoon's Economic Downturn Vacation*
> 
> I work in video games, and it's seemed this year to be pretty immune to the recession. Kids always want their video games, and when you can't do much else, like building that addition, or moving to a new place, picking up a game or two to play away the misery is a comforting alternative.
> 
> ...


I feel for you Gary, best of luck to you and your company on the upcoming job.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

gfixler said:


> *National Lampoon's Economic Downturn Vacation*
> 
> I work in video games, and it's seemed this year to be pretty immune to the recession. Kids always want their video games, and when you can't do much else, like building that addition, or moving to a new place, picking up a game or two to play away the misery is a comforting alternative.
> 
> ...


Sorry to hear about that Gary. I hope that your customer steps up and keeps the project going.


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## MikeGager (Jun 15, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *National Lampoon's Economic Downturn Vacation*
> 
> I work in video games, and it's seemed this year to be pretty immune to the recession. Kids always want their video games, and when you can't do much else, like building that addition, or moving to a new place, picking up a game or two to play away the misery is a comforting alternative.
> 
> ...


sorry to hear.

have you worked on any games i might have heard of?


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## king (Aug 5, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *National Lampoon's Economic Downturn Vacation*
> 
> I work in video games, and it's seemed this year to be pretty immune to the recession. Kids always want their video games, and when you can't do much else, like building that addition, or moving to a new place, picking up a game or two to play away the misery is a comforting alternative.
> 
> ...


Gary, I enjoy your posts and I am sorry to hear about your job. hopefully it will be only a short amount of time off GOOD LUCK AL


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## degoose (Mar 20, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *National Lampoon's Economic Downturn Vacation*
> 
> I work in video games, and it's seemed this year to be pretty immune to the recession. Kids always want their video games, and when you can't do much else, like building that addition, or moving to a new place, picking up a game or two to play away the misery is a comforting alternative.
> 
> ...


Always look on the bright side of life..keep your chin up and your spirits high.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *National Lampoon's Economic Downturn Vacation*
> 
> I work in video games, and it's seemed this year to be pretty immune to the recession. Kids always want their video games, and when you can't do much else, like building that addition, or moving to a new place, picking up a game or two to play away the misery is a comforting alternative.
> 
> ...


Gary, this is a bummer. I hope that you get back to work soon. I know it is going to be a "vacation" for a few days sleeping in and working the shop but that does not pay the bills. Hopefully you will be back to work shortly.

I have always wished I could move my house to LA. We have over 4000 sq ft of living space and 3 garages on a half acre lot. Here in Kentucky it would bring around 300K, if we were patient and waited for the right buyer. My wife has suggested that she would like to build again but there is something about paying more money for less house that bothers me. Building costs here run $100 to $150 a sq ft.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *National Lampoon's Economic Downturn Vacation*
> 
> I work in video games, and it's seemed this year to be pretty immune to the recession. Kids always want their video games, and when you can't do much else, like building that addition, or moving to a new place, picking up a game or two to play away the misery is a comforting alternative.
> 
> ...


Gary,

Wiith your positive attitude and talents, you will be fine. Shouldn't be long before you will be back at the "grind"

Lew


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *National Lampoon's Economic Downturn Vacation*
> 
> I work in video games, and it's seemed this year to be pretty immune to the recession. Kids always want their video games, and when you can't do much else, like building that addition, or moving to a new place, picking up a game or two to play away the misery is a comforting alternative.
> 
> ...


uughh.. sorry to hear that Gary. just before we moved out of LA we were looking to buy a property - a 2 bedroom APARTMENT in an OK place was running at $450K+... needless to say - we are still renting.

it is crazy times - in our case, we both are high tech people with good income, but still can't afford to buy our own house in Boston metro (I guess we're looking at the better places with better schools for our daughter so that makes things more difficult - but still…)

I heard a good tip 10 years ago which was - always keep looking for a different job position, even if you're perfectly happy with your current one- just to keep your options available should something happen, and built your network. I hope nothing bad happens and you all get to go back to your same old jobs- but it's a good idea to use this opportunity and sniff around some other places.


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## jockmike2 (Oct 10, 2006)

gfixler said:


> *National Lampoon's Economic Downturn Vacation*
> 
> I work in video games, and it's seemed this year to be pretty immune to the recession. Kids always want their video games, and when you can't do much else, like building that addition, or moving to a new place, picking up a game or two to play away the misery is a comforting alternative.
> 
> ...


Sorry to hear. I've closed 3 factories. It got so I was taking it personal. Thinking it was my fault. Just the darn steel at the time was all going overseas. I just went back to school and found a different vocation. When one door closes another opens they say, and I believe that. I'll say a prayer for you.


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## rustedknuckles (Feb 17, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *National Lampoon's Economic Downturn Vacation*
> 
> I work in video games, and it's seemed this year to be pretty immune to the recession. Kids always want their video games, and when you can't do much else, like building that addition, or moving to a new place, picking up a game or two to play away the misery is a comforting alternative.
> 
> ...


Hope things work out for you, I'm floored at your housing costs. Where I live I bougth a 2400 Sq.ft. 2 story, full basement home with 1 car garage and attached work shop on an average urban lot for 98 K. and that was 12 K below assessed value (buyers market). In you industry would telecommuting not be an option? If things get back to where they should be. Could be a good way to reduce your personal overhead. Mind you I would be hard pressed to leave California if I lived there.

Good luck and stay busy!


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## StevenAntonucci (Aug 14, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *National Lampoon's Economic Downturn Vacation*
> 
> I work in video games, and it's seemed this year to be pretty immune to the recession. Kids always want their video games, and when you can't do much else, like building that addition, or moving to a new place, picking up a game or two to play away the misery is a comforting alternative.
> 
> ...


I've been fired before, but never "laid off". It seems like there is hope for you to be "laid back on", so I will keep my fingers crossed that things work for you.

In the meantime, start looking around for something else to do if "on" doesn't happen, but also take the time off as time off. clean the shop, day trip, or whatever you can do to not think about the predicament. Life is too short to sweat the small stuff.

work is small stuff…


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## alaskan79 (Mar 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *National Lampoon's Economic Downturn Vacation*
> 
> I work in video games, and it's seemed this year to be pretty immune to the recession. Kids always want their video games, and when you can't do much else, like building that addition, or moving to a new place, picking up a game or two to play away the misery is a comforting alternative.
> 
> ...


I know how it feels to get layed off. I got layed off last mid-dec. and got called back in mid-may. You just need to keep your ears and eyes open because you never know when something might come your way. Right now even through I am working I do have a resume in at a different company that is a big increase in wages. Just by keeping my eyes and ears open I came across it.

Henry


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## RexMcKinnon (Aug 26, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *National Lampoon's Economic Downturn Vacation*
> 
> I work in video games, and it's seemed this year to be pretty immune to the recession. Kids always want their video games, and when you can't do much else, like building that addition, or moving to a new place, picking up a game or two to play away the misery is a comforting alternative.
> 
> ...


That sucks Gary. Hopefully your company does get that other contract. If not I am sure there are better thing in store for your future. Maybe you need to free time to find them.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *National Lampoon's Economic Downturn Vacation*
> 
> I work in video games, and it's seemed this year to be pretty immune to the recession. Kids always want their video games, and when you can't do much else, like building that addition, or moving to a new place, picking up a game or two to play away the misery is a comforting alternative.
> 
> ...


Good luck Gary!! I've been through the ups and downs many times in the construction business in the last 40 yrs. At least you have a bit of vaction time coming and a deadline where yoiu sort of know what will happen.


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## MOJOE (Jun 13, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *National Lampoon's Economic Downturn Vacation*
> 
> I work in video games, and it's seemed this year to be pretty immune to the recession. Kids always want their video games, and when you can't do much else, like building that addition, or moving to a new place, picking up a game or two to play away the misery is a comforting alternative.
> 
> ...


Yes Sir, times are a bit crazy right now. With luck, everything will work out for the best. Best wishes my friend, I hope it all gets straightened out.
joe


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *National Lampoon's Economic Downturn Vacation*
> 
> I work in video games, and it's seemed this year to be pretty immune to the recession. Kids always want their video games, and when you can't do much else, like building that addition, or moving to a new place, picking up a game or two to play away the misery is a comforting alternative.
> 
> ...


"pass the lemonade" (when you are dealt lemons…)

shop time is a nice silver lining but sorry to hear about the difficult times for you and for your company - and for the other companies that you mentioned


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## OCG (May 17, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *National Lampoon's Economic Downturn Vacation*
> 
> I work in video games, and it's seemed this year to be pretty immune to the recession. Kids always want their video games, and when you can't do much else, like building that addition, or moving to a new place, picking up a game or two to play away the misery is a comforting alternative.
> 
> ...


Good luck to you Gary, you are a very bright guy, im sure a better Opportunity will come up for you.
you have a lot of friends here at Lj's 
i have gone through three of these turn downs, we, the US just come back stronger


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## huff (May 28, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *National Lampoon's Economic Downturn Vacation*
> 
> I work in video games, and it's seemed this year to be pretty immune to the recession. Kids always want their video games, and when you can't do much else, like building that addition, or moving to a new place, picking up a game or two to play away the misery is a comforting alternative.
> 
> ...


I hope your next post will be telling us you're back to work, but untill then, keep your spirits up and try to enjoy a few days off ( just a few!). I hope all works out well.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *National Lampoon's Economic Downturn Vacation*
> 
> I work in video games, and it's seemed this year to be pretty immune to the recession. Kids always want their video games, and when you can't do much else, like building that addition, or moving to a new place, picking up a game or two to play away the misery is a comforting alternative.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the words of support, folks. It occurred to me that vacation days are work days that don't count weekends, so really the 3 weeks of buffer is 4 weeks. That made me feel a little bit better.

Mike - I've worked on mostly PSP games, but also on PS2, Xbox, GameCube, PC, and I think the Wii. The team has also fiddled a bit on the 360 and PS3. Our team ported Star Wars: Battlefront II from PS2 to PSP. We've done a He-Man game back in the day for the three main consoles (XB/PSP/GC + PC) which only came out in Europe. We made both PSP Transformers games for the recent movies. We worked on-site at EA (subcontracted) on the Goldeneye sequel a few years back. We made a Scooby Doo game ("Who's Watching Who") for PSP. Our team made the Wall-E game for PSP. We seem to get a lot of work on things that were my favorite cartoons growing up  We also made some training simulations for DARPA for training military teams. Lots of miscellaneous shorter stuff mixed into that.

PurpLev - sounds like Boston is pretty expensive, too!

huff - might be awhile before I'm posting that, and this little break is a perfect time to catch up on all the posting I've been too busy to get to!


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## REK (Aug 30, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *National Lampoon's Economic Downturn Vacation*
> 
> I work in video games, and it's seemed this year to be pretty immune to the recession. Kids always want their video games, and when you can't do much else, like building that addition, or moving to a new place, picking up a game or two to play away the misery is a comforting alternative.
> 
> ...


Gary,

I worry about my job too, I understand where your comming from- But your job sounds really cool. My son is big into psp2 wresteling, gta, and legos star wars. For the life of me I cannot understand the appeal of turning people into legos. I hope things work out for you, and your back to work soon.

bob


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*Craftsman 13" planer woes*

I've been so fantastically lazy these past 3 weeks of pseudo-laid-off time. I wanted to use this unexpected break to go nuts in the garage, as it's what I've dreamed of for more than a year now, but I think the anticipation of hard times ahead, and light anxiety of not having a steady income at the moment (first time in 6 years - since shortly after moving to CA) has sapped my motivation almost entirely. I've done almost nothing but wait. I've had some things I've wanted to do, but haven't wanted to spend any money on them - things requiring lumber and plywood, and so they're just on the back burner. It's looking like I might have to find another job soon after all, sadly.

But enough of that. I did work up enough motivation today to try to make a little oak grip device I've wanted to make for a few weeks now. I found a piece of scrap thicker than the usual 3/4" stuff of which I have tons, cut it into 2 lengths, then spent about 20 minutes going at the 6" Jet jointer with derusting agent, steel wool, and finally applying a coat of Johnson's paste wax, now that I have some. It's been half a year since I've used the jointer, and it's just been holding tall stacks of drying turning blanks, as I had no other surfaces upon which to set them. I moved them finally to a temporary place outside. I'm trying to push to finally have a shop [albeit, tiny] wherein all tools are accessible at all times. Piles really get in the way and kill my motivation to work on projects even more. It's virtually impossible to get anything accomplished when literally every tool and worksurface has a tall pile of junk on it, and there's literally nowhere to move any of it to in such a tiny garage - not until I build some storage solutions that will hold it all up on walls or hanging from rafters (which I've begun to do). Leaving that aside for now, the paste wax really does make a difference on the jointer. Wipe it on, let it dry a moment, buff it off with paper towels, and wood slides across it like an air-hockey puck. It should help prevent more rust, too. The jointer worked great, and a few minutes later the narrow oak pieces had a perfectly flat side.

The planer was a different story. I noticed a change in its sound early this year when I was using it on some shelving. It started to sound like it was fighting just to spin, and instead of winding down when I'd turn it off, it would brake very quickly. It seemed like something was jammed, but I could never find anything. I still worry about it, so today I had a more forensic search, and still found nothing. Unplugged, turning it by hand, I did find locations where it felt like the rotation was sticking. I couldn't figure out why, and it's a carnival of unremovable walls in there, so I couldn't get to the root problem. I just went with it, hoping the tight spots were magnetic things involving the motor. It still sounded rough as it had earlier this year, but I managed to plane the two oak pieces down to 1" thickness in several passes. I was going to make one more pass (they were actually 1-1/128" thick) to get them to size, but the whole planer jammed before I could insert the pieces. I jumped back and kicked the huge E-OFF panel with my foot. I really hate the noise and dangerous feeling of that machine, and having it jam, making a squealing rubber sound (the belt) really shook me. As my heart slowed back down, I unplugged it and set about to do a full autopsy. I've determined that this is nearly impossible.

This has to be the most vault-like tool ever made. The 4 mount holes are nearly impossible to get to, with literally 1/16" clearance in certain directions laterally, and maybe 3/4" vertically on some. You really can't get tools in there. Trying to remove the sideways hinge bolts that hold the tables on showed me that there isn't clearance for even the short end of a standard allen wrench. There's cast aluminum in your way everywhere. I had to go in partially at a diagonal, slipping out with each attempt just to get a little looseness in the screw, then just use my fingertips to undo them the rest of the way. The panels on the sides don't come off. There are screws I found way up inside, but there's no way to get a screwdriver to them. I can actually touch the screwdriver head to the screw heads through the handle holes from the outside, but only at about a 45° angle, not enough to engage them. If I could remove them, I'd then have to go through a host of other screws to disassemble everything, including the vertical rods that hold the adjustable height head to be able to get under it. I'd worry about screwing up the accuracy across the 4 posts doing that. The motor is molded in entirely. I can't find any way to remove it. It's not a free motor bolted in place. It's like it's part of the entire carcass. The chains and gearbox are tucked behind several walls that simply can't be removed, so I can only peer into a slit with one eye and a flashlight. The bottom of the machine is all solid cast aluminum - no ports in, a fact which I found out after fighting out those tight-clearance mount bolts I mentioned. Wasted [huge] effort. A half hour to remove 4 bolts is absurd, Craftsman.

When you lift the lid on the top to see in, it only goes up about 30° before it bangs into the rest of the machine, so I had to find and disassemble its hinges, which sent 2 small pieces of metal falling into the machine. I managed to fish them out eventually. I can't imagine that this thing wasn't designed to make it really hard to self-service, either to avoid people hurting themselves and suing, or to ensure the need to hand it over and pay for maintenance, because it's like a bank vault in a heist movie. I cannot get inside this thing after hours of vigorously trying. I'm nearly ready to search ebay for a stethoscope so I can try to figure out what's going on in there. I cranked it to the top, which gave me about 5" of clearance underneath to fit my hands and fight out screws with an allen key, which sent springs I didn't know were in there shooting all over (sigh…). I can't take the belt off. It's tight as hell, and the grooved pulleys do not have a looseness adjustment. It would appear (to my one eye with a keychain flashlight held just beneath it, both peering in through a crack in the side of the machine) that the belt must simply be pried off of the fixed wheels, but there's no way to develop that leverage while blind and reaching through a tiny opening with my fingertips. I want to see if it's the blade roller or the motor that's frozen, but I won't know until I can free that belt, which btw burned a bit, sending a lot of black rubber powder around that area when it jammed, before I could hit the E-OFF.

Right now it's laying on its back on the shop floor, piles of unhelpfully disassembled pieces around it and on the workbench, its rollers (and their freed springs) sprawling across its insides, unattached, with the blade cylinder still frozen completely. I tried sticking a hex key in one of the screws that holds the visible blade [of the 3] in place to use as a lever to turn the wheel, and it is frozen solid. It doesn't even wiggle. It's like it's part of the cast housing. I have a feeling this is all I'm going to be working on tomorrow, and I'm hoping that unlike my ancient Apple Performa 6400 PowerPC with its completely cemented on top access panel, I won't resort to drills and dremel, destroying the planer's plastic side panels in hopes of finding some way inside the monolith.


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## degoose (Mar 20, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Craftsman 13" planer woes*
> 
> I've been so fantastically lazy these past 3 weeks of pseudo-laid-off time. I wanted to use this unexpected break to go nuts in the garage, as it's what I've dreamed of for more than a year now, but I think the anticipation of hard times ahead, and light anxiety of not having a steady income at the moment (first time in 6 years - since shortly after moving to CA) has sapped my motivation almost entirely. I've done almost nothing but wait. I've had some things I've wanted to do, but haven't wanted to spend any money on them - things requiring lumber and plywood, and so they're just on the back burner. It's looking like I might have to find another job soon after all, sadly.
> 
> ...


I have pulled apart and rebuilt a RYOBI 12 1/2 Planer and replaced all the parts over a few years.. it was easy to get it apart and most of the part were available from the loca bike shop. LOL
Finally after all the ******************** I had to put up with. repairing it many times ,........ got permission from the department of Finance to get a 15 " professional planer. 
2HP industrial motor. good machine. triple belt drive. On a stand… all so much better than the small 12/13 models.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Craftsman 13" planer woes*
> 
> I've been so fantastically lazy these past 3 weeks of pseudo-laid-off time. I wanted to use this unexpected break to go nuts in the garage, as it's what I've dreamed of for more than a year now, but I think the anticipation of hard times ahead, and light anxiety of not having a steady income at the moment (first time in 6 years - since shortly after moving to CA) has sapped my motivation almost entirely. I've done almost nothing but wait. I've had some things I've wanted to do, but haven't wanted to spend any money on them - things requiring lumber and plywood, and so they're just on the back burner. It's looking like I might have to find another job soon after all, sadly.
> 
> ...


Sorry about your lay-off . As long as you are young and healthy you will be able to improve your situation. As for your machine problems, it's probably easier and a lot less frustrating to use your router, assuming you have one, to do the other side after jointing than mess around with the impossible planer.


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## Jimi_C (Jul 17, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Craftsman 13" planer woes*
> 
> I've been so fantastically lazy these past 3 weeks of pseudo-laid-off time. I wanted to use this unexpected break to go nuts in the garage, as it's what I've dreamed of for more than a year now, but I think the anticipation of hard times ahead, and light anxiety of not having a steady income at the moment (first time in 6 years - since shortly after moving to CA) has sapped my motivation almost entirely. I've done almost nothing but wait. I've had some things I've wanted to do, but haven't wanted to spend any money on them - things requiring lumber and plywood, and so they're just on the back burner. It's looking like I might have to find another job soon after all, sadly.
> 
> ...


Sounds like ball bearings somewhere inside that are shot. You can always check Sears Parts Direct for replacement assemblies, but it may not be worth fixing if it's too expensive.


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## REK (Aug 30, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Craftsman 13" planer woes*
> 
> I've been so fantastically lazy these past 3 weeks of pseudo-laid-off time. I wanted to use this unexpected break to go nuts in the garage, as it's what I've dreamed of for more than a year now, but I think the anticipation of hard times ahead, and light anxiety of not having a steady income at the moment (first time in 6 years - since shortly after moving to CA) has sapped my motivation almost entirely. I've done almost nothing but wait. I've had some things I've wanted to do, but haven't wanted to spend any money on them - things requiring lumber and plywood, and so they're just on the back burner. It's looking like I might have to find another job soon after all, sadly.
> 
> ...


I know your watching your money, but I consider my dewalt planer a throw away, if the problem can't be solved in a reasonable amount of time-trash it. I hope you can figure the problem out in short order. Using your router sounds like a good idea, if you have a nice flat surface and an hour to make a jig why not? I find that when things are progressing I feel better.
bob


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## GaryC (Dec 31, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Craftsman 13" planer woes*
> 
> I've been so fantastically lazy these past 3 weeks of pseudo-laid-off time. I wanted to use this unexpected break to go nuts in the garage, as it's what I've dreamed of for more than a year now, but I think the anticipation of hard times ahead, and light anxiety of not having a steady income at the moment (first time in 6 years - since shortly after moving to CA) has sapped my motivation almost entirely. I've done almost nothing but wait. I've had some things I've wanted to do, but haven't wanted to spend any money on them - things requiring lumber and plywood, and so they're just on the back burner. It's looking like I might have to find another job soon after all, sadly.
> 
> ...


Gary, really sorry to hear about the lack of employment. Hope that turns around soon. Wish I could offer information to help with the planer but, no help here. In the past, you've always shown ambition and inventiveness… I'm sure you'll end up on top of these circumstances.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Craftsman 13" planer woes*
> 
> I've been so fantastically lazy these past 3 weeks of pseudo-laid-off time. I wanted to use this unexpected break to go nuts in the garage, as it's what I've dreamed of for more than a year now, but I think the anticipation of hard times ahead, and light anxiety of not having a steady income at the moment (first time in 6 years - since shortly after moving to CA) has sapped my motivation almost entirely. I've done almost nothing but wait. I've had some things I've wanted to do, but haven't wanted to spend any money on them - things requiring lumber and plywood, and so they're just on the back burner. It's looking like I might have to find another job soon after all, sadly.
> 
> ...


Hey Gary
I know how you feel when I've been questioning if I have work I sometimes can't make myself go out to the shop even though I've been dying for shop time. I hope your work gets going again and you find a good solution to your planner problems.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Craftsman 13" planer woes*
> 
> I've been so fantastically lazy these past 3 weeks of pseudo-laid-off time. I wanted to use this unexpected break to go nuts in the garage, as it's what I've dreamed of for more than a year now, but I think the anticipation of hard times ahead, and light anxiety of not having a steady income at the moment (first time in 6 years - since shortly after moving to CA) has sapped my motivation almost entirely. I've done almost nothing but wait. I've had some things I've wanted to do, but haven't wanted to spend any money on them - things requiring lumber and plywood, and so they're just on the back burner. It's looking like I might have to find another job soon after all, sadly.
> 
> ...


Late reply from me, but a thank you to everyone for your kind words. Still in limbo on the job front. Things are a bit dire all across the board, probably the same for most folks right now. Not too worried, though. I have a bit saved up, so I'm safe for awhile, and I have some options I can exercise if I really get in a jam. It's not a great situation, but it's not desperate times yet, and shouldn't be for a good while.

Oh, and Rob, thanks so much for the offer! I can't believe 2 weeks has flown by since this post, but I meant to come back and recognize your generosity. I think I'm going to figure out the planer soon, but I'll keep everyone posted. Lots of other stuff to be on about in the meantime. More on that in some upcoming posts. Thanks again!


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*Jimi_C nails it - my planer suffered a blown bearing*

In my last post, I mentioned my planer seizing up entirely. I couldn't move the belts, and I couldn't spin the knife wheel. I also talked about how insanely built the Craftsman 13" is, and I still stand behind that. I think taking apart my Toyota pickup's engine might be less involved. I finally found the secret under the black slide-in plastic caps that the top rods sit in. There were access ports that let me undo some hex screws and finally lift off the top shrouds (one required several hammer blows to loosen) which in turn released the side panels and opened up another world of hurt inside. I took apart the gear box to get in deeper, and about a dozen rods fell out. The gear box isn't held together on it's own. You have to balance a dozen rods between two plates while installing the whole thing into the box. That'll be fun to reinstall.



It didn't get any easier once inside, and I'd say it even got harder. I'll save you all of that, but suffice it to say that after giving up on it for 3 weeks (I can't believe how fast time is flying by this year), I spent the last 2 days on it and finally found the issue. As I said, Jimi_C got it right in my last post. The bearing was blown out on one end of the knife wheel.

Here's the good bearing on the knife wheel:



And here's the one that blew out. Note that it's all streaked with black, and the cap is popped out. You can see the retaining ring inside the cap, too:



Next up, I have to figure out how to pull it. I've already used my gear puller on several pieces to get in this far, but it's about 3/16" too short to reach the bearing with that long rod sticking through it. Also, because it's a 2-arm puller, instead of a 3-arm, one sits nicely in a flat, and the other would bang into one of the knife edges, if it could reach. I'm not super keen on removing the knives just yet. I tried to torque one of the hex screws out, and couldn't get it to budge. There are a bunch of them on each knife, and these were lined up very nicely and still sharp enough. I just want to pull that bearing, pop a new one on, and probably spend 2 days fighting it all back together. That reminds me. I'm going to have to find a new bearing somewhere, too.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Jimi_C nails it - my planer suffered a blown bearing*
> 
> In my last post, I mentioned my planer seizing up entirely. I couldn't move the belts, and I couldn't spin the knife wheel. I also talked about how insanely built the Craftsman 13" is, and I still stand behind that. I think taking apart my Toyota pickup's engine might be less involved. I finally found the secret under the black slide-in plastic caps that the top rods sit in. There were access ports that let me undo some hex screws and finally lift off the top shrouds (one required several hammer blows to loosen) which in turn released the side panels and opened up another world of hurt inside. I took apart the gear box to get in deeper, and about a dozen rods fell out. The gear box isn't held together on it's own. You have to balance a dozen rods between two plates while installing the whole thing into the box. That'll be fun to reinstall.
> 
> ...


Gary,

There should be some numbers stamped into the side of bearing. Take the old bearing or the the good one on the blade holder to a motor shop. They can probably fix you up.

Lew


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## davidpettinger (Aug 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Jimi_C nails it - my planer suffered a blown bearing*
> 
> In my last post, I mentioned my planer seizing up entirely. I couldn't move the belts, and I couldn't spin the knife wheel. I also talked about how insanely built the Craftsman 13" is, and I still stand behind that. I think taking apart my Toyota pickup's engine might be less involved. I finally found the secret under the black slide-in plastic caps that the top rods sit in. There were access ports that let me undo some hex screws and finally lift off the top shrouds (one required several hammer blows to loosen) which in turn released the side panels and opened up another world of hurt inside. I took apart the gear box to get in deeper, and about a dozen rods fell out. The gear box isn't held together on it's own. You have to balance a dozen rods between two plates while installing the whole thing into the box. That'll be fun to reinstall.
> 
> ...


lew, thats a good idea.
Gary, another one is to find a local machine shop that has a good 10 ton press. They will have center point arbors and split pressing cups to help remove and replace that bearing. You may even be able to leave the knives in place, but go to the UPS store and buy some small bubble-bubble wrap to protect them.


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## Jimi_C (Jul 17, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Jimi_C nails it - my planer suffered a blown bearing*
> 
> In my last post, I mentioned my planer seizing up entirely. I couldn't move the belts, and I couldn't spin the knife wheel. I also talked about how insanely built the Craftsman 13" is, and I still stand behind that. I think taking apart my Toyota pickup's engine might be less involved. I finally found the secret under the black slide-in plastic caps that the top rods sit in. There were access ports that let me undo some hex screws and finally lift off the top shrouds (one required several hammer blows to loosen) which in turn released the side panels and opened up another world of hurt inside. I took apart the gear box to get in deeper, and about a dozen rods fell out. The gear box isn't held together on it's own. You have to balance a dozen rods between two plates while installing the whole thing into the box. That'll be fun to reinstall.
> 
> ...


Wow, little weird seeing my name mentioned out of the blue  Glad to see you got to the issue. After years of playing roller hockey, I guess I know a blown bearing when I hear the symptoms 

Those don't look like they'll be too hard to replace at least, now that you've got the hard part done. Does Sears parts website still offer them?


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## asthesawturns (Aug 23, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Jimi_C nails it - my planer suffered a blown bearing*
> 
> In my last post, I mentioned my planer seizing up entirely. I couldn't move the belts, and I couldn't spin the knife wheel. I also talked about how insanely built the Craftsman 13" is, and I still stand behind that. I think taking apart my Toyota pickup's engine might be less involved. I finally found the secret under the black slide-in plastic caps that the top rods sit in. There were access ports that let me undo some hex screws and finally lift off the top shrouds (one required several hammer blows to loosen) which in turn released the side panels and opened up another world of hurt inside. I took apart the gear box to get in deeper, and about a dozen rods fell out. The gear box isn't held together on it's own. You have to balance a dozen rods between two plates while installing the whole thing into the box. That'll be fun to reinstall.
> 
> ...


Not sure, but I think that is the same planer I have, I will contact you when I have the same scary noises. Good luck with the work thing.


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## REK (Aug 30, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Jimi_C nails it - my planer suffered a blown bearing*
> 
> In my last post, I mentioned my planer seizing up entirely. I couldn't move the belts, and I couldn't spin the knife wheel. I also talked about how insanely built the Craftsman 13" is, and I still stand behind that. I think taking apart my Toyota pickup's engine might be less involved. I finally found the secret under the black slide-in plastic caps that the top rods sit in. There were access ports that let me undo some hex screws and finally lift off the top shrouds (one required several hammer blows to loosen) which in turn released the side panels and opened up another world of hurt inside. I took apart the gear box to get in deeper, and about a dozen rods fell out. The gear box isn't held together on it's own. You have to balance a dozen rods between two plates while installing the whole thing into the box. That'll be fun to reinstall.
> 
> ...


Gary,
God those pictures look like my dewalt planer. Those screws to get at your knives, get them now while there out. On my dewalt planer, every other screw was on impossible to break loose. Luckily I was still on my one year warrenty, I took the planer back and got a new one. To prevent the screws from doing that agine,
about once every 5o board feet, I break all the screws loose and put a coat of anti sieze on them. And they can still be hard to break loose. I admire your determination, I would have thrown the planer away before doing ALL THAT…


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## Jimthecarver (Jan 14, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Jimi_C nails it - my planer suffered a blown bearing*
> 
> In my last post, I mentioned my planer seizing up entirely. I couldn't move the belts, and I couldn't spin the knife wheel. I also talked about how insanely built the Craftsman 13" is, and I still stand behind that. I think taking apart my Toyota pickup's engine might be less involved. I finally found the secret under the black slide-in plastic caps that the top rods sit in. There were access ports that let me undo some hex screws and finally lift off the top shrouds (one required several hammer blows to loosen) which in turn released the side panels and opened up another world of hurt inside. I took apart the gear box to get in deeper, and about a dozen rods fell out. The gear box isn't held together on it's own. You have to balance a dozen rods between two plates while installing the whole thing into the box. That'll be fun to reinstall.
> 
> ...


Gary, try doing a search for Allied bearing in so. cal.
Thats where I get my bearings from they are great.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Jimi_C nails it - my planer suffered a blown bearing*
> 
> In my last post, I mentioned my planer seizing up entirely. I couldn't move the belts, and I couldn't spin the knife wheel. I also talked about how insanely built the Craftsman 13" is, and I still stand behind that. I think taking apart my Toyota pickup's engine might be less involved. I finally found the secret under the black slide-in plastic caps that the top rods sit in. There were access ports that let me undo some hex screws and finally lift off the top shrouds (one required several hammer blows to loosen) which in turn released the side panels and opened up another world of hurt inside. I took apart the gear box to get in deeper, and about a dozen rods fell out. The gear box isn't held together on it's own. You have to balance a dozen rods between two plates while installing the whole thing into the box. That'll be fun to reinstall.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info, everyone! I'll round it up and let you all know how it turns out.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Jimi_C nails it - my planer suffered a blown bearing*
> 
> In my last post, I mentioned my planer seizing up entirely. I couldn't move the belts, and I couldn't spin the knife wheel. I also talked about how insanely built the Craftsman 13" is, and I still stand behind that. I think taking apart my Toyota pickup's engine might be less involved. I finally found the secret under the black slide-in plastic caps that the top rods sit in. There were access ports that let me undo some hex screws and finally lift off the top shrouds (one required several hammer blows to loosen) which in turn released the side panels and opened up another world of hurt inside. I took apart the gear box to get in deeper, and about a dozen rods fell out. The gear box isn't held together on it's own. You have to balance a dozen rods between two plates while installing the whole thing into the box. That'll be fun to reinstall.
> 
> ...


UPDATE

There were things stamped on the side. One side said CHL and the other 6203Z. This turned up one link online to a Chinese bearing place, but I couldn't read anything. I searched up Jim's Allied, but the one I found had branches all over, but nothing in CA. I found Alliance Bearing in CA, but I couldn't track things down. I took to measuring the bearing with calipers and found it read goofy in inches, but to perfect values in metric (40mm OD, 17mmID, 12mm width). Then it dawned on me that I should just check out Sears' parts page online (searspartsdirect.com). I found the model number on one of the plastic shrouds in the garage, put that in, and got a parts explosion diagram with a long list of parts beneath, each able to be added to my cart. It's discontinued, and the bearing isn't available anymore, but the replacement bearing they promise is functionally equivalent (#STD315231). It was a bit under $5, of course with $6+ shipping  So, for a bit under $12, I should have the proper bearing in the mail soon. That was the standard shipping rate, so it's EST'd to arrive on December 4th. I sure hope it's the right bearing after all of this! My garage is a mess with parts.

Thanks again, and I'll update how it all works out, or if it doesn't


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## Jimi_C (Jul 17, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Jimi_C nails it - my planer suffered a blown bearing*
> 
> In my last post, I mentioned my planer seizing up entirely. I couldn't move the belts, and I couldn't spin the knife wheel. I also talked about how insanely built the Craftsman 13" is, and I still stand behind that. I think taking apart my Toyota pickup's engine might be less involved. I finally found the secret under the black slide-in plastic caps that the top rods sit in. There were access ports that let me undo some hex screws and finally lift off the top shrouds (one required several hammer blows to loosen) which in turn released the side panels and opened up another world of hurt inside. I took apart the gear box to get in deeper, and about a dozen rods fell out. The gear box isn't held together on it's own. You have to balance a dozen rods between two plates while installing the whole thing into the box. That'll be fun to reinstall.
> 
> ...


I've had good luck with them, when getting parts that were discontinued but had equivalents - the fence for my tablesaw was one such replacement. The only goofball one was, I ordered the three wrenches for blade replacements, one of which was "functionally equivalent". Well, it turns out it was almost identical to one of the others… so I pretty much have a spare in case I lose one. The only difference is one is a little shorter than the other… and for $4 it wasn't worth shipping back.

Anyway, good luck, the fun comes when the part arrives and you get to put it all back together


----------



## OCG (May 17, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Jimi_C nails it - my planer suffered a blown bearing*
> 
> In my last post, I mentioned my planer seizing up entirely. I couldn't move the belts, and I couldn't spin the knife wheel. I also talked about how insanely built the Craftsman 13" is, and I still stand behind that. I think taking apart my Toyota pickup's engine might be less involved. I finally found the secret under the black slide-in plastic caps that the top rods sit in. There were access ports that let me undo some hex screws and finally lift off the top shrouds (one required several hammer blows to loosen) which in turn released the side panels and opened up another world of hurt inside. I took apart the gear box to get in deeper, and about a dozen rods fell out. The gear box isn't held together on it's own. You have to balance a dozen rods between two plates while installing the whole thing into the box. That'll be fun to reinstall.
> 
> ...


Hi Gary
send these picture to Craftsman they should pay for this.

Occie


----------



## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*My planer's broken bearing*

I got some shots of the gruesome outcome inside the machine. The replacement bearing has been ordered through Sears Parts Direct and should be here in a week or two. Meanwhile, the carnage…



Here are some closeups of the broken bearing from the side where it opened up:



Note the broken cage and missing balls. No idea where they went:



The shaft was pitted beneath the bearing. At first I thought it was damage, and it may be, but I'm leaning a bit toward it being a deliberate roughing-up of the surface to help hold the bearing in place through its high-vibe activities. That's the story I'm sticking with. let me know if you think otherwise.



I think if the bearing itself caused pitting, it would be more 'smeared' around the shaft. This doesn't look ground in. It looks like someone took a pin and a hammer and banged in some dents somewhat evenly around the shaft before sliding on the bearing. I didn't note any ground-up metal falling out from the bearing when I pulled it free with the gear puller. Again, who knows?





Here's a blurry shot with my finger for scale:



The current, full gallery of pics in this mini saga is here.


----------



## ajosephg (Aug 25, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *My planer's broken bearing*
> 
> I got some shots of the gruesome outcome inside the machine. The replacement bearing has been ordered through Sears Parts Direct and should be here in a week or two. Meanwhile, the carnage…
> 
> ...


I think you are on the right track. Here's a follow-on theory. The shaft was under tolerance and the bearing was sloppy when installed on the shaft. They then roughed up the shaft with a center punch and then forced the bearing on with a (hammer?). This lead to a premature failure due to:
1. Damage caused by impact damage when it was forced onto the shaft.
or
2. Normal heat generated by the bearing was not able to flow out of the bearing into the shaft leading to overheating of the bearing leading to lubrication breakdown and the ultimate failure of the bearing.

If this is true, you may find the new bearing won't fit properly. 

You might ought to check the other side and see if it is going down the same path.


----------



## davidroberts (Nov 8, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *My planer's broken bearing*
> 
> I got some shots of the gruesome outcome inside the machine. The replacement bearing has been ordered through Sears Parts Direct and should be here in a week or two. Meanwhile, the carnage…
> 
> ...


The pits are random. Do you think a previous owner milled the pits. I don't think the manufacturer did so. Maybe those guys at OWWM have seen this before.


----------



## JJohnston (May 22, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *My planer's broken bearing*
> 
> I got some shots of the gruesome outcome inside the machine. The replacement bearing has been ordered through Sears Parts Direct and should be here in a week or two. Meanwhile, the carnage…
> 
> ...


I'm with ajosephg: that's definitely "peening", done to displace metal so the bearing will fit on an undersize shaft. You'd be wise to go ahead and replace the whole cutterhead while you have the planer apart.


----------



## REK (Aug 30, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *My planer's broken bearing*
> 
> I got some shots of the gruesome outcome inside the machine. The replacement bearing has been ordered through Sears Parts Direct and should be here in a week or two. Meanwhile, the carnage…
> 
> ...


Gary,
who ever did it very uncool. A machine shop repair would be to turn the shaft down, press a sleeve on, then press the bearing on over the sleeve. But I have never seen anyone do that. Even in china if the shaft was under sized I would think they'd throw it away. I would mike out the other side of the shaft, there will probably be a diffrence of .0015 or more. JJohnston, makes a good argument for changing the whole cutter head. Press fits the Shaft will be .001 - .002 larger then the I.D. of the bearing. Usually when I have a tolerance for a bearing surface it will be + .001 and -.000. Good luck on your rebuild.
Bob


----------



## MedicKen (Dec 2, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *My planer's broken bearing*
> 
> I got some shots of the gruesome outcome inside the machine. The replacement bearing has been ordered through Sears Parts Direct and should be here in a week or two. Meanwhile, the carnage…
> 
> ...


I think joe is right on track. The bearing was the wrong size and the previous owner dimpled the shaft with a punch and then forced the bearing on. If you get the proper sized bearing you may have some difficulty getting it to seat properly. If it too loose I would use loctite, the type to set engine cylinder sleeves and valve seats. The other option would be take the shaft to a machinst and have the bearing surface knurled to hold the bearing.


----------



## alanealane (Oct 1, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *My planer's broken bearing*
> 
> I got some shots of the gruesome outcome inside the machine. The replacement bearing has been ordered through Sears Parts Direct and should be here in a week or two. Meanwhile, the carnage…
> 
> ...


I'm assuming you may have already resolved this problem since the last post (80 days ago). That's a long time to have any shop tool out of order.

Just in case your planer is still down:

I second JJohnston's comment about replacing the cutterhead. The only other thing you might be able to do is have someone weld more steel onto the area where the peening was done, then have a machinist re-grind the shaft to the proper size. This is risky because the heat during welding could cause the cutterhead to slightly warp, thus ruining its concentric tolerance (it might wobble).

Bob Kollman's idea above might work well…have a machinist turn the shaft until the peen holes were gone, press on a sleeve, and press the bearing over that. But machining the shaft too small could also potentially ruin the keyseat and the threads on the end of your cutterhead

I'd just find out from the manufacturer what a new cutterhead would cost. I'd guess around $100.

I know all too well the perils of planer maintenance. I just overhauled my DeWalt 733 with a new motor housing, gearbox housing, and feed roller driveshaft. It's easier to just pay the manufacturer for new parts, rather than pay a machinist (unless you have a good machinist friend who will do you a favor). And a new planer is certainly out of my budget right now, but I HAD TO HAVE A WORKING PLANER, so I ordered the parts and spent the time to fix it.

Let us know if everything's fixed. I hope it went well!!


----------



## sdlawrence (Oct 6, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *My planer's broken bearing*
> 
> I got some shots of the gruesome outcome inside the machine. The replacement bearing has been ordered through Sears Parts Direct and should be here in a week or two. Meanwhile, the carnage…
> 
> ...


Hi Gary, sorry for dredging up an old post, but this one had me intrigued enough to create an account just to comment on this one thread of yours.

I don't think the pitting on the shaft was a result of "peening", or anything artificial on the part of the manufacturer or the previous owner, as was suggested. The surrounding areas of many of those pits reveal little eccentric circular regions, 'teardrops' and other shapes where the steel was actually tempered-locally. Those are hot spots - localized areas that reached extremely high temperatures relative to the adjacent regions, with tiny, once-molten areas evacuating those regions, spreading out radially, creating small pits as a result. Peening a shaft could create the pits, but that's all. It could not have produced that tempered effect by itself.

It looks like whatever happened was caused in situ, and that the pits are mere symptoms, or clues, rather than the actual cause. Your catastrophic failure appears to me to have resulted from a phenomenon known as either the "Morton" or "Newkirk" effect (depending on whether or not a 'rub' was involved); a synchronous rotor instability (vibrational, thermal) from an unbalanced journal bearing.

http://turbolab.tamu.edu/uploads/files/papers/t37/T37-TUT02.pdf (small .pdf file)

Your photos are great. I wish I could have had an accurate flat "map" of the entire circumference of the shaft for further analyses, but on the surface that's what it looks like to me. As a test, you might see steel-tempering evidence of the hot spot effect transferred onto the bearing itself, once disassembled and cleaned.


----------



## ajosephg (Aug 25, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *My planer's broken bearing*
> 
> I got some shots of the gruesome outcome inside the machine. The replacement bearing has been ordered through Sears Parts Direct and should be here in a week or two. Meanwhile, the carnage…
> 
> ...


sdlawrence:

Very interesting paper - but really technical. I didn't spend a lot of time with it, but have a major question.

The paper says the phenomenon occurs in "flluid film" bearings. The affected area on the planer shaft is not a fluid film bearing. If the roller bearing assembly is properly fitted to the shaft there is very little relative motion between the bearing and there is only a bit of assembly lube there.

So, can you explain further?


----------



## JJohnston (May 22, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *My planer's broken bearing*
> 
> I got some shots of the gruesome outcome inside the machine. The replacement bearing has been ordered through Sears Parts Direct and should be here in a week or two. Meanwhile, the carnage…
> 
> ...


Hmmm. I have to agree. The bearing in question is not a fluid film bearing, so the phenomenon described in the paper isn't going to happen (unless the bearing were so loose on the shaft that the shaft acted like the bearing journal and "orbited" inside the inner bearing ring - but if it had been that loose, and never peened, the bearing would have just fallen off). Those teardrop shaped areas could have been smeared as the bearing turned on the shaft when it shouldn't have.


----------



## sdlawrence (Oct 6, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *My planer's broken bearing*
> 
> I got some shots of the gruesome outcome inside the machine. The replacement bearing has been ordered through Sears Parts Direct and should be here in a week or two. Meanwhile, the carnage…
> 
> ...


I'm actually not certain of anything, and it's all speculation on my part, of course, but, in a nutshell, all the Morton and Newkirk effects really established was that unbalances could produce localized hotspots (and eventual catastrophic failure) and vice versa. Also, there is no way to know, of course, if the bearing was properly fitted to the shaft, or even if the bearing itself was defective in some other way that might eventually produce destructive vibrations.

JJohnston: "Those teardrop shaped areas could have been smeared as the bearing turned on the shaft when it shouldn't have."

I thought about that, but if you look closely, some of the rings that are eccentric to the pits are in the opposite direction, on a shaft that presumably turns only in one direction (braking?).

It was more food for thought than anything. The localized tempering of the pitted areas fascinated me, and caused me to tend to discount peening for a moment and consider other possible causes.

Either way, how fun is it to put on the forensics hat and puzzle stuff like this through!


----------



## ajosephg (Aug 25, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *My planer's broken bearing*
> 
> I got some shots of the gruesome outcome inside the machine. The replacement bearing has been ordered through Sears Parts Direct and should be here in a week or two. Meanwhile, the carnage…
> 
> ...


Yep - Failure analysis is fun stuff.

Do you think some sort of electrical discharge could have made those pits?

LOL - You don't happen to have an SEM in your bag of trips?


----------



## sdlawrence (Oct 6, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *My planer's broken bearing*
> 
> I got some shots of the gruesome outcome inside the machine. The replacement bearing has been ordered through Sears Parts Direct and should be here in a week or two. Meanwhile, the carnage…
> 
> ...


I wish! SEM imaging of a few of those pits would be great, wouldn't it? Two things I wish I owned, as toys: an SEM and an ion implanter (make pistons that last forever, etc.,).

I certainly wouldn't discount electrical charges, and you may be onto something there. My first thought was in the plasma sense, as evaporated molten metal could superheat to a tiny ball of plasma (oxidized and highly charged, electrically), which then etches into the surrounding area. But there could be an even simpler explanation for its cause. A grounding problem? Parasitic capacitance? Does this planer have VFD motor? 

"The VFD waveform contains high-frequency components that are capacitively coupled to the motor shaft and discharge through the bearings. They are non-sinusoidal and contain high-frequency currents and voltages called harmonics. And even when the motor is designed for inverters, it is vulnerable to bearing failure from VFD-induced currents.

Without some form of mitigation, these shaft currents or eddy currents discharge to ground through bearings, causing* pitting, fusion craters, and "fluting."* This leads to excessive bearing noise, premature bearing failure, and subsequent motor failure." (emphasis mine)


----------



## JJohnston (May 22, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *My planer's broken bearing*
> 
> I got some shots of the gruesome outcome inside the machine. The replacement bearing has been ordered through Sears Parts Direct and should be here in a week or two. Meanwhile, the carnage…
> 
> ...


You guys are getting too esoteric for me, but just remember the machine we're talking about, and the circumstances under which it was built. It's an inexpensive, hobbyist-level machine, built as one of thousands in a mass-produced, get-it-out-the-door environment. My bet is still on the simple explanation.


----------



## ajosephg (Aug 25, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *My planer's broken bearing*
> 
> I got some shots of the gruesome outcome inside the machine. The replacement bearing has been ordered through Sears Parts Direct and should be here in a week or two. Meanwhile, the carnage…
> 
> ...


No VFD motors in these planers. They use bucks down series wound AC motors. Additionally, the planer shaft is chain driven, i.e. it is not the motor shaft.

I would guess if it's due to an electrical discharge the source would have to be a static discharge or some sort of leakage in the motor that finds its ground via the motor shaft, to the chain drive, to the planer shaft through the bearing and finally to the chassis ground. Conversely a static build up could conceivably build up as a result of the knives scraping the wood and discharging through the bearings.

Hey Gary - if you're still around, how are the replacement bearings working? If there is some electrical issue you should be looking forward to another bearing failure, LOL


----------



## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*Anybody figure out what I did wrong the other day?*


----------



## live4ever (Feb 27, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *Anybody figure out what I did wrong the other day?*


Everything else seems to dissolve or be thinned with mineral spirits…why not shellac flakes?? Got some turning over there at right you were planning on sharing?


----------



## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Anybody figure out what I did wrong the other day?*


I just polished of 6 turnings the other day. I'll be sharing everything as it's completed!


----------



## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Anybody figure out what I did wrong the other day?*


you got out of bed ?

you read a daniel steel book and cried ?

you bought the new ab exerciser ,
and realized that you can't turn bowls ,
while using it ?

you fell in love with the lady selling soap on late night tv ,
but got some guy in cleveland ,
when you called her 800 number ?


----------



## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *Anybody figure out what I did wrong the other day?*


Welcome to Chemistry 101.


----------



## spanky46 (Feb 12, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Anybody figure out what I did wrong the other day?*


You weren't holding your mouth right!


----------



## bluchz (Mar 1, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Anybody figure out what I did wrong the other day?*


Mineral spirits and shellac became a universal solvent and ate a hole in you shop floor?


----------



## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Anybody figure out what I did wrong the other day?*


you got up at 3 am to take a leak ,
then laid awake for an hour .
trying to remember ,
what you were looking for ,

in the closet ?


----------



## woodnut (Apr 22, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *Anybody figure out what I did wrong the other day?*


I have learned not to store the mineral spirits beside the denatured alcohol. Patron you have some good ones.LOL


----------



## zlatanv (Jul 18, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Anybody figure out what I did wrong the other day?*


David you just made my day!


----------



## nmkidd (Sep 18, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Anybody figure out what I did wrong the other day?*


You read tried to read the instructions in spanish and got the mixture wrong.


----------



## bigike (May 25, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Anybody figure out what I did wrong the other day?*


useing oderless MS.


----------



## Toolz (Feb 26, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Anybody figure out what I did wrong the other day?*


You dissolved shellac flakes in mineral spirits instead of alcohol?


----------



## kenn (Mar 19, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Anybody figure out what I did wrong the other day?*


Denatured alcohol is what goes with shellac, mineral spirits - oderless or with odor - will not play nice with shellac…a lesson I also learned the hard way.


----------



## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Anybody figure out what I did wrong the other day?*


and now we just have to see what you destroyd )
can´t wait for the good laugh …..ups didn´t mean to sound rood
what I ment whas let us newbee´s see the result of what not to do
with shellac flakes and what happens if you do

Dennis


----------



## longgone (May 5, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Anybody figure out what I did wrong the other day?*


I also agree that mineral spirits…not good. Use the goodnatured alcahol instead.


----------



## SST (Nov 30, 2006)

gfixler said:


> *Anybody figure out what I did wrong the other day?*


I'm not sure that I understood many of the comments above, but then, I don't understand a lot of things. I do understand that the solvent for shellac is denatured alcohol, though.


----------



## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Anybody figure out what I did wrong the other day?*


You drank the alcohol and you only have the mineral spirits left?


----------



## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Anybody figure out what I did wrong the other day?*


Toolz and kenn nailed it, though I think a lot of other people knew what was going on. I do like David's answers the best, however. Some may also be correct 

Yes, I felt like a right fool the next day. I KNOW that alcohol is the proper solvent. I've used premixed shellac many times this past year and always cleaned the brushes with alcohol. I've also cleaned up shellac messes with it, and used it to wipe off dried shellac from things I've wanted to refinish. The distressing thing was that I also knew I was grabbing mineral spirits. I had "alcohol" in my head, yet it made perfect sense as I dumped in enough mineral spirits for a 3lbs cut that it was the right stuff. It was only the next day when I found the shellac flakes hadn't dissolved one tiny bit and the spirits were still clear that my mistake became clear. What a headslap moment.

I strained it out as well as I could and put in the alcohol. Something floated to the surface, like a sheen of oil bubbles. As I've not mixed my own shellac before, I couldn't say entirely if it was normal, or mineral spirits residue escaping from between the flakes as they dissolved. I suspect the latter. There was a bit of a cloudiness to the mix after that, but it applied well enough and looks okay the next day. I'm anxious to mix up another batch in the near future the right way and compare/contrast. Meanwhile, there was a kind of slipperiness to the mix that I'm not used to in shellac. I note the same slick, gooey feel whenever I get mineral spirits on my hands. They may have a little bit of oil in the mix. It felt more like applying an oil paint as I did up a large bowl than the shellacs I've used in the past. At least it dried well and evenly.

Anyway, live and learn. One of these days I'll be completely out of mistakes I haven't made before. I just hope I don't start repeating the old ones!


----------



## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*still hoping to fix that Craftsman planer...*

When we last left off 116 days ago, my planer had a blown bearing. It was an effort of monumental proportions to disassemble the thing to get to it, taking several days spread over weeks or months - whenever I had time and motivation to figure out how to get deeper into it. Removing the bearing showed the shaft had been peened to fit the bearing, and several people suggested that that was what caused the failure. Peened shafts are likely not concentrically aligned with the bearing, and at the high speeds and vibrations at which planers operate, it probably just shook the bearing apart.

I've been unemployed for over 5 months now, money steadily draining away, so I've not been able to get a new planer, nor order about $90 in parts for this thing. I did order the $4 replacement bearing, however. Then I tried to rig up something with holes drilled in large blocks of wood and several Bessey K-Body clamps. That didn't work at all. You really need a hydraulic press for this, especially with the rough, peened shaft. I tried tapping it on with a hammer, but soon it was wedged tightly enough that I had to break out the gear puller again to get it free, and it looked like I bent the side up a bit, so that was over. I shelved it all in frustration again for months.

Recently I got it in me again to give it a go. I walked to the hardware store, which didn't have any bearings of that shape, as figured. I took a look at the replacement bearing - the side was a little bent, but that was only the cap. The bearing still rolled smoothly and in-plane. Maybe I could try it once more. I did, and it failed again. I repeat, it's not possible to put a very tight bearing on a shaft without proper press equipment.

I decided to call Craftsman and relate my troubles. Their improper build likely caused the trouble. The planer is years old now, but has only been used less than 10 hours in all that time. I haven't planed much at all, mostly because it's the loudest tool I own by far, and I live in a tiny neighborhood and seem to only find free time late at night. I told the customer support lady that any help she could offer would be appreciated, as I've been out of work almost half a year, and can't afford a new planer, and even getting the parts replaced is rough. I asked if there was a way to get the cutterhead with the bearings already in place. There wasn't. She basically had no alternatives for me, and there was a lot of silence on her end of the phone, as she had no idea what to do for me. She kept trying to push me to buy the 3 parts - bearings and cutterhead - 'just so I'd have them' if I figured out a way to get the bearings pressed on.

In the end I told her I'd have to think about it, as this was a big purchase now with how little money I have remaining, and she said "I understand, and I wanted to let you know that we have a really good offer today on new siding for your home. Would you be interested in that?" There was a really long pause as I tried to comprehend what had just happened. I just told her I'm flat broke and needed some help getting this jalopy of a tool back in order, and she offered nothing but "Oh well, nothing I can do," and then rubbed it in by trying to sell me something very expensive and completely unrelated. I finally broke the silence and said "I'm completely broke, remember?" She still didn't give up. "So… does that mean your *not* interested in the siding?"

Sigh…

Customer support ain't what it used to be. I might get the parts and find a local machine shop to press them together for me, because $95 is a lot less than $400-$500, which is what this and the newer models cost new, but I'm done with Craftsman. I've had other problems with them in the past. It's funny how badly one customer support rep can tarnish a company, but she sure did it. I'm even too angered to consider shopping at Sears again, and I won't be recommending either to anyone.


----------



## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *still hoping to fix that Craftsman planer...*
> 
> When we last left off 116 days ago, my planer had a blown bearing. It was an effort of monumental proportions to disassemble the thing to get to it, taking several days spread over weeks or months - whenever I had time and motivation to figure out how to get deeper into it. Removing the bearing showed the shaft had been peened to fit the bearing, and several people suggested that that was what caused the failure. Peened shafts are likely not concentrically aligned with the bearing, and at the high speeds and vibrations at which planers operate, it probably just shook the bearing apart.
> 
> ...


You sound a little like Alice in Wonderland Gary. I always say that the larger an enterprise is the dumber they are.


----------



## GadgetXX (Jan 12, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *still hoping to fix that Craftsman planer...*
> 
> When we last left off 116 days ago, my planer had a blown bearing. It was an effort of monumental proportions to disassemble the thing to get to it, taking several days spread over weeks or months - whenever I had time and motivation to figure out how to get deeper into it. Removing the bearing showed the shaft had been peened to fit the bearing, and several people suggested that that was what caused the failure. Peened shafts are likely not concentrically aligned with the bearing, and at the high speeds and vibrations at which planers operate, it probably just shook the bearing apart.
> 
> ...


Heat the bearing and freeze the shaft for a while. it is amazing how much of a difference it makes. It may also help to smooth up that shaft with some emery cloth, just be cautious not to take off enough to change the size of the shaft, just clean up the marks. I have also used some creative ideas for a press in a pinch.

Or send it to me and I will press the bearings in on my 60,000# press for you and send it back.

If the new bearing is bad, take it to a bearing supply company, it is probably a standard size and they should be able to match it up. I have a Precision Bearings in town, and they have saved me on all sorts of bearings and seals over the years.

Mike


----------



## JamesVavra (Apr 27, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *still hoping to fix that Craftsman planer...*
> 
> When we last left off 116 days ago, my planer had a blown bearing. It was an effort of monumental proportions to disassemble the thing to get to it, taking several days spread over weeks or months - whenever I had time and motivation to figure out how to get deeper into it. Removing the bearing showed the shaft had been peened to fit the bearing, and several people suggested that that was what caused the failure. Peened shafts are likely not concentrically aligned with the bearing, and at the high speeds and vibrations at which planers operate, it probably just shook the bearing apart.
> 
> ...


Gary - if you try the hot/cold method, I've had luck freezing things by spraying them with a can of air-duster turned upside down (the can of air you'd use to blow the dust out of a PC).

James


----------



## PCorl (Feb 23, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *still hoping to fix that Craftsman planer...*
> 
> When we last left off 116 days ago, my planer had a blown bearing. It was an effort of monumental proportions to disassemble the thing to get to it, taking several days spread over weeks or months - whenever I had time and motivation to figure out how to get deeper into it. Removing the bearing showed the shaft had been peened to fit the bearing, and several people suggested that that was what caused the failure. Peened shafts are likely not concentrically aligned with the bearing, and at the high speeds and vibrations at which planers operate, it probably just shook the bearing apart.
> 
> ...


Gary - many times bearings aren't pressed onto the shaft at all, they are in fact put on by the hot/cold method. It does work. Might as well give it at try. You are right, Sears sure isn't what it used to be.
Paul


----------



## sphere (Feb 6, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *still hoping to fix that Craftsman planer...*
> 
> When we last left off 116 days ago, my planer had a blown bearing. It was an effort of monumental proportions to disassemble the thing to get to it, taking several days spread over weeks or months - whenever I had time and motivation to figure out how to get deeper into it. Removing the bearing showed the shaft had been peened to fit the bearing, and several people suggested that that was what caused the failure. Peened shafts are likely not concentrically aligned with the bearing, and at the high speeds and vibrations at which planers operate, it probably just shook the bearing apart.
> 
> ...


I have a Ryobi AH-115 planer/jointer combo that is killer good, even after 20 some yrs of use. I DID have to replace a bearing (motor shaft, not cutter head) and had a similar problem as you.

I found a local auto repair shop that let me use their hyd. press and pesto change-o I'm back in biz. Maybe that is all ya need to do?


----------



## bigfish_95008 (Nov 26, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *still hoping to fix that Craftsman planer...*
> 
> When we last left off 116 days ago, my planer had a blown bearing. It was an effort of monumental proportions to disassemble the thing to get to it, taking several days spread over weeks or months - whenever I had time and motivation to figure out how to get deeper into it. Removing the bearing showed the shaft had been peened to fit the bearing, and several people suggested that that was what caused the failure. Peened shafts are likely not concentrically aligned with the bearing, and at the high speeds and vibrations at which planers operate, it probably just shook the bearing apart.
> 
> ...


Why don't you come over and use the 15". I just reworked the electrical w/switch and a real handy extension cord. I will be running boards Saturday. 
Allen


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## Wolffarmer (Jul 14, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *still hoping to fix that Craftsman planer...*
> 
> When we last left off 116 days ago, my planer had a blown bearing. It was an effort of monumental proportions to disassemble the thing to get to it, taking several days spread over weeks or months - whenever I had time and motivation to figure out how to get deeper into it. Removing the bearing showed the shaft had been peened to fit the bearing, and several people suggested that that was what caused the failure. Peened shafts are likely not concentrically aligned with the bearing, and at the high speeds and vibrations at which planers operate, it probably just shook the bearing apart.
> 
> ...


About the CSR (customer service representative) trying to sell you siding. I was in that hell hole type of a job for almost 8 years. You will often be required to say certain things, even sell things. And the CSR is graded on if they hit all the required points. The grading is done by a 3rd party grader that knows even less of what is going on and they have a check list that they have to check off when a certain point is hit. No place on that list is a check off "Is offer inappropriate for customer". And often if the CSR misses even one point they fail the audit. Fail the audit and you get a nasty-o-gram. To many nasty-o-grams and you are out on the street thanking your lucky stars you are finally out of that hell hole. But wondering how you are going to feed your tribe.

No bitterness here, damn glad i got down sized. and unemployed.


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## lgarrone (Jun 12, 2011)

gfixler said:


> *still hoping to fix that Craftsman planer...*
> 
> When we last left off 116 days ago, my planer had a blown bearing. It was an effort of monumental proportions to disassemble the thing to get to it, taking several days spread over weeks or months - whenever I had time and motivation to figure out how to get deeper into it. Removing the bearing showed the shaft had been peened to fit the bearing, and several people suggested that that was what caused the failure. Peened shafts are likely not concentrically aligned with the bearing, and at the high speeds and vibrations at which planers operate, it probably just shook the bearing apart.
> 
> ...


Hello Sphere

I am new to site and need 5 entries before I can ask a question. I am looking at a used Ryobi AH 115 and the machines test drove great. I saw from you previous entry that you have this machine. I am worried about finding replacement parts for wear items and it appears the motor and gear parts are no longer available.

Can you advise

r
Larry G


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*several near misses*

I have not been lucking out timing-wise these last few days. I used a $50 gift card to Rockler from my aunt from Christmas last week, but I guess I ordered too late in the week, so I haven't yet gotten the stuff that would have helped this weekend.

Taking some advice commented to my last post (and wanting to try the heat/freeze and light sanding method combination), I actually tracked down a local bearing shop not too far away. I had looked before and found nothing but wholesalers and other places that couldn't help. This guy had a few of the bearings with the exact measurements I needed, all 'motor grade,' and used in cars, so he said to come by and take a look. He said he closes at 5 to 1, which I at first thought meant he was open from 5AM to 1PM, but then realized he meant he closes sharp at 12:55PM. Curious. I'd already been working for hours in the garage, and so planned things out so I could accomplish a few more things out there while still stinky, then shower up and have a half hour to get to his place. It wasn't that far away.

I completely neglected to factor in LA traffic, however, and hit light after light, got stuck behind 5MPH trucks, trapped for minutes in a few separate construction areas (one erecting a massive metal street light with a crane reaching over the lanes of traffic!), and even had to weave back and forth into parking spaces 5 times to let other cars by in just the final 3 blocks to his building on his street, because it was one of those narrow roads with cars parked on both sides in an industrial area with lots of business traffic. So frustrating. Long story short, I got there at 12:50PM, about 20 minutes later than I expected. He had locked up and was loading his car. He remembered me, but said "I can't let you in. The alarm sets itself at 1PM." Ah ha! Mystery solved. Still weird, though. As he looked at me, a loud bell went off over his building. "See? That's the alarm. I can't go back in." I wondered what he did if a customer lingered too long. Sleep over in the store with them until morning? I told him I'd see him Monday, when he's again open 8AM-12:50ishPM. Another 35 minutes to go 10 miles home again with no prize.

And finally, craigslist. I scour for things like lumber, logs, trees, wood, and so on often enough. Most things are way too far away to be worth the round trip, as here on the west side there isn't much tree-felling. Once in awhile I've found some halfway decent things to play with, like a pile of like-new pine 1x lumber, and those enormous eucalyptus logs (largest 234lbs!). One thing I've really been wanting to get my hands on is California pepper (Schinus molle). I've seen some turnings online, and they're very pretty. I recently ID'd them in my neighborhood, and now that I know them I see them everywhere.

The trunks are large, warm brown and beautiful, often full of burls. The long, hanging, opposite compound leaves smell like pepper when crushed up, and they create the pink variety of peppercorns, which are edible and used in cooking, either by themselves or mixed with regular peppercorns. I've been thinking it would be cool to strike when the scores of peppercorns appear, collecting and drying them out, then get myself a small branch from the same tree and turn a peppermill, fill it with its own pink peppercorns, and present it as a gift to someone (probably my gourmet parents).

Anyway, the other night, while trawling craigslist again before going to bed, I found a full, slabbed tree, all planks 5" thick, and in the 2'x10' area. That's 100BF, and he was just giving it away! He was also in S. Pasadena, not too far away at all - 20 minute drive, maybe. I called early the next morning, and he said someone was already hauling it away. Siiiigh… Oh, the things I could've made. I've never seen anyone giving away slabs in the year I've been looking, and especially not a wood I particularly wanted to try. I just hope it was a woodworker who grabbed it, and not one of the horde of people always scrounging for firewood. I'd prefer to give them a truckload of my crappy ficus logs as trade for pretty, 5" thick slabs.

Oh well. At least I'm getting good things done in the garage, and Monday I'll be picking up a couple of bearings, and probably getting the light-sanding (to knock down the peening and remove nicks) + heat/freeze method to work (crossing my fingers). I remain hopeful. The Rockler box will probably show up on Monday, too, and then I'll have WAY too much to do all at once


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## noknot (Dec 23, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *several near misses*
> 
> I have not been lucking out timing-wise these last few days. I used a $50 gift card to Rockler from my aunt from Christmas last week, but I guess I ordered too late in the week, so I haven't yet gotten the stuff that would have helped this weekend.
> 
> ...


A day late huh well better hunting what you want than being hunted


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *several near misses*
> 
> I have not been lucking out timing-wise these last few days. I used a $50 gift card to Rockler from my aunt from Christmas last week, but I guess I ordered too late in the week, so I haven't yet gotten the stuff that would have helped this weekend.
> 
> ...


Gary,
Have had many days like that, so I feel your pain.

In the words of the immortal Red Green- "Remember, we're all in this together, I'm pullin for ya"

Lew


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *several near misses*
> 
> I have not been lucking out timing-wise these last few days. I used a $50 gift card to Rockler from my aunt from Christmas last week, but I guess I ordered too late in the week, so I haven't yet gotten the stuff that would have helped this weekend.
> 
> ...


Bad luck is always followed by better luck. At least that is what I've heard.


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## Jimthecarver (Jan 14, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *several near misses*
> 
> I have not been lucking out timing-wise these last few days. I used a $50 gift card to Rockler from my aunt from Christmas last week, but I guess I ordered too late in the week, so I haven't yet gotten the stuff that would have helped this weekend.
> 
> ...


hi Gary 
hope this helps you. Applied IndustrialTech inc. 760-241-7238
They are who I use for bearings.
Or SC Bearing & Industrial Supply 760-952-1211
I believe 1 or the other should be able to help although they may need yours to measure to be sure of a correct fit.
Good Luck!


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## OutPutter (Jun 23, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *several near misses*
> 
> I have not been lucking out timing-wise these last few days. I used a $50 gift card to Rockler from my aunt from Christmas last week, but I guess I ordered too late in the week, so I haven't yet gotten the stuff that would have helped this weekend.
> 
> ...


Is it me or is there something morbid about making the tree provide part of itself for the grinding of its children embodied in the peppercorns? lol


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *several near misses*
> 
> I have not been lucking out timing-wise these last few days. I used a $50 gift card to Rockler from my aunt from Christmas last week, but I guess I ordered too late in the week, so I haven't yet gotten the stuff that would have helped this weekend.
> 
> ...


I'm pretty upbeat and not worried about it. They're sigh-filled moments, but I'm working to get things humming along smoothly, and making great progress. But man… all that beautiful peppertree wood… Sigh…

Jim - thanks for the info! The bearing is only $4 through Sears, and it's the one specifically for the planer, but then you also pay shipping and wait awhile. They backordered it last time, so it was more than a week before it arrived. I'll probably do that again if this bearing shop I found in town here doesn't have something that looks just right, but it seems they do. Always good to have alternates, though. Thanks again!

Jim (OutPutter) - Ha! I think I'll write that into the card with the gift


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## HokieMojo (Mar 11, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *several near misses*
> 
> I have not been lucking out timing-wise these last few days. I used a $50 gift card to Rockler from my aunt from Christmas last week, but I guess I ordered too late in the week, so I haven't yet gotten the stuff that would have helped this weekend.
> 
> ...


i wonder if you could actually post a craigslist add for trades. Maybe some turners out there would like to give you some boards in exchange for some of those cool finds you found earlier. I don't know.


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## GaryD (Mar 5, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *several near misses*
> 
> I have not been lucking out timing-wise these last few days. I used a $50 gift card to Rockler from my aunt from Christmas last week, but I guess I ordered too late in the week, so I haven't yet gotten the stuff that would have helped this weekend.
> 
> ...


I resemble this remark!!!!!!!!!!! Sounds like my luck.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*I got the new bearing in place!*

I lamented last week that I just missed the closing time at the local bearing shop. I got there yesterday nice and early and they not only had the right bearings, but bearings with the exact same set of numbers stamped on the side. That gave me some confidence, even though the race covers looked a bit different. The man told me they were from their higher quality line of bearings, and here's hoping. They were $10/ea., whereas Sears' version were $4/ea., but I was happy to just get them now, sans-shipping and waiting. I really want the planer back ASAP.

I put the whole shaft in the freezer for about 15 minutes, and dropped the bearing on a cast iron skillet on my gas stove. It lives there, and is always very warm from the pilot. I ended up with a cast aluminum cutterhead so cold I could barely hold it, and slippery from all the condensation from the warm spring air. The guy at the bearing place had recommended using a socket to tap it on. I thought it was a great idea. I had a box of various long sizes to fit over the long shaft and way down to the center part of the bearing. The problem last time was that the hole I drilled in the wood was too large, and was putting its force on the race cover and outer part of the bearing, bending it up as I hammered on it.

It was sliding on well, then stopped. The bore had narrowed in the socket, and now that was wedged on the shaft. I had to grip the socket in a vise, then pick up the shaft while tapping on the socket for awhile until the vise and socket fell away. The next size up worked, but stopped about 1/16" from fully on. I had bottomed out. The shaft was flush with the socket top. I just added another socket on top of that, and tapped it home.

The bearing feels a bit sluggish. The other one rolls quite freely, but this one feels like the oil is thick inside. I'm just going to have to go with it. Here's hoping! I began to reassemble the planer yesterday. It took hours, and I'm still not done. There are so many pieces, so much grease, and so many parts I didn't really understand when disassembling it a full 120 days prior. I labored over installing the two rollers that grip and pull material through, using a stick as a wedge to push them up and hold springs in place above them while carefully installing the metal covers to hold them in place with 2 screws each, only to find I'd gotten them switched. It was a lot easier the second time, but still a lot of work. I'm definitely not built to be an auto mechanic, and that's exactly what this felt like.

The highlight of the day was getting the 4 lift mechanisms screwed back into the top so I can now crank it up and down again. I was worried about that step, but it turned out to be one of the easier bits to get back together. There's slop in the 8 screws that mount the head to the mechanisms on their threaded rods, and getting one corner in didn't mean I could get another corner in without raising or lowering the mechanism a few turns, so I'm concerned I'll have perhaps up to 0.01" difference from one side to the other, but I think after testing, if I find that, it'll be easy enough to pop the cover, unscrew the offending corner, crank the handle one way or the other, and retighten, then test and repeat until it's perfect. I'm far more concerned about the new bearing holding up.

Craftsman added absolutely no ability to easily remove belts, and they're the super rigid v-grooved timing belts that absolutely do not stretch. There are no loosen-able bits that allow tipping something one way or another, and no take-up wheels. You just have to roll the wheels while forcing the belts on, one groove at a time, hearing it click into place after each groove-hop. I pinched my fingers pretty well a few times.

I'm now down to more fiddly bits, like the pulley and belt for the fan, adjustment knobs, the slotted wheel for the digital readout's optical measuring of heights, the battery and LCD compartment, and unfortunately, at least a handful of screws, washers, and bushings that don't remind me of anything. Hopefully I find a home for all of them, but if my history with everything I've ever taken apart and reassembled holds true, I'll finish up with a small assortment of screws I can't place, but that don't seem to affect the function of the device.

I'll keep you posted, and wish me luck! Oh, and thanks for the support, everyone. If this thing is actually fixed, I think I might decide to go out dancing for the first time ever. Here's where I left off last night:


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *I got the new bearing in place!*
> 
> I lamented last week that I just missed the closing time at the local bearing shop. I got there yesterday nice and early and they not only had the right bearings, but bearings with the exact same set of numbers stamped on the side. That gave me some confidence, even though the race covers looked a bit different. The man told me they were from their higher quality line of bearings, and here's hoping. They were $10/ea., whereas Sears' version were $4/ea., but I was happy to just get them now, sans-shipping and waiting. I really want the planer back ASAP.
> 
> ...


Like you said- Where there's a will, there's a way!!

Good Luck, Gary!!

Lew


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## dvhart (Feb 22, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *I got the new bearing in place!*
> 
> I lamented last week that I just missed the closing time at the local bearing shop. I got there yesterday nice and early and they not only had the right bearings, but bearings with the exact same set of numbers stamped on the side. That gave me some confidence, even though the race covers looked a bit different. The man told me they were from their higher quality line of bearings, and here's hoping. They were $10/ea., whereas Sears' version were $4/ea., but I was happy to just get them now, sans-shipping and waiting. I really want the planer back ASAP.
> 
> ...


Wow, what an endeavor. Good luck to you. One thing I have found that helps to avoid having "spare" parts in the end is to take lots of digital photos during the disassembly of complicated systems.


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## GaryD (Mar 5, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *I got the new bearing in place!*
> 
> I lamented last week that I just missed the closing time at the local bearing shop. I got there yesterday nice and early and they not only had the right bearings, but bearings with the exact same set of numbers stamped on the side. That gave me some confidence, even though the race covers looked a bit different. The man told me they were from their higher quality line of bearings, and here's hoping. They were $10/ea., whereas Sears' version were $4/ea., but I was happy to just get them now, sans-shipping and waiting. I really want the planer back ASAP.
> 
> ...


Gary, good luck….


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*I just planed a board *

It all sounded pretty normal. The first attempt was met with a lot of knocking. Perhaps I had it too low. Hitting stop, raising it, and trying again worked fine, though there were a few slightly raised lines, about 1/4+ wide. I must have chipped the blades slightly. No matter - I can flip them around to the new edges, and I have another pack waiting if I need them.

It does look like there's a slight difference between left and right sides, but I'm talking something like 1/64" or less. The board I ran was only a 1×4, and it came out 9/16" on 3 corners, and less than a paper's width under that on the last corner, which could just be snipe-related.

I'm pretty excited, though it's tempered by a bit of exhaustion, both mental and physical. This was stressful. Turning it on for the first time was a heart-stopping moment. I wasn't sure if it would work it all, and I wasn't sure if it would shoot gears at me. In the end, I had only a washer left over unaccounted for. Most of the screws and washers were evident either by quantity, or by the scratches left over on things where they'd bin. Match up the scratch diameter, and you have the screw, or washer. Match up the number of like places that need a screw with the number of like screws that match the scratches, and it's obvious what goes where. I had to consult my manual - in the filing cabinet under "shop manuals" (at least one thing is organized) to figure out where a spring-loaded catch went, but that was easy to fit. One part I actually figured out again by the red filings under its flange. It had been screwed through the thing with the red enamel coat 

A lot of things fit together so snugly they required the heat/cool method, light sanding with high-grit sandpaper, and using things like clamps and wedges to urge into their holes. It was quite an undertaking, and one of the more involved things I've ever done in my shop. Now I only hope the bearing holds up for some length of time, unlike the last one.

Thanks again, all, for your support through these troubled times. Now let's all make something!


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *I just planed a board *
> 
> It all sounded pretty normal. The first attempt was met with a lot of knocking. Perhaps I had it too low. Hitting stop, raising it, and trying again worked fine, though there were a few slightly raised lines, about 1/4+ wide. I must have chipped the blades slightly. No matter - I can flip them around to the new edges, and I have another pack waiting if I need them.
> 
> ...


Ahh, success- what a great feeling.

Finding/remembering where all of these screws/fasteners go after tearing something apart has begun to elude my as I get older. I was subbing in Computer Tech one day and mentioned how I had trouble remembering where all the lap top screws went. A student said- "why don't you just take a picture of it with your digital camera". Out of the mouths of babes…..

Lew


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## HokieMojo (Mar 11, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *I just planed a board *
> 
> It all sounded pretty normal. The first attempt was met with a lot of knocking. Perhaps I had it too low. Hitting stop, raising it, and trying again worked fine, though there were a few slightly raised lines, about 1/4+ wide. I must have chipped the blades slightly. No matter - I can flip them around to the new edges, and I have another pack waiting if I need them.
> 
> ...


after i finish getting my garage drywalled, painted, and organized, I'm going to turn my attention to a 12 year old grizzly jointer I bought a while back. interestingly enough, the part that concerns me most of all is the bearing replacement that I'm going to need to do.

Also of interest might be that I planned to spend a few hours stripping the parts off, a couple days soaking them in evaporust, and a day reassembling it. So far, day 1 occured and all the parts are sitting around just waiting to get lost for 6 months since.

I have a manual (which will be a help I'm sure) but getting everything reassembled is not going to be easy. I should have been sure I'd have the time to finish the project before starting. You've given me hope though!


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *I just planed a board *
> 
> It all sounded pretty normal. The first attempt was met with a lot of knocking. Perhaps I had it too low. Hitting stop, raising it, and trying again worked fine, though there were a few slightly raised lines, about 1/4+ wide. I must have chipped the blades slightly. No matter - I can flip them around to the new edges, and I have another pack waiting if I need them.
> 
> ...


Lew - it's a good idea. I took a few while disassembling, but wasn't actually trying to show myself where everything went so much as I was just doing my usual documentation of everything I do in my life 

Hokie - there is hope! I learned a lot - mostly from folks here - while repairing this thing. Here are a few things:

1) I don't have to just give up when a machine fails rather considerably. Machines are made by people and repaired by people. I'm a people, and it's possible for me to repair them, too. I think a lot of my fellow people would never believe they had this power, but most, if not all of us do
2) bearings can be better fit by heating them, and cooling the shaft upon which they will go
3) take pictures of every section you'll disassemble. Heck, take pictures of all the screws you've taken out of a spot in your hand in front of that spot, so it's very clear where they were, and what they look like!
4) an old socket that fits over the shaft and isn't wider than the inner ring of the bearing can be used to tap the bearing home after heating/cooling
5) make sure the bearing and shaft are clean and free of grit and oil when sliding the bearing on. Grit will tear up the metal; oil, though making it easier to slide on, will also help it slide off later
6) a fine grit sandpaper can smooth the shaft a bit for really tough fits
7) LumberJocks are an awesome bunch of people


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## 308Gap (Mar 6, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *I just planed a board *
> 
> It all sounded pretty normal. The first attempt was met with a lot of knocking. Perhaps I had it too low. Hitting stop, raising it, and trying again worked fine, though there were a few slightly raised lines, about 1/4+ wide. I must have chipped the blades slightly. No matter - I can flip them around to the new edges, and I have another pack waiting if I need them.
> 
> ...


Glad it works now, I was getting tense with the 12:55 close time. Try driving a truck and trailer in LA, I've had people drive under my trailer. I was also a mechanic for 10 yrs before trucking and we used freon to freeze parts and beer.


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## FatherHooligan (Mar 27, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *I just planed a board *
> 
> It all sounded pretty normal. The first attempt was met with a lot of knocking. Perhaps I had it too low. Hitting stop, raising it, and trying again worked fine, though there were a few slightly raised lines, about 1/4+ wide. I must have chipped the blades slightly. No matter - I can flip them around to the new edges, and I have another pack waiting if I need them.
> 
> ...


"1) I don't have to just give up when a machine fails rather considerably. Machines are made by people and repaired by people. I'm a people, and it's possible for me to repair them, too. I think a lot of my fellow people would never believe they had this power, but most, if not all of us do"

When I used to instruct at the college level it was my firm belief that anybody could learn the discipline I was teaching in…I think you've aptly stated that same philosophy directed at repairing things. "I'm a people …" a great bit of logic/common sense that seems to escape far too many people. Glad you got it up and running again.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*the back yard fence saga*

It sure feels like everything is falling apart this year. There was the planer and its bearings. Too, more than ever I'm wearing out shoes and clothes. I've gotten wood glue or finishes on and holes in so many shirts now, and had 3 pairs of jeans become for lack of a better word 'dry rotten,' each ending up with tears more than a foot long. The dryer broke… again (washer broke last year - the bottom rusted out and after filling, it popped and dumped water all over the floor). My office chair back has broken, so I can't lean back anymore. The bathtub faucet has begun to drip all the time. My outdoor/working sneakers have large holes in them, and the insides are all torn up. Granted I've been wearing them all day every day for years now, and I do hard things like loading my truck full of 150lbs+ logs often enough, so that's expected of simple running shoes, but it's just the timing.

Everything is breaking this year. My miter saw is making a terrible grinding noise and I can't use it anymore until I figure out what's going on inside it. I'm pretty sure it just needs to be replaced. It's just a cheap Ryobi and it's taken some really bad hits, like when it pulled that round log sideways and pushed its own protective cover into the blade, chewing itself up badly and jamming to a halt. I had to disassemble a lot of it to fix it that time. No idea what's making the noise now, and the motor brushes seem fine. Several of my hand saws have slipped and hit metal things, knocking off teeth, and at least one of them isn't usable anymore. I don't recall this many things falling apart in so short a time before. There's a general, overall degradation of things, too. Things just seem to be deteriorating. I've noticed that the siding all around the house and garage is starting to fall apart, especially around the bottom. There's a 1' hole in the wooden slats with insulation spilling out near the garage door. I think it's been hit too many times by the gardener's weed-whacker. I've been in there several times when he's hit it, and it always makes me jump. Because of the digging up of the front yard for the sewer line install, the front yard looks like a war zone, and the grass is taking its time bothering to cover back over any of it (the weeds are having fun, though). It goes like this everywhere. The whole place is just aging rapidly. We have had a lot more rain and high winds than usual this year. Perhaps that's part of it.

Anyway, on to the fence saga - another thing that fell apart.

Before I knew what was going on, the morning glories in the back yard had moved from the trellis to the small back yard gate's fence and pulled the trellis over. Too, they went in the back window (my bedroom), and somehow managed to sneakily invade the bedroom without me noticing for a month. I tend to just go in and fall into bed, wake up and leave. That room is only for sleeping. Still, it shocked me when I found the vines had come in behind the thick, floor-length curtains, crossed the floor, and wrapped themselves 3 times around a piece of rolling luggage before going into my closet (one I never use), and up through all of my old clothes I don't wear, through the sleeves, wrapping around the hangers and hanger rod. I finally noticed one day when I happened to look up when going into my room and saw a wide spray of vines coming over the top of the curtain rod and heading toward the bed across the ceiling, literally hanging out over the room about 2' from the wall. It scared the life out of me. Here's a shot of the back yard, with the vines clearly having infiltrated my bedroom:



Not only did they do that, but they kept trying to go around the fence to the right there and head toward my wood racks, and they did go all the way around the other way, across the cement patio, and to my back door. I swear they weren't there one week, and then I opened the door one day and they were 3' from the door. They were at least 15', maybe 20' from their base. They also went along the wall, behind outdoor plastic storage closets, then through cracks and all up through those. I opened one of them one day to get something after weeks of not looking in only to find the whole thing full of vines that spilled out at me. They also passed by those and went up into my water heater's metal enclosure. They had surrounded all of the pipes and hoses and fittings in there. I had to carefully clip them all out. Most recently they decided to push up under the siding on the back of the house, and there was no pulling them out. I just had to cut them right where they entered. They really anchor themselves. I'd have to tear off the siding to get the parts that made it inside. I'd had enough, and went to work one day last week:



I admit I may once or twice have screamed "Die, you foul monster!" while hacking away for an hour with a hatchet. I had to be careful pulling them free from the electrical box. They were extra tightly wrapped all around that. I suppose they liked that sweet electrical juice. I still at that point had to clean out the bedroom itself, so leaves remain in the windows. I also learned I'm a bit allergic to morning glory dust. The flowers and vines keep covering over themselves, building up a huge pile of debris that basically flakes away into dust. Hacking into that released mighty plumes that blew all around the area, covering me and making my eyes burn and my skin itch mightily.

Here's the mass that had made it over the small fence:



It took 2 weeks to get rid of it, as only half would fit in the green waste bin at a time:



The cat definitely approved of the new, clean area, but note the poor condition of the fence:





From the other side - the fence was previously covered in more than a foot of vines piled on top of each other:



The fence had become really wobbly. The vines had been holding it up rather securely. Today I was in and out to the garage all day, and then at one point I headed back out to find this:





It really underscored for me the whole "everything is falling apart" feeling I've been having lately. The bottom of the posts had rotted away:



I had just earlier in the day picked up this Stanley 55 - 040 nail claw / chisel for helping with reclaimed lumber:



It helped me make pretty short work of the whole thing:





I was going to keep them, plane them, and make something out of them, but these things are toast. Just trying to pry them loose caused them to crack along their lengths far too easily. Much of the wood could be scraped away easily with a fingernail. They were all completely dry rotted, with no real structure left to them, so I dumped them out by the road. It's trash day. Someone will come along and use them for firewood.

I swept up, and now if I'm to be honest, I rather like this a lot better. I've always been one for closed-in spaces, low ceilings, small rooms, lots of fences. I'm kind of a natural mole. However, I love being able to see my 'xylarium' (wood racks) easily from the back yard. I'll love not banging into the fence all the time with a shoulder, planks, green waste bin, or furniture dolly dragging logs around.



Too, I've long wanted to tear out this ratty old fence and build one that can be easily lifted out so one day I could get my expensive wood shed rolled out whenever I move. I think once the log racks are out of there (hopefully not in the too near future), it will fit. I should one day mock up a 1×2 frame and see if my friends and I can snake it out of there between the house and garage without getting wedged.



I guess that's the secret - look for the positives. My shoes aren't falling apart. They're *finally* falling apart after a very good run through probably 2 or 3 years of hard labor. My chair broke, but clearly I have a lot of weight to lose. It's just trying to urge me back the treadmill  The dryer, though a pain, was actually kind of fun to fix. There are positives to most of it.


----------



## davidmicraig (Nov 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *the back yard fence saga*
> 
> It sure feels like everything is falling apart this year. There was the planer and its bearings. Too, more than ever I'm wearing out shoes and clothes. I've gotten wood glue or finishes on and holes in so many shirts now, and had 3 pairs of jeans become for lack of a better word 'dry rotten,' each ending up with tears more than a foot long. The dryer broke… again (washer broke last year - the bottom rusted out and after filling, it popped and dumped water all over the floor). My office chair back has broken, so I can't lean back anymore. The bathtub faucet has begun to drip all the time. My outdoor/working sneakers have large holes in them, and the insides are all torn up. Granted I've been wearing them all day every day for years now, and I do hard things like loading my truck full of 150lbs+ logs often enough, so that's expected of simple running shoes, but it's just the timing.
> 
> ...


Feel your pain and joy Gary. My house is a fixer upper and have had to deal with the breaks. I posted a roofing project on homerefurbishers that a buddy and I completed last summer. Big mess and nearly made me cry when it was finally completed.

As far as jeans go, if you have a Tractor Supply Company store where you live, pick up some of the CE Schmidt jeans they have there. They are economical and tough as nails. I was ripping out so many jeans around here I refused to buy new ones. I picked up two pair a few months ago and haven't torn a hole yet, which is like a guiness record for me.

Good luck with the projects, looking great so far.

David


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *the back yard fence saga*
> 
> It sure feels like everything is falling apart this year. There was the planer and its bearings. Too, more than ever I'm wearing out shoes and clothes. I've gotten wood glue or finishes on and holes in so many shirts now, and had 3 pairs of jeans become for lack of a better word 'dry rotten,' each ending up with tears more than a foot long. The dryer broke… again (washer broke last year - the bottom rusted out and after filling, it popped and dumped water all over the floor). My office chair back has broken, so I can't lean back anymore. The bathtub faucet has begun to drip all the time. My outdoor/working sneakers have large holes in them, and the insides are all torn up. Granted I've been wearing them all day every day for years now, and I do hard things like loading my truck full of 150lbs+ logs often enough, so that's expected of simple running shoes, but it's just the timing.
> 
> ...


clearly , you need to take a ' love boat ' cruise ,
for a month .
and re-evaluate your priorities ,
while an exorcist deals with the house .

just wear your life jacket the whole time (LOL) !


----------



## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *the back yard fence saga*
> 
> It sure feels like everything is falling apart this year. There was the planer and its bearings. Too, more than ever I'm wearing out shoes and clothes. I've gotten wood glue or finishes on and holes in so many shirts now, and had 3 pairs of jeans become for lack of a better word 'dry rotten,' each ending up with tears more than a foot long. The dryer broke… again (washer broke last year - the bottom rusted out and after filling, it popped and dumped water all over the floor). My office chair back has broken, so I can't lean back anymore. The bathtub faucet has begun to drip all the time. My outdoor/working sneakers have large holes in them, and the insides are all torn up. Granted I've been wearing them all day every day for years now, and I do hard things like loading my truck full of 150lbs+ logs often enough, so that's expected of simple running shoes, but it's just the timing.
> 
> ...


Ahh, the joys (?) of home ownership. Just when you think everything is right with the world, something else breaks.

Your story of the morning glories reminded me of a friends home. They have an ivy vine that grew into the house. They found it to work as a thermometer. When it went below 32 degrees outside, the leaves on the inside would droop. But, I think your situation may have been a little "over kill" on the sensing units.

Lew


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *the back yard fence saga*
> 
> It sure feels like everything is falling apart this year. There was the planer and its bearings. Too, more than ever I'm wearing out shoes and clothes. I've gotten wood glue or finishes on and holes in so many shirts now, and had 3 pairs of jeans become for lack of a better word 'dry rotten,' each ending up with tears more than a foot long. The dryer broke… again (washer broke last year - the bottom rusted out and after filling, it popped and dumped water all over the floor). My office chair back has broken, so I can't lean back anymore. The bathtub faucet has begun to drip all the time. My outdoor/working sneakers have large holes in them, and the insides are all torn up. Granted I've been wearing them all day every day for years now, and I do hard things like loading my truck full of 150lbs+ logs often enough, so that's expected of simple running shoes, but it's just the timing.
> 
> ...


David - good grief! I'm glad the place hasn't come to that yet! What a job. Also, thanks for the note on the pants. I grabbed 2 pair from OSH (Orchard Supply Headquarters) and those fell apart pretty quickly, too. I began to think no jeans were strong enough, but I'll definitely track down some CE Schmidts. I had a pair recently where the outer hem got loose. I was just watching TV with my hand on my leg and felt something weird. It was the front and back pulling apart and revealing the stitches like a ladder down the leg. I flipped them inside out and ran the whole hem with a tight, zig-zag stitch on my little sewing machine. Now they're good again. It's nice to be able to fix some things, but it was yet another of those "Why is everything falling apart?" moments.

David (Patron) - a vacation would probably be nice, as long as I could come back to no problems here. I don't know how that's possible 

Lew - I'm only renting, so the real problems are my landlady's! I have grown a bit of an unnatural fear of morning glories after seeing how quickly they move. I swore I could almost watch them grow if I sat down long enough.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *the back yard fence saga*
> 
> It sure feels like everything is falling apart this year. There was the planer and its bearings. Too, more than ever I'm wearing out shoes and clothes. I've gotten wood glue or finishes on and holes in so many shirts now, and had 3 pairs of jeans become for lack of a better word 'dry rotten,' each ending up with tears more than a foot long. The dryer broke… again (washer broke last year - the bottom rusted out and after filling, it popped and dumped water all over the floor). My office chair back has broken, so I can't lean back anymore. The bathtub faucet has begun to drip all the time. My outdoor/working sneakers have large holes in them, and the insides are all torn up. Granted I've been wearing them all day every day for years now, and I do hard things like loading my truck full of 150lbs+ logs often enough, so that's expected of simple running shoes, but it's just the timing.
> 
> ...


Coming from the farm I can tell you it is the forces of nature. When you live in town, nature is working against you. Things rust, wear out and need to be fixed and replaced. When you live on the farm, nature works for you. Every spring the new growth adds to your wealth and well being. The cows have calves, the horses colts, and the sheep lambs. A few seeds will give you reap bushels of wheat. Nature gives you more every year instead of constantly chipping away.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *the back yard fence saga*
> 
> It sure feels like everything is falling apart this year. There was the planer and its bearings. Too, more than ever I'm wearing out shoes and clothes. I've gotten wood glue or finishes on and holes in so many shirts now, and had 3 pairs of jeans become for lack of a better word 'dry rotten,' each ending up with tears more than a foot long. The dryer broke… again (washer broke last year - the bottom rusted out and after filling, it popped and dumped water all over the floor). My office chair back has broken, so I can't lean back anymore. The bathtub faucet has begun to drip all the time. My outdoor/working sneakers have large holes in them, and the insides are all torn up. Granted I've been wearing them all day every day for years now, and I do hard things like loading my truck full of 150lbs+ logs often enough, so that's expected of simple running shoes, but it's just the timing.
> 
> ...


Your story cheers me up, Topamax! I think I need a farm, with a nice, huge patch of woods.


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## LateNightOwl (Aug 13, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *the back yard fence saga*
> 
> It sure feels like everything is falling apart this year. There was the planer and its bearings. Too, more than ever I'm wearing out shoes and clothes. I've gotten wood glue or finishes on and holes in so many shirts now, and had 3 pairs of jeans become for lack of a better word 'dry rotten,' each ending up with tears more than a foot long. The dryer broke… again (washer broke last year - the bottom rusted out and after filling, it popped and dumped water all over the floor). My office chair back has broken, so I can't lean back anymore. The bathtub faucet has begun to drip all the time. My outdoor/working sneakers have large holes in them, and the insides are all torn up. Granted I've been wearing them all day every day for years now, and I do hard things like loading my truck full of 150lbs+ logs often enough, so that's expected of simple running shoes, but it's just the timing.
> 
> ...


Your morning glories sound like they have been crossbred with kudzu!


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*fixing my dryer's tensioner*

I mentioned my broken dryer in my last post. It's not woodworking, but it's 'making,' and I thought it might be of mild interest here.

So a few months ago I heard a loud bang while doing laundry and soon realized the dryer was no longer spinning. The motor was running, but the belt had popped. Not knowing how to access anything, I must have spent an hour fighting it away from the wall and digging through internals, unscrewing panel after panel, hitting dead ends, before realizing you can just forcefully pull away the bottom front panel to get to where I needed to be. The tensioner was something of a tavern puzzle to me, and must have taken 15 minutes that first time to comprehend and get refitted.

Flash forward to this week, another bang revealed the tensioner had popped again. It had been riding rough ever since the previous fix, and this time, finding the pieces sprinkled around the inside, I was unable to get them all back together. I decided the brass bushing in the plastic tensioner wheel had ground away on one side, creating a conical through-hole that no longer fit the axle, the pegs on each side of which too no longer well fit the bracket holes. I'd have to build something.

I used a gear puller to press out the worn central brass bushing from the plastic tensioner wheel. I found some aluminum rod in my collection that was slightly wider and turned it down to fit very snugly. I drilled a small through hole and eventually found some thin brass rod to fit through that to act as an axle. Brass wears nicely, so I figured that would do it. The pin was just wider than the bracket holes, so I hammered on them to 'smoosh' the brass into the holes, which worked, but also bent up the rod inside the new aluminum bushing, making it spin terribly on the brass pin. It also peened out the brass on each end, locking the whole thing together with the bracket pressed tightly against the wheel sides, so it didn't spin well at all. I fit it and the wheel wouldn't spin. I drilled out the brass pin and hammered it free of the aluminum bushing. I fit another length and had it working great, then one tap to lock the brass made it all seize up again. I sort of had it working, but the central hole hadn't been drilled concentrically from one end to the other, so the wheel was bouncing back and forth on one side so loudly I had to immediately turn the machine off in disgust. It would tear itself apart. I gave up for the day.

Today, renewed by sleep, I went at it again with a new idea. I had peened the aluminum bushing I'd made so it would stay in place in the plastic wheel when hammered in - something I learned from the peening on my planer's cutterhead shaft. I had to use the gear puller to get that back out, as even a hammer and rod wouldn't budge it. That's actually good, as I wanted that part locked to the plastic wheel. I decided today to walk to the hardware store and pick up some nesting tubes and just build up the bushing in the middle. I got a handful of nesting brass tube, as well as a small stainless steel tube, and stainless pin that would fit in that and seemed about the right size to work as an axle through the bracket's holes.

At home I found several brass tubes in a bin that were the same as what I'd bought, and realized I hadn't gotten tubes up to the size of the plastic wheel's through-hole. No matter. I chucked the aluminum bushing in the lathe, used a Sorby micro tool holder and largish drill bit to manually drill a hole through the middle, large enough to get the lathe's internal turning tool in there, then turned it up to the OD of one of the nesting brass tubes. I cut that tube to length, then another brass tube for inside of that. Now I was down to the stainless steel tube size and used a pipe cutter to cut that - harder than brass, but it worked pretty fast. Then it wast the stainless pin's turn. I marked it a bit wider so I could trim down the sides' ODs to fit the bracket holes, and gave up when the pipe cutter wouldn't get through it. I cut it with a Dremel with cutoff disc, cleaned up the cut in the lathe, then turned the ends down a bit to fit the bracket holes. It all went together well, and because of all of the nesting tubes, and slippery brass, it spun beautifully. Fitting it all back together, the dryer made very little noise - back on par with how it was when I first moved in a few years ago. I did 3 loads of laundry.

Here's a shot of the mess following the making of the whole thing this morning:



Here are the nesting pieces, and note the aluminum bushing I made that's pressed tightly into the plastic wheel:



Closeup - the shoulder of the little dovetailed end is normally flush with the rest of the nested tubing ends, but is being pushed up by the surface upon which the wheel rests:



Everything fitted together, ready for reinstallation in the dryer:



Back in the (old, internally filthy) dryer, it works!!!


----------



## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *fixing my dryer's tensioner*
> 
> I mentioned my broken dryer in my last post. It's not woodworking, but it's 'making,' and I thought it might be of mild interest here.
> 
> ...


niice saved
and I´m with you 
this year everything´s
seems to fall apart
even my own body
had said stop for a while :-(
but at least I can enjoy
being on L J


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## davidmicraig (Nov 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *fixing my dryer's tensioner*
> 
> I mentioned my broken dryer in my last post. It's not woodworking, but it's 'making,' and I thought it might be of mild interest here.
> 
> ...


Nice break down Gary (as in post, not the dryer). You added a few digits to the credit column to offset those tool purchases. Real life events that prove that justification one battles with before picking up the tool.

Good Job!

David


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## docholladay (Jan 9, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *fixing my dryer's tensioner*
> 
> I mentioned my broken dryer in my last post. It's not woodworking, but it's 'making,' and I thought it might be of mild interest here.
> 
> ...


Isn't disassembling a washer or dryer fun. I almost totally disassembled my washing machine before I realized that I could have gotten to the parts I needed in about 3 steps. Before you spent all of that trouble and time to make your own parts, did you inquire as to the cost to purchase new - factory - parts for your dryer. I have repaired both my washer and dryer with similar types of problems and the parts were cheap. Usually, the small mechanical parts are not expensive at all. I think I spent $15.00 for the parts to repair my washing machine. That was after I had attempt to "fabricate" something and realized it wouldn't work. When I found out how cheap it was, I had a Homer Simpson "doh" moment.


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## Jimthecarver (Jan 14, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *fixing my dryer's tensioner*
> 
> I mentioned my broken dryer in my last post. It's not woodworking, but it's 'making,' and I thought it might be of mild interest here.
> 
> ...


Two thumbs up on the repair Gary, but I do agree with doc. Those parts are very cheap.


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## davidmicraig (Nov 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *fixing my dryer's tensioner*
> 
> I mentioned my broken dryer in my last post. It's not woodworking, but it's 'making,' and I thought it might be of mild interest here.
> 
> ...


Gary will have to answer, but I think in this particular case it was not about the bucks but about seeing if that metal lathe can be used to machine the parts that are needed. Way cool when you can play repair man and replace the parts that are needed. Way cooler to machine the parts you need and work it up from scratch. Personally, I would prefer to practice that technique on parts that are accessible then wait until a part breaks that I cannot find a manufacturer for.

David


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## HokieMojo (Mar 11, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *fixing my dryer's tensioner*
> 
> I mentioned my broken dryer in my last post. It's not woodworking, but it's 'making,' and I thought it might be of mild interest here.
> 
> ...


While this was an impressive fix, here is one more idea. Why not build a drying rack? This method results in $0 of energy costs each time you have items to dry and it keeps your house cooler in the coming summer months. Don't get me wrong, a dryer is a wonderful thing to have on occasion, but I love my drying racks. They also don't wear out your clothes as fast (all that lint generated by the dryer is just worn away material). Just an idea.


----------



## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *fixing my dryer's tensioner*
> 
> I mentioned my broken dryer in my last post. It's not woodworking, but it's 'making,' and I thought it might be of mild interest here.
> 
> ...


As David said, with all these successful experiences, you may well have started down the path to a new career. I'll bet there are plenty of building managers looking for a good maintenance guy. Should be easy work for a problem solver like you!

Lew


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## davidpettinger (Aug 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *fixing my dryer's tensioner*
> 
> I mentioned my broken dryer in my last post. It's not woodworking, but it's 'making,' and I thought it might be of mild interest here.
> 
> ...


Yeah, I agree with Doc, but nice save and interesting blog. Bookmark this page for next time though, they even have manuals. http://www.repairclinic.com/Home.aspx


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *fixing my dryer's tensioner*
> 
> I mentioned my broken dryer in my last post. It's not woodworking, but it's 'making,' and I thought it might be of mild interest here.
> 
> ...


Well, the parts may been cheap, but it's true - it was fun to get it working, and I had the fix a lot faster than I would have ordering it and waiting for it to arrive. I was able to get laundry I desperately needed done so I could go out in the world as a clean person again 

Hokie - don't you need to iron after drying them on a rack? I definitely don't iron! I pull them right out of the dryer and put them on hangers  I think I might go through clothes a bit too fast to wait for the rack, actually. My clothes are big (2XL shirts, size 46 pants, and it's hard to understand in pics how tiny my little house is. I'd have laundry all over the place if I went the rack method. I don't even really have room to hang them up. There's a little hook in the laundry room, but when I hang up a shirt on it, it droops to the sink basin below, draping partly into it, and the sleeves touch the racks over the machines, and the shelving on the adjacent wall. Everything butts up against other things here. It's like living in Japan.


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## HokieMojo (Mar 11, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *fixing my dryer's tensioner*
> 
> I mentioned my broken dryer in my last post. It's not woodworking, but it's 'making,' and I thought it might be of mild interest here.
> 
> ...


well, i haven't ironed in a couple years now. I mostly hang things like towels, washclothes, jeans, t-shirts, socks. t-shirts (plain white) tend to have another shirt over top so as long as you go that route, some small wrinkles will never be seen
socks - obvious
towels tend to flatten themselves out due to weight and they get folded anyway which tends to get the rest of the wringles out.
jeans seem to be able to shake their wrinkles in about an hour after putting them on. Most things can be dry in a day by hanging, even indoors. I'm not trying to twist your arm into making/buying one (-: Just explaining how I work it. I don't want you to think I'm walking around with wrinkled clothes.


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## 308Gap (Mar 6, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *fixing my dryer's tensioner*
> 
> I mentioned my broken dryer in my last post. It's not woodworking, but it's 'making,' and I thought it might be of mild interest here.
> 
> ...


After a 1 1/2 yr stay in boston I found clothes racks are more of an east coast thing, along with rotarys, shopping carts called carriages, oil heat, smog is called haze ( more PC that way ), dunkin doughnuts every 20 feet, no street signs because its always been that way, rust in the tap water, and they dont have ding dongs they have ring dings. My stepsons love my clothes dryer and a house not filled with clothes racks.


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## FatherHooligan (Mar 27, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *fixing my dryer's tensioner*
> 
> I mentioned my broken dryer in my last post. It's not woodworking, but it's 'making,' and I thought it might be of mild interest here.
> 
> ...


With two kids and Jenn and myself (and my picky uniforms) we would be hard pressed to use drying racks, that and the dog would probably shed all over them (especially the uniforms or anything of mine ;-)

I completely agree with and understand the fixing it yourself idea. We once had a huge family one weekend and my Dad, older brother and I spent (in retrospect) way too long 'fixing' the home made barbeque when we could have run into town, bought the required parts (for less than it cost us to make them in the shop, probably) and driven back home if far less time and for far fewer dollars than it actually took and cost us; but we did it ourselves and that was worth the difference to us. My $0.02 worth


----------



## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*Chinese elm logs and the forces of nature*

After picking up the Chinese elm logs the other day, I noticed hours later they were rapidly beginning to check. I headed out a few hours after that to seal them up, and of course, a few hours later it was raining. The not-yet-dry Anchorseal began to wash away:



http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4023/4493339551_7775c9954e.jpg" title="Anchorseal running off logs in 
rain" alt="Anchorseal running off logs in 
rain

My truck bed ran white with wax:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2741/4493989854_d4c41b35ee.jpg" title="Anchorseal running off logs in 
rain" alt="Anchorseal running off logs in 
rain

And so did my driveway:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4004/4493981966_322eafac34.jpg" title="Anchorseal runoff from logs in 
rain" alt="Anchorseal runoff from logs in 
rain

The following day I moved the pieces to the back yard, shortly before it began to rain again. I put them under the Hollywood junipers, where the thick foliage from the trees had left dry spots:



Here's my foot for some scale:



Then it began to rain really hard, causing me to run all around the front and back yard trying to move recently collected wood to dry places in the garage and under the house's rather large eaves. There are no gutters, so of course by the end of this effort, especially in the uncharacteristically (for LA) hard rain, I was completely soaked with dirty, LA smog-infused (and roof grime runoff-injected) water:



That's actually the moment right there that I decided I no longer love the rain. I used to kick off my shoes and socks and go out and run around in it. I even once had a similarly rainstruck girlfriend, and some of our most fun moments were when we were frolicking in the daily torrential downpours of Sarasota, FL. I've loved rain more than any other weather my whole life, especially powerful thunderstorms and mild hurricanes. I think that's over now, though. As I'm aging, and as I'm needing dry conditions outside more and more, I'm really losing that old magic. I finally understand what all the rain-haters out there have been feeling. I guess I still like the rain itself, but it really clashes with a less hippyish and more productive lifestyle 

Speaking of, today I headed out early - 8AM - to see about ripping these short, fat logs into turning blanks, or at least something I could get onto my band saw. Here's the mess after quartering the largest log, and halving one of the smaller ones:





Here's a peek inside one of the small logs:



Then halfway through the next of the 2 small, round logs, my cheap Homelite 16" electric chainsaw started revving without spinning the chain anymore. I checked inside and played with the chain and gear wheel, reassembled it, and it worked again for a short while. It happened again, and I figured it was just a safety mechanism to prevent injury to the machine or the user. I was making a hard cut, after all. I looked for some kind of tripped switch, found none, and eventually felt like I'd figured out I could just push the chain to reengage it. It kept working, but it also kept tripping more and more, after shorter and shorter useful periods. Not long after that, unfortunately, I lost all ability to spin the chain anymore.

Here's a video of the first cut through the largest of the logs - 5 minutes of fighting over a few separate takes. I removed the end guard at some point for extra space. Included in the video is the trouble beginning while cutting the second of the small logs, with several attempted restarts, followed by the end of the chainsaw's life:






It turned out that I'd stripped the plastic 3" internal gear, part of the planetary gear system that drives the chain:



The gear box is full of shredded black plastic:



Look at the teeth inside the 3" internal gear here, and note that their front halves are entirely gone, shredded to nearly their base



It's quite clear to me now that I need a decent quality gas-powered chainsaw with at least a 20" bar for the things I do. 16" is just too short, and electric is such a hassle. I thought gas would be the pain, but having to look for a plug, having to watch that I don't cut the cord, and the overall shoddy, plastic makeup of these things makes it ridiculous. I had to ask one guy if he had a plug anywhere near the logs in a craigslist ad that I ultimately gave up on, and he said if I had a 200' cord, I could run it from his house. It's not worth it.

Well, at least I got these pieces cut and sealed. They were all sized to about the limit of my lathe, and will definitely push it to its limit with how heavy they are:



Here's my hand on one of the smaller pieces for some scale:



I really slathered on the Anchorseal. In an hour or so they were dry, and I flipped them and did the other sides. I want these pieces to work, and not end up checked terribly like so many other logs I've brought home. That was why I wanted to cut these up soon. The smaller chunks of trees are much less prone to check than short logs left in the round. There are so many more forces acting on every cubic inch in an entire log, both radial and concentric.

These are all pith free, or the pith is on the edge, ready to be turned away. That should aid in keeping them from splitting. I'd also like to not leave these for months and months, but get to them in the coming weeks. I might buck some into shorter pieces for bowls or plates. Oh, and if anyone was curious, I counted the rings of the largest remaining log tonight. It was a little hard to follow them in some places - they're not super pronounced in the wax-covered end, and they wiggle all over from fat to thin as they trace their way around the pith - but the number puts this tree somewhere between 45 and 50 years old.


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## PG_Zac (Feb 14, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm logs and the forces of nature*
> 
> After picking up the Chinese elm logs the other day, I noticed hours later they were rapidly beginning to check. I headed out a few hours after that to seal them up, and of course, a few hours later it was raining. The not-yet-dry Anchorseal began to wash away:
> 
> ...


It looks like you have some beautiful wood in those logs.

I'm eager to see some turnings from it.


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## davidmicraig (Nov 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm logs and the forces of nature*
> 
> After picking up the Chinese elm logs the other day, I noticed hours later they were rapidly beginning to check. I headed out a few hours after that to seal them up, and of course, a few hours later it was raining. The not-yet-dry Anchorseal began to wash away:
> 
> ...


Not sure what engineering genius came up with the nylon gears in high resistance tools concept…sometimes I imagine special purgatories for these folks. Kitchenaid almost lost their reputation for their high quality, but expensive, mixers a couple years ago. They outfitted them with the nylon gears and numerous customers were reporting issues until they finally went back to metal.

With as much cutting as you do, a good quality chainsaw would be a good investment. Even if you just used it on the morning glories…

David


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## jerryz (Jun 4, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm logs and the forces of nature*
> 
> After picking up the Chinese elm logs the other day, I noticed hours later they were rapidly beginning to check. I headed out a few hours after that to seal them up, and of course, a few hours later it was raining. The not-yet-dry Anchorseal began to wash away:
> 
> ...


Well, is it a wonder that they try to use cheaper and cheaper materials to construct everything from tools to cars.
Nylon, pound per pound is cheaper than steel or investment casting metal, also the gurus will tell you Nylon gears are less noisy than the metal counterparts, so between the cost reduction and the "ergonomics" reason in the end they literally screw us with their useless junk…..


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## JJohnston (May 22, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm logs and the forces of nature*
> 
> After picking up the Chinese elm logs the other day, I noticed hours later they were rapidly beginning to check. I headed out a few hours after that to seal them up, and of course, a few hours later it was raining. The not-yet-dry Anchorseal began to wash away:
> 
> ...


This just reinforces my observation that light-duty, hobbyist-grade stuff is just crap. Even the occasional hobbyist is better served by something heavy duty. The problem for me is, where do you find it, and how do you recognize it? Every throwaway POS now says "professional grade".


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## flyfisherbob2000 (Mar 22, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm logs and the forces of nature*
> 
> After picking up the Chinese elm logs the other day, I noticed hours later they were rapidly beginning to check. I headed out a few hours after that to seal them up, and of course, a few hours later it was raining. The not-yet-dry Anchorseal began to wash away:
> 
> ...


if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
if it jams, force it.
if it breaks, it needed fixin' anyway

So true about a good quality gas chain saw. I have yet to regret buying a quality tool, but always seem to regret when I get a "bargin" tool


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## Jimthecarver (Jan 14, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm logs and the forces of nature*
> 
> After picking up the Chinese elm logs the other day, I noticed hours later they were rapidly beginning to check. I headed out a few hours after that to seal them up, and of course, a few hours later it was raining. The not-yet-dry Anchorseal began to wash away:
> 
> ...


I think a nice Stihl is in your future.
Good luck Gary
What happened to the mountain man look?


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## reggiek (Jun 12, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm logs and the forces of nature*
> 
> After picking up the Chinese elm logs the other day, I noticed hours later they were rapidly beginning to check. I headed out a few hours after that to seal them up, and of course, a few hours later it was raining. The not-yet-dry Anchorseal began to wash away:
> 
> ...


That was a lot of work. I have never thought of owning an electric chain saw myself, as I have always owned Stihl or Husquavarna's. Both are of similar quality…and both can do some serious cutting (damage too if you are not careful). That wood looks great. Looks like you got some fun turning ahead.

I always worry about wood that is checking so fast though. I hate losing pieces that way. I just had a piece of the most beautiful spalted plum crack like Mt. Saint Helens erupted in it's center….it was so disappointing…the piece was beautiful….I had gotten it to nearly finished proportions….and then came out to check on it (I had it in a large bin of sawdust (slightly damp). When I pulled it out…there were 3 huge and very deep cracks…like a large bear or predator had slashed it. Ah well, Back to the drawing board.


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## PG_Zac (Feb 14, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm logs and the forces of nature*
> 
> After picking up the Chinese elm logs the other day, I noticed hours later they were rapidly beginning to check. I headed out a few hours after that to seal them up, and of course, a few hours later it was raining. The not-yet-dry Anchorseal began to wash away:
> 
> ...


Gary, I've just reread the post & watched the death of your chainsaw. My heart goes out to you in your grief at the loss of this beloved tool. ;-)

I am amazed that anyone would put plastic gears in a chainsaw. My chainsaw is a Stihl MS 460 and is plenty strong enough to slab 24" hardwood like Eucalyptus.

A word of advice for your future rip cuts - use a ripping chain. It makes the job much easier and saves the saw some effort.

p.s.
Have you seen the USB powered chainsaw?
It is called the i.Saw
.


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## reggiek (Jun 12, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm logs and the forces of nature*
> 
> After picking up the Chinese elm logs the other day, I noticed hours later they were rapidly beginning to check. I headed out a few hours after that to seal them up, and of course, a few hours later it was raining. The not-yet-dry Anchorseal began to wash away:
> 
> ...


I Saw…lol….


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm logs and the forces of nature*
> 
> After picking up the Chinese elm logs the other day, I noticed hours later they were rapidly beginning to check. I headed out a few hours after that to seal them up, and of course, a few hours later it was raining. The not-yet-dry Anchorseal began to wash away:
> 
> ...


Gary,
Maybe you got all of the bad luck out of the way all at once. Things have to be better tomorrow!

Lew


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## baller (Nov 14, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm logs and the forces of nature*
> 
> After picking up the Chinese elm logs the other day, I noticed hours later they were rapidly beginning to check. I headed out a few hours after that to seal them up, and of course, a few hours later it was raining. The not-yet-dry Anchorseal began to wash away:
> 
> ...


where'd u get the chinese elm??


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## Bearpie (Feb 19, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm logs and the forces of nature*
> 
> After picking up the Chinese elm logs the other day, I noticed hours later they were rapidly beginning to check. I headed out a few hours after that to seal them up, and of course, a few hours later it was raining. The not-yet-dry Anchorseal began to wash away:
> 
> ...


Gary, I have that same exact chainsaw and it seemed like I have the same problem you had. I only used it to cut about 4 or 5 pieces and it wouldn't cut anymore. I like to use my electric saw so I don't bother the neighbors but looks like they will have to get their earplugs out when I go to my gas chainsaw to do my cutting. So no more electric ones for me!

Nice haul on your wood!

Erwin Jacksonville, Fl


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## Galirex (Mar 21, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm logs and the forces of nature*
> 
> After picking up the Chinese elm logs the other day, I noticed hours later they were rapidly beginning to check. I headed out a few hours after that to seal them up, and of course, a few hours later it was raining. The not-yet-dry Anchorseal began to wash away:
> 
> ...


Ha ha ha ! 
Gary, you look like a bedraggled maltese poodle who got locked outside !
On a more serious note, I guess I'd also be cheesed-off with the groundhog-day series of complications !
Can't believe they are using plastic gears in a chainsaw of all things !!!! China special ???

Now, we are all pretty eager to see what's going to come out of all that wood, so, don't wait too long !
... and keep on entertaining us !


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm logs and the forces of nature*
> 
> After picking up the Chinese elm logs the other day, I noticed hours later they were rapidly beginning to check. I headed out a few hours after that to seal them up, and of course, a few hours later it was raining. The not-yet-dry Anchorseal began to wash away:
> 
> ...


Skarp - Yeah, I shave about 3x a year on average  It's not that I love beards. I just don't like shaving, and am blessed/cursed with a really thick beard that grows very fast.

David - I'm low on funds for the time being, but when I pull myself back up financially (working on it now), a good, gas-powered chainsaw is pretty high on the wishlist.

JJohnston - The internet and LJs itself helps a lot to whittle down the list of what's good, and what's junk. We have quite a reviews section here!

Jim - The mountain man look is unnecessary. The mountains and their simple, rugged life will always call to me  But it'll be back fast. It's already covered up most of my skin again. I'm returning once more to my wild state.

reggie - I've had soooo many suggestions about how to save wood from checking - seal ASAP after cutting, cut away any checks and seal immediately, don't put wood in windy areas, freeze wood to shatter the cell walls and kill their absorption/evaporation of moisture and thus movement potential, microwave wood to remove all water (more a drying technique), remove the pith entirely, don't use branch wood or any wood that's grown under directional stresses, riving wood (careful splitting) rather than cutting to find the natural stress lines and split along them, and probably a bunch more - but in the last year+ of working with wood, I've found that if pieces want to split, they're just going to split, and nothing I do will stop them. Olive wood so far has been the absolute worst for me, though all of my wood came from a single tree that trimmers 'threw' to me over a 10' tall fence, and every piece crashed down on a sidewalk. I'm still not sure that didn't throw stresses all through each log that manifested as splits later, but it definitely didn't make it severely cup, curl, and warp, which every piece did. I've looked up a lot of works by woodworkers and turners, and I usually see splits all over olive turnings, accompanied by apologies from the artists that the splits were unavoidable, or praise that said artists love the natural splitting, giving an old-fashioned, antique look 

Zac - Definitely will get a ripping chain setup one day. This was a very half-hearted investment. It was a <$80 all-included deal from Home Depot. I have seen the i.Saw - very funny!

Lew - I've resigned myself to the fact that if I'm going to keep working with tools on materials, things are going to break and/or blow up in my face. There's a learning process (I tend to be a bit rough with things, and not do the upkeep necessary, pushing everything past its breaking point), but when I ask around, it seems everyone who gets things built ends up with problems like this all the time. My stepdad has a large, successful company in the plumbing/heating/HVAC industry, and things fall apart for them all the time. I'm just happy to be able to keep working, despite the setbacks.

Chris - Got the elm from a residence in Downey, CA, after following a craigslist ad from the owner there, who had cut it down in the front yard and wheeled it out to the road for anyone who wanted it for free.

Erwin - Sorry to hear about your similar loss. Let's all stop buying this cheap crap! It almost never works out.


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## davidroberts (Nov 8, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm logs and the forces of nature*
> 
> After picking up the Chinese elm logs the other day, I noticed hours later they were rapidly beginning to check. I headed out a few hours after that to seal them up, and of course, a few hours later it was raining. The not-yet-dry Anchorseal began to wash away:
> 
> ...


Guess I'm confused. Why not split the logs with a couple of wedges. Usually you can split with a surface about the same as a chainsaw.


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## flyfisherbob2000 (Mar 22, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *Chinese elm logs and the forces of nature*
> 
> After picking up the Chinese elm logs the other day, I noticed hours later they were rapidly beginning to check. I headed out a few hours after that to seal them up, and of course, a few hours later it was raining. The not-yet-dry Anchorseal began to wash away:
> 
> ...


here is the chain saw you need!


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

*Oh the humanitrees!*

No throwing your wrapping lines while under the power lines!

http://docs.google.com/View?id=df8s28k6_8cjcsb7fn


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## sawblade1 (Feb 11, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *Oh the humanitrees!*
> 
> No throwing your wrapping lines while under the power lines!
> 
> http://docs.google.com/View?id=df8s28k6_8cjcsb7fn


One word sums it up OUCH 

boy did he screw up and we worry about typos and small errors on our job!!!!
what possesed him to try that did his load start to shift? 
just glad he did not get hurt to bad


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## skywalker01 (May 19, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Oh the humanitrees!*
> 
> No throwing your wrapping lines while under the power lines!
> 
> http://docs.google.com/View?id=df8s28k6_8cjcsb7fn


I have a problem with this. Almost always the power line part of the system is towards the top of the poles. This looks like it snagged the bottom of the pole wires, which would make it a tv cable or phone or something similar. Plus, This truck would not have been grounded due to the rubber tires being the only thing touching the ground right? Let's see what the electricians have to say about it. Just my late night observations. I believe it caught fire but not because of the hook.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Oh the humanitrees!*
> 
> No throwing your wrapping lines while under the power lines!
> 
> http://docs.google.com/View?id=df8s28k6_8cjcsb7fn


That guy is lucky he can tell us what happened!!

When you see insulators like those, they ain't phone lines!! You can trust your life with rubber tires on 7200 volts, but I won't make that bet!

I was working with a fellow who pulled out his 600 volt tester to check a 2400 volt system for hot. He did it without even thinking it was 2400 not 480. All I can say is Sq D make a damn good voltage tester. It held without shorting out!! We would both have ended our lives in the fire ball!


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## tunkvalleycustomwood (Nov 24, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Oh the humanitrees!*
> 
> No throwing your wrapping lines while under the power lines!
> 
> http://docs.google.com/View?id=df8s28k6_8cjcsb7fn


hey luke just because the tires are rubber does nit mean that they will insulate them.i have many end dump trailers hit high voltage and do the same thing when they were dumping.i had a driver in reno not more than 50 feet away from me hit a primary line with his end dump and it blew out the tires on the truck and trailer in less than a second.and i felt the static from it in the cab of my truck.
gary is there any way you could email this or its link to me.i would love to send this to my buddy who drives log truck here in washington state.my email is [email protected]


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## WoodenSoldier (May 3, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *Oh the humanitrees!*
> 
> No throwing your wrapping lines while under the power lines!
> 
> http://docs.google.com/View?id=df8s28k6_8cjcsb7fn


I saw 8 tires on a Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle explode when the antenna hit a power line in Baghdad. It was so loud we thought it was an IED.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Oh the humanitrees!*
> 
> No throwing your wrapping lines while under the power lines!
> 
> http://docs.google.com/View?id=df8s28k6_8cjcsb7fn


after getting a virus I'm concered about following links


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## tyskkvinna (Mar 23, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *Oh the humanitrees!*
> 
> No throwing your wrapping lines while under the power lines!
> 
> http://docs.google.com/View?id=df8s28k6_8cjcsb7fn


That's a lucky dude. A few lines up the voltage gets much - much ! - higher. (The electrical guys in the office looked at that and then pointed them out to me)

Electricity is amazingly dangerous and I hope nobody ever - EVER! - assumes that the low lines are telephone, cable, etc. Always assume a line on a pole is full of electricity.. and you'll probably live through your experience with it.


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## ecktwo (May 22, 2010)

gfixler said:


> *Oh the humanitrees!*
> 
> No throwing your wrapping lines while under the power lines!
> 
> http://docs.google.com/View?id=df8s28k6_8cjcsb7fn


The upper wires are 3 conductors at transmission voltage. Judging from the number if insulators in stacked up, the transmission voltage would be 69kv to 115kV. The lower level has 4 wires and the voltage is probably anywhere 4kV to 12 kV. One of the 4 wires is the neutral wire, but that is not necessarily considered grounded.

The hook is not on a cable or phone wire.

I use to design this stuff…


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## skywalker01 (May 19, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Oh the humanitrees!*
> 
> No throwing your wrapping lines while under the power lines!
> 
> http://docs.google.com/View?id=df8s28k6_8cjcsb7fn


Okay okay, just making sure. The photos looked doctored to me which is why I was wondering. Thanks


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## 8iowa (Feb 7, 2008)

gfixler said:


> *Oh the humanitrees!*
> 
> No throwing your wrapping lines while under the power lines!
> 
> http://docs.google.com/View?id=df8s28k6_8cjcsb7fn


A truly unique way in which to make charcoal.


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## gfixler (Feb 21, 2009)

gfixler said:


> *Oh the humanitrees!*
> 
> No throwing your wrapping lines while under the power lines!
> 
> http://docs.google.com/View?id=df8s28k6_8cjcsb7fn


Jim - Are you avoiding the whole internet now? I'm sorry to hear you got a virus. They can be a real pain.

tunk valley - I sent you the links!


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## Blake (Oct 17, 2007)

gfixler said:


> *Oh the humanitrees!*
> 
> No throwing your wrapping lines while under the power lines!
> 
> http://docs.google.com/View?id=df8s28k6_8cjcsb7fn


zap


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