# wadkin pk restoration



## wallace (15 Jun 2014)

I know I have already done one of these but since I organised my photobucket account my original thread has lost its pictures. Plus I think I might be able to do a better job this time. This pk is a bit different in that the slider is 72" long and it has an extension table.


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## nathandavies (15 Jun 2014)

I was hoping you would show the resto. Looking forward to one to keep an eye on.


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## Eric The Viking (16 Jun 2014)

I'll be watching this thread avidly. This posting is in *GREEN* for a reason, too.


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## wallace (16 Jun 2014)

A little more progress. Got the motor bearings degreased and everything clean.













I had a suspicion that the motor had been took to bits before and this confirmed it. I presume this was done when the brake was added. I think I will take the tape off and do the job properly with some heat shrink.




I couldn't resist making some shiny bits


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## nathandavies (16 Jun 2014)

Damn it Wallace seeing that shiny W makes me want to do my CC. Just when i'd come to terms with getting rid of it. How many hours to polish that?

Nathan


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## wallace (16 Jun 2014)

Nathan it only took maybe 30mins sanding and another 30 buffing.


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## buffalobill (16 Jun 2014)

Will be watching this please keep the Pictures coming


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## riclepp (16 Jun 2014)

Hi Wallice, did you ever get the outfeed table on the Wadkin Planer sorted?


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## misterfish (17 Jun 2014)

Great Wallace - I really enjoy your renovations.

Do you have a picture of the entire saw as you bought it as It's nice to see the transformation when you've finished.

Keep up the good work.

Misterfish


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## wallace (17 Jun 2014)

Hi Richard which one? I had a little 6" planer that kept on doing tapered planning until I shimmed the outfeed table or was it the big one which I did the video of. 
Misterfish heres a couple of before pics. This is the extension table 48"









Heres the slider













All in all it is a very clean original saw. Considering it was made in 1955 and has not been attacked with green paint to make it look 'modern'


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## heimlaga (17 Jun 2014)

What a fine saw!
You are setting up a very well equipped shop it seems.


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## wallace (22 Jun 2014)

Just a little progress. I sprayed the motor casing and put it all together.


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## wallace (23 Jun 2014)

The original paint was in really good condition so I just had to fill the dings and rub it down a bit. Its been the perfect day for spraying so I got a couple of coats of zinc primer and 4 top coats of enamel


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## wallace (26 Jun 2014)

more progress. I decided to paint inside red and my usual method of doing the writing.









This is the blade rise mechanism





On cleaning things out I found this, at first I thought it was the pin that secures the gear to the shaft but it looks like the alignment pin for the cover. Both were snapped off which is strange because its not a hard bit to get off. It looks to have been floating around and snagging on the gears causing some slight damage.





The gear had a slight bur









The gear retaining pin was not their and the gear was jammed. Its the second pin I have found which was broken













MMM shiny


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## memzey (26 Jun 2014)

Nice! Looking forward to more pics of shiny old Wadkin bits!


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## nathandavies (27 Jun 2014)

There's just something about shiny things, don't know what it is but as you say mmm.

Nathan


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## jimi43 (28 Jun 2014)

Oh Wallace...I just LOVE your restoration threads.

I am never likely to own such gear but watching it turn from the apparently clapped out state you often find it to masterpieces fit for a museum is a real thrill for me!

And to think that they also get used at the end is even more important....I know the insides are as beautiful and precisely restored as the outside painted and polished bits.

Bravo my friend...watching this progress with awe as usual!

Jimi


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## Harbo (28 Jun 2014)

Amazing work - great to keep these old boys (or girls ) going?

Rod


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## wallace (28 Jun 2014)

Thanks Jimi, Rod. Its the only way I could afford some amazing machines. What kind of sawbench can you get for £330  They always look rough but what wouldn't after 59 years. The quality is fantastic. I started on the handwheels. I am pleased they are aluminium ones and not steel, its much easier to get the dings out and polish up. I put the wheel on the lathe and used a grinder with a flapper disc and then a power file with various grits.

















Next will be a polish mop


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## wallace (29 Jun 2014)

I spent a good few hours making things shiny


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## wallace (30 Jun 2014)

The switch has been replaced by a modern one but I have a lovely original one which I hope I can use.





Heres the new and old together. Can anyone advise me if I can use the old switch as is or should I just have the modern buttons hid inside and the old buttons to press








I ran out of my usual zinc primer but found a tin of base primer which I don't know where it came from. It covered really well 









And then a top coat


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## wallace (2 Jul 2014)

I assembled the tilt gears 





And then assembled the blade rise gears before using a block a tackle to lift it into place, I cant believe I lifted this bit into position on the first pk I did. Do you loose muscle as soon as you hit 40 or just wiser not to lift silly lumps of iron.


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## nathandavies (2 Jul 2014)

you're flying on this one Mr Wallace, looking good, great job.

Nathan


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## wallace (3 Jul 2014)

quite good progress today, got the switch done. Not too sure about the shiny black









I'm not happy with how the isolator turned out so might redo it





I'm quite happy with the blade flask door


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## jordec66 (3 Jul 2014)

Looking forward to the next instalment, I applaud your determination and skill.


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## Random Orbital Bob (3 Jul 2014)

superb job. Excellent WIP.


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## wallace (7 Jul 2014)

The door that encloses the electrics had been drilled to accept wires from a break, luckily I had a spare door.





I thought I would bench test the motor before putting it back in. Unfortunately it might be goosed. When I switch it on it goes really slowly and draws a load of amps. I asked Mr 9fingers for some advice and he believes it may need a rewind. I'm taking it to the guy who rewound the bobbin sander motor for him to test. I can see now why is was listed that it could not be tested. Oh well, I have two options either rewind this one or use the motor out of my parts pk. My only concern with using the parts one is that I don't know if it will align with the pins when I install it.
In the mean time I made a start on the table, it looked pretty rusty but there is no pitting





I will finish it off properly once its been painted and installed





Next comes the fence, this one is from a different older pk and their are some differences. The pins that hold the fence sections together can be tapped out on the newer ones, this one was a pain because dowels don not go all the way through. They have a thread inside which by putting a bigger ring between the dowel and a bolt you can wind the bolt in and it will drag the dowel out.









I managed to get one out by this method but the other would not play and just kept snapping bolts, in the end I drilled through the cast and knocked it out. I'll be able to weld up the hole













Does anyone know if its possible to renew the chrome/nickel plating on the handle.


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## dickm (7 Jul 2014)

Pretty sure re-nickeling/chroming is possible, but from memory to do it properly uses some very nasty reagents (cyanides particularly). Possibly a job to farm out to a specialist?


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## wallace (8 Jul 2014)

Hi Dick I did the usual search and you can get kits for a few hundred £. Not really cost effective, I found a company that does bike parts so have asked for a quote.


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## Phil Pascoe (8 Jul 2014)

=D> =D> =D> =D> Some people amaze me.
You, Wallace, are one of them. =D> =D> =D>


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## wallace (8 Jul 2014)

Why thank you Phil, I got some good news today. I took the motor to my local winders and he checked it out and its fine. He checked the amperage for each leg and it was low. He said it was wired in star. He matched the 6 wires up in pairs to make it delta and the amperage increased. I don't know what I must have done for it not to work.


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## wallace (11 Jul 2014)

A little bit more done, It was really warm today so I got these primed and painted.


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## wallace (13 Jul 2014)

A few of the collars were pitted so I put them on the lathe to clean up





Then I polished all the bits of the fence





This crown guard adjuster is of a different pk and is in a very sad state


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## woodiedonald (13 Jul 2014)

Good progress. The polished bits look great. I like those old handles that are on the top of the guard, yours might need a bit of work though to get it up to scratch! What are you going to do about the electrics? will you use the original bits or hide some new stuff in it? Cant wait to see the saw when its done!

Cheers,
Donald.


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## wallace (13 Jul 2014)

Hi Donald, the saw came with a modern brake but when I disassembled the wiring I found a loose wire with no obvious place to go. I plan on putting the brake inside the electric compartment where the old starter would have gone. I downloaded the wiring schematic but electrickery is not my strong point so have asked a friend who works with industrial machinery to help.


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## jimi43 (13 Jul 2014)

Fantastic update! 

Wallace...your attention to detail and superb engineering skills are amazing!

Can't wait for the next update!

=D> =D> =D> 

Jimi


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## wallace (14 Jul 2014)

Here you go Jimmy, not too long to wait. I used a powerfile to get through the rust before finishing things off by hand sanding down to 600grit.





For flat things I glue sand paper to a mirror





And after polishing


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## jimi43 (14 Jul 2014)

Superb once again Wallace.

I don't know if I asked you before but have you used 3M MicroMesh in your work?

At first I thought it rather expensive but I still have a pack I bought about six years ago...which I now relegated from light wood..through to dark wood and now metal. This is only because of cross-contamination...nothing to do with any loss of cutting ability.

Jim


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## wallace (14 Jul 2014)

Ive got some but its 3000, 6000. Ive used it for pen turning but thats about it. I could do with some rougher stuff for hand finshing


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## jimi43 (14 Jul 2014)

wallace":2eketjqf said:


> Ive got some but its 3000, 6000. Ive used it for pen turning but thats about it. I could do with some rougher stuff for hand finshing



I would try using Mirka Abranet rectangular pads and start with the 120G up to 600G then swing over to 1500 mesh Micro-mesh Regular and work up the meshes to 12000 and see what happens. Both are bought in those links in multipacks.

I sometimes use Micro-mesh MX which is formulated for metals as it has a tougher bond but it's less flexible and I've never had a problem with the regular stuff wearing.

Jimi


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## wallace (16 Jul 2014)

This crown guard support is from a standard sized pk, the one I have has an extension table so the length of round bar is not long enough. I thought the pin was going to be stuck in, but with a good wack with a punch it popped out.









Getting the bar out was a different story. I gave it a good soak with plus gas and heated it up but it would not come out. I got it to turn with the use of stilsons and a long extension. I tried using various pullers with no success





In the end I just chopped it off, before I busted the casting. I can change round bar easily but I cant replace a damaged casting.





I cleaned the end up and my plan is to use some quite nice bright bar I already had. This stuff cost £40 a length so I've been saving it for something decent. Its smaller diameter than the original so I'm going to get the piece that's stuck in the casting drilled and reamed to accept the smaller stuff.


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## wallace (18 Jul 2014)

I thought it was time to start the sliding table. This does not seem to have faired so well. Its pretty heavy so I had to use a hoist to turn it over.













Most of the oilers are toast













I found a couple of the eccentric pins broken, they look like fresh breaks so I think it may have been something I did.





There are some bearings missing and snapped studs


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## jimi43 (18 Jul 2014)

Good LORD! :shock: :shock: 

You certainly like a challenge don'tcha mate!!!

Jimi


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## wallace (19 Jul 2014)

Jimi I find messing about like this reasonably easy, its the wood work that gets me  
I made some more bits shiny





And then cleaned and derusted the slider frame.





There are a few snapped bolts to get out





I made a list of all parts I need which includes the eccentric shafts for the bearings. I don't know what their made of but they are really heavy for their size. They must be hardened as well. The bearings are different thicknesses, they must have been replaced.


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## wallace (21 Jul 2014)

I removed all the button oilers because they were jam packed with crud, I had to chisel the top open to get the ball bearing out and then I had to drill the brass body out. The weather was good so I got a few bits primed and top coated in a day.









I got the motor installed but had a few issues with the brake that came with it so I installed a wadkin mag starter


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## memzey (22 Jul 2014)

Nicely done Wallace as always! 

I have a couple of quick questions on painting cast iron machines which I hope you won't mind me asking you; Many of the items you have restored seem to have badly chipped paint jobs which you then go on to restore to their former glory. What steps do you recommend for preparing castings to receive the paint or primer? I also notice that you are a dab hand at taking these machines apart which allows you to prepare, prime and finish each bit individually. If you were trying to restore an item with a bit of casting that you couldn't get off so you had to address it in situ how would you go about doing so? I have a little project in mind but could do with some guidance on this points before kicking it off.


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## wallace (22 Jul 2014)

Hi Memzey, with cast parts you have two ways to tackle. 1, remove all old paint and filler then remove any casting defects by sanding with a flapper disc or a grinder then you can prime and paint. Method 2 is to leave the old paint and filler and then fill any bits damaged and sand everything for a good key. Then just prime and paint. I tend to do the latter because old machines used a lead filler which is pretty toxic. You can also use a direct to metal paint but your prep would have to be spot on for a good finish. I think that's what Jack Forsberg uses on his machines and they don't come better than that. For something that you don't want to take to bits I would use a wire wheel in a drill and maybe use some rust converter which you can paint over. Sorry a bit long winded but if you need any help give me a shout.

A bit more progress, the slider top was pretty crusty





Rust junkie heaven





After using a brass wire wheel


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## memzey (29 Jul 2014)

Thanks Wallace that is very helpful. What type of filler do you recommend? I would guess that regular wood filler won't do. Also where there are areas where paint has chipped do you fill those as well?


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## wallace (30 Jul 2014)

Hi Memzey I use car body filler, you can fill any chips or dints and then just sand.

I have not had much of a chance to do much because I bought a over head router and the courier company did not strap it when delivering, so it ended up falling over and getting damaged. Because it was nearly falling through the curtain of the wagon I would not accept it because I thought it was too dangerous to tackle. The driver never even had any ratchet straps to secure it so I had to use my own to make it safe so he could get back to his depot.







Luckily not too much damage, a broken foot pedal and a bent depth stop.

I did a little bit on the slider carriage, the button oilers were toast so I replaced them.









I soaked the slider bearings for a week but they were still stuck solid so I just took them off and got some new ones


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## memzey (31 Jul 2014)

Cheers Wallace. So that's the P38 stuff they sell in Halfords right? Great job on the PK and looking forward to a WIP on the router!


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## wallace (31 Jul 2014)

Yes that's the stuff. I get it from my local motor factors so its a bit cheaper than Halfords. The router was bought in working order so it will be a while before it gets 'wallaced'. I had to move my wood rack with about 2 cube of timber, knock a wall down and move a few machines around just to make room for the new lump.


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## memzey (31 Jul 2014)

Crumbs it sounds massive! A picture tells a thousand words though (hint hint)


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## wallace (31 Jul 2014)

Its not huge but to be able to use it properly I needed to rearrange things. I needed to knock a wall down to make way for the sawbench as well. The router is about 5' deep and 2.5' wide.
It was pretty close getting it into my workshop plus it was quite entertaining getting it upright and in position, it weighs in at about 1.2 tonne


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## memzey (1 Aug 2014)

What a beast!


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## wallace (1 Aug 2014)

I really like the router because its got the compound table.
I installed the new bearings, to protect the new bearing I used an old one and then a piece of wood and a little wack. One of the new bearings wouldn't go on so I checked the inside bore and it was 0.5mm to small.





Oh and I made them all shiny





I then put the slider carriage on the saw





The covers for side bearings had been replaced with baked been tin I think, I made some nice brass ones. I think the correct way to put holes in sheet brass is to use a punch, all I did was to pile all the pieces together and tape them up then clamp them between some wood before marking and drilling them all together.


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## nathandavies (1 Aug 2014)

looking real nice Mr Wallace. That slide sure is long.


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## Nabcaldwell (4 Aug 2014)

Fantastic job on your PK, I'm fixing one up myself, not as a restoration project just a lick of paint and new grease etc.
My saw dates from 1915 so it a couple of years older and has a few slight differences. I've got a question about the method of stopping the saw riser. Mine looks like it uses the top one of the two bolts supporting the plate that holds the riving knife. It seem to use the top of the slot allowing the vertical travel as a stop. This has broken a piece of cast iron at the top of the slot which in turn has bent the bolts allowing the riving support plate to hit the saw blade. There are grooves in the plate from the blade so someone must have seen a few sparks shooting out of the table at sometime. 
The question is does your saw have the same method of rising stop or is there a bolt some where that does the job?
Regards Neil


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## wallace (21 Aug 2014)

Hi Neil sorry for the late reply I never noticed your question. This forum moves so quickly you sometimes loose track. 1915 is an early saw, how did you date it? It must have the tilt wheel on the side. I've never really noticed what stops the blade rise I will have a look. Have you got a picture of your saw.
I finally got some more done on the saw. I wanted to flip the extension table over and paint the underneath but I couldn't do it myself and I couldn't work out a way to flip it using my block and tackle. So I had to leave it undone which is a shame. I got the fence and crown guard adjuster done.









I replaced the cord that goes around the electrics door.





The saw fits quite well and I can use the full 48" cross cut









When I replaced the bearing button oilers on the slider I wondered how they got so trashed I now know why. I started making the slider the same level as the main table and the bottom of the sliding table catches the oilers. From the looks of things I think I will have to countersink the oilers.


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## Tim_H (21 Aug 2014)

Wallace, 

I love watching your restorations, those machines ooze quality and it is great to see them brought back to working order.

Thank you for the posts. 

Tim


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## furnman (22 Aug 2014)

Hi Mark, the saw is looking good, in this picture you can see the true size of this extra large wadkin PK, hows it fitting in to your workshop ?. :shock: 

thanks mark


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## wallace (27 Aug 2014)

I thought I'd do a bit pimping out, instead of the normal wood inserts I got some brass flat bar.





To make it fit nice and snug I traced the ends and then glued it onto the brass, then used a disc sander to sand to the line. I had to remove 3/4mm off the thickness.





To do the long edge I had to remove 1.5mm so instead of just sanding I used the router table. and then finished off by sanding.


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## wallace (29 Aug 2014)

This saw came without its crown guard and adjuster so I got one from a standard sized pk. Only problem is the bars that support the guard are not long enough. I had some nice bar but it was only 25mm and the hole it goes into is 34mm. To get around this I drilled some holes in wood then epoxied them in place. Then I put the bar on the lathe and turned the wood down to size.













For some reason the bar that supports the crown guard was not long enough so I reused the bar that was too short earlier. This bit was too thick so it will need turning down. This is the first time I've done metal work on my RS lathe. The bar is only mild steel so it was pretty easy to do, it just took a while.


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## dickm (29 Aug 2014)

The RS is a bit small for that sort of work  
But now you've got the hang of it, you can replace the wooden collars with steel.


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## wallace (29 Aug 2014)

I just need a metal working chuck and then I thought I'd do them in brass. Jack told me that bearing boys do a bush to the very measurments I needed


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## wallace (1 Sep 2014)

I put the handles in the drill to clean them up, they had some chunks out so I went through the grits and finished with a bit renaissance wax. Some might be surprised to here that the handles are made from buffalo horn. 





I also finished the bar that holds the crown guard. I probably could of done with a steady because I was getting lots of 'feedback?' in the middle of the bar. The bar nearest is the original


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## wallace (4 Sep 2014)

I decided to redo the crown guard, I got some of that frog low tack tape which is only 14 times more expensive than normal masking tape. Still I was quite impressed, no bleed under or stuck bits of tape.

















The mitre was looking a bit tired so I gave it a quick polish





I'm nearly finished, I just need to make some handles


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## yetloh (4 Sep 2014)

That looks absolutely stunning, Mark. Congratulation, your work gets better and better.

Jim


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## jordec66 (4 Sep 2014)

I take my hat off to you, a wonderful restoration of a beautiful machine.


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## Ring (4 Sep 2014)

WoW =D> =D> =D> Stunning work
jim


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## wallace (17 Sep 2014)

This saw was missing its handle that screws into the slider, I thought I'd have a go at making one.









I also made a pin for the quadrant to pivot on.


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## Harbo (17 Sep 2014)

Awesome work - it's almost a pity to get it dirty 

Rod


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