Wadkin MA morticer restoration

[wallace]

This is the bit I accidently broke when disassembling. I ground the edge but left enough to align the break.

A bit bronze snot

The other broken bit was a bit more complicated, so I drilled and tapped then removed the old repair

 

[wallace]

Been a busy little boy.

The chains that attach the motor to the counterbalance weight were seized on loads of links so I just let them soak in wd40 and used an air line to remove crud.

On the subject of the counterbalance which is a big chunk of cast iron, I was curious what it weighed because I struggled to move it around. 95kg

I need to find a small handwheel for the forward/back adjuster but I've made some progress

 

[memzey]

Looking good Mark as always.

 

[wallace]

Thanks Memzey,
The chain has a tensioner bolt that had been snapped off, there was a lump of wood wedged in to keep the tension. I drilled a hole and tried with a stud extractor but it seems reluctant. Gave it some heat and a squirt of wd40, I will come back to it.

To do the raised letterng I just got a wad of rag and dabbed a bit paint on.

This machine had the much sought after switch but it was missing the off button. A request on instagram found a full switch in no time.

 

[wallace]

Pretty much completed now. The piece of casting that was missing was built up using liquid metal filler. Its like car bodge but alot denser

I re wired everything and it worked first time which is unusual because electrickery is not my strong point.

I did run into a small problem of the gears for the chisel head not being the same. For a replacement set it costs a few hundred quid. I'm hoping the dealer I got it from has another with the correct gear. Then I need to fix the threads on the main spindle, someone tried to put a 1/2" BSW on a 5/8ths thread so the first few threads are a mess.

 

[AJB Temple]

I would buy that, even though I don't need a ginormous morticer

 

[wallace]

I found a suitable handle for the Y travel but the bore was too big, a couple of bronze bushings and voila bobs your uncle.

I am determined to empty the garden of machines this year. I've had a PK dim saw with lots of bits missing for about 4 years now. I recently bought a knackered EQ spindle moulder just for the fences, switch and handle. The switch and handle found a new home in that their America. The fence on the EQ is very similar to that of the PK apart from it doesn't tilt, so the plan is to put it on their

 

[Bm101]

Somehow missed this one so far. What a treat. Thanks Wallace, love your resto's. They fill me with hope in a way. Not sure why. Maybe it's that every one you restore fixes the world in a tiny but vital way. It's genuinely important work in my humble opinion. =D>
Cheers
Chris

 

[wallace]

Thanks Chris, very kind words. It just goes to show what we were once capable of building. This lump is over 70 years old and cost a lot less than an axminster benchtop morticer. The expensive bit is time which for a lot of people is the hard part. My plan is to do the machines I have and a couple I've been asked to do for people and then retire from rebuilding and concentrate on using them, which was the whole point before being infected by wadkinitis

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I would buy that, even though I don't need a ginormous morticer

I would buy that but my wife wouldn't allow it into the bedroom.

 

[wallace]

I had a bit of an issue with the drive gears in that they did not mesh. Luckily my friendly machine dealer swapped it another with the correct gear. Strange thing none of my augers from my chisels are long enough to use on this.

 

[Trevanion]

Strange thing none of my augers from my chisels are long enough to use on this.

I've bought plenty of Clico and Harima(NH) chisels and without fail they've usually been cut down for hobbyist machines or something as they're always about 5mm too short for the grub screw on my Sedgwick to engage the shank. I just made 1/2" collars to suit the shanks and put a grub screw into those, works a treat.