Wadkin PK restoration

[wallace]

The writing has had spray primer then quite alot of normal primer. My first coat is always quite light and then I spray other stuff, by the time I've gone around the first bit is ready for another coat. I maybe give it 4 coats. If a surface is horizontal then you can really load the paint on. I do the same for the top coat by starting with light coats. This had 3 top coats.

I usually give the place a good clean a couple of days before I'm spraying, I only spray at 18-20psi which helps not disturb dust.

 

[houtslager]

The writing has had spray primer then quite alot of normal primer. My first coat is always quite light and then I spray other stuff, by the time I've gone around the first bit is ready for another coat. I maybe give it 4 coats. If a surface is horizontal then you can really load the paint on. I do the same for the top coat by starting with light coats. This had 3 top coats.

I usually give the place a good clean a couple of days before I'm spraying, I only spray at 18-20psi which helps not disturb dust.

Looking ab so lutely fantastic.

Highly jealous of the new owners machine ( when you sell it)

Karl W

 

[wallace]

Looking ab so lutely fantastic.

Highly jealous of the new owners machine ( when you sell it)

Karl W

This ones a keeper

 

[wallace]

More shiny stuff, I use a little disc sander with velcro stuck so I can change the sanding sheets easily

Sanded to 500 grit then polished

The bolts were in a sorry state so I touched each face up on the sander

A bit frog tape action

Oh look its single phase

A bit heat shrink me thinks

Peculiar place to put the tag

Thats not good

The bitumen insulation is in nice nick

The bearing ran here, do you think it spun a bearing and the punch marks are to raise the surface. They are 4 sets around the shaft opposite each other.

The front bearing looks good

But the back one could spin freely in its end bell, so will need changing

Got the main table hoisted up to start on it

Very different design than what came after. These are what the sliding table frame sits on and can be altered to change the height. Later these were part of the casting.

 

[wallace]

A bit more disassembly

The saw came with a nice brake

I have a cunning plan, this saw would originally of had its starter in a cast iron box bolted to the back of the main casting.
You can just see it behind the extraction pipe

This is one of those rocky horse poo items

This is one of my favorite pics in my collection. Wadkin made a display at one of the last wood machine exhibitions they attended. They had pictures enlarged and printed on foam board.

 

[wallace]

I found some cool buttons in my stash

100 years old and still good

I have a couple of crown guards but there not correct. The top one is off a big saw bench and too big, the next came with the saw but is off a PP saw so not in keeping with the age of mine.

This one is the correct size but its off a small saw bench and attaches diagnally instead of right angles like the pk. I would really like a Wadkin & Co one.

This is an early wadkin one but its been chopped in half

 

[wallace]

A nit more shiny stuff

The little end bits are sometimes threaded on or like these, peened over. Just file off a bit and punch through.

I put them in a drill and use a power file

Then hold some sand paper in your hand and spin it with a drill

You can do the same with the centre bit, just put some threaded rod and clamp in the chuck

More puddling primer

 

[wallace]

I managed to find some new old stock bearings for the princely sum of £8 for two, they are made in Japan so good quality. I think the SKF price was £76.

Because the bearing had spun within the end bell I used some of this

A stud extractor attempt that actually worked,

I made a new stud

It was obvious some one had been in here before to change the front big bearing. this spacer must of been bashed on.

I rubbed it over some sand paper on a cast iron table to remove any dings. The blade flange bares on this so it should be flat.
Motor assembled and given some black paint

 

[clogs]

oh what a pleasure it will be to use it.....
like the rest very envious.....
a stunning job....

 

[wallace]

Its like getting ready for surgery

The locating dowels were a bit sad and some were bent, so I got some rods of various thickness to replace all of them on the machine.

Anyone got a source for brass washers about 32mm with a 15mm hole and 3mm thick. I got some but they dont look correct. Wadkin washers always have a little chamfer.

Double mitres are rocking horse poo and when they come up for sale go for about £700. I had some cast in bronze a couple of years back. The price wasn't that bad, I think it was about £150 per section then the machining. I went to one place and they wanted £300 per section to machine. I contacted Mr Doubleboost and a guy he knows did 3 sections for £400.

Im not sure how to finish them, do I clean up the non machined part or paint them.

 

[yetloh]

Hi Mark,

Depends how much bling you want. No doubt our US friends would polish the lot. If it were me I think I would keep it consistent with the rest of the machine - so paint non-machined parts, your usual shiny bits won't tarnish but the bronze would and who wants to keep polishing their machinery?

Jim

 

[wallace]

Got the tags cleaned up

I put a tag on the break box to make it look more wadkin, this will be getting bolted to the back

I need to find something to make a new on button

This is what the sliding table frame sits on, it can be adjusted to set the level with the main table

I had a bunch of riving knife brackets made a couple of years ago, I just need to find a suitable threaded rod, nothing I have fits

I wanted a crown guard in keeping with the saws age so put my feelers out, a trip to halifax and a few quid poorer

It has some damage which I'm hoping I can braze up

 

[clogs]

is the bright gordy yellow gold paint staying.....?
hope not.....hahaha....

 

[wallace]

is the bright gordy yellow gold paint staying.....?
hope not.....hahaha....

Its supposed to look brass colour

Had a bit of a nightmare with the electrickery bits. The saw came with a really nice brake setup. I wired it to the motor and it worked. It has buttons with 3 wire control. I attached the wires to the old buttons that I want to use exactly like the modern ones were done and nothing. So I thought I'd check it and put the modern buttons back on, and nothing. If I manually push the contacts the motor runs. Not sure what I've done, no magic was lost and I changed the infeed wires around because some starters dont like 3 phase from a static.

 

[KT_NorCal]

The bearing ran here, do you think it spun a bearing and the punch marks are to raise the surface. They are 4 sets around the shaft opposite each other.

The front bearing looks good

But the back one could spin freely in its end bell, so will need changing

Notice you have that motor back together and looking good, so this is a day late and a dollar short commentary...

Is that the rear bearing too? It spun on its shaft and in the housing?

Yes, that is likely what they tried to do, but you really need to knurl it to get enough surface area to keep it from actually spinning agian.

Be careful with that goo... if it gets in the bearings at all they are binned. Also most formulations come apart instantly the moment they get hot, but given this saw will be a home user that shouldn't be an issue.

 

[KT_NorCal]

I always get major jealousy issues when I see nice armorded conduit like this... I can't seem to find anything equevelant over here in the states. Is that original to the saw or a newer find?

I'm going to reroute all the electircal on my AGS10, so I'm hoping to find a modern equivelant!

Looking good!

 

[clogs]

KT_NorCal.....
that flexy conduit was available when I lived there.....
and would suggest it still is......
obviously for industrial supply only......
In Europe there is some ally plastic covered conduit generally used now but the galv spiral wound is still available at a high cost....
here's a link I found....there will be others.....aero is always stupid money....
good luck....
https://aerosusa.com/products/protective-metal-conduit/

 

[clogs]

KT_Norcal.....
I've used that bearing fix (Locktite over here) a lot in industry.....it works very well...
even on some very big bearings......(often impossible to knurl anything due to size and time structure being unable to strip out the machines.......
just to add at times when there has been maj shaft damage ie worn thru bearing slip but smooth
we have used extra fine slip-on tubular shims, either high carbon steel or stainless to take up the slack....then use the compound on both items.....some of the bearing I have worked with are over 3m in diameter and weigh several tons.....and we wont ask how much they are to replace.....hahaha.....
When ur stuck for time and a machine breaks down during manufacture there's never the time for replacement parts....
Once cured with this Loctite product, parts really need a blow torch to release the compound.....
even an electric paint stripper wont get the parts hot enough.....
I guess it depends on grade and manufacturer....
I'm sure the Chinese will make an equivelent but I will only use the Locktite product on my jobs as it has a proven history.......
this is not a moan, as I'm always happy to hear whats going on in the old country.....

 

[KT_NorCal]

Thanks!
That FLEXAgraff-AS stuff if much closer to that square profile.... They won't even tell you how much it is unless you log in so that can't be a good sign...

I very randomly found some that was copper clad and had a sqare profile on the flexy bits like the stuff Wallace used, but then lost the link and was never able to find it again. Still bummed about that. Also hard to find decent looking connectors for that it as well, but think I'm going to try these as they look pretty good any seem to be ok quality.
Fixed and Swivel Aluminum Liquid Tight Conduit Connector (semiconduits.com)

I'll keep looking. Hoping to just stumble upon it at some point!

 

[wallace]

I already had the conduit in my stash, I just wire wheeled it. Its still available over here in various sizes. I've bought 1" diameter before. A quick search 50m Adaptaflex Heavy Duty Galvanised Steel Flexible Cable Conduit IP40 20mm Pipe | eBay

That area with the punch marks was on the inboard side of the spindle, that bearing had been replaced at some point. The spun one was outboard and looked original, when I turned the spindle the whole bearing moved in the end bell.