[PCorl]

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.

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]

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.

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]

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.

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

 

[Wolffarmer]

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.

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.

 

[lgarrone]

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.

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

 

[gfixler]

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

 

[noknot]

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

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

 

[lew]

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

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

 

[stefang]

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

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

 

[Jimthecarver]

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

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!

 

[OutPutter]

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

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

 

[gfixler]

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

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

 

[HokieMojo]

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

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.

 

[GaryD]

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

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

 

[gfixler]

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:

 

[lew]

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:

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

Good Luck, Gary!!

Lew

 

[dvhart]

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:

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.

 

[GaryD]

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:

Gary, good luck….

 

[gfixler]

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!

 

[lew]

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!

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