A few good finds

**journeyman Mick** · 16th April 2005, 01:36 AM

As many of you may have read, I’ve just spent the last two weeks in Townsville while my wife had surgery to remove a brain tumour (6th time

). It was very tough going for her and for me, fortunately we’ve made it home and she’s not in too much pain. I spent most of my time at her bedside except for a few hours every afternoon when her mother (who lives in Townsville) would come by after work to spend some time with her. So with a few hours to spare I engaged in one of my favourite pastimes, hitting the 2nd hand shops to look for bargains

.

First find: I’ve been wanting a larger chainsaw for a while now as I’d like to buy/make a slabbing attachment. I get logs occasionly and when I have enough I pay someone to mill them up with a Lucas Mill. However it’s not worth it unless I’ve got a pile of logs. I’ve currently got a few hoop pine logs in the yard that will succumb to rot or termites if I don’t do something about milling them up. While a Stihl 088 would be ideal for this it’s too big for much else. I figured that a 460 Magnum Pro would be the go, just big enough to rip with, but small enough to use all day long for felling. So I walk into the first shop and find one, barely used, original bar with all the paint still on it, chain still sharp and never been sharpened, not a scratch on the base. Got it for less than half the new price!

Second find: I’ve been looking for a rebate plane for a few years now, borrowed a mate’s a few times to get me out of trouble but I couldn’t really justify buying a new one. Went into an antiques & collectibles place that’s in an old joinery shop and found a 78, user, lots of surface rust but no pitting or repairs and complete. The bloke had $70 on it, I told him I wasn’t a collector and that it was worth $30 to me as I would have to clean and free it up to use it. It was almost closing time and it must have been a slow day because he thought about it for maybe 30 seconds and then said yes.

Third find: I read the Saturday paper and found someone in Ayr (about 80kms south of Townsville) selling a large dust collector and a swag of spindle moulder tooling. I gave him a call and arranged to see him on Sunday arvo (mother in law would take over again). I drove down there and got a head with 32 sets of different profile knives and a rebating head with replaceable TCT inserts. He also threw in a box filled with spacers, slotting blades, bearing collars, a template follower, a Blum drawer slide jig and two hold downs with roller bearing tips. The spacers and hold downs were a real bonus as my machine didn’t have any and I had resigned myself to losing quite a few hours making them. Total cost: $400.

Mick

to be continued

**journeyman Mick** · 16th April 2005, 01:45 AM

Fourth find: Even with these occasional hunter/gatherer forays it was a pretty stressful time and my brain just wasn’t working real well. I realised a few days later that I’d spotted some machinery bits at the antiques & collectibles place. I went back and asked the guy if I could have a look at anything left behind from the old joinery and if he was interested in selling any of it.
I found 2 extension fences off a panel saw with the flip stops still attached, not sure what I’ll do with these yet but they’re bound to come in handy on tool or jig.

Next find was a router jig for levelling slabs. I’ve been mulling over making one for a few years but the cost of components were going to take quite a few years to recoup. I'd ended up making a jig using a few lengths of aluminium RHS and the router holder for the triton table. Well I found the beginnings of a jig with all the components: linear bearings on steel rods for the rise and fall and a shaft with pillow block bearings for the vertical trunnion. Whoever built it started out real well with all the bearings etc, then welded on a solid 50 x 25 bar then cut part of it off and welded it up again and then welded a really rough bit of 1mm plate to the end to hold the router. I’ll build a new arm and mounting plate and use a bit of 16mm threaded rod to operate and lock the rise and fall, but the expensive bits are all there.

The last find has thrown my idea out the window of using two of Veritas’ tail vice screws to make a full width twin screw vice for the end of my yet unbuilt bench.

It’s a tail vice screw 1700 long!

That’s more than three times the length of the Veritas tail vice screw.

So I dragged all this stuff, which was coated with a few decades worth of sawdust, into a pile and offered him $80, which he promptly accepted.

So although it was really tough time, we’re home, the wife is recuperating well and I’ve got some more toys.

Mick

**Woodlice** · 16th April 2005, 02:16 AM

Glad to hear that your wife is on the mend Mick. Sounds like you know how to make the best of a situation that would terrify me.

J!

**ryanarcher** · 16th April 2005, 03:36 AM

Good job on the finds. Give all my best to SWMBO
-Ryan

**NewLou** · 16th April 2005, 09:37 AM

Yer Mick

There always seems to be ways a finding jewells in the rough! ..................Is tough when the best find you have ever had is doing it hard. So Its wonderful to hear that your better half in recouperating!!! Best wishes to you both for the next chapter of your Journey

..............N yer some great Finds

REgards Lou

**Jack E** · 16th April 2005, 11:01 AM

Mick,

Can you tell me where the old antique and collectables place is?
I am in Townsville and haven't had any luck finding any old tools yet.
Is there anything left that may be worth a look.
Good luck to you and SWMBO!!

Jack.

**Justin** · 16th April 2005, 12:58 PM

Nice one Mick, especially on the spindle moulder tooling - I hate to think what all that stuff would cost new.

Very glad to hear that your Mrs is on the mend.

Best Regards,

Justin.

**Iain** · 16th April 2005, 01:15 PM

I have a passion for clearing sales and it is amazing what you pick up for $2-10, most people are just not interested.
It's mainly farms and only the cockies are attending for fencing etc, although wood is hard to get at a good price.

**routermaniac** · 16th April 2005, 04:36 PM

I hope SWMBO makes an exellent recovery. Well done on the little treasures you picked up. Best of luck.

Marios

**journeyman Mick** · 16th April 2005, 05:02 PM

Jack,
I think the place is called Virgil's Antiques. You go down the road between Hyde Park shopping centre and the shopping centre that's got Target in it (Kings road?) heading away from the city. First turn on your left which is a dead end. He didn't have that much in the way of tools there though - even less now.

Mick

**Jack E** · 17th April 2005, 10:45 AM

Cheers Mick,

I will go and have a look anyway. Is there any water in the falls up your way. I have been there about twenty times and never been lucky enough to see more than a trickle. It is only about a good 4 hour drive for me now and I would like to see them in full flow.

Jack.

**Wood Borer** · 17th April 2005, 02:08 PM

Thanks Mick for giving us the good news about your wife.

Your superhuman patience and efforts have been partially rewarded with your bargain priced treasures. Well deserved and have fun using them.

**MajorPanic** · 17th April 2005, 07:45 PM

Mick,.........mate

Watch my lips.................

I HATE YOU!!!!!

Oh... bloody excellent finds by the way

I hope SWMBO gets better soon, here is a surefire way to speed things up.
Tell her you are feeling really down because you are worried about her & the only way to feel better is to spend money :eek:
She'll be right as rain in no time

**journeyman Mick** · 17th April 2005, 11:14 PM

Jack,
apparently there was a fair bit of rain while we were away, but I don't think the falls are doing that much as I can hear them when they are. Best bet is November - February. I'll PM you when they're roaring if you like (can hear them at night from a few K's away)

Major,

eat your heart out!

Mick

**AlexS** · 18th April 2005, 10:01 AM

Congratulations on your finds Mick, and good to hear that SWMBO is feeling a little better. Trust she continues to improve.

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A few good finds

more finds - eat your hearts out bench builders!

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