Thread: New Kid on the Block

Welcome Gerald

No idea about Tanner machines, but I look forward to joshing u about the Rugby.

Hi Gerald - & welcome. Tanner was a New Zealand company - had their own foundry I think and manufactured planer/jointers, bandsaws, thicknessers, drill presses, table saws, lathes, (maybe) combination sawbench/buzzers. Maybe a power hacksaw too. I can't remember if they were Auckland or Christchurch based - I think Christchurch. Tanner, Dyco, Logan (dovetailers, bandsaws and spindle moulders) and Hawkins were all around in the 50s and 60s. There is quite a bit of secondhand Tanner machinery on the market here. Not sure about spares. Let me know if you want me to make a few calls. Regards Murray

Hi Murray
Thanks for that about Tanner. I had heard that there was some link between Tanner and Rockwell Delta. Funnily enough I looked up some second hand table saws on NZ websites and there were some similarities eg the mitre gauge and the general shape of the table saw. There was a US firm Tannewitz which was associated with Rockwell but I do not know their history. If you send me some pictures of Tanner machines I would be grateful. I have managed to assemble a nice lot of Rockwell machines out here but they are getting scarce now. What machines do run over there?
Regards Gerald.

Hello Gerald, Welcome to our home of all things wood. Nice to see some more international folks taking part.

Would love to see some of your local timbers and your work too......

Again welcome aboard

Pete

G'Day A-A-A,
Sorry make that Gerald.

Welcome aboard;
Hey, you're in the same Boat as the K1W1s
Just a swim away
All-be-it a very BIG Swim

And we both play better rugby than the wannabies eek

Tony

G'Day Gerald, welcome to the forum. You don't have anymore of those $10.00 Rockwell bandsaws, do you?

Greg

Hi Greg
That's the one. That was really a stroke of luck. I see you have read my posting on OWWM. I inherited a Rockwell Tilting Table Saw and 6 inch jointer from my father. Bit of a story to that too. My Dad left SA and settled in Sydney with all his brothers and sisters. He had bought the saw in Johannesburg and when he left SA took it with to start a small woodwork business. In 1972 an aunt from Sydney whom I had not seen except as a baby decides to come over to see her elder sister over here and also us the rest of the family. She came over by ship. Arrives at Durban where she tells me that my Dad had sent a big "box" for me and it is down in the hold. Eventually manage to get it home, again a long story but a stroke of luck involved, but I get the box delivered and hey presto, my Dad decides he no longer has use of the machines and shipped them with my aunt as apparently she was allowed so much free space in the hold. Had she not decided to come over, some bloke in Sydney would have been enjoying them today. Now they are here with me. Sadly my Dad passed away in Sydney in 2000. I will try and post a picture in another post.
Gerald.

Hi Pete and actually all that have replied
Thanks for the OZ welcome. Personally I am a Rockwell Delta man out here and go around scrounging but the stuff is like gold now and hard to get. You ask about timber. Very expensive for the indigineous stuff such as yellowwood but for general carpentary oregon pine is popular, meranti from Malaysia, japanese cedar ( a bit soft but works well - also exotic), then there is SA pine, saligna which is eucaltyptus heart wood but don't take screws well. Nice wood to turn is camphor tree which is a bit of a pest out here as grows very big. Nice smell though. I am retired but built my retirement cottage (personally) in a small rural village called Byrne. Lot of history to it but if you want to see there is a forum ( I am just about the only member!) www.byrne.co.za I have posted a lovely aerial shot of the Village, my place look for the 2 water tanks, come straight down and third house with the dormer room in roof that me. We are in the middle of a Land Claim situation here as you will see by the forum. Cheers Gerald.

Gerald,
welcome on board (skuse the pun). I lived in SA for 17 years, and have never heard of Byrne. But then i would only get as far as the Drakensberg for some backpacking, and once in Durbs was enough. Hope you enjoy this forum. It is a great place with many great guys and girls. In fact we have a number of people in other countries (that is other than OZ) participate.
Regards from Perth
Les

Originally Posted by Tonto

And we both play better rugby than the wannabies eek

Tony

Come now Tonto. We have had this discussion before. Please keep a civil tongue (I know it is difficult for Kiwis to do so)
Les