Thread: started my dozer

How do you keep track of all the bits Billy?
No you are doing a great job.- Well you haven't been out on the town like our mate Scotty.That probably helps Hey? keep it up Billy

ok, had a quick minute today to get some more done.

The alignment lugs that go under the track pieces are 1/4" x 1/4" x 1/2" but are square edged. I dont think they'll work well in the pulley shaped wheels so Im going to shape them a bit differently.

Cheers, billy

Rightio, after sleepless nights due to nightmares about bulldozer tracks I got back to it today.
The 1/4" x 1/4" x 1/2" blocks that are to be glued to the underside of the tracks are made of kauri, as I don't have enough of the redgum to finish all of them. I'll use kauri for the small cleat that glues on the top as well. Should look ok I think, especially after staining.
As they run through the pulley the square shape won't let them sit down into the pulley so I'm shaping them with about a 5 degree chamfer on the sides and ends. Will put pics up tomorrow.
Have a biiiig piece of oregon ( 8" x 6" x 7' ) that I need to cut, so I think the main body piece will come from that, the oregon has nails, bolts and conduit sticking out of it so hopefully I'll get some useable pieces from it. Will have to be careful as I don't want to hit a nail when I size it and ruin my saw blade.

Until then, cheers, billy

Tearing along now, I cut the kauri into 1/4 x 1/4 x 1/2 pieces and glued them to the underside of the track parts. After a bit of fiddling around I decided not to chamfer these parts as they will just go through the pulleys.Then , using the sides of some very old drawers I got out of an old wardrobe on the side of the road, I cut out the four pieces that hold the pulleys and the small idler wheels, (only three shown), then using some old pine I made the 3/4" wide, 4" long spacers that go in between them.I'll sand these parts now and glue the 1/4" x 1/4 "x 3/4" ,short guides to the top of the spacers and the 3 & 3/4" long x 1/4" x 1/4" pieces to the bottom.Looks like I'll have a bit of time to do more tomorrow too, yay.
Cheers, billy

Crawling along I see.

Originally Posted by artme

Crawling along I see.

Billy doesn't hit it that hard Art
All those cans around his shed are someone else's

Tried a few different finishes on some scrap and decided to use my old favourite, linseed oil, on the tracks pieces. Looks good, really brings up the colour and grain of the hardwood and darkens the kauri nicely too.
About halfway through the track bits, so on the down hill run of that part of construction now, thank goodness.
I think that if I ever make another one of these I'll scale it up, maybe to double the size as the small bits are just so fiddly.
I realise now that a bandsaw is really a neccesity with stuff like this, might drop into carbatec and bunnys to do some dreaming/pricing tomorrow or Friday. The radiator grill is a thick piece that needs a ton of small holes drilled through it and then a thin slice cut off and glued to the front of the body. Anything other than a bandsaw will probably destroy it.
I'll put pics up on Friday of recent efforts.
cheers, billy

These are the bits with the linseed oil on. Have to wait till this dust storm stops before I put any more oil on as the dust is sticking to it.
And I can assure you all that the dust storm was not the sawdust blowing out of my garage.

Coming along great Billy keep the pics coming.

Pulled the roller doors down to escape the wind today and got a fair bit done.
Pic 1 is the track holding assembly checking axle and runner wheels fit, pic 2 & 3.
Pic 4 & 5 is the body, this is a lump of oregon that I've marked out so I can make the body in one piece.
Pic 6 is the cross block that goes across the top of the track assemblies and holds the body up. Pic 7 is the piece for the radiator, 3/4" thick, needs 111 x 1/8" holes in it.Will be sliced down to 1/16" thick. Pic 8 is the blueprint for the radiator. On holidays now for a while so hopefully finish the whole project in the next few weeks. Cheers, Billy

You are going along ---like a house on fire---.
No you are doing great Billy.I hope to build something like this one day soon.
Keep it up.

yeehah, 1000 views of this site, Im excited, long way to go to catch up to Aussie though.
C'mon Aussie, wheres your next project?
cheers, billy

Originally Posted by Billy

yeehah, 1000 views of this site, Im excited, long way to go to catch up to Aussie though.
C'mon Aussie, wheres your next project?
cheers, billy

CONGRATULATIONS BILLY.You are going great.I have been keeping an eye or two on your progressThe way you are going you will cover me in sawdust in no time
I may be awhile.I just bought a new lathe and getting a few things modified to suit the work I want to do in it
How is the holiday going?

Originally Posted by AUSSIE

CONGRATULATIONS BILLY.You are going great.I have been keeping an eye or two on your progressThe way you are going you will cover me in sawdust in no time
I may be awhile.I just bought a new lathe and getting a few things modified to suit the work I want to do in it
How is the holiday going?

Do tell!!!!