Thread: Has any one seen one of these ?

Originally Posted by clear out

That's a line shaft machine that's been converted isn't it?
I have a spare Al guard for the disc and a few spare discs and glue up clamp if your interested.
I still have about 20 feet of line shaft in my main shop but have moved the dusty stuff into a small annex.
If I didn't have so many cars and metal machinery in the shed I'd probably have chased this myself.
Be interested to have a decko at it when you get it to Gosford.
H.

Yes, it is a converted machine H, but to be honest I don't actually know what a line shaft machine is. Be quite happy for you to drive up to Somersby to check it out once it's here, and also to purchase any accessories or bits you have that may suit it. I'm pretty new to these things so any further info will certainly be appreciated.

Wayne

Originally Posted by L.S.Barker1970

Well done Wayne, looks good !
I'll hold out for a Barker branded one, call me fussy but I like the brand.

Melbourne Matty.

Yes, everything seems to turn up sooner or later Matty. It's amazing what's still sitting out there in sheds & old workshops, and sometimes even still being used. The Barker twin-disc sander I found came from a joinery in Western Sydney that was closing down and they said it was one of their favourite machines - they used it regularly. Patience & persistence will pay off eventually.

Wayne

Originally Posted by Hardenfast

Yes, everything seems to turn up sooner or later Matty. It's amazing what's still sitting out there in sheds & old workshops, and sometimes even still being used. The Barker twin-disc sander I found came from a joinery in Western Sydney that was closing down and they said it was one of their favourite machines - they used it regularly. Patience & persistence will pay off eventually.

Wayne

Thanks Wayne, I agree, it will be worth the wait !

Oh, Line shaft is basically any thing flat belt powered, the name "line shaft" came from when factories were set up with many machines and they all ran of a common drive shaft, not individually powered electric motors.

Melbourne Matty.

Originally Posted by L.S.Barker1970

Thanks Wayne, I agree, it will be worth the wait !

Oh, Line shaft is basically any thing flat belt powered, the name "line shaft" came from when factories were set up with many machines and they all ran of a common drive shaft, not individually powered electric motors.

Melbourne Matty.

Thanks for that info Matty.

The guy did say that it had been converted and a new drive motor (motors?) fitted to it, so that makes sense. He has assured me that the conversion was professionally installed and is electronically and mechanically sound, and he has actually sent me a little video of the machine running. It's always a little trepidacious to buy these things from afar and sight-unseen, but sometimes you have just gotta do what you gotta do.

Wayne

Wayne,

Great buy, glad you will be looking after it. Here is an image of how it once looked from the other side:



I noticed that some parts had been removed, but the guy had said it could be converted back, so it would be worth asking him to include any missing pulleys and levers when he sends it down (I realise you will likely run it as is, but it would be a shame to have those parts disappear for all time, especially if someone in the future wants to convert it back). The catalogue I have says it weighed 816kg's, but obviously this was before the removal of some parts and addition of the motor/s.

Cheers,

Camo

Originally Posted by camoz

Wayne,

Great buy, glad you will be looking after it. Here is an image of how it once looked from the other side:

I noticed that some parts had been removed, but the guy had said it could be converted back, so it would be worth asking him to include any missing pulleys and levers when he sends it down (I realise you will likely run it as is, but it would be a shame to have those parts disappear for all time, especially if someone in the future wants to convert it back). The catalogue I have says it weighed 816kg's, but obviously this was before the removal of some parts and addition of the motor/s.

Cheers,

Camo

Many thanks Camo. I'm often amazed at the historical info you guys are able to access.

I asked the guy in Cairns about any original belt-drive components but he said that the machine was fully converted when he bought it, and that there were no additional/extra parts. As you mention, it would have been interesting to retain those fitments as they are just impossible to find later in case someone intends to do a full restoration back to original specifications.

In any case I have purchased the machine as it is currently comprised, and as long as it works nicely I'll be happy with that. It should be on it's way down to Gosford over the weekend so I would expect it to arrive here sometime next week. I'll be very interested to start researching availability of different sized bobbins etc. I'm sure they will be available from somewhere, right?

Wayne

Well, the mighty Wadkin Disc/Bobbin Sander arrived today after a multi-stage trip from Cairns. It had been well fixed onto a pallet and shrink wrapped and seems to have survived the long trip without any problems.

You can't see much through the shrink-wrap but it looks like a very nice piece of classic, heavy equipment. Shame that I won't be able to install it in my shed to try it out for quite a while yet, but it will be very gratifying to finally get all of my machinery in position and operational.

Wayne

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Thats's a nice old Wadkin you got Wayne. I like the old stuff. What sort of shed are you putting up ? you may have mentioned before but I've forgotten . I'm more interested now because I may be doing a shed / workshop for myself soon . Ive been collecting a fair bit of Old Wadkin gear . Me and about 28 machines are looking for a home in the countryside , roughly 22 3phase and the rest single. I may have to pass a few of off .

Rob

Wayne thats great news !
I'm glad proceedings went smoothly!
It looks huge on that palate, I think your in for a treat, it looks like a good solid machine !

Melbourne Matty.

Originally Posted by auscab

Thats's a nice old Wadkin you got Wayne. I like the old stuff. What sort of shed are you putting up ? you may have mentioned before but I've forgotten . I'm more interested now because I may be doing a shed / workshop for myself soon . Ive been collecting a fair bit of Old Wadkin gear . Me and about 28 machines are looking for a home in the countryside , roughly 22 3phase and the rest single. I may have to pass a few of off .

Rob

G'day Rob.

And yes, I'm a fan of the old Wadkin gear as well. Like many here I am really into the older Australian brands of equipment like Barker, Macson, Wolfenden etc, but the Wadkin machinery is very nice also. Most impressive that you have 22 Wadkin pieces in your collection. I think from memory I have the following:

• Wadkin 300mm Jointer
• Wadkin Spindle Moulder
• Wadkin Radial Arm Saw
• Wadkin Bandsaw Sharpener
• and now of course the Wadkin Disc/Bobbin Sander

WadkinRadialArmSaw2.JPGWadkinJointer1.JPGIMG_2151.jpg

All pieces are 3 phase which means I can't run any of them until they're installed in the new shed, which will be 18m x 12m x 5m. This is as far as I've got with the shed project at the moment:

IMG_2976.jpg

Actually I'm a little bit advanced from this image as I have now just about finished filling at the low end, as well as excavating at the high end as you see in the photo. There were about 6-8 trees to bring down & remove as well as removing the stumps. Some of those were very big - up to 900mm diameter and 20m+ tall. A few of the root balls took hours to dig out and were extremely hard-going for my 4.5 tonne excavator. I've bought a steel kit for the shed which is already on site, but now I've run out of cash for a while (same old story) so the shed will be on the back-burner for a while. The next element will be the 150mm concrete slab which is another $14K bill, and then I can start to assemble the steel work.

What sort of machinery have you got in the collection? Do you have a shed already with 3 phase power available? Once I've got mine ready I will be "rationalising" some of my pieces, so will be on the lookout to buy/sell/trade various machines, and will therefore be very interested to talk to you and others at that time.

Wayne

Originally Posted by L.S.Barker1970

Wayne thats great news !
I'm glad proceedings went smoothly!
It looks huge on that palate, I think your in for a treat, it looks like a good solid machine !

Melbourne Matty.

Yes, I think it's one of the heaviest pieces of my equipment so far Matty, weighing it at just under a tonne. I have a nice German Martin panel saw from the 60's which may be a tad heavier, but there's certainly not too much in the collection that you could move by hand.

I'll be very interested to start researching where I can get replacement bobbins of various sizes, but all in good time.

Wayne

Originally Posted by Hardenfast

What sort of machinery have you got in the collection? Do you have a shed already with 3 phase power available? Once I've got mine ready I will be "rationalising" some of my pieces, so will be on the lookout to buy/sell/trade various machines, and will therefore be very interested to talk to you and others at that time.

Wayne

I have 22 /3 phase machines but nat all of them are Wadkin.
The radial arm saw and small table saw are Wadkin Bursgreen

Then I have

Wadkin DR 30 Band saw
ECA 5 head tennoner , which Im in love with and kiss
MF chisel and chain mortiser , XX as well
LQ overhead recessor
PK table saw with extension table 1950's Big baby , waiting to be set up.
PK table saw missing some parts late 1930s side wheel , which is the earliest numbered one that has come up so far as I have been told by the Wadkin Temple in Canada. I would love to do it up to have the earliest restored one before another more earlier one does show up . I do have a lot to do before hand though.

Of my others there is 4 other mortisers . One of them is the Wolfenden chisel and chain , then two chisel or chain wolfendens and two single phase asian chisels , one set up wit 3/8 the other 1/2 inch.
3 lathes , three more band saws , buzzer thicknesser and more .

Its all in a workshop in Toorak , most working , some under a lean to working and the rest under tarps. I knew that the likelihood of moving was strong and the last few years has been the chance to get this gear at good prices mostly .
So the move will be happening now and we have to decide on a property , sell a house and move house and workshop .

This is a dream come true for me . No debt and a comfy workshop design with some peace and quite is the goal .
Ill probably do workshop in stages , starting with 20 x 10 steel , then lean to off that for a blacksmithing section . I have a ci 1900 blacksmiths set up that I use every now and then , to have it set up just outside of my woodwork space will be so nice .

Yes , I will be keen to trade machines not needed for ones I want , Id rather do that than get cash for them I think . .

Rob

Quite the collection you have there Rob.
I'm sure that you'll be happy to get them all set up.

I'm hoping to get my new workshop this year but I don't have that sort of collection to fill it. you're definitely going to need a pretty big shed for all that lot!
We'll all be looking forward to seeing it.

Have fun,
Alli

That's a serious assortment of machines, Rob - most impressive! Hope everything goes well with the big venture and that you find a nice property that suits your needs. Have you got your eye on any particular place at this stage? How much land are you looking for? We ended up with a 14 acre property with an existing house, but no sheds - not a one, which has been very disappointing. Still, I've got plenty of time now to work away at my 5 year plan.

I very much like the sound of your Wolfenden chisel & chain mortiser. Given that you already have a Wadkin chisel & chain machine perhaps we can do a deal when everything is a little clearer? Like you I already have a collection of chain morticers, comprising 2 Tough machines and 2 Exceller machines - all Australian made, and a couple of Asian chisels. These are some of the machines I'll be looking to "rationalise" once my shed is set up - particularly if I could acquire a nice chisel & chain like the Wolfenden. I bet it's a huge, heavy piece.

I'm guessing it will be a mighty task to move all of them, but hopefully it will be a "once only" task. Same with me. Once they are placed into their position in the shed that's hopefully where they will remain. I ended up buying a little 2.5 tonne forklift to move my stuff around and it's already been invaluable. I hope to be able to upgrade it to an all-terrain machine in due course as it is sometimes a problem if I try to take it across the paddock - particularly if it's wet.

What sort of lathes have you got, by the way?

Wayne