Thread: Wadkin CK Radial Arm Saw

Another one for the ledger Vann, picked it up today, not many here down under ...20220705_150416.jpg
20220705_150328.jpg
Melbourne Matty.

Originally Posted by L.S.Barker1970

Another one for the ledger Vann, picked it up today...

Thanks Matty. And just in the nick of time as I'll be doing an update to "Wadkin by Test Number" over on the Canadian forum tomorrow.

CK 1040.jpg

It looks to have been well looked after. CK 1040 of 1946. I like that era - before they went to aluminium handwheels (~1949).

wCK 1040 27187 Aus.jpg Note the plastic "lubrication" tag under the makers tag.

Cheers, Vann.

Vann, you are like the white knight of the woodworking Forums, it's tricky on the phone to post pics up !
Thank you for the dates, l found it interesting that this was a cast base and not aluminium ..
Don't suppose you kept any parts from the rusty one you dismantled ? Mine has had a break on the lower locking base.
20220705_154223.jpg

Melbourne Matty.

Originally Posted by Vann

...The drive pin in my CK measured ~6.7mm diameter. It was very sloppy in it's threaded hole. It turns out the thread is 5/16" BSW (~7.94mm). I decided I'd need to make some new drive pins...

I had an offcut of 5/16" rod. I cut three lengths overlong.

CK 36.jpg Rod in vise - with lard applied.

I cut a thread, slightly oversize - about 1/2" in length.

CK 37.jpg

Then I ran a die nut down the thread to get the exact final size.

CK 38.jpg

After that I cut each rod to the desired length (loosing the vise-squashed end) and cut a slot with a hacksaw (no pictures because I can't cut a slot straight ).

I now have three good drive pins - one in the saw and two in the trenching head box (so they don't get lost).

Cheers, Vann.

Vann, this is the auction that had two of these going. A few other nice Wadkin machines and bits going too:

Unreserved Cabinet Makers Plant & Equipment

Originally Posted by L.S.Barker1970

...Don't suppose you kept any parts from the rusty one you dismantled ? Mine has had a break on the lower locking base.

CK pivot.jpg

Melbourne Matty.

Hi Matty, I thought I'd sent most of the parts to the scrappie. But yesterday, while looking through one 'rat hole' I found exactly the part pictured. It has the vertical shaft still attached, and a fair amount of surface corrosion so I don't know if I can get them apart easily (don't want to break it trying). I'll dig it out and apply some penetrating oil.

Let me know if you still want it.

Cheers, Vann.

Oh Vann, you are a true Gentleman, yes, yes, yes please.. !!
Melbourne Matty.

Originally Posted by L.S.Barker1970

Oh Vann, you are a true Gentleman...

If only my wife agreed with you .

Some pictures:

CK 201.jpg CK 202.jpg CK 203.jpg

I've applied some penetrating oil and I'll apply some more tomorrow.

I've removed the two locating pins (they'll not be in the right place for yours anyway). They were both bent and now reside in my scrap bin.

Cheers, Vann.

I boxed up the part...

20221128_175537.jpg

...and sent it to Matty some months ago.

Cheers, Vann.

Originally Posted by Vann

Back in May, 2017, Auscab asked me to pick up some Wadkin-Bursgreen trenching heads for his BRA radial arm saw. Here are the parts I collected, photographed shortly before posting across the ditch.

CK1.jpg

That was 6 months before I acquired my Wadkin CK. Ever since I've been keeping an eye out for trenching heads for mine - but usually they go for more money than I'm prepared to pay (for something I don't actually have a use for). Both BRA and CK have 1" spindles...

(snip)

...Recently, while on holiday in the South Island, I was talking to a fellow Waddie and he "long term loaned" me his...

(snip)

...Here's the almost finished box with the almost sharp knives.

CK5.jpg CK4.jpg

Finally, last month I managed to pick up a pair of trenching heads of my own - actually two pair of trenching heads.

0-7.jpg

Cheers, Vann.

I've not yet used the "loaned" set of trenching heads, but now that I have my own, in two different sizes, I thought I'd better work out what I have, and what their capabilities are.

I couldn't find anything in any of the online catalogues about trenching heads - except that they exist.

Auscab was able to help with a page from a Wadkin "Tools and Accessories" booklet dated 1936.

ET&G heads.jpg

The heads listed have 9" and 11" diameter cutting circles, and are adjustable in width by the insertion of spacer washers (I didn't get any spacers with the loaned set I had). However these trenching heads are held from spinning on the saw spindle by a square key in a keyway, where as mine (and the loaned set) use drive pins.
I also had a feeling that mine (and the loaned set) cut a 10" circle - which turns out to be correct upon measuring.

Mine have pattern numbers cast into them, but these are partial obliterated by the machining of the castings.

The seller also sent me some documentation, from which I see the heads supplied are JP 506 and JP 510.

0-4.jpg

The heads with what looks like JP 506 on one casting, and JP 507 on the other, would be the JP 506 heads. These are the wider heads with 17mm wide cutters and would be equivalent in width to the JP 457 heads - which cut from 3/4" to 1 7/16" wide.

The other heads have JP 51x and JP 511 on the castings. These would be the JP 510 heads with 9mm wide cutters - equivalent in width to the JP 472 heads which cut from 3/8" to 11/16" wide.

0-7.jpg

As seen in this photo, I got 9 spacers. 1/16" x 2; 1/8" x 6; and 1/4" x 1.

There is also an inch BSW spanner for the saw spindle nut, and two "Snail" brand smaller spanners (which I think came standard with most Wadkin machinery). And not in the picture is a small square spanner to fit the square head bolt that hold the cutters on the wider JP 506 heads.

Spanner.jpg Sq Heads.jpg

The only downside is that one of the knickers is broken.

knickers.jpg

I can only assume that the head was dropped breaking the knicker, or maybe it was over-tightened.

If anyone has a spare Wadkin knicker please let me know. It will be a PITA having to transfer a knicker from one set to the other, losing the "set" each time .
Cheers, Vann.

Hey Vann,

A couple of questions:

• How accurate a cut does the CK cut?
• How well do the trenching heads work? As in does it give a nice clean cut with minimal tear out?

I've got a Bosch Glide saw which is suppose to be a bit of a premo compound mitre saw but not overly happy with it and don't think moving to a Festool saw will overcome my expectations.

• How accurate a cut does the CK cut?

My Wadkin CK is quite old and the stops are worn, so setting it at 90 degrees to the fence takes some trial and error. I have never adjuster the rollers properly so there is some play in the carriage. I use it mostly for rough cutting - such as rough cutting to length - or for cutting scraps and small branches for firewood .

I have just had some newly acquired blades sharpened, so that might be the incentive I need to work on its accuracy.

I recall Wallace saying his was also hard to set at exactly 90 degrees.

However I believe that they can be set up to cut accurately, just don't adjust the angle once you have set them up.

• How well do the trenching heads work? As in does it give a nice clean cut with minimal tear out?

I don't know. I haven't yet sharpened the knickers on the borrowed pair - and haven't used them yet.

I believe they are quite a coarse tool, possibly not suitable for exposed joints - but I don't know for sure.

Jack English did a series of YouTube videos on setting them up and using them. I must watch these again as I have a project coming up in several months time where these might be very useful.

Cheers, Vann.

A year ago I made a box for the borrowed heads, to keep everything together and to protect the cutters and knickers once I'd sharpened them.

CK 39.jpg

So a box for these new heads was required too.

I contemplated two boxes - one for each pair - but decided it would take less storage space if I put everything in the one box. And the spanner, washers and spare drive pins would always be in the right box.

I measured up the existing box to get the right depth, and glued up bits and pieces over many days to make provision for all the extras. All was looking good.

THB8.jpg JP 506s at the top. Spanner, pins and washers in the centre. JP 510s at bottom. Neat.
Until I tried sliding the lid on and found the JP 510 heads are wider than the JP 506 heads .

THB9.jpg
The sides need to be 8mm higher! . A lot of work went into that box and I didn't want to start again.

But I managed to come up with a solution. The base is 9mm thick ply.

HTB10.jpg

Now to apply another sheet of ply and it's done. Phew.

Cheers, Vann.