Feeding the addiction!

[goodfellow]

Don't know whether to drool over the bird or the blade  -- LOL

Good job on both fronts OCG.

[Uncle Buck]

Don't know whether to drool over the bird or the blade  -- LOL

I started out drooling over the blade, then he got me with the bird! I was hungry

Good job on both fronts OCG.

[oldcarguy]

My family received word about said bird. And six came over to share the leftovers today. All good intentions. But it slowed my progress. Here's an update..

I set the blade up in my smaller grinder using my two home made grinding vises and two parallel's on either end. Finished ground to withing .005". Figured I'd finish to size after I cut them to length.



Tilted my Roll-In vertical band saw at 45 degrees, and cut into two pieces, One 12" the other 6"






After places the two new blades against my original blade. I noticed that one end is 45 degrees while the other is 30! Not good,, but at least I didn't cut all four ends at 45.. A quick look on my optical comparator confirms the two angles are exactly 45 & 30... I never used the ends  of the blades when operating the protractor. However I can see where it would come in handy.. Learn something new every day...







 

[oldcarguy]

I'm about finished with the blades. I cut the opposite ends to 60 degrees on the band saw. Then set them up on my large grinder in order to have enough height under the wheel. It's a little more delicate to do on a full automatic surface grinder. Like working on a watch with a crowbar. No manual handles on the longitudinal travel and have to run using hydraulic table travels. Note to Uncle Buck. If you noticed I used my planer gage to set the magnet sine plate. And had to use the pin on the planer gage to ring in the correct height...  You had asked where the pin would be handy.. On lower sine bar setting I use my gae blocks. but the planer gage is easier than stacking and ringing gage blocks..  It only took .005" to clean up the band saw marks.





45 degree angle grinding



Finished blades...

[oldcarguy]

double checked the 60 degree angle on my optical comparator ,, it's right on the money



You can see 60* mark in the lower part of this picture, the lines to its' right are vernier reading...

[Uncle Buck]

Man those are sweet! I really appreciate you letting us tag along in pictures during the manufacturing of the blades too! 60 degrees on one end, 45 on the other correct?

After seeing what you did to make those, I am now quite convinced that whatever Rube Goldberg means I would have employed on my crude and inadequate equipment in my homespun little hom shop would have been wholly insufficient for the manufacture of decent blades. Regardless what raw material I had decided to use! Those are absolutely beautiful, just beautiful!

[Uncle Buck]

I greatly enjoyed seeing your shaper gage and extension in use as well!

[oldcarguy]

Yes there is a 45* angle on one end and 60* on the other of both the 12" and 6" blade. I still have .005" left on the thickness. That I should remove,, no biggie. See the slot in the head? The blade fits into there at low angle settings. And the extra stock on the thickness of the blade may interfere. So I will take it off tomorrow..



One feature that I ordered with my two surface grinders is an over-the-wheel diamond dresser that's permanently mounted in the guard housing. Makes for easy dressing on the fly.. Without one. You'd either have to bring the wheel to the table level. Or I have a magnetic diamond dressing block that sticks to the side of the work piece. But you still have to change the wheel setting to dress. And spark off again... With the over-the-wheel dresser. Simply dress  off say .005" off the wheel. And you know that the freshly dressed wheel is the same .005 the work piece... Dial the head down .005 and you're kissing your last grinding surface...  Oh the luxury.. 

[Uncle Buck]

Those blades look as good, if not better than blades that Brown and Sharp would have made originally in my opinion and certainly not with the same care and attention to detail as has been shown in these pictures!

I am absolutely humbled knowing that I am going to be the recipient of those blades.

[Uncle Buck]

Since I bought my protractor head so cheap, I wasn't bothered by the lack of a fitted B&S case for the head. My original plans were quite modest for the tool. I thought maybe I could luck into some used blades, or even adapt some cheap import blades. I figured worst case scenario perhaps I might cobble a set of blades up as best I could.

Well, plans changed radically. Having seen these beautiful blades OCG painstakingly crafted for me I know there is no way I would just toss those in a drawer to clank around my other odds and ends. My head looks pretty good, save one small engraving, but I can live with that.

So, I determined to find a fitting home for the head and pending arrival of the blades. Enter ebay, I lucked out and found a NOS B&S protractor box for my model protractor (Black simulated leather W/ B&S marking on the case & blue crushed velvet lining) cost was not obscene given it is vintage NOS and not cheap plastic like everything else these days. I sort of felt duty bound if you will to find a case worthy of the new blades. That makes sense to everyone right? It isn't just me right? 


A phrase I try to live by when I buy something, especially something I plan to have for a long time, or something that ensures my safety and well being (meaning tools, brakes, and steering components for starters) so, words to live by, most old duffers have heard "Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten"

[oldcarguy]

What are the chances of finding a better home and perfect case for your treasured new toy.. Job well done!

Seeing that you purchased the head without knowing the condition. Other than it's great looking condition. I'm concerned the condition of the blade locking tab on the head. If you look where the blade fits into the space above the round angular degree scale and small locking arm of the head. You'll see a small tab that catches the groove in the blade. That tightens the blade into the head. When you rotate the smaller thumb screw in either direction. You will see that tab move in and out. My concern is that that tab moves as I tried to described. And the tab protrudes deep enough to catch the blade. And not too long to hit the bottom of the groove in the blade. There is no more than .020” past the blade surface on mine and the sample one that I borrowed...

Hopefully between this picture and you head you'll be able to see where I'm coming from...

[Uncle Buck]

I know exactly what you are talking about. Not having a blade to try with the head I cannot definitively say how the two will interact at this point.  I have not viewed that space with the finger the groove rides on under magnification, but I do know the round knob that controls the finger does turn freely on the threads allowing for adjustment.  However,  the knob cannot be removed from the screw adjustment that it controls.  The best I could tell when I turned that knob seemed as though it did adjust the position of the finger as it was designed to do.

[Uncle Buck]

I can say there did not appear to be a huge amount of protrusion of that finger. It has been several weeks since I was playing with the head so I could not say how many thousands of an inch the finger protrudes at its deepest adjustment. I  think if I needed to know what that gap measures the most accurate means I would have to put a figure to that would be with feeler gages.

Also, when the finger is retracted allowing for the greatest amount of gap where the blade rides, very little of that finger remains visible to the eye,  appearing as it does in your picture. That would indeed be a very troublesome part of the head to deal with should there be an issue. I imagine rendering the head useless and in need of replacement I surmise. But, all appears normal at this point and I  will just have to proceed cautiously when test fitting the two to my thinking unless you can think of something that I have not considered. Very inciteful, your observation, definitely something that bears a slow and careful approach when the blades and head first meet for sure!

[oldcarguy]

If you see the locking finger will sit below the blade surface. And it moves when you turn the smaller knob. Should work fine. That finger only grabs the blade by .020”. And works good on both brand protractors.

[Uncle Buck]

I will add this, if the head was shot, I absolutely would find another to replace it. Finding stray heads with no blades or cases is very easy as there are an abundance of those to be found, often cheap, nearly as cheap as the one I found no doubt due to the fact blades are quite expensive and rarely found without a head. Sellers are preying on both the greed and ignorance of many buyers. At least I was aware of the issue when I bought mine prior to purchasing it. So, like I said, if need be I will find another head if mine does not prove out. I am betting it will be fine though.