Metal Planer Restoration 37: Reassembling the Cross Slide Saddle and Feed Works

[@mdouglaswray]

Such loving work. Thanks for making this Keith! Must-see TV!

[@chrissudlow863]

Keith, you are a delight. What a great channel with real content & amazing talent!

[@danbreyfogle8486]

Progress on the project at times may seem like watching grass grow. Just kidding, there is so much detail in the project that it simply takes time to get it back together and I will continue watching as I find that old machinery so interesting. I was trained as a mechanical draftsman back in 1967/68 and remember the engineering process from concept to a production piece. But thinking of this complicated system being developed before the turn of the 20 century really adds respect for those that took this from a concept to a piece that worked. Great video Keith.

[@billjulian9496]

How can anyone vote down on these videos? Mr. Rucker....another awesome job...love the series

[@horatiohornblower868]

In 1885 there were no rockets flying through the universe, but the engineers really knew how to design machines! This old lady is a mechanical gem.

[@johnopalko5223]

19th century engineering never ceases to amaze me. Give them a gear, a cam, and a lever and they can do anything.

[@fataxe1]

20th century guys said "hold my beer, I've got four bars and some vacuum diaphragms!"

[@samrodian919]

I have not commented here before and have not had time to watch all the project videos but my my Keith you are making a fantastic job of the restoration of this machine, I promise I WILL get round to watching all of them eventually, and am looking forward to watching the chips coming off of this big old beast of a planer!

[@markgrevatt4867]

1885. Great looking machine. Can't wait to see this running

[@DustinWill]

Keep the scraping coming! I think you do a great job of balancing (summing up) the boring part, with detailed plan, measurement, and confirmation! I love to see the different ways to setup the reference and measurements.

[@chieft3357]

I always enjoy and am glad to see that someone takes it to heart to restore a piece of fine machinery like you are doing. Good luck in the finish job.

[@phillipyannone3195]

Oh Boy, it won't be long now. It's so satisfying to see all those clean shiny parts going back together.

[@paulhunt598]

Keith, Your comments as you assembled frequently misnamed components. It is perfectly clear what you meant. I am a bit nerdy about using correct terms. As a career industrial maintenance technician that worked in a shop that detailed documented every machine repair, exact word usage was demanded. Our troubleshooting and repairs were documented for future or follow-up repair reference. Misnaming a key component potentially caused confusion. One of my daily tasks as the supervisor was to edit repair documentation for accuracy. We insisted that every repair be documented before the end of the daily work shift and preferably before beginning the next task or assignment. We kept our records in organized paper filing system until the advent of an electronic filing system introduced in 1994. With powerful, but simple word search engines, electronic documentation was available in seconds. When I retired, we had many tens of thousands of repair records in our database. Our maintenance crew covered a 7 day, 3 shift operation, and we had a departmental culture that shared a lot of commonality between technicians in how we troubleshot and how we documented. We routinely discovered that previous documentation when relied on for subsequent repairs included error or lack of clarity. When these discoveries were made, the follow-up technician was tasked with editing for clarity and for correcting error. This attention to detail meant that our repair records were accurate and exceedingly useful. Our records allowed lower skilled technicians to successfully perform at higher levels. Some repair tasks became repetitive. We titled these repair functions as procedures and copied those records into a procedures file. Procedures records received extra attention to accuracy and clarity. When you call a nut a screw, a shaft or leadscrew journal a gear, a T bolt a T nut, it is obvious that you misspeak and have simply interchanged the name of the mating component or called it something similar. I have already confessed that I am nerdy about technical component accuracy, and I have hopefully explained why. I seek for accuracy as it can have profound importance. One of my favorite (but only a loose quote) Mark Twain quotes is that we should use the correct word and not its second cousin. I enjoy your videos. I restored a 1942 drill press last week and found your website included the scanned manual for my machine. The manual was unnecessary for my task, but it was fun to discover manufacturer's information. Thank you for providing this archive. You adjusted the leadscrew backlash by feel and you discussed and demonstrated that process. Early in my apprenticeship I was instructed to measure backlash in this type of assembly. My standard for leadscrew backlash and also for gib adjustment free play is .0005". I have never rebuilt anything as old as your planer. I am interested in knowing what kind of leadscrew/nut accuracy was original to this vintage manufacturing and how much related wear is in this assembly following your restoration. I am a very latecomer to this video series and haven't taken time to go back and watch the entire series. You may have already documented this information. My comments are not intended as a complaint, rather as constructive criticism. I suspect that your audience includes many novices desiring to learn these trades. When I wear the instructor hat I strive for more stringent accuracy. I taught an intro to electrical theory and troubleshooting class last year. I included a section on motors. Even though I was regarded as our resident motor expert at work, loving motors, servicing and repairing all forms of motors for decades, and having numerous motor theory classes under my belt, teaching revealed that I had some pretty sloppy understanding of motor physics. My sloppy understanding didn't diminish my technician competence, but I tried to clean up my understanding to communicate the best accuracy to my students. The old adage that the instructor learns more than the student is very true.

[@sheilajones9220]

I am constantly amazed at the ingenuity,skill and precision of the machine tool builders of 130+ years ago, I'm sure they are looking down on you, Keith, with a smile on their faces for the effort and dedication you have shown in the restorations. Best wishes from England.

[@burninpwder76]

Great Video Keith I have been following the planer project since the start Don't listen to the folks complaining about the scraping it's just idle flattery :D. Most of my machines are scrapyard rescues and I wish i knew how to scrape things in when i started out I have learned a lot watching this project and others. Can't wait to see this under power and peeling off curls of metal. Also from all of us old iron rescue workers. Thanks a million for the website and everything there

[@teddill4893]

Truly amazing how far the planer has come. Great work.

[@dayanandudyavar1600]

Hallo Bro,when i see u working I feel as if i am still in the work shop.Which i left 5~6 years back after 40 years of maintenance work in a large scale Auto industry's gear box unite. What ur doing is fantastic.These machines r real Gems of the field which i worked on before CNC machines arrived. All the best.

[@pan60]

love watching, scraping and all! :)

[@MikeBramm]

Nice work. Just about ready to make some chips.

[@camojoe2]

Looking good Keith. Regards, Duck

[@tinker5349]

Hi, oh that's looking great. well done. Looking forward to the next episode.

[@OldIronShops]

cant wait to see it done

[@leeroyholloway4277]

That rust up in the T slot is going to make me lose sleep. (kidding) What a magnificent machine and restoration.

[@cavemaneca]

I know, right? Everything else on this machine is perfected and beautiful, then you just see this patch of rust in the bottom of a t-slot...

[@stefinatrix3426]

I am so glad I'm not the only person who cringed when they saw that :)

[@prinzeugenvansovoyen732]

yep, should have sandblasted and laquer coated the bottom of the T-slot to prevent corrosion

[@ron827]

Another museum quality restoration by Keith!

[@GeorgeWMays]

Keep on scraping Keith. It's fun to watch the whole project. Thanks for another great video. Appreciated.

[@chrisretusn]

Looking forward to see this in action some day. Really enjoying how you describe it all.

[@Cromwell648]

Excellent presentation Keith.

[@jamesdavis8021]

I like watching this go together.Not a project for faint at heart.

[@melshea2276]

👍👍👍👍Happy Father’s Day!!

[@incy55]

i believe the knob installed at about 23:00 min in is backwards. That is to say the larger part should be toward the outside. This might help some of the 'gap that you had to look up

[@xenonram]

The pin goes through the center of the knob, so it wouldn't take up any of that play, if you turned it around.

[@twistedhairball]

@@xenonram hmm it doesn't look central to me, it looks off set.

[@daveweber1331]

@@NeilAbalone, I came to the same conclusion - after muttering at the screen, telling him he had it backwards! :-) He did say he went to look at his pictures, etc. so one assumes he would have caught it if it was backwards.

[@williambikash6645]

Keith said he put it back on the way he found it but nobody knows how many times it has been removed in 130 years! Worth turning around to see if it fits better and feels better.

[@jimbrown678]

Thank you Keith for the videos. I have learned so much from you over the years. I know there's not a lot of money to be made in these videos but I hope you find satisfaction in the knowledge of how much positive impact you have on people. People like me who really get a lot of useful information from your post. And also to mention the positive attitude you show in your videos.

[@mcatees]

To hear that sounds that excitement Keith voice makes all this worthwhile

[@LadyDewBuild]

Always amazed at those old machines, glad your restoring such a fine machine. Thanks for sharing!

[@bcbloc02]

Starting to look like a machine again!

[@nevetslleksah]

Lot of engineering went into all those feed mechanisms. Quite a project. Looking forward to seeing this machine in operation. Thanks for making the videos. Stay healthy.

[@jerrywallen8327]

Love your videos can’t wait to see the first chips.

[@jim-me9wm]

A man with patience

[@carloscordero4204]

Getting excited Keith!! closer and closer looking really good !! Can not wait !! Was just thinking how much time and money you have invested it's rather costly!! THANK YOU Keith !

[@jerryglen986]

What a beautiful machine. They built them to last. My favorite vintage machine😊👍

[@grahamsengineering.2532]

Looking very nice Keith.

[@ElmerJFudd-oi9kj]

Hi Keith, nice to see how it all comes together and works. Ha ha ha " the scraping channel " , the need of it has been well explained and it is time consuming tedious work, but it needs to be done. Great video man thanks.

[@danielatbasementtech]

So fun to see the re-assembly continue.

[@Pamudder]

I realize that you took photos and made notes as you took it apart, but I am still in awe of your ability to remember how these parts fit together.

[@JourneymanRandy]

Looks great Keith.

[@Highlordratick]

Nice work. Love watching you work on antic Machines.

[@jimc4731]

That machine is really shaping up! JIM

[@Just1GuyMetalworks]

That's one beautiful machine. 😍 Your doing a fantastic job! Can't wait to see them belts all shifting on their own lol. Thanks for sharing!

[@kaibroeking9968]

I am so much looking forward to seeing that machine making some chips!

[@angelarichards1911]

Lovely to see surfaces being oiled during assembly. Can't wait to see it run Keith.

[@CrimFerret]

I don't mind seeing the scraping. This is a good series that shows what goes into restoring a machine like that to be operational. It's a lot of work, but then this beast will probably be good for another 130 years or more if it's maintained properly.

[@wollaminfaetter]

Can't wait to see that old lady planin' away

[@MattysWorkshop]

Gday Kieth, fantastic progress, the big day is drawing closer and closer, I bet your getting a bit excited for the day you make the first chips, I know I am, this has been a get series of videos to follow, the planer will be back to brand new once you have done your magic, thanks for sharing mate, I’m really enjoying this, take care, Matty

[@jerrycoleman2610]

Keith, Awesome video & content enjoyed watching and thanks for sharing your video.!.!.!.

[@lawrenceveinotte]

i have seen some large planers in action, there is a company near me who makes press brake tooling, i say the bed must be 24ft long, the tracks it runs on must be close to 50ft, they are per war machines, maybe they have 3 or 4 running, they do use carbide tooling by lifting it up on the return stroke, the whole operation is very intersting to watch.

[@rlewis1946]

Interesting! Sounds like a Site Visit is in order. Thanks for sharing. RL

[@harpomarx7777]

That's why you never toss things like springs and hardware. Although the spring turned out to be too flexible, it still filled the bill for the time being. A stiffer spring will undoubtedly be required later on, though; if that directional controller jumps out of its groove, it might damage the machine. Good video, Kieth.

[@coryk1045]

that's neat to see I have a cincinatti that was converted to a hydraulically driven mill head that is very similar dimensionally to this machine its in service milling bevels on industrial knives 40 hours a week its worn but still runs.

[@llapmsp]

Great job Keith, I'll bet you can't wait to see it running.

[@waynephillips2777]

looking great!

[@PiotrSarnacki]

I'm probably not the only one who waits very impatiently for the first chips made on the machine :D

[@ddblairco]

It goes together easier than it came apart.

[@jessjulian9458]

Thanks for sharing Mr. Rucker, this has been a great project. I have enjoyed it very much.

[@carlwhite8225]

Keith, Excellent progress, can not wait to see this thing make chips.

[@GoCreatehms]

Looking absolutely beautiful!

[@ronvi4539]

Looks Great!

[@kurtdietrich5421]

Can't wait to see it running. What a beautiful machine.

[@gordonmitchell6129]

Thanks Keith I can hardly wait till you make the beveled gear as I have two to make for a Silver Mfg camelback drill press that I have restored @ teeth missing on 2 gears .

[@paulcopeland9035]

What "beveled" gear does he need to make? I have watched this since the beginning and don't recall that issue.

[@garys9694]

@@paulcopeland9035 Keith just mentioned it this video, you gotta pay attention!

[@paulcopeland9035]

@@garys9694 ....Okay. I am looking forward to it!

[@railfan439]

Thanks for the video, Keith. Hope to see you at the Bar-Z. Jon

[@emrhyssale9810]

Really nice job I can't believe what a mess it was before you started

[@phillipjones3342]

Keep moving forward well done Keith

[@toolbox-gua]

An awesome job.

[@alfredneumann4692]

What a giant work!

[@johnquinn3899]

Fascinating - can’t wait thanks Keith.

[@garthbutton699]

If I was you I would be pleased with the assembly progress of this planer,what a glorious piece of history this is.😎😎

[@fiorevitola880]

It is very interesting following you with the assembly and restoration of this old plainer, it feels like I right there with you Keith.

[@geckoproductions4128]

Absolutely amazing. This who Rube Goldberg project you're restoring just keeps getting better and better. Can't wait to see it run

[@lonnywilcox445]

Don't you love it when a project is "almost done" and you find the last piece looks like it grenaded the last time it was used? I am looking forward to this project reaching completion so we can see it used in the next restoration.

[@markthompson4885]

I love that HUGE screw to secure the dovetail. No washers or shims under the nuts and bolts? You need a small live steam Engine to run the scraper!

[@sandrammer]

Looking great! Can't wait for your first chips on that machine.

[@MarkSeve]

Thanks for sharing Kieth. Can't wait to see chips fly.

[@arnhemseptember2009]

Great job!

[@cannon440]

When I assembly parts like that I use a well oiled, dripping cotton rag to coat parts.

[@WilliamTMusil]

Hiya Keith

[@mrfarmall-vk4gw]

Cant wait to see that table going back and forth, nice job!

[@stumccabe]

It is looking magnificent Keith - thanks for the video.

[@doscucharas]

Fantastic project! Really coming along now

[@bigun447]

I kept looking for the shop floor manager in his wool suit, vest, white shirt, tie, and bowler hat, making sure you were not goofing off. Most photos of the old manufacturer machine shop have the shop manager in his suit. Having listened to old guys in my youth that worked in many kinds of shops, they usually talked about that floor manager as a tyrant who was always threatening them to work harder. Production, production, production first, men second.

[@michaelrandle4128]

Fantastic, Adam Booth is going to be wanting one of them when it's running, thou shalt not covet your neighbours planer.

[@jamesprocyk6444]

Abom shall not covet this one, he needs one at least 50% bigger (better yet 2x the size), which will of course require another annex to his shop. Question is who will get the Big One first, Abom or bcbloc . Actually David Richards's Old Steam Powered Machine Shop has one operational on Steam via overhead pulleys and flat belts. David's seemed to be a little smaller, less complex and made to be functionally useful, but still required "annexing" part of his current equipment shop. No where near the investment to fully restore/rebuild to like new or better like Keith is doing. To be sure they all (I follow about a dozen) will refurb and use them in their own style of professionalism and results so we can learn from all of them .

[@elsdp-4560]

THANK YOU...for sharing. Watched and enjoyed.

[@propulsar]

The scraping channel. Ha ha Love it. Can't wait to see the planer running.

[@michaelmckay1567]

Thanks again really helps me while I’m a Bandan here overseas until I get home

[@michaelmckay1567]

Just waiting for my airplane ticket to clear this month or next

[@homeryoung7436]

Lovin’ it.

[@dougborrett3566]

Scraping , Akin to watching grass grow or paint dry.

[@CraigLYoung]

Thanks for sharing!

[@Cookerab]

I have the perfect project for that machine down here in the Tampa Bay area. A turn of the century Smith and Mills Shaper 12 inch I think. Square ways. Needs some TLC... I wonder if it would fit your swing.

[@tobyw9573]

Keith, there are sockets that appear to be a perfect fit for that big screw on the cross slide.

[@tobyw9573]

There may be a spring winding section in your Machinery's Handbook. I have seen videos that show people winding on their lathe on a mandrel.

[@garys9694]

Use a mandrel between centers and wind music wire over it, clamping the wire to hold it to enable you to wind it correctly. Then you heat treat the wire for stiffness of the spring. Doing it is a lot easier than explaining how to do it!

[@thomasschurmann322]

Looks fantastic! Nice Work!

[@1ttanker]

Not quite savvy on the operation of this machine but I am looking forward to the learning experience Keith

[@bernardwill7196]

Hope we see this planer in action. Greetings from germany.

[@toby8706]

The linkage pull knob you assembled at 24min is upside down, bigger side needs to face away from the connecting rod.

[@hydewhyte4364]

I thought that too, but he did go back and look at his pictures. I guess it was that way when he got it.

[@premierd8988]

@@hydewhyte4364 You mean Keith made a boo boo .... can't see that happening mate ..lol

[@tiredoldmechanic1791]

It seems like the bigger diameter would be out to make it easier to grab but he has pictures and maybe some drawings from the manufacturer.

[@toby8706]

@@hydewhyte4364 I understood he looked at the photo he took before dis-assembling which could easily mean it was wrongly assembled last time it was removed/repaired. Don't forget this is 18something -something machine, it must have been repaired many times before.

[@toby8706]

@@premierd8988 Mistakes are only human..unless you're robot you make mistakes.

[@DavidKutzler]

My grandfathers were born in 1888 and 1890. The were grade school children when this machine was likely built.