Tool Forum

[WesternSaw]

Old Canadian Tire Power Tools

Anyone on here have any old Canadian Tire power tools that were labeled Mor Power and made by a company called PET Manufacturing in the USA?
Thanks
Lawrence

 

[Brmorgan]

Pouring babbit bearings is not so hard, it was at onetime done regularly around the sawmills here, must say I have run many hundred pounds of the stuff into bearing shells.
Pioneerguy600

I didn't figure it was too difficult; just becoming a lost skill I suppose. I've poured plenty of it into chipper knives at work but never bearings.

Now, if you're REALLY old, you'll have worked with Ironwood bearings... I know that they were in use at least into the '50s around here in a few sawmills, and not just the gypo bushmills either.

Of course I knew you would have had some experience doing that sort of thing Jerry.I fully expected you to be one of the fellas that would reply.You know what I saw at a garage sale awhile back a heavy duty ladle that I am sure was used for pouring babbitt,should have scooped it up for Brad.Did they not heat the babbitt in those and then pour from those things?
Lawrence

Lawrence, at the mill we heat the babbitt in what is essentially a crock-pot on steroids. We can use a liter or two at a time if we're pouring a lot of knives though. Here's what I'll likely use for melting it if I ever need to:

Remember that from a few pages back? I still haven't done anything with it but it should do the job nicely once I get it fixed up. I need to find or make a set of tongs to fit the crucible though.

 

[Mastermind]

I didn't figure it was too difficult; just becoming a lost skill I suppose. I've poured plenty of it into chipper knives at work but never bearings.

Now, if you're REALLY old, you'll have worked with Ironwood bearings... I know that they were in use at least into the '50s around here in a few sawmills, and not just the gypo bushmills either.



Lawrence, at the mill we heat the babbitt in what is essentially a crock-pot on steroids. We can use a liter or two at a time if we're pouring a lot of knives though. Here's what I'll likely use for melting it if I ever need to:

Remember that from a few pages back? I still haven't done anything with it but it should do the job nicely once I get it fixed up. I need to find or make a set of tongs to fit the crucible though.

Brad, your bench looks just like mine. I never seem to have enough room, and it get messed up faster than I clean it up. If we could find a tool that cleans and organizes work spaces we would be on to something for sure.

 

[Brmorgan]

Brad, your bench looks just like mine. I never seem to have enough room, and it get messed up faster than I clean it up. If we could find a tool that cleans and organizes work spaces we would be on to something for sure.

Until then folks like you and I are screwed, I'm afraid!

 

[little possum]

If we could find a tool that cleans and organizes work spaces we would be on to something for sure.

I can clean up, but saws may go missing

Love this thread!
Just dont really have anything to offer to it yet

 

[Brmorgan]

I totally forgot about this last night. I picked up this little hand-powered chain grinder out of the scrap dropoff bin yesterday:

Other than the stone being busted, it looks to be like new and seems to work just fine. It's pretty solid and well-built. I've never really seen anything quite like it, and "Krug Scharffix" doesn't exactly ring any bells! That's the only marking anywhere on it. The stone's paper label says "Fritz Krug Forstgerate 3501 Schauenburg Bez. Kassel". There's a thumbscrew on the reverse of the unit to clamp it to the bar much like clamp-on filing guides.

Now I need to find a stone for it so I can try it out. It looks like a 5/16", or more likely 8mm since it's European, arbor. Not sure my dealer will have anything that will work, but I'll look tomorrow.

 

[WesternSaw]

Great Stuff

Brad you sure do find some neat stuff!
Lawrence

 

[pioneerguy600]

Of course I knew you would have had some experience doing that sort of thing Jerry.I fully expected you to be one of the fellas that would reply.You know what I saw at a garage sale awhile back a heavy duty ladle that I am sure was used for pouring babbitt,should have scooped it up for Brad.Did they not heat the babbitt in those and then pour from those things?
Lawrence

A ladel may hold enough babbit to do a small bearing but the crucible like Brad has posted would be a better choice to run one or more bearing shells. You have to be fairly quick to get them filled before the babbit started to set up. The ladels were often used to run lead into cast iron pipe joints where a crucible would hold the molten lead and the ladel was used to scoop it out and pour it into the bell of the cast iron pipe joint.
Pioneerguy600

 

[WesternSaw]

Lead Ladel

A ladel may hold enough babbit to do a small bearing but the crucible like Brad has posted would be a better choice to run one or more bearing shells. You have to be fairly quick to get them filled before the babbit started to set up. The ladels were often used to run lead into cast iron pipe joints where a crucible would hold the molten lead and the ladel was used to scoop it out and pour it into the bell of the cast iron pipe joint.
Pioneerguy600

Jerry,At this particular garage sale the fella had been a plumber,so I see how your explanation makes perfect sense.
Lawrence

 

[mtfallsmikey]

Jerry,At this particular garage sale the fella had been a plumber,so I see how your explanation makes perfect sense.
Lawrence

I've never done any babbitt work, but Jerry is correct. we had a crucible that held around 10 lb. of lead so we could do 3-4 lead joints before refilling. small ladles could do a 2" joint, larger ones were for 4-6" pipe.

 

[Brmorgan]

I've never done any babbitt work, but Jerry is correct. we had a crucible that held around 10 lb. of lead so we could do 3-4 lead joints before refilling. small ladles could do a 2" joint, larger ones were for 4-6" pipe.

From what the safety nuts would have us believe, it's a miracle you guys are even still breathing with that kind of exposure to lead! Now you'd need HAZMAT protection probably to do that work. Not that I can talk - more than once as a kid I would walk around the backyard with the pellet gun and a cheekful of pellets. Never swallowed one though, which is when it becomes a problem.

So do you think that this crucible I have was originally likely a pipefitter's crucible then? Sounds about the right size.

PS - checked all around town for a stone for that grinder today. No dice. Die grinder discs are easy to find but they're either 1/4" or 3/8" arbor and not ideal stone for grinding chain with. The store that deals Pacific grinding supplies to the big mills in town said they can have anything I want made up but it wouldn't be terribly cheap and would be 8+ weeks for delivery. Anyone know where to get 8mm/5/16" arbor grinding wheels around 3-3.5" diameter? I don't want to spend a bunch of cash but I'd like to at least try this thing out.

Lawrence, if you find yourself at the Princess Auto in Langley again, could you do me a favor and take a look there for me? I do remember seeing some import chain grinding wheels there which were about this size when we were down a month ago; they were in one of the very last aisles in the far rear-right of the store with some saw files and the like. I don't remember the brand but there were a few different sizes. I was tempted to pick up a couple just for the heck of it, but since I didn't have a grinder it was kinda pointless.

 

[WesternSaw]

mtfallsmikey

Mikey are you pipe fitter/plumber? Kinda neat to know what others do for living,or what they did for a living, especially on this thread. At the same time I will say that I'm not about to poke my nose in someones business if they choose not to have me there.
Lawrence

 

[WesternSaw]

Brad Morgan

I will try the Princess Auto next time I'm in Coquitlam or Langley.KMS has a sale on and they are very close to one another in Coquitlam.Cheaper to go to Coquitlam than pay the $3.50 or whatever it is for the new bridge
Lawrence

 

[pioneerguy600]

A lot of the cast iron pipe work would be done before a building was totally closed in, the underground work was usually done before the walls went up and the rest completed before all the wall panels or precast concrete panels and windows were set so the fumes from the lead pot just blew away in the breeze. If you wanted to be exposed to toxic lead fumes you should have seen the days when lead pipe was used for cold water supply and waste water drainage to the houses, swaging the lead joints was a real art form I learned from a real master journeyman plumber I worked with for a couple of years.
Pioneerguy600

 

[WesternSaw]

Hello regulars!

I'm not sure I want to say this,no Lawrence don't do it man,do not as they say, Go There.Okay I'll tell it straight up,I was peeking, yup peeking, you know what I mean,checking out some other tool sites.Let me say there is some definite competition out there!Okay your saying "Well Larry,I don't see you posting a whole whack of tools on here.You know I don't have a whole lot of tools.You guy's probably have more tools in your glovebox than I do in my whole garage.Come on how can we attract some new blood in here?Fellas that are regulars on AS that don't visit here.You know all the fellas that are into chainsaws and logging and readers rides,I bet they have some real nice stuff that they could do a little gloating about.How many close AS fellas do you know on here that could put some stuff up, and then they could tell another AS member,now your gettin it,that's right, reach right out there and touch someone,lure them in,get them interested.Maybe we should do some tool reviews?Why you like one socket set over another.How about your craigslist great tool finds,your hand me down tools,your freebies.Jeeezzzzz.free tools.You helped someone out expected nothing in return, WHAM he hit's you with "Heh,Do you need a good mini screwdriver set?"I've got two you can have one of them!"Thanks for helping me out today" Let's here about some of those kinda tales too.
Okay I'm finished!
Lawrence
P.S. You regular guys on this thread, you have been doing a great job keep it coming.Is Brad Morgan the only guy who comes up with these neat finds?I don't think so.He's just not shy that's all.I know some of you regular guys.I know you have scads of tools and story's to go with some!

 

[Mastermind]

I don't have anything special, I lurk here to see what you guys have. Thanks for this thread.

 

[WesternSaw]

Randy

No,Thank you for being here!
Lawrence

 

[mtfallsmikey]

A lot of the cast iron pipe work would be done before a building was totally closed in, the underground work was usually done before the walls went up and the rest completed before all the wall panels or precast concrete panels and windows were set so the fumes from the lead pot just blew away in the breeze. If you wanted to be exposed to toxic lead fumes you should have seen the days when lead pipe was used for cold water supply and waste water drainage to the houses, swaging the lead joints was a real art form I learned from a real master journeyman plumber I worked with for a couple of years.

Pioneerguy600

That's true Jerry, but we did a lot of repair/alterations in existing houses, replacing cracked sections of pipe, redoing poorly poured lead joints, so we got exposed to a good deal of fumes. I repaired/repoured 4 lead joints at my old job, the others were looking on at amazement. I still have dad's old yarning/driving irons (offset ones too), and a few joint runners. I'm sure someday I'll pay the price for not only the exposure to lead fumes, but the asbestos and PCB's as well...

 

[Walt41]

Have not posted here in a while but, thought my recent purchase of a shop press was worth mentioning, I already used it to straighten out one of my tractor bucket forks and a scraper box tine. It seems to work fine as long as you are slow and careful.

 

[little possum]

What about our electric pallet jack/fork lift. It is a great tool to have around the shop, just wish we had a concrete pad outside, and less junk to get around inside.

Dad cut a 53 1/2"(across the stump) Tulip poplar, for a guy and he traded the lift to us.