Okay Brad,I stand corrected!!I have a flush cut saw that I bought at Lee Valley,I think it's a Veritas, it too has a very flexible blade.
Lawrence
Not really a correction, since I did some reading around and I guess those are apparently also commonly referred to as flush-cut saws (or French flush-cut saws). I've been on the lookout for a nice old one at antique shops and yard sales but so far the right deal hasn't come along. I forgot to explain why they're ideal for veneer work though. The slightly curved cutting edges can start a very precise cut directly into the top of a piece of wood far away from the edges, such as the center of a tabletop or a door panel. Just try that sometime with a straight sawblade! How to use a veneer saw:
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(I am not associated with nor am I pimping Woodcraft Magazine or the saw in the video.)
I love those Japanese flush-cut and dovetail saws, even though I don't have either yet. They're so much easier to control because they cut on the pull stroke only, whereas most Western saws cut on the push stroke. They don't cut as fast because you can't get as much power behind the cutting stroke, but they don't tend to bind or jump out of the cut either. I also find it easier to stop the cut stroke more precisely when pulling, but that's just me.
I spent most of today working on the knife grinder. I did a final paint prep - blasted a few areas I couldn't get with the knotted wire wheel, and then wiped everything down with some TSP degreaser to make sure it was good and clean. Here's how everything looks after two coats of paint:
I just used some Primer Gray Tremclad rust paint, with a healthy dose of some Gloss Black rust paint mixed in to darken it a fair bit, to try to get close to the original darker gray that was on it already. I think I could have gone a shade or two darker, but it's pretty close, and there's no way to know for sure now! I've had really good luck with this Tremclad rust paint on old sand-cast stuff like this - it just seems to stick to the rough surface tighter than, well, "paint to a wall" as my old man would say.
This is the first time I've sprayed it with a gun though; before I always just bought a rattle can or two. Considering I can get a quart for less than the price of a can though, and since I have a good compressor and a couple (not-so-good) sprayguns, I figured it was worth a go. I couldn't find the color I wanted in a can anyway. I think I've got the basics figured out now - it went a LOT better than my poor attempt at spraying the old dust collector a few weeks back. (FYI this paint likes Mineral Spirits a lot more than Lacquer Thinner, at least for spraying.)
Overall I think everything looks pretty good, though I'll have to give it another inspection and probably a couple touch-ups here and there. Assuming it's all good, it'll be Sunday before I have time to get to the re-assembly though.:censored: The only other task will be to modify the motor mounting plate to accept a much smaller modern single-phase motor rather than the 3-phase 1HP dinosaur that was on it. Right now I have the 1HP 1725 RPM motor that I swapped out of my tablesaw that I could use and which is the likely candidate, or I also have a 3HP 3450 RPM, though I think it's a compressor motor and is CCW non-reversible. I'll have to check back on that one. My bench grinder is only 1/2 HP though, so 1HP should be a nice bump up. I'm always looking at the scrapyard for more motors to resurrect though, so who knows what will turn up to use on it.
I also need to overhaul the mag starter that was in the motor switchbox. I'm not convinced it's usable anymore since it's pretty corroded. Even if that's the case, I should be able to find stuff to rebuild it at the mill without much difficulty. I don't know for sure, but I don't see why one couldn't use a three-phase Mag to start a single-phase 240V motor; one leg would just be unused or shunted to ground. I'll have to ask my cousin. I'm pretty sure I'd have to switch out the heater(s) though, because the single-phase motor will pull a lot more current across the mag than a 440V 3-phase.
