Removing Rust From A Central Machinery Jointer For Shopsmith Model 1641 Date 1988.11

Label Central  Machinery Jointer For Shopsmith Model 1641 Date 1988.11

 

I purchased an older Shopsmith that came with two SPTs (Special Power Tools) still in their original boxes. A jigsaw and a six-inch jointer. Both were made by Central Machinery in Taiwan to fit the Shopsmith. I had no interest in the jigsaw and sold it immediately.

Central  Machinery Jointer For Shopsmith Still In The Box It Was Shipped In

The jointer box was beaten up pretty bad and showed signs of getting wet, but it was still covered with the thick oils that these tools are shipped from the factory.  New in the box but damaged. One end was sticking out and had some deep corrosion on it, and despite the oils, there was lots of surface rust.

Removing Rust Using A Scotch-Brite Pad And A 1/4-sheet Sander

I have been using steel wool and WD40 for many years to remove corrosion. In the past few years, I have switched to 3M Scotch-Brite pads. When removing rust from large flat surfaces such as this jointer, I use a Scotch-Brite pad attached to a 1/4-sheet sander I keep just for this purpose. The pad fits perfectly on the bottom of my sander. I don't use the sander for anything else.

Central  Machinery Jointer After Removing Rust With A Scotch-Brite Pad and WD40

As soon as the rust is removed, I cleaned up the WD40 with paper towels and mineral spirits. As soon as the mineral spirits has evaporated, I gave it a good waxing with Johnson's Paste Wax to prevent it from rusting.

Pitting And Stains On The End of The Central  Machinery Jointer After Rust Removal

A small amount of pitting and stains remained where the jointer was protruding from the damaged box. However, the pitting was so shallow it will not interfere with the operation of the jointer.

Now I had two Central Machinery Jointers. This one was newer than my original jointer, and I liked how the guard attached much better, so I sold the older jointer.

I do not own a Shopsmith jointer and cannot compare it to the Central Machinery jointer. It works well for me. It is a lot heavier, weighing in at around 100lbs. I would like to have a Shopsmith jointer, but until I can find a bargain on one or can't lift it, the Central Machinery jointer gets the job

Harbor Freight Four Inch Ratcheting Bar Clamp/Spreader

 

Harbor Freight Four Inch Ratcheting Bar Clamp/Spreader

I use a lot of clamps. They are the first clamps of this type sold by Harbor Freight that I like. I make a lot of toys and use many small clamps. Recently I went to Harbor Freight with coupon in hand to pick up a few more of these clamps only to find that they have changed the clamp. 

Harbor Freight Four Inch Ratcheting Bar Clamp/Spreader New Style

There are currently three SKUs listed on their website: 68974, 46805, 62242. The ones I have the most of are SKU 68974. I have only seen only two of them. I went ahead and purchased four of the new ones. I decided that for $0.99 each, I would give them a try.

 

Harbor Freight Four Inch Ratcheting Bar Clamp/Spreader New Style Flashing on the Trigger

 

The new clamps work ok, but the build quality isn't as good. The knob on the side is tiny compared to the older version, and there is flashing on the trigger that my old one does not have. The flashing on the trigger sharp and uncomfortable to squeeze even at the light pressures I use. It feels like it might cut me under the right circumstances. I don't like the smaller knob, but it isn't a deal-breaker as I rarely use it. I removed all the flashing with a sharp knife and smoothed everything down. 

 

 

I used these recently on a small project. The new style clamps worked fine, but I have to wonder about the roughness of the tool. If they let this slide, what else did they let slide?

If I need more clamps, I will be looking for the SKU 68974 clamps. However, unless I have a problem with the newer ones, I will buy them if I need this size clamp. If it breaks, they will replace it.

Halloween Pumpkins/Jack-o-Lanterns and Animal Cracker Alligators

Handmade Wood Toy Pumpkins/Jack-o-Lanterns and Animal Cracker Alligators Ready To Sand

A new batch of Halloween Jack-o-Lanterns ready for sanding. I needed more Jack-o-Lanterns for the shop. I make toy animals from any cutoffs that are large enough because I'm cheap and can't stand to dispose of wood that can be used for something. In this case, I had a piece of wood I could not use for anything because it was cupped so bad that by the time I flattened it, there would not be enough left to use for anything but kindling.  

If you cut a badly cupped piece of wood into narrow pieces, the cupping will usually be manageable and will sometimes go away completely. Animal cracker alligators are a perfect use for this piece of wood. I'm not quite up to my eyeballs in alligators yet, but there are a bunch of them.