UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Powered By Google Custom Search Vintage Radio and TV Service Data

Go Back   UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum > Specific Vintage Equipment > Vintage Television and Video

Notices

Vintage Television and Video Vintage television and video equipment, programmes, VCRs etc.

Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 15th Jan 2011, 2:28 am   #101
TubeType
Retired Dormant Member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Starlight, Indiana, US
Posts: 3
Default Re: Restorer's dream.

Greetings Col,

I'm looking at your plywood problem with an engineer's eye, but have you considered making your own plywood for this project?

Kind regards,
TubeType is offline  
Old 15th Jan 2011, 3:08 pm   #102
Retired
Heptode
 
Retired's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Fenay Bridge, Huddersfield. UK.
Posts: 673
Default Re: Restorer's dream.

Hi Terry,

Thanks for this suggestion and yes I have thought of making my own plywood; I mentioned this previously and to be considered as a last resort.

I have a 10” thicknesser and this would reduce timber to size for the plies then a simple press could be rigged up to hold the plies flat after glue up; for the sizes I need it would indeed be a viable option and an excellent project in its own right. Many woodworkers have made their own drum sanders to enable them to produce very accurate thickness veneers and I think I too would have to make such a sander as my thicknesser might be too brutal for this fine work even though it is equipped with power feed.

I got out of bed this morning determined to sort this plywood problem out once and for all so after breakfast I started phoning local timber suppliers; this would save many more hours of frustration by running around in the car. As a bonus our local calls are free over the weekend so I thought I may as well take advantage of this and start turning this problem more in my favour.

I rang Howarth Timber enquiring about both MDF and plywood but they only stocked the standard MDF and only sold board material in full 8x4 sheets; the guy tried his best to help.

I rang Arnold Laver’s and enquired if they stocked exterior grade MDF; yes they did but had non at 6mm and once again all their sheet material is only supplied in full sheets. The young lady was very pleasant to talk to.

I rang Yorkshire Timber Supplies headquarters in Halifax. This time I enquired if they supplied 4’x2’ size sheet material such as MDF or plywood; again only full sheets were available but I had asked if they sold exterior grade MDF, no they didn’t but supplied moisture resistant MDF which sounded promising so I took a deep breath and asked what a full sheet of this would cost? £8.60 plus VAT was the answer and this amazed me as a full sheet of this MDF was roughly the same price as a 4’x2’ sheet of rubbish plywood from Wickes or B&Q. They could not cut it for me as they don’t have machinery and £15 was quoted for delivery. I was however kindly offered the use of a hand saw to help me out. I double checked that the sheet was flat.

Accompanied by my friends lashing rain and high wind I drove over to Yorkshire Timber Halifax and received top class service from the staff. I was taken into the timber shed and handed over to a guy who showed me the MDF; at first I thought the sheets not flat enough for my use as they were quite wavy but as I picked one end up it was quite flexible and I believe once it is stored flat in my garage it will be OK so the second sheet down was pulled out of the stack and the guy helped me cut the sheet into eight 2’x2’ square pieces. It was incredibly easy to cut the MDF using the hand saw and I was only on site for about ten minutes.

I didn’t even ask here about plywood having decided to go the MDF route with this cabinet restoration. I’ve been surfing the web for information regarding the use of MDF as a substrate for veneering and it is used in vast quantities by the furniture industry in fact veneered MDF panels are available in a wide selection of veneers so I’ll let the DIY’ers have my share of the rubbish plywood and give MDF a chance.

Had the weather been better I would have persisted in my quest to obtain decent plywood but I don’t want this restoration to drag on forever; it’s vintage now and I didn’t want to see it become an antique before I obtained plywood.

Due to the high wind I daren’t pull the car out of the garage in case it suffers damage from flying debris; we live on a very exposed valley side and two years ago the wind ripped the entire roof from our neighbour’s double garage across the road. Compared to the current disasters in the world my problems are tiny.

Thank you all for your patience and hopefully I can over the next few days settle down to this cabinet project.

Kind regards, Col.
Retired is offline  
Old 15th Jan 2011, 3:25 pm   #103
AlanBeckett
Rest in Peace
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Burton upon Trent, East Staffordshire, UK.
Posts: 1,686
Default Re: Restorer's dream.

Col,
Now all you need is a couple of pieces of decent flat blockboard or chipboard, a couple of concrete slabs, a pile of bricks and some warm weather.
It should make a good Summer project
Alan
AlanBeckett is offline  
Old 15th Jan 2011, 5:24 pm   #104
Retired
Heptode
 
Retired's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Fenay Bridge, Huddersfield. UK.
Posts: 673
Default Re: Restorer's dream.

Hi Alan,

C'mon; decent flat block board is about as rare as the decent flat plywood I've been having nightmares about. The bricks and concrete slabs are easier to obtain as I can pop down any council estate and the vandals will be only too happy to oblige.

Like you Alan I enjoy a good joke; you know I live in Yorkshire and that summers are about as rare as the decent plywood; I must have been out last year when summer came and went because I missed it; again!!

I hope the weather is better tomorrow then I can cut the MDF to size and start marking out for the face veneers and plan how to apply them; this is going to be a steep learning curve but also fun.

Kind regards, Col
Retired is offline  
Old 16th Jan 2011, 8:55 pm   #105
Retired
Heptode
 
Retired's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Fenay Bridge, Huddersfield. UK.
Posts: 673
Default Re: Restorer's dream.

Hi,

I pulled the car out and was in the garage by 9 this morning full of enthusiasm. First job was to position the cabinet and draw around it marking the MDF. An offcut of Contiplas was fed into the bandsaw blade leaving the Contiplas in position to act as zero clearance throat plate to ensure clean cuts without breakout. The back and bottom edges were cut exactly to size but the front and top edges were left with an extra ¼” for later trimming to size.

The MDF was easy to cut and by 10 I had put the car away just in time before the rain started. It was too dark to work in the garage and the weather was making it feel gloomy so I moved everything I needed into the kitchen and switched on all seven spotlights. Wanting to apply an inlay panel and cross banding veneers the irregular shaped cabinet side panels threw up the first problem of how to obtain the correct spacing for the cross banding to follow the outline shape of the panels.

If the edges had been straight then it would have been a simple matter to cut strips of veneer using a straightedge and Stanley knife but various curves were present. I decided to make a paper template so took a length of wallpaper heavy duty lining paper into the garage with the intention of drawing around it as I had done on the MDF but cut this paper to exact size. The paper refused to lay flat and kept rolling up even though masking tape was being used to secure it; the masking tape kept releasing so in disgust the paper was binned. Not a good start.

Back in the bungalow I was looking around for inspiration and Bronwyn came to my aid with a piece of picture frame backing card; this looked ideal and proved to be so. I spent ages producing the template; finally I had a perfectly shaped template of the intended centre veneer inlay panel and now I could work from this. The straight pieces of veneer were easy enough to cut with the aid of a steel ruler and Stanley knife but then I realized the rounded corners presented a new problem and at first threw me as I stared at them; I needed to accurately transfer the shape onto the veneer but each corner whether straight or round needed to be mitred adding greatly to the problem.

It’s obvious now that I have the solution but it took a while to work out how to proceed; I placed a piece of veneer under the template in the correct position and cut it out using the knife; each time I cut the veneer I did so with multiple passes of the knife cutting a little deeper with each pass. To establish the correct angle for the mitre cut I placed a piece of white printer paper under the template and drew around the template; now the paper was cut out and carefully folded giving the mitre angle; the first piece of veneer was cut exactly to the mitre angle; the second piece of veneer completing the mitre was cut over long; the reason for this is that I’ve been caught out in the past whilst cutting veneer exactly to size; veneer expands once wet so armed with this knowledge I was determined not to get caught out again; when the mitre is glued up the piece that is extra long will be first to be laid then the piece with the accurate mitre will also be laid but allowed to overlap the lower longer piece and the top piece having the exact mitre cut will then give the datum for cutting the lower piece with the use of a steel rule aligned perfectly with the mitre; once the cut is made the lower waste can be removed and the mitre joint hammered home ensuring a perfect joint. Overlaying and cutting to obtain perfect joints is standard veneering practice with the hammer method but the curves added the extra complication

I worked steadily all day taking care at each stage to get everything right; all the cross banding strips were left over long as these will be jointed during glue up using the overlap method. Veneer is very brittle so great care is needed to prevent breakage whilst cutting hence the multiple passes with the knife.

By allowing extra length on the cross bandings I have given myself room to manoeuvre to compensate for the veneer expanding once it is wetted; I’ll worry about the stringing once I lay up the main panel and cross bandings. I’m pleased with progress so far but still have a long way to go; it is more difficult working in the kitchen as I can’t just reach out for a tool and I must have got wet half a dozen times just visiting the garage for items needed; each time on with the shoes and coat; it wrecks concentration and tests my patience to the limit.

I‘m only cutting sufficient veneer for one panel in case I have difficulty with the MDF or something else goes wrong as will have enough veneer left for a second chance. Apart from the lousy climate I’ve enjoyed today.

Kind regards, Col.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Marking out.jpg
Views:	303
Size:	89.3 KB
ID:	45280   Click image for larger version

Name:	Zero clearance throat plate.jpg
Views:	274
Size:	71.1 KB
ID:	45281   Click image for larger version

Name:	Clean cut.jpg
Views:	282
Size:	48.5 KB
ID:	45282   Click image for larger version

Name:	Cross banding.jpg
Views:	282
Size:	77.7 KB
ID:	45283  
Retired is offline  
Old 18th Jan 2011, 9:25 pm   #106
Retired
Heptode
 
Retired's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Fenay Bridge, Huddersfield. UK.
Posts: 673
Default Re: Restorer's dream.

Hi,

Over the last two days I’ve made excellent progress. Due to the miserable weather I decided to attempt this veneering in the kitchen where it is warm and I could see what I was doing.

Getting everything ready took a while; I used a small “gents saw” and raked this across the entire surfaces of the MDF to be veneered to provide a key for the hide glue brushing the dust away. The hide glue pot was put on the gas hob on a low heat setting. A bowl was filled with clean warm water; the electric iron was plugged in and switched on set at about three quarter’s heat; an old T shirt was cut to provide a rag for wetting and another for drying. All the tools were laid out to hand; a strip of wood was brought up from the garage to act as a straight edge. A place mat was placed on the sink drainer to stand the hot glue pot onto and with the glue suitably heated a new 1.5” brush was placed in the glue pot.

All the veneers had been cut roughly to size with the cross bandings cut more accurately as these needed to be a good fit around the curves. The plan was to lay the ordinary Sapele balancing veneer first because if this suffered any damage it would not be seen inside the cabinet and afforded me much needed practice.

The balancing veneer was to be made up of three pieces of Sapele; each piece was given a good soaking both sides using the rag with warm water; this veneer was then gone over both sides with the hot iron producing steam and a hissing noise; this removed some of the water from the veneer so once again the veneer was soaked using the rag as it was important not to let it dry out.

Ensuring I had the MDF panel the right way around for grain direction and that the “inner” surface was looking at me I went over the panel with the rag and water then applied a very generous coating of hide glue ensuring every part of the panel was covered; it didn’t matter that the glue started to set in fact as it did so I gave it another coat of glue to be on the safe side and located the first piece of veneer allowing a slight overhang for later trimming; quickly going over with the hot iron this re-melted the glue and dried the top surface of the veneer so once again the veneer was wetted and pressed firmly home using my new home made veneer hammer. Due to ironing the veneer flat this first piece went down without fuss and excess hide glue was wiped away with the rag then the other two pieces of veneer were added in similar manner; the rag was used to remove all excess glue then the dry rag was used and rubbed vigorously all over the newly applied veneer to dry the surface of excess water; gum paper tape was then applied to the two veneer joints; as this veneer was oversize the panel was placed flat with the veneers face down on a piece of thick chipboard and the veneers trimmed to size with a very sharp craft knife taking extreme care not to break out on corners. This completed the back side of the panel.

Once again I used the wet rag and warm water to soak the beautiful Sapele Pommele veneer that was to be the large inlay panel that would be on show to the side of the cabinet it being the face side of the panel. This veneer curled and buckled badly once the water was applied but after a couple of hot iron treatments ensuring it was kept soaking wet it finally gave in and behaved laying dead flat on the work surface; this inlay panel was to be made up of two pieces of veneer and the veneer would need jointing as the lay up commenced it having uneven edges unlike the backing veneers that had perfectly straight edges. I had drawn the outline of the inlay panel on the MDF so the MDF was given a wetting followed by a generous coating of hide glue and the first piece was positioned but this time I had to take a great deal of care as these two pieces of veneer were to be laid as a book matched pair so to get one the wrong way around or the wrong surface showing would have been very upsetting; the first piece was hammered down after heating with the hot iron and wetting again and excess glue removed followed by laying the second piece which was allowed to overlap the first piece at the joint area; the second piece was hammered down then the wooden straightedge and sharp craft knife was used to cut right through both pieces of veneer at the joint; the top waste was easy to remove and the trapped piece of veneer was released by gently lifting the veneer allowing it to be removed; for good measure I ran the glue brush down whilst the edge of the veneer was lifted then using the hammer completed the joint closing it tightly ensuring it had closed along it’s length. Excess glue was removed using the wet rag then the dry rag was used to remove the surface water.

Now I could trim the inlay panel by accurately placing the card template and running around it with the craft knife again taking a lot of care to keep the knife right up to the template and ensuring no break out at the corners by cutting inwards away from the corner. Waste veneer was removed leaving the inlay panel looking splendid and me with a sigh of relief.

The cross bandings were then added in like manner and joints cut where the veneers overlapped; this was a slow job but not a problem as the iron could be used at anytime to re-melt the hide glue.

I’ve now got one panel completely veneered both sides and one panel completed on the back side and inlay panel added but requiring cross banding; both panels will then require stringing once the panels have dried out. By adding the back balancing veneer I hope the panels will remain flat. As my friend Alan Beckett mentioned in post #103 placing the newly veneered MDF panels between two boards and adding weights would be a wise precaution; not to press the veneers down as this has already been accomplished using the hammer but to prevent the panels warping as they dry so both panels are now sandwiched between boards the top board being thick chipboard and I’ve not added any weights as I feel the weight of the chipboard sufficient; I’ll know for certain tomorrow when I inspect them.

I’ve done veneering before but not on this scale and I was on a very steep learning curve making it up as I went along; giving the veneers a good soaking and hot ironing made life a whole lot easier; I will never forget my first attempt at veneering trying to merely apply hot hide glue to one side only and watch in total despair as the veneer curled up then having a tremendous fight in order to lay it; by wetting and ironing it took the fight out of the veneer allowing it to be laid quite easily. I mixed the glue rather too thinly by adding too much water so for future reference once the glue has been allowed to soak in water just covering it for an hour I’ll not add more water; just a small point but an important one. I think I also brought the glue up to melting point too quickly making it runny; again another lesson learned. I was unsure how to mitre the rounded corners so used the folding paper trick previously mentioned and this saved a lot of wasted frustration as the overlong half of the mitre was laid first with the accurate half of the mitre laid on top acting as a cutting guide; this worked extremely well and I’ve not seen it attempted before; normally mitres are easy to cut by aligning the straightedge with both corners but when there is only one sharp corner and an outside curve it becomes a whole lot more difficult. My home made veneering hammer worked perfectly and at 3” wide proved a good width.

I still have a long way to go yet and need to find a way of adding the inlay stringing as curves are involved and I also need to cut a perfectly accurate groove to accept the stringing. As each problem crops up I keep finding solutions; this job has been long winded but then I’m attempting lots of new things and need to go slowly.

Working in the kitchen whilst pleasant has drawbacks; breaking off to make a pot of tea or having to move everything out of the way in order to let Bronwyn make the dinner really shatters concentration; tools in the garage are needed as are tools from the workshop giving constant interruptions but by the time I’ve completed this cabinet I will be better equipped should I be mad enough to tackle another cabinet like this one. I can’t wait until tomorrow to see how the panels have turned out I hope I’m in for a nice surprise if not I’ll be back at the beginning once again. It will be interesting to see the panels with the stringing added; it's taking a lot of time but I'm having fun.

Kind regards, Col.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Laying balance veneer.jpg
Views:	246
Size:	75.9 KB
ID:	45346   Click image for larger version

Name:	Balance veneer laid.jpg
Views:	260
Size:	100.0 KB
ID:	45347   Click image for larger version

Name:	Badly curled veneer.jpg
Views:	249
Size:	108.1 KB
ID:	45348   Click image for larger version

Name:	After ironing.jpg
Views:	247
Size:	104.7 KB
ID:	45349   Click image for larger version

Name:	Getting there.jpg
Views:	256
Size:	86.9 KB
ID:	45350  

Retired is offline  
Old 19th Jan 2011, 2:20 am   #107
dominicbeesley
Octode
 
dominicbeesley's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 1,885
Default Re: Restorer's dream.

Inspiring stuff Col, that looks really good and will look brilliant when it has been French polished...

One dumb question though...what is stringing?

Dom
dominicbeesley is offline  
Old 19th Jan 2011, 10:53 am   #108
Aerodyne
Octode
 
Aerodyne's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Hampton Vale, Peterborough, UK.
Posts: 1,698
Default Re: Restorer's dream.

Its all looking good, Col. That veneer is beautifully grained and a superb colour.
-Tony
Aerodyne is offline  
Old 19th Jan 2011, 11:01 am   #109
Andrewausfa
Octode
 
Andrewausfa's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: St Ives, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Posts: 1,180
Default Re: Restorer's dream.

That veneer is lovely Col! Fascinating seeing all your work coming together. Do you have a stringing plane or do you use a router?

Dom, 'stringing' is inlaying narrow strips of wood (like 2-3mm) used for decoration. I'm assuming Col will place it between the large central panel and the outer panels (the crossbanding).

Andrew
Andrewausfa is offline  
Old 19th Jan 2011, 8:32 pm   #110
Retired
Heptode
 
Retired's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Fenay Bridge, Huddersfield. UK.
Posts: 673
Default Re: Restorer's dream.

Hi,

Many thanks Dom and Tony; yes the Sapele Pommele is beautiful veneer and I was totally unaware of its existence until I started searching for burr walnut.

I’m pleased you find this project interesting Andrew and your assumption is correct about the stringing being inlaid between the main inlay panel and cross banding. I don’t have a string cutting plane and have never yet cut any stringing so this will be something else for me to learn as the project progresses.

Stringing comes in many styles from the single line of boxwood or holly to very fancy built up intricate patterns. An excellent video of basic stringing can be seen here;

http://woodtreks.com/making-and-appl...odworking/477/

I have a confession to make regarding my first attempt at veneering these MDF panels as I made a silly mistake; I added the balancing veneer to the back of the panel first and all went perfectly so I then turned the panel over and laid the large center inlay panel of Sapele Pommele and this too went very well. The mistake occurred whilst trimming this center inlay panel to size with the use of the card template and craft knife.

I cut the panel in the wrong place having taken the measurement from the top edge when in fact I should have taken it from the bottom edge; the top edge has the extra added for later trimming whereas the bottom edge was cut perfectly to finished size. The panel was cut to accurate size but in the wrong position so rather than panic I placed this panel out of the way whilst I thought about how to correct the mistake and carried on with the second piece of MDF which couldn’t have gone better with no mistakes. The difference can be seen in the picture as I drew the shape of the inlay panel onto the MDF in pencil.

I was awake a long time in bed last night thinking about the mistake then the solution suddenly hit me and was so glaringly obvious in it’s simplicity; just move the inlay panel to the correct position after all I had used hide glue so this should not be a problem at all just involving a bit more time to accomplish. Today I’ve successfully removed the inlay panel veneers and re-laid them in their correct position and whilst at it added the cross banding leaving only (?) the stringing to add to each panel.

I was amazed by the tenacity of the hide glue as I removed the inlay panel today; I thought it was going to take a jack hammer to break it free and had to keep soaking the veneer with water and applying the hot iron until the hide glue finally softened releasing the veneer without damage. I applied fresh glue and re-laid the veneers without trouble. Unfortunately due to all this work the MDF decided to dish causing me some concern so I soaked both sides of the panel then removed excess water before placing the panel between boards and sitting a radio on top to add a bit of weight in the hope that the panel will settle becoming flat overnight.

If the panel remains dished then it isn’t a problem for me to start over and make a brand new panel of MDF and simply transfer the veneers; by gluing up all the veneers at one session this balances out the drying stresses as the second panel has dried dead flat so I know it works.

Hammer veneering is totally different from veneering using a press or vacuum bag; in the latter two the veneers are all set out as one complete sheet and pressed under great pressure using modern adhesives whereas hammer veneering is done by adding one piece of veneer at a time thereby building up the complete panel rather slowly. This throws up many problems because as in the case of my simple mistake it is all too easy to mix the separate pieces of veneer up; these two panels I’ve just veneered were trouble just waiting to happen; the backing veneers were easy enough as all the edges were accurately cut at the factory so it was a case of just laying them.

The front veneers though were a right pain to get right; the two pieces of Sapele Pommele had uneven edges so would require cutting for jointing and I elected to do this during the lay up; even this is easy enough but there was no way of marking the two veneers as they were to be soaked with water both sides then hot ironed flat; pencil or pen marks would be asking for trouble and masking tape labels would prevent correct wetting and ironing so with just these two pieces of veneer a number of options were possible in the way they could be laid; the grain pattern could be totally miss-matched and as I wanted to book match them one would have to laid face down with the other face up. As veneer expands when wet although I had drawn the outline of the inlay panel on the MDF this drawing would be buried losing the reference again as in my mistake. Add to this the many pieces of cross banding all previously cut to shape then the problem can and did get out of hand so for any future such veneering jobs I will devise a fool proof way of aligning all the veneers even if it means drawing all the shapes in their correct position onto lining paper and taking more care to ensure edges of the MDF used for reference are indeed the correct edges; I thought I’d cracked this because I had cut out a small piece of card at the correct size to enable accurate cutting in the correct position of the central inlay panel this card was to be a quick measurement checker replacing the ruler; pity I messed up though.

I am highly delighted as I’ve learned a great deal about veneering over the last few days and even if I end up making a new panel I won’t consider it an hardship because in reality I almost got everything right the first attempt; I could have attended a veneering course assuming such a course was available but doing it this way is very entertaining and apart from my time costs very little indeed. I’m also very impressed by the MDF of which I had serious doubts at first but witnessing how the hide glue attached the veneer I’m a convert so all the rubbish plywood can be left alone in future; I would however like to try veneering exterior grade MDF just for the fun of it.

Kind regards, Col.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	What a mistake to make.jpg
Views:	193
Size:	102.6 KB
ID:	45374  
Retired is offline  
Old 20th Jan 2011, 10:22 am   #111
Aerodyne
Octode
 
Aerodyne's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Hampton Vale, Peterborough, UK.
Posts: 1,698
Default Re: Restorer's dream.

Over the years I've worked many times with MDF, Col. I find it very useful for precision work because of its natural stability and freedom from grain break-out problems. It is easy to work on a router or table saw but its two drawbacks are its density, as noticed by its weight when compared with similar ply, and the fact that it creates quantities of fine and unpleasant dust, necessitating a safety mask in use.
For your present purpose it would seem ideal.
Good topic, this!
-Tony
Aerodyne is offline  
Old 20th Jan 2011, 11:28 am   #112
David G4EBT
Dekatron
 
David G4EBT's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Cottingham, East Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 5,737
Default Re: Restorer's dream.

There's 'MDF' and 'MDF', in that it comes in different grades.

Medium Density Fibre board is made from wood (obviously!) broken down into fibres, then mixed with resins and wax and compressed at a high temperature and pressure. Construction grade MDF (as generally sold by DIY stores and timber merchants) is, as often as not, made from softwood fibres, furniture grade MDF is generally made from hardwood, (expensive!) and is much more dense.

If you can scratch fibres off the edge of MDF with your thumbnail and the fibres are fluffy, it's most likely made from softwood, even though the surface may be smooth and seem hard. If you can't, then it's most likey to have at least some hardwood content.

The edge of furniture grade MDF can be routed to put a moulding on, but construction grade MDF will tend to be 'fluffy'. It it's being veneered, as in the application that Colin is using it for, I doubt that it matters anyway.

Fantastic progress Colin - the sapelle pommele looks supurb.

Thanks for the link to the excellent stringing video. What a lovely wood holly is.

David
David G4EBT is online now  
Old 20th Jan 2011, 3:14 pm   #113
Andrewausfa
Octode
 
Andrewausfa's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: St Ives, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Posts: 1,180
Default Re: Restorer's dream.

Col,

I've not done any stringing either but I can only imagine, that first time you go to plane a thin groove accurately on some carefully laid veneer, one must be in a perfect state of relaxation! I've got a Stanley plough plane (No.50 rings a bell) though it's not seen the light of day for years.

Good luck with your progress

Andrew
Andrewausfa is offline  
Old 20th Jan 2011, 3:53 pm   #114
Retired
Heptode
 
Retired's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Fenay Bridge, Huddersfield. UK.
Posts: 673
Default Re: Restorer's dream.

Hi,

Thanks Tony for the reminder of the health hazard regarding MDF dust. I totally agree a good dust mask should be used especially on machines throwing out fine particles of dust.

I admit that in this instance I cut the MDF without wearing my dust mask; it was cold in the garage and I didn’t want to mist up my glasses for obvious other safety reasons as I was using machinery. I cut both panels out using my industrial Startrite bandsaw which is fully enclosed apart from a small section of blade and the bulk of the dust produced during cutting was deposited upon the garage floor in a neat little pile being discharged by gravity through a chute so in this case I was working safely but would never recommend cutting MDF in a situation where airborne dust is freely created. MDF dust is also highly explosive if allowed to build up into a cloud and a static discharge could trigger it given the right circumstances.

Thanks David for your explanation of the different grades of MDF; the grade I bought was very cheap but sold as moisture resistant and for this application appears to be suitable. Deep router grade MDF is as you say used for furniture and is used in vast quantities by manufacturers of items such as doors both full size and cabinet. Router grade MDF machines to a crisp sharp edge and industry uses large CNC routers to produce many profiles not only on the panel edges but for items like fielded and raised panels.

I made 20 radio backs as an experiment a few years ago using 3mm MDF; each back required around 700 holes drilling and the MDF rapidly killed the drill bits. Tungsten Carbide cutters cope well. A number of grades of MDF can be seen here;

http://www.kronospan.co.uk/products/mdf/index.html

I agree Holly is a wonderful wood; it is very slow growing and dense; it is only available in small section as the trees don’t grow large and they are very slow growing. Both Holly and Box are highly regarded for stringing and inlaying purposes. The further north holly is grown the whiter the wood will remain. Holly is very sensitive to iron contact and iron dust from tool steel will leave black finger marks on the wood but an old trick for removing such marking is to rub the mark with a lemon; the lemon reacts with the natural tannin in the wood and this will leave a perfectly clean white surface.

I’m pleased you liked the stringing video David as it is one of the best I’ve seen and a very good introduction into the subject. I’ll be surfing for more such videos before deciding which method to use to string my two panels; one thing I’m looking for though is to try to do the stringing on a very low budget.

Whilst working on these two panels I’ve concentrated so much on the job that I hadn’t realized what effect it was having on me; last night I felt very uncomfortable in bed due to an aching neck and shoulders; this was due to bending over for hours on end whilst veneering; nothing serious as I now feel a lot easier but worth mentioning.

I’m delighted with the progress in these panels so far as I can now say I’ve successfully veneered them and by leaving sandwiched between boards overnight both are very flat this morning which is a huge relief for me; especially taking into account having to re-veneer the face of one of them. The pictures show both panels as veneered with bits of lining paper attached through being sandwiched during the night; adding such paper is a must or the veneer would have been damaged. It’s much too cold to do any work today so I’ll have a few days off whilst I do some research into how to add stringing. I’m not in a hurry and just being able to make these two side panels is a major step forward as I’ve never seen such work carried out before; the real test will come when I try to fit these to the cabinet.

The backing veneer used is quarter cut Sapele that I’ve had to hand for over 30 years just in case it came in handy one day. Originally I wanted to experiment with Burr Walnut but found this highly expensive; whilst surfing the web I came across this Sapele Pommele at a decent price so decided to try it. I learnt a lesson from this in that it pays to shop around with an open mind. I have two pieces of Sapele Pommele left over and considered using this to cover the top of the cabinet but think restraint would be better and have now decided to use Quartered Sapele for the entire top; it’s possible to overdo a good thing.

I need to make a decision about colouring at this stage; the Sapele Pommele will be left as it is but the Quartered Sapele used for cross banding and the cabinet top is rather too garish for my taste so I’m thinking of using Jacobean Dark Oak spirit stain to give it the dark brown associated with radio cabinets and this will contrast well with the Sapele Pommele. I’m also undecided about the stringing colour and think the brilliant white of Box or Holly might stand out too much so I could use a darker veneer to make the strings of or stain them. This is an important stage because it will affect the entire appearance of the finished cabinet.

Staining was a process I gave a great deal of thought to up front because to surge ahead and complete the veneering together with applying the stringing then decide to sort out the staining would be asking for a great deal of grief. Once the groove is cut for the stringing this will be the ideal opportunity to stain the cross banding the groove providing a gap between the main inlaid panel and cross banding; a great deal of care will be needed not to contaminate the Sapele Pommele with smudges or splashes of stain.

I’m trying to add as much information as possible because even small details rapidly grow out of hand if not considered early enough during the restoration.


I too have a Stanley plough plane Andrew; mine comes with three blades and I’ve never used it since buying it over twenty years ago. I have however used stringing previously but over thirty years ago and it was bought Boxwood stringing 1/8” wide; it was used for stringing straight lines making the job quite easy unlike trying to follow the curves of these panels and you are dead right about attacking veneered panels such as these to add stringing as there is a very high risk of destroying the lot with a single slip; I don’t know about being totally relaxed whilst attempting the stringing I think I’ll be more in a state of panic but all I can do is exercise patience and do my best. I haven’t even considered my options yet in ploughing out the stringing grooves but this will be the next stage; I bet once I reach the critical part and am fully committed I’ll have to break off to tell someone that our double glazing is fine or that I don’t wish to become a Jehovah Witness; these are sure fire ways of destroying my concentration and the number of times such things happen to me is unbelievable.

I too think this to be a good topic Tony and I’m pleased to be caught up in the middle of it. The thrill of attempting such a restoration as this cannot be bought with money and even my modest attempts at veneering have given me immense satisfaction.

Thanks for your kind wishes Andrew.

Kind regards, Col.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Replacement cabinet sides rear..jpg
Views:	235
Size:	87.3 KB
ID:	45407   Click image for larger version

Name:	Replacement cabinet sides front.jpg
Views:	228
Size:	104.7 KB
ID:	45408  
Retired is offline  
Old 23rd Jan 2011, 4:56 pm   #115
Retired
Heptode
 
Retired's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Fenay Bridge, Huddersfield. UK.
Posts: 673
Default Re: Restorer's dream.

Hi,

I’ve enjoyed both success and failure over the last two days. I surfed the Internet for Holly timber but had little luck so I tried for stringing and found a wonderful site in Kent with stringing at a reasonable price so decided to buy some until I realised there was a £25 minimum order imposed.

I have some light coloured veneer but was worried about using this as it is the standard veneer thickness of 0.7mm and if I cut the grooves a bit too deep it would sink below the surface of the other facing veneers also would it bend easily around a tight curve holding its width so went to bed with this problem on my mind only to wake in the middle of the night until I found a solution.

I need stringing that will stand proud allowing it to be scraped flush with the other veneers and as I had been watching videos of veneer band making my thoughts turned to the method used to make such bands. I could use this light coloured veneer and make a three veneer sandwich or lamination using a darker veneer for the core. This idea appealed to me so the next problem to resolve was how to go about it. I decided to have a go at making a pair of formers as the curves would be the hard part and if I could pre form the curves it would be a great advantage?

The following day I was once again feeling frozen as I worked in the garage. I selected a piece of ¾” thick common softwood and using a pencil drew around the card template adding the accurate curves onto the wood. The big bandsaw was used to rough cut the templates out followed by very accurate cutting using the Hegner variable speed scroll saw cutting exactly on the pencil line. Sharp edges were removed and now I had the two formers and could leave the cold garage.

I selected the veneers and gathered everything needed and started work in the kitchen. I cut out ¾” wide strips of veneer and used Sapele Pommele for the inner core as it contrasted well. Exterior quality woodworking adhesive was used and this was the fast setting type setting in ten minutes; I was undecided about using hide glue in case it softened whilst laying the strings. Brown plastic parcel tape was added to the former where the veneers would seat to prevent sticking. A bowl was filled with hot water and the veneers soaked to make them pliable after first cutting to length. Gluing and clamping proved to be easy and went without problem then after removing excess glue the assemblies were allowed to dry over night.

This morning I couldn’t wait to remove the clamps as I wanted to see how the laminations were. I was very impressed and now had two pre-formed curved laminations to exact size only requiring slicing into thin strips.

After another freezing session in the garage I was disappointed to find the laminations came apart at the glue line as they were cut; it is highly possible that the adhesive used did not like being diluted due to soaking the veneers in water which isn’t a problem with hide glue.
This is only a small set back and certainly not failure as I’m very happy to know I can indeed use this method to produce accurately shaped veneer strings.

I’ve just knocked of again after deciding to give this waterproof adhesive a second chance by not wetting the veneer strips with water. At each joint plenty of adhesive was brushed onto both surfaces ensuring total coverage before clamping. Excess adhesive was wiped away with a damp cloth. This time I substituted the Pommel with quartered Sapele but added the centre core at right angles to the outer two veneers in plywood fashion. In one former a single core was added but in the other a double central core was added as I wished to experiment a bit.

I could have gone the plain stringing route but I want to learn more and try out new ideas; hopefully by laminating the strings this will add visual interest if I can pull it off. To slice the new strings I tried using a gents saw with no set on the teeth but as the saw was not sharp the result left a lot to be desired so then I tried using a Stanley knife and this was more promising apart from the veneers de-laminating.

By adopting this method of producing stringing I have total control over style; width and depth; only my imagination limits the styles and patterns available; I can slice the string to any thickness so cutting the grooves a bit too deep is no longer a problem.

If the adhesive fails again I’ll revert back to using hide glue but doubt I’ll need to having learned a few lessons.

I’m fed up with this weather as I want to tinker around in the garage; I have a slitting saw blade as used in milling machines and lathes and would like to set this to run on the end of a small motor shaft similar to a circular saw as I could make the arbour in the lathe for mounting purposes; this would then give me a dedicated veneer cutting saw once equipped with accurate fences. I love doing this kind of work but not whilst feeling frozen.

Once I succeed with the curved strings it will be very easy to make the long straight strings and slice them to thickness. I don’t care how long this project takes as I’m learning new techniques all the time. I hope the pictures explain more fully and show how any width of string can be made to be sliced later to size.

Kind regards, Col.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Laminating former 1.jpg
Views:	184
Size:	71.6 KB
ID:	45562   Click image for larger version

Name:	Contrasting Veneers.jpg
Views:	189
Size:	97.2 KB
ID:	45563   Click image for larger version

Name:	Glue up.jpg
Views:	173
Size:	85.5 KB
ID:	45564   Click image for larger version

Name:	Laminated stringing.jpg
Views:	187
Size:	76.5 KB
ID:	45566  
Retired is offline  
Old 26th Jan 2011, 1:31 pm   #116
Retired
Heptode
 
Retired's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Fenay Bridge, Huddersfield. UK.
Posts: 673
Default Re: Restorer's dream.

Hi,

I'm delighted to report that the stringing is coming along fine; I didn't pre-wet the veneers but simply applied a generous coat of waterproof woodworking adhesive to both sides of each joint then forcing the veneer sandwich into the former clamping it tightly closed allowing the adhesive to dry overnight.

This time the glue held as I sliced the sandwich using the large bandsaw which really is overkill and I was extremely careful not to slice a finger; working so near a moving blade doesn't appeal to me so I'll find a better method of cutting in future.

Last night I laid up a 2"x18" sandwich of four veneers applying plenty of waterproof woodworking adhesive before clamping securely between two lengths of 1/2" thick plywood and allowing to dry overnight.

What a delight it was to find I had made what looks like a 2" wide strip of plywood that is perfectly flat and measuring only 0.090" thick (ninety thou). By not pre-wetting the veneers the adhesive went on neat being undiluted adding to the overall strength; also by adding the two inner core veneers at right angles to the outer veneers this I believe helped greatly by allowing moisture to escape along the short end grain. The two inner cores were aligned back to back with the grain running in the same direction giving short end grain; the two outer veneer strips were aligned with the grain to run lengthways. The inner veneers tended to curl once the adhesive was applied so care was needed to ensure abutting joints din't have gaps or overlap and that plenty of adhesive covered every part of the joints.

It's interesting watching this strip sitting on the computer table as I type; it is still damp and as it is warm sitting here the top surface is drying quickly making the strip bow end to end but if I then turn the strip over it bows the other way; by repeating this turning over I should end up with a perfectly flat strip that is stable and hopefully I will be able to cut the strip into stringing.

I find making this stringing to be fascinating; once the basic technique is grasped then there is no limit to the patterns of stringing or properly called banding by using this method that can be achieved.

Bit by bit I’m making good progress.

Kind regards, Col.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Laminated strings.jpg
Views:	183
Size:	87.2 KB
ID:	45647   Click image for larger version

Name:	Stringing close up.jpg
Views:	172
Size:	64.1 KB
ID:	45648   Click image for larger version

Name:	Laminations clamped.jpg
Views:	209
Size:	79.9 KB
ID:	45649  
Retired is offline  
Old 27th Jan 2011, 4:20 pm   #117
Retired
Heptode
 
Retired's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Fenay Bridge, Huddersfield. UK.
Posts: 673
Default Re: Restorer's dream.

Hi,

After spending all day yesterday and this morning in the garage I finally completed my new string cutting jig and gauge. The idea is not my own but one I saw on You Tube and thought it to be a good one to try out.

I tried cutting the strings using my Hegner scroll saw but it was useless as I couldn’t control the cut due to it wandering so dumped the idea.

I made the jig out of hardwood; plywood and a strip of Tufnol as can be seen in the pictures; a block of wood was secured to its base to allow vice mounting. The channel width is adjustable to provide accurate tracking of the cutting gauge. The intention was to utilize my wooden mortise gauge; the pin was punched out of the end brass strip and the strip drilled to 2.5mm to accept a stainless steel cutter but the new cutter was a sliding fit and it would have taken more time and effort to think of a decent way of securing the cutter whilst allowing full adjustment so rather than play around I decided to make a brand new metal gauge.

The new cutting gauge was easily made on the engineering lathe although it could just as easily have been made out of wood on the woodturning lathe. The main bar is ¾” dia bright mild steel and the block is turned of aluminium; the block was chucked; faced both sides and drilled with a pilot drill; opened up to 43/64” then a ¾” reamer run through. The block was then drilled and tapped to accept a 6mm set screw and mounted onto the 3/4” bar which was chucked and set to run true then the outer diameter of the block was reduced to desired size. The bar was also drilled and tapped at its end axially at 6mm then drilled 2.5mm at right angles to accept the cutter.

The new cutter was ground to a very fine chisel edge before being cut to length then it was installed and adjusted to cut just over half thickness of the veneer sandwich. The channel was rubbed with wax and polished to provide lubrication taking care not to get any wax where the strings were to be cut.

The jig was mounted in the engineering vice and what a joy it was to finally produce the first accurately cut string. The picture shows the first string as cut but separated slightly to give a better view of its accuracy.

This 2” wide sandwich yielded 13 strings which is ample for this cabinet and allows extra for experimentation as next job is to embed a short length of string into an offcut of plywood and once the glue dries see how it copes with a cabinet scraper.

With the outside temperature above freezing at 2 degrees the fan heater made the garage quite comfortable for a change and it was an absolute delight to be able to tinker around once again playing with my toys.

The stainless steel cutter did the job but deformed twice requiring re-sharpening; now the method has been proven a success I’ll buy a couple of lengths of tool steel to make a proper cutter out of. Long term assuming warm weather ever comes I hope to make a stringing cutter using a scrap small electric motor fitted with a fine blade just for the fun of it. One thing is certain and that is I’m becoming increasingly interested in all aspects of veneering. I’ve also gone as far as to contact a local tree surgeon who after my enquiry informs me that he is to take down some holly trees in the next few weeks and will cut me a number of 36” long logs; I intend to slab the logs on the bandsaw then sticker them to air dry; by doing this in two years I will have a stock of holly enabling me to cut strings to my own dimensions; over the top perhaps but what fun I’m having.

Kind regards, Col.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	New cutting gauge.jpg
Views:	187
Size:	71.4 KB
ID:	45727   Click image for larger version

Name:	My first string..jpg
Views:	191
Size:	84.0 KB
ID:	45728   Click image for larger version

Name:	Cutting close up.jpg
Views:	178
Size:	77.1 KB
ID:	45729   Click image for larger version

Name:	Strings accurately cut.jpg
Views:	185
Size:	99.7 KB
ID:	45730  
Retired is offline  
Old 31st Jan 2011, 8:54 pm   #118
Retired
Heptode
 
Retired's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Fenay Bridge, Huddersfield. UK.
Posts: 673
Default Re: Restorer's dream.

Hi,

It’s been too cold to do much playing out but I’ve managed to make a hand router for cutting the string grooves. This router is based on a simple scratch stock and the idea is ancient.

It only took an hour to make this router but then I became too cold to carry on. I made the cutters out of an old hacksaw blade checking as grinding progressed against my digital calliper; this was only an experiment to test if it would work. I tried it out on an offcut of plywood by firstly cutting two deep lines using a craft knife the string width apart and trying to run the router between the lines to remove the waste material; this was done on cross grain as there is a lot of cross grain on the new panels.

First impression was that it had been a waste of time making this router as it merely tried to roll the waste material away due to the steep cutter angle approach but once it neared the set depth it suddenly cleaned out the bottom of the grove quite nicely leaving a constant depth. The main drawback was the time it took to do only a short length of groove with the high risk of slipping causing tear out so more thinking was needed as I want to cut the grooves with little effort.

I’ve spent hours surfing the web for router cutter bits; my electric router is fitted with a ¼” collet but the nearest sized cutter I could find was 3/32” but the string is 0.085” wide this being some 0.009” (9 thou) thinner than the cutter and I believe this would give a poor fit so once again I started to look for a solution.

I need a router cutter at 0.085” dia so I’ll make my own. I visited Blackgates Engineering this afternoon buying two 13” lengths of ¼” dia and one 13” length of 3/32”dia silver steel. This is tool steel having a high carbon content allowing it to be hardened and tempered. One end of the bit at ¼” dia is already taken care of as silver steel is ground to fine tolerances and it will fit into the router collet perfectly. The cutting end will be reduced to size in my engineering lathe then cutting edges filed before hardening and tempering. The new cutter will then be tried out on an offcut of plywood or MDF and if successful can be fine tuned before being used proper on the new cabinet panels.

A new 3/32” router cutter to buy costs over £10 plus postage; I bought two lengths of ¼”dia and one length of 3/32”dia silver steel for a total £4. It is worth the £4 just for the interest I’m gaining from this experiment and fingers crossed if it works the new cutters will work out at under 25p each and can be made to measure.

After my initial practice with my hand made router I glued a short length of string into the groove using quick setting woodworking adhesive allowing a day for it to dry not expecting a great result but I’ve just given the string a scraping in the kitchen and to my delight it is perfect; it has scraped down flush with no tear out and there are no gaps whatsoever; this is a wonderful confidence booster and as I’m interested to see roughly how it will look once French polished I‘ve given it a wipe with linseed oil; I must be sad when such little success gives me so much pleasure. The oil is still wet in the picture.

The weather forecast for tomorrow sounds a bit better so with luck I can spend time in the garage tinkering around.

Kind regards, Col.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Home made groove router.jpg
Views:	174
Size:	53.3 KB
ID:	45959   Click image for larger version

Name:	String scraped flush with linseed oil added..jpg
Views:	193
Size:	81.8 KB
ID:	45960  
Retired is offline  
Old 1st Feb 2011, 11:09 am   #119
Aerodyne
Octode
 
Aerodyne's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Hampton Vale, Peterborough, UK.
Posts: 1,698
Default Re: Restorer's dream.

If the rest of the stringing turns out as well as this example, Col, the job is well and truly sorted. Great result.
-Tony
Aerodyne is offline  
Old 2nd Feb 2011, 12:19 pm   #120
Retired
Heptode
 
Retired's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Fenay Bridge, Huddersfield. UK.
Posts: 673
Default Re: Restorer's dream.

Hi,

Thanks Tony; I’m making steady progress with the stringing.

I had a short session in the garage yesterday experimenting at making a router cutter. I had never seen this attempted before as there is a vast selection of router cutters readily available quite cheaply especially if bought from China.

The nearest sized cutter to fit my strings would cut a groove approximately 0.008” too wide so I wanted to experiment using ¼” dia silver steel to see if I could actually make a bespoke cutter and the process proved very interesting.

First job was to cut a length of silver steel at 1.75” long then chuck it in the Myford lathe. Normally the accuracy of a lathe is taken for granted but after many years abuse by previous owners my Myford MF36 is basically a lot of scrap. As I rotated the silver steel blank bringing up the tool bit to just kiss it there was some 0.005” run out; this was caused by one of the three chuck jaws pulling away from the face of the chuck as the chuck was tightened; with patience I finally got the blank to run true. There is evidence of some previous owner having actually striking this chuck very hard with a hammer. In engineering terms 0.008” is a large size.

Using a tungsten carbide tool bit the blank was reduced to 0.85” dia x 3/16” long at the end. The blank was then turned and the other end faced. Now I had a basic blank just requiring the cutting edges adding. The blank was then nipped between two strips of wood for protection in the engineering vice and using a small three square (triangular) file the newly turned 0.85” dia was reduced to less than half this diameter but as an experiment I added a slight taper towards the end in the hope of giving a shearing cut. The blank was then re-positioned in the vice and a chisel end added again giving an angled edge to enable the front edge to penetrate without the back edge rubbing as the cutter revolved.

As there are only two panels requiring strings I didn’t bother to harden and temper the cutter but decided to try it to see if it would cut? The new cutter performed very well indeed when tested on both offcuts of MDF and hardwood; the hardwood machined to a crisp profile but the MDF as expected had slightly fuzzy edges but this is normal and a wipe with abrasive paper would soon tidy it up. The string fits perfectly it being a nice friction fit. Another small but very significant success for me.

The picture shows a free hand groove in MDF and a pair of guided grooves in hardwood; the inner groove in the hardwood hasn’t bottomed out suggesting I need to practice because the router has been allowed to lift slightly during the cut; better to find out on a test piece than on the job proper.

The new router cutter took less than an hour to make and test and at under 25p for the bit of silver steel it was extremely cheap. This experiment has given me a great deal of new knowledge and opened up a whole new world for me to play around in; for short runs I now know that I can produce any size router cutter I need and don’t have to juggle around with problems of trying to make the width of my strings/banding to suit ready bought cutters. This might sound like a small achievement but it is a big step for me.

I’m not a huge fan of electric routers as I don’t like the high speed whine and the way they throw dust and chips all over me; I accept a router is a wonderful machine and highly versatile but I’m interested in taking things much slower and like try out old techniques that were used even before electricity was discovered. I could easily use the router and new cutter to run the grooves on the two panels but I think I would like to experiment a bit more first because now I have the router as a last resort.

I’m interested in making my own version of a plough plane dedicated to this width of stringing; yes it will slow me down by doing this but I was never in this project to restore this cabinet as fast as I could; I regard this project more of a learning curve for me to try out my ideas and learn old techniques on; this to me is the fun and enjoyment; once this cabinet is completed it will only sit looking pretty needing the occasional dusting; I want to extract as much knowledge and information from this project as possible; the weather is becoming milder so hopefully I will be able to spend longer each day in the garage.

I’ve been surfing the web for information about old wooden planes and even watched a number of excellent videos showing such planes in action; there is so much I don’t know but what joy it gives me whilst learning.

Our friend Harold Scott paid us a most welcome visit about a week ago and Harold very kindly brought me quite a selection of valves; some to fit this TV plus others and this was most generous of him; I thought it was Christmas once again; the post man has just dropped a package through our letterbox and once again it is Harold playing Santa as this time he has very kindly sent me two x 1/8” dia and 1 x ¼” dia TC router bits to fit my router. Thank you so much Harold for these they will come in very handy indeed.

I would also like to thank everyone for their emails and PM’s saying they are interested and following my progress and for their continued encouragement; it is most appreciated and hopefully I will eventually pull this restoration together but I’ve a long way yet to go.

Kind regards, Col.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	Testing new cutter.jpg
Views:	146
Size:	80.2 KB
ID:	46023  
Retired is offline  
Closed Thread

Thread Tools



All times are GMT +1. The time now is 11:06 pm.


All information and advice on this forum is subject to the WARNING AND DISCLAIMER located at https://www.vintage-radio.net/rules.html.
Failure to heed this warning may result in death or serious injury to yourself and/or others.


Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2002 - 2023, Paul Stenning.