- Joined
- Nov 21, 2012
- Messages
- 793
It's been relatively quiet on the forum lately so I thought I would post some pictures of my shop and discuss some of the machinery I have. It's not really a helpful post but I for one enjoy looking at what others have in their workshops and figure you guys might be the curious types as well. I will try give some info on the machines as well as country of origin as I find this interesting when reading other peoples' posts.
The workshop itself
I don't have a large space to work with compared to some. It is a small double garage 5.5 x 5.5 meters (30.25 m2) or 273 square feet. It is insulated and has 3 phase, good lighting (a total of 8, double tube fluorescent lights) and the mandatory security system when you have a well equipped machine shop.
What is great about this type of shop is that people don't assume what is inside and its rare that people have a chance to look in. Opening up to pavers is useful as it allows me to unload heavy items from my trailer with the pallet jack, then roll them into the workshop.
Inside the workshop - woodworking machines
Since I do a mix of woodworking and metal working, I have my garage split into 2. The left side is reserved mainly for woodworking machines. I enjoy using cast iron machines because of the stability and the industrial quality of these machines.
At the very left of the above picture, you can see my 60's model Wadkin BGS 10 with sliding table. This is a rare model as I have never seen an BGS with this table configuration before with a 10 inch blade. With a 3 horsepower motor it slices oak like soft cheese. In front of it is my 230 to 400 volt 3 KVA transformer to save me having to change the configuration on all my dual voltage machines.
Keen eyes will have noticed the handles on the machine. One was cracked so I had friend braze it up for me as I wanted to keep the entire machine original. There is a home built dust cabinet on the right but this feature is removable and too darn useful for me to remove. The machine will be getting a re-paint this summer as I have already finished cleaning all the rust of the table and the machine in general.
To the right of the table saw is my jointer thicknesser. It is an Elektra Beckum HC314 G and was made in Germany. It has a 3 phase, 3 HP motor, 12 inch capacity and a 4 blade cutter head so it will handle very gnarly wood and leave a very smooth finish. Its a very heavy machine with a cast top, weighing in at about 250 - 260 Kgs.
On top is a small Multico PM12 bench morticer - also German made.
I also have a spindle moulder made by Elektra Beckum - a TF 900 model, also made in Germany. This machine is 3 HP variable speed single phase model. Also with a cast iron top it weighs in at about 110 Kgs. All the machines are on pallets to allow me to move them outside when I need to use them to reduce the dust in the workshop.
Moving on to the metal work section...
Ignoring the dust collection for the woodworking, the next machine is the metal bandsaw. It is a Macc Special 215. It is an Italian made machine with built in cooling. It is a 3 phase machine and is the smallest of the Macc industrial metal saws.
I bought this saw in rough shape with missing and broken handles, seized bearings, broken brackets and caked on coolant. You will notice it does not have the gas ram to allow semi-auto cutting. I have not really needed this feature as most of the materials I cut are a maximum of 4 inches in diameter so it does not take me long to cut them. It has some nice features like a tension light activated by a micro switch to let you know when you have the right blade tension plus 2 speeds. I have mounted it on wheels so I can roll it out when I cut long materials.
Next up, the back wall of my shop....
- - - Updated - - -
The back wall - metal work
On the left is my metal lathe, a metric Colchester Chipmaster "continental" model. This machine was in outstanding condition when I found it in Sweden and although cost twice what I wanted to pay for a lathe at the time, I begged borrowed and thrashed the credit card into submission to purchase it. It is by far the best example of a Chipmaster I have seen anywhere. A British made machine built in 1964, it is a beautiful machine to use and not a day goes by in the workshop where I don't admire it.
Specifications can be found here:
http://www.lathes.co.uk/chipmaster/
The machine weighs in at 550 Kgs and is extremely rigid. It has a capacity that matches my metal bandsaw, metal mill and surface / tool and cutter grinder.
To the right of the lathe is a wood bandsaw made by Lini in Sweden.
It is a project as it requires blade guides and thrust bearings. It was too good a price for a 60's model, cast iron machine that has 3 speeds. It will get mounted on wheels to allow me to roll it around the shop to maximize space when needed. It weighs in at about 200 Kgs and has a wheel diameter of 500mm.
Moving on we have the milling machine:
This machine is a Jungner VF600. Swedish made, it was originally designed and built by Mattsson & Zetterlund as a jig borer / mill. Very rigid and with a good range of speeds, it has the useful feature of doubling up as a drill press. It has auto down feed, head tilt and a range of other useful features. More info here:
http://www.lathes.co.uk/mattsson&zetterlund/
The machine weighs in at about 530 Kgs so is about as large as I need in a small machine shop. I was fortunate enough to have purchased it with a large number of accessories which I tried to conveniently position near the machine:
The right wall - grinding and hand tools
I dislike making dust in the workshop. With an open concrete floor, dust control is important so I do all the dusty jobs outside. This was the reason I mounted all my grinders on a cart:
On the left is a Swedish made All-Electro 8 inch grinder with a classy and clever hub-cap guard:
This machine is 3 phase and has a buffing spindle and came with all the wheels I needed. A buffer / polisher had been on my list for years so I was overjoyed when this came up with 6 grinding wheels and polishing equipment for the equivalent of 80 USD.
To the right on the cart is a Taiwanese made belt grinder. I love the belt grinder as it runs much cooler than the bench grinder and also has the plenum that allows grinding objects flat. I often use this instead of milling to reduce the wear on my mill.
On the other side is an Ashley & Abbott 6 inch bench grinder that is made in Australia. I brought it over with me from Australia when I moved to Norway and use it for general grinding duties.
The workbench and hand tools
Over time I have acquired an eclectic mix of hand tools. I have my "clean tools" on the wall, and my "dirty tools" in the Ikea Roskog kitchen trolley. I have tried to keep the tools well organized since I have such small windows to work in the garage, I want to be using the time building or repairing, not searching. I found a number of tools from Scandinavia which I added to the mix:
You will notice that most tools are second hand. I rarely buy new since this would cost me way too much and I would have to wait 3 lifetimes to accumulate what I want. I spend a great deal of time working with files and the vice so have a nice English made bench vice:
Not all my tools are European or British though. I do have some USA made hand tools, like these Starrett tap handles:
My trusty chair is also a 60's model which I bought from a gent who was selling off his father's shoemakers equipment. I just love the design and robustness of equipment from that era:
This chair was made in Norway and is extremely comfortable to sit on.
Lets get boring
Moving onto the drills, the first is an Ixion BST 13 which I resurrected. It was selling cheap as it was full of rust and the paint was in terrible shape. I cleaned her up and re-sprayed her and it's now my go-to machine for anything up to 13mm in diameter.
It is German made and is very quiet in operation. Sometimes though, you need more clearance and horsepower and that's when the Arboga is great. I bought the Arboga A 2508 very recently and have finished fixing most of the small issues.
A gear head machine of typical high Swedish quality, it has a useful range of speeds. It has a MT3 spindle but no auto down
feed. It has one small remaining where the rack is not smooth. I believe that it may be an issue with the pinion gear missing a tooth but functionally everything is ok and it works well. A very rigid machine, it weighs in at 165 Kgs.
Tool sharpening
I took a trip to Sweden to purchase my Thorns T2 surface / tool / cutter grinder from a member on the board - rcflier. The machine was the cream of the Swedish made grinders in the 60's and 70's.
Able to be utilized as a cylinder grinder as well, it was very versatile. Weighing in at 550 Kgs, it is a very stable machine and has some nifty features. It has a micro switch that turns a light on when the grinding wheel spindle is aligned with the collet centre within +/- of .01 mm. It also has controls on the back side of the machine, allowing different types of set-ups that would otherwise be unsafe of awkward:
It needs a little TLC although for the most part, its just handles and paint that needs attention. The machine is mechanically good and came with all the necessary attachments for me to sharpen anything from drills to endmills. I was fortunate enough to get literally hundreds of carbide and HSS endmills for free that only require a little sharpening. This machine will pay for itself many times over when I complete the task and have all the cutters, drills and endmills sharpened.
So there you have my shop. It's taken me 10 years to get to where it is now. I figured that if I got it out the way early, I could spend the best years of my life using the equipment. I am 35 this year so I don't want to waste time as before I know it, I'll be too old or tired to enjoy it.
I have waited, saved and pounced when a good deal has come up, even to the point of driving 24+ hour round trips for some of the machines. I believe it was worth it as I would never have been able to afford this shop if I bought new.
I hope you have enjoyed this and feel free to ask questions or comment. If you want more info or photos of any of the machines, just ask.
Paul.
The workshop itself
I don't have a large space to work with compared to some. It is a small double garage 5.5 x 5.5 meters (30.25 m2) or 273 square feet. It is insulated and has 3 phase, good lighting (a total of 8, double tube fluorescent lights) and the mandatory security system when you have a well equipped machine shop.
What is great about this type of shop is that people don't assume what is inside and its rare that people have a chance to look in. Opening up to pavers is useful as it allows me to unload heavy items from my trailer with the pallet jack, then roll them into the workshop.
Inside the workshop - woodworking machines
Since I do a mix of woodworking and metal working, I have my garage split into 2. The left side is reserved mainly for woodworking machines. I enjoy using cast iron machines because of the stability and the industrial quality of these machines.
At the very left of the above picture, you can see my 60's model Wadkin BGS 10 with sliding table. This is a rare model as I have never seen an BGS with this table configuration before with a 10 inch blade. With a 3 horsepower motor it slices oak like soft cheese. In front of it is my 230 to 400 volt 3 KVA transformer to save me having to change the configuration on all my dual voltage machines.
Keen eyes will have noticed the handles on the machine. One was cracked so I had friend braze it up for me as I wanted to keep the entire machine original. There is a home built dust cabinet on the right but this feature is removable and too darn useful for me to remove. The machine will be getting a re-paint this summer as I have already finished cleaning all the rust of the table and the machine in general.To the right of the table saw is my jointer thicknesser. It is an Elektra Beckum HC314 G and was made in Germany. It has a 3 phase, 3 HP motor, 12 inch capacity and a 4 blade cutter head so it will handle very gnarly wood and leave a very smooth finish. Its a very heavy machine with a cast top, weighing in at about 250 - 260 Kgs.
On top is a small Multico PM12 bench morticer - also German made.
I also have a spindle moulder made by Elektra Beckum - a TF 900 model, also made in Germany. This machine is 3 HP variable speed single phase model. Also with a cast iron top it weighs in at about 110 Kgs. All the machines are on pallets to allow me to move them outside when I need to use them to reduce the dust in the workshop.
Moving on to the metal work section...
Ignoring the dust collection for the woodworking, the next machine is the metal bandsaw. It is a Macc Special 215. It is an Italian made machine with built in cooling. It is a 3 phase machine and is the smallest of the Macc industrial metal saws.
I bought this saw in rough shape with missing and broken handles, seized bearings, broken brackets and caked on coolant. You will notice it does not have the gas ram to allow semi-auto cutting. I have not really needed this feature as most of the materials I cut are a maximum of 4 inches in diameter so it does not take me long to cut them. It has some nice features like a tension light activated by a micro switch to let you know when you have the right blade tension plus 2 speeds. I have mounted it on wheels so I can roll it out when I cut long materials.
Next up, the back wall of my shop....
- - - Updated - - -
The back wall - metal work
On the left is my metal lathe, a metric Colchester Chipmaster "continental" model. This machine was in outstanding condition when I found it in Sweden and although cost twice what I wanted to pay for a lathe at the time, I begged borrowed and thrashed the credit card into submission to purchase it. It is by far the best example of a Chipmaster I have seen anywhere. A British made machine built in 1964, it is a beautiful machine to use and not a day goes by in the workshop where I don't admire it.
Specifications can be found here:http://www.lathes.co.uk/chipmaster/
The machine weighs in at 550 Kgs and is extremely rigid. It has a capacity that matches my metal bandsaw, metal mill and surface / tool and cutter grinder.
To the right of the lathe is a wood bandsaw made by Lini in Sweden.
It is a project as it requires blade guides and thrust bearings. It was too good a price for a 60's model, cast iron machine that has 3 speeds. It will get mounted on wheels to allow me to roll it around the shop to maximize space when needed. It weighs in at about 200 Kgs and has a wheel diameter of 500mm.
Moving on we have the milling machine:
This machine is a Jungner VF600. Swedish made, it was originally designed and built by Mattsson & Zetterlund as a jig borer / mill. Very rigid and with a good range of speeds, it has the useful feature of doubling up as a drill press. It has auto down feed, head tilt and a range of other useful features. More info here:
http://www.lathes.co.uk/mattsson&zetterlund/
The machine weighs in at about 530 Kgs so is about as large as I need in a small machine shop. I was fortunate enough to have purchased it with a large number of accessories which I tried to conveniently position near the machine:
The right wall - grinding and hand tools
I dislike making dust in the workshop. With an open concrete floor, dust control is important so I do all the dusty jobs outside. This was the reason I mounted all my grinders on a cart:
On the left is a Swedish made All-Electro 8 inch grinder with a classy and clever hub-cap guard:
This machine is 3 phase and has a buffing spindle and came with all the wheels I needed. A buffer / polisher had been on my list for years so I was overjoyed when this came up with 6 grinding wheels and polishing equipment for the equivalent of 80 USD.
To the right on the cart is a Taiwanese made belt grinder. I love the belt grinder as it runs much cooler than the bench grinder and also has the plenum that allows grinding objects flat. I often use this instead of milling to reduce the wear on my mill.
On the other side is an Ashley & Abbott 6 inch bench grinder that is made in Australia. I brought it over with me from Australia when I moved to Norway and use it for general grinding duties.
The workbench and hand tools
Over time I have acquired an eclectic mix of hand tools. I have my "clean tools" on the wall, and my "dirty tools" in the Ikea Roskog kitchen trolley. I have tried to keep the tools well organized since I have such small windows to work in the garage, I want to be using the time building or repairing, not searching. I found a number of tools from Scandinavia which I added to the mix:
You will notice that most tools are second hand. I rarely buy new since this would cost me way too much and I would have to wait 3 lifetimes to accumulate what I want. I spend a great deal of time working with files and the vice so have a nice English made bench vice:Not all my tools are European or British though. I do have some USA made hand tools, like these Starrett tap handles:My trusty chair is also a 60's model which I bought from a gent who was selling off his father's shoemakers equipment. I just love the design and robustness of equipment from that era:
This chair was made in Norway and is extremely comfortable to sit on.Lets get boring
Moving onto the drills, the first is an Ixion BST 13 which I resurrected. It was selling cheap as it was full of rust and the paint was in terrible shape. I cleaned her up and re-sprayed her and it's now my go-to machine for anything up to 13mm in diameter.
It is German made and is very quiet in operation. Sometimes though, you need more clearance and horsepower and that's when the Arboga is great. I bought the Arboga A 2508 very recently and have finished fixing most of the small issues.
A gear head machine of typical high Swedish quality, it has a useful range of speeds. It has a MT3 spindle but no auto down
feed. It has one small remaining where the rack is not smooth. I believe that it may be an issue with the pinion gear missing a tooth but functionally everything is ok and it works well. A very rigid machine, it weighs in at 165 Kgs.
Tool sharpening
I took a trip to Sweden to purchase my Thorns T2 surface / tool / cutter grinder from a member on the board - rcflier. The machine was the cream of the Swedish made grinders in the 60's and 70's.
Able to be utilized as a cylinder grinder as well, it was very versatile. Weighing in at 550 Kgs, it is a very stable machine and has some nifty features. It has a micro switch that turns a light on when the grinding wheel spindle is aligned with the collet centre within +/- of .01 mm. It also has controls on the back side of the machine, allowing different types of set-ups that would otherwise be unsafe of awkward:It needs a little TLC although for the most part, its just handles and paint that needs attention. The machine is mechanically good and came with all the necessary attachments for me to sharpen anything from drills to endmills. I was fortunate enough to get literally hundreds of carbide and HSS endmills for free that only require a little sharpening. This machine will pay for itself many times over when I complete the task and have all the cutters, drills and endmills sharpened.
So there you have my shop. It's taken me 10 years to get to where it is now. I figured that if I got it out the way early, I could spend the best years of my life using the equipment. I am 35 this year so I don't want to waste time as before I know it, I'll be too old or tired to enjoy it.
I have waited, saved and pounced when a good deal has come up, even to the point of driving 24+ hour round trips for some of the machines. I believe it was worth it as I would never have been able to afford this shop if I bought new.
I hope you have enjoyed this and feel free to ask questions or comment. If you want more info or photos of any of the machines, just ask.
Paul.
Last edited:
, and it's a neat material: thick and soft enough to prevent damages to tools falling on the floor.
