Silver Band Saw Running!

We needed it for a project so it finally got done.  The big band saw had recently been fitted with guards on the front side of the saw.
The top guard is attached to the traveling guide arm to accommodate various guide heights.
The bottom front guard is fixed but fairly easily removable.
There are no rear guards yet.  This will be remedied shortly.

Being on a budget, we improvised with tires for the saw.  We cut up an inner tube off of a large forklift curtesy of Jonathan W.
Next we wired up a two pole switch to accommodate the 240v wiring.
The saw is powered by a 2 hp motor.  No stationary steam engine yet.
At this point, I was a bit frightened to fire up the motor.  Having had limited band saw adjustment experience, getting the upper wheel set to keep that blade on track was a bit daunting.

But after a few quick on and off cycles it was fairly easy to see how the upper wheel adjustments affected the blade alignment.
So far so good.  The saw is happy and so am I.

The day we acquired the saw.

Cleaning out the Babbit bearings.

Winter Laser repair

We got a small repair job on a Laser with hull / deck separation anxiety.
The boat has lead a long life and the owner just wants to get a few more summer sails off the beach on a lake in Michigan.  To keep it above the waves, we needed to refasten about 6 linear feet of the joint.

On a similar repair to this we used thickened epoxy.  But the length of this one made me think 3M 5200 was in order.  It appeared that the initial bonding of the hull to deck in these old Lasers was with just the laminating resin  (ester based not epoxy).
The 5200 took a while to cure in the cooler temps, but after a week and some sprits of water to help with it's water curing properties, it set up.  It is now the strongest part of this hull for sure.

Also a nice curvy and slippery hull.
944!

USCG case closed

"Mr. Kreutz-

These photos satisfy our compliance requirements and so your case is closed.

Respectfully, Louis Novak

USCG

Subject: case number 13R5134"

This short note brought to a close a long process of getting the Mississippi River Skiff legal in the eyes of the USCG.

Most of the delays were on my end, getting the initial tank test of the skiff and doing the proper calculations.

Additional delays had to do with getting an acceptable capacities label.

The next project will be to talk to the State of Missouri and figure out how to get Manufacturers Title so the boat can be legally sold.

Stay tuned...

Nice breeze, good visibility

But not a good day to be on the water. Lambert-St. Louis International Airport Lat: 38.76°N   Lon: 90.37°W   Elev: 568 Last Update on Jan 6, 9:51 am CST

A Few Clouds and Breezy -6 °F (-21 °C) Humidity: 52 % Wind Speed: W 23 G 26 MPH Barometer: 30.50" (1035.6 mb) Dewpoint: -19 °F (-28 °C) Wind Chill: -31 °F (-35 °C) Visibility: 9.00 mi.