Wood Shop

Planning

Rebecca Tulloch was in the wood shop meeting with Henry Vincent.  Who knows what evil plans they are hatching, but look for some exciting enhancements and additions to the WW II re-enactments which will occur throughout the Memorial Day weekend.

I would have guessed the better category for this was more properly "News and Publicity" but as of now I do not have access to that, and they were meeting on our Shop!

Making Fixtures

Tom and Jim Windmeier were back in the shop making jigs and fixtures to tweak the parts for their replica step stool project.

The Pedestal

Jim Windmeier is assembling the prototype, ver 4.0.  These guys have raised the bar and are showing what can be done as to fit and finish of fairly complicated angles and pieces not rectangular.  I am sure you can all contribute by way of a donation to the step stool project and any help here would be greatly appreciated.

Cleanup

Our friend Steve Holding was back for his annual pilgrimage to IRM and he immediately was put to work on the CA&E steel car window project.  Here he is 'piloting' a wood chisel inspecting and cleaning up the rabbets on the stock already machined.

Mortises

The mortises have been measured and laid out on the stiles.  As soon as they have been plunged Steve cleans out the slots and inspects them.

Eight Windows

At the end of the day here are eight new windows - at least the parts for them.  Eight bottom rails, eight top rails, cut to length and ready for tenoning.  And sixteen stiles complete - with 32 mortises plunged and cleaned out today!

The major focus today was to begin to fabricate 12 replacement windows for the recent arrivals from Trolleyville, cars 409, 451, and 460.

Planing

Once the lumber is on hand it gets rough cut to length, jointed, rip sawn, face jointed, planed, and then profiled for beading and glass openings.  Rich Witt has a sly grin as he planes one of the rails to finished thickness.

Rabbetting

What could be more apporpriate than discussing a rabbet on Easter weekend?  Er - no not that kind of rabbit.  Victor Humphreys and Rich Witt have the table saw set up to cut rabbets in the rails.  Note the stack of pieces wating to be run through that spinning blade.

It Looks Straight

A total of 48 pieces of rails and stiles were produced today with Rich and Victor doing a final check before we take down the fences and jigs on the saw.  The next steps will be to plunge the mortises and saw out tenons for each sash.

More Paint

Buzz Morisette went about more work for the new windows for MILW 01984.  Window beading strips were cut and mitered, and then they and some more frames got a coat of white primer.

We really need someone to serve as the official photograper.  It is very tough to stop something when you are in the midst of the task, pick up the camera, etc.  So here is a note about Gerry Dettloff, Pete Galayda and others who solved a problem with our Boice Crane planer.  Mission accomplished, thank you.

A Milestone

This image is of an historic event.  John Faulhaber and Victor Humphreys are completeing the LAST piece of milling for 1600 feet of new battens for the depot.  Probably this is our largest 'production run' on the shaper since we acquired the machine.

Planning

And then it is OFF TO THE RACES on the next project.  We have been asked to make 12 new drop sash for the CA&E steel cars and Rich Witt is creating a set of plan drawings.  From the samples that have been removed and examined, there are no two that are the same.  Choices, choices.

Parts

But time waits for no man and here VIctor Humphreys is stacking 48 new parts for the sash - roughed out and ready for ripping, jointing, and planing.  Maybe on Saturday?

Can summer be far away?  We also started cutting and milling wood for new tack boards for the URTX 26640 insulated boxcar.