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Texas 3 - The 2017 Advanced/Basic Scraping Class

swatkins

Titanium
Joined
Jul 24, 2011
Location
Navasota / Whitehall Texas
Richard has agreed to return to Texas and teach another basic/advanced class. The tentative dates for the class are Febuary 14th or the 21st. I'm leaning towards the 14th myself but we will firm up the date depending on who can make it...

The class will consist of the standard 3 day class and you have the option to stay for two extra days. Last year only 1 person took the three day class while the rest stayed for all 5 days.

This is the third class I have hosted here in my shop just northwest of Houston. 5 members of the 2015 class also attended the 2016 class and we really had a great time. We will probably have room for 10 to 12 students as I have been forced to expand the climate controlled area of my shop ( having a big ass planer sure takes up a LOT of space :)) and there is just not enough room in the old space.

Right now I am reserving 5 slots for returning students. IF you are a student that attended the 2015 or 2016 class and want to attend this class please let me know soon! Matt is already signed up.

As usual I will be the contact person and head bookkeeper for the event (you would think I would have learned my lesson). All payments and reservations need to go through me. Trust me it makes life a lot simpler for everyone including Richard...

I am preparing a letter that has all the costs and information for the class... If you would like to attend please PM me and I will send you the information letter. I should have it ready by tonight.




Steve
 
and me :-)

This time if Andy comes have him come the week before to clean his parts so Chip can scrape something and not clean Andy's parts. lol
If Chip brings something I'll clean and/or scrape it for him :)

Andy

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Put me on the stand by list. Too far out to fully commit just yet. But I would love to go to another class.

Will do Justin...

Steve have you pulled the beasts table? Might be a wise thing to do before starting it up

After much thought, and now experience moving the arm and carriages of the machine, I've decided the safest way forward is to level the machine, oil the rails and then pull the table forward with a come-a-long.

So far all three of the parts, that move on rails, have been free with no rust or dirt under them. Everything has had a coating of oil and the rails look very good once moved. I have removed the wipers and they were clean underneath.

While I can get to the bolts that hold the table to the rails I have a major issue with the piston. In the tables current position I can't get to the nut that attaches the piston end to the table, I need to move it forward to the end of the bed to gain access. To do that without sliding the table I'll have to remove the piston's case from the bed and then try to support it while trying to lift the bed off... I think the risk of damage, to the machine and people's bodies, is much greater by removing the table.

I've hooked up a grease gun filled with way oil to the tables oiling system and have been pumping oil into the system with the hope of some of the oil being ready to oil the table once it starts to move. Going to attach a come-a-long to the table and bed to see if pulling it will overcome the force of the piston and the weight of the bed. Once it starts to move we will hand pump and use the come-a-long at the same time.

At least that is the current plan. Might happen this weekend :) I'm going to cross post this reply to the build thread located HERE. For those people who have not been following along here is a short video of the machine we are talking about :)

 
Still have a few spots left for the class... So far everyone signed up are returning students from the first two classes... That says somthing about the quality of the class!

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For those of you thinking of a class. Steve has a nice shop and with the addition of his Rockford Planer I would bet he can machine your lathe beds. I have owned 2 planners in my career. They are amazingly accurate and a simple machine. There are not that many still in operation so along with scraping, running on is a "lost art" that you can learning in his class. Rich
 
Just want to remind everyone this will be the first class with available spots left in 2017. Steve Watkins has a nice small shop NW of Houston TX in a little town near College Station TX, called Navasota TX. Steve wears many hats; Computer expert who builds web-sites, CNC tech and operator, Machinist, Master Carpenter, Cabinet Maker, Custom home builders, Bee-Keeper, soon to be Beast Operator (Rockford Planner), Machine Rebuilder, Scraper, Hobby Farmer, EMT, etc. etc. So if you come to this class you will learn a lot! But please do not drive on the grass in his parking area. He also has RV hook-ups if you want to stay in your camper.

This class has 3 or 4 (I think) of the original class returning so there is only a limited number of spots available. Steve is handling all the reservations so if you want more info contact him. Rich

PS: I briefly mentioned a Southern GA class at Keith Ruckers who is a famous guy on You Tube and other places. in January, but it filled up in 3 days from his readers and watchers.
 
So far we have 6 spaces filled with returning students from the first two classes...

On a sad note...

I just spoke with Gary Gibbons from last years class. He had been in contact with Kent Diamond asking about some brushes for the older model scraper. Kent had promised to send him some and Gary sent a text to remind him. Kent's wife wrote back and informed Gary that Kent had died suddenly while on vacation in Hawaii. He died just a week after the last class... :(
 
Thanks Justin for posting that. You know he videoed a lot of the class and said he was going to put it on You Tube and Now I know why he never did it. Kent was a super guy and was a little secretive about what he did. He was a good scraper and when I asked him what he did as I suspected he was a machinist or engineer as he picked it up fast, I tink he said he coached kids soccer and left it at that. From the obit we learned what he did and what an adventure he had. Makes me sad thinking someone who did so many good things in life could end like that. He was 12 years younger too...damn make me want to get back on my diet. :-) I hope when I go it's fast like that and not suffer in some nursing home after a stroke, putting a burden on my family.

I can see Kent up in heaven helping God. It was a pleasure to have met him. Rich
 
Steve, send me a PM with your contact info, a friend of mine is interested in your website design services for his machine shop. I'll send him your info if thats cool with you.
 








 
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