The Breakroom > The Water Cooler
Bank robbery
Gerhard Olivier:
At work after the builder left the old back door was left in the yard. It seemed to be solid wood but far to heavy.
As it was going to the tip (but they could not carry it) I offered to recycle it for them.
The door was about 3 inch thick and bit bigger than a normal door with metal channel for a frame.
When I got the door apart it was made of 2 wood (deep brown mahogany) doors one on the inside and an outer one with a 6.8mm steel sheet in the middle -The site was a bank 60 years ago. That left me with a big stack of 1 1/4 inch solid mahogany and a piece of steel I had to cut in 4 to be able to lift. Also some 60mm x 100mm 7mm thick steel channels.
When I machined some of the steel plate it cut easily - the swarf was blue curls ( hot as hell). It cut very well but high speed steel did not touch the outer bit??? The carbide tips cut it like butter. Finish is fantastic even after rough cuts - smooth and shiny.
Gerhard
CrewCab:
Lucky you :thumbup: ............ all we seem to get is rubble and old plasterboard :scratch:
CC :beer:
andyf:
Banks can provide great pickings. My dad was a branch manager, back in the days when banks actually had proper on-the-spot managers. During a refit, he brought home most of a 70-year old 1" thick oak parquet floor, with the living room in mind. Laboriously hand-scraped the pitch off thousands of blocks which he stacked in the garage, where they remained for 20 years until he sold them. Trouble was, he sold a 6'x4"x1/2" brass bar at the same time, not knowing I had my eye on it :(
Still, I've got a plentiful supply of high quality doorlocks, and some excellent Al alloy bar - don't know the alloy, but it machines well.
I think he got this "if it's lying around, take it home" attitude during his war service in REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers - just where you would expect the Army to place a young bank clerk). I'm still using tools with the War Dept's arrow stamp. Dunno what happened to the huge tin trunk full of radio valves, though.
My brother still has his immediately post-war wood lathe, with a bed made from a Morrison air-raid shelter and a motor courtesy of His Majesty's Forces.
Andy
tinkerer:
Great find Gerhard. :thumbup: Mahogany is one of my favorite woods. It is probably old growth and will be beautiful finished. Looking forward to photos of what you build with it.
Gerhard Olivier:
This is what im doing at moment Tinkerer
I made a Morris style chair for my oldest son when he was 2 (2 years ago)and now youngest is 2 so making another but very slightly bigger.
Old chair made in Meranty
And the test fit of the new chair frame in mahogany flash makes it look a lot lighter than it is.
Gerhard
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