OK! In the last episode of "As The Nut Turns" I showed a couple of parts that I had made to replace the missing pieces on my band saw. I also posted them to the OWWM site, where other owners of this model saw began to request that I make them to replace the missing ones on their saws as well.
I also decided I needed some way of dusting the sawdust and swarf off the lower tire so I came up with this little brush and bracket. Again, the requests began to flow in. What sets my design apart from the available aftermarket is that mine simply uses the blade guard mounting stud as an anchor. Since the brush is specific to this saw and does not require any holes to be drilled or attachments epoxied into the frame, the restorers and purists alike, gave it their approval.
As most of you know, with the economy being kind of slow these days, many companies are pulling back on expenses. Along those lines my two major clients informed me that due to uncertain economic climate and the cancellation of contracts, they were terminating the projects I was working on and would notify me when and if my services were needed. Well, there is my Merry Christmas present!
OK, on to "Plan B". I called my "head hunter" and they told me things were slow all over but that I was tops on their list if anything "develops".
OK, "Plan B" ain't working, so on to "Plan C", which in my case seems to be; "When all else fails, make your own damn parts!" Since the weather is turning colder than I would like and heating the shop is rather costly, I moved my little Craftsman lathe to the house and bought enough material to make 20 of each of the taper pins and the leveling sleeves.
I already had enough material to make the brush brackets and as luck would have it, I found a source for the brushes besides buying the sets from Horrible Fright. I e-mailed the brush supplier and requested a sample of the brush, thinking they would send me one or two. MUCH, to my surprise, a couple of days later the UPS guy showed up with a box from the supplier and my sample request had been filled with a gross of nylon bristled brushes. I called the company and explained that the "sample" was what I was considering purchasing. When I explained that 144 brushes were actually more than I needed, the nice lady told me that the minimum on that item was a gross lot. I told her since that was the minimum and seeing as how they had already shipped them to me I inquired how to arrange payment. Much to my surprise, the nice lady told me to consider the sample a gift for the holidays.
