I completed the entire series between 1978 and 1988!(except the electric furnace and the blown propane furnace)
Back Then I was on a tight budget so bought the books seperately starting with #1 and completed each machine as I found time between a full time schedule of working a job and 1/2, raising several kids through all the sports and family stuff. I even had enough energy to grow a nice garden and take care of the house and yard maintenance. I completed all the machines in about a ten year period, with each one making the next much easier since I had machines to help. I melted all my metal with charcoal and blower, and didn't find out the pleasures of using a propane burner until about ten years ago. My machines all found a new home due to theft in the 90's and we were looking for a home with more property so Didn't do much casting until around 2000. As many I found my self without employment after a loyal 25 year stint so scrambled to find other work not at slave wages, but that took me away from home living in my motor home during the week and home on weekends. This schedule wasn't conductive to getting anything done, and now my health has become an issue so things have slowed down! I'm in full retirement now, short on $ due to the economy downfall, but I still want to make things. I bought an old Craftsman 6" lathe and small drillpress but they are less than a Gingery so have decided to build the series again.
--- In gingery_machines@yahoogroups.com, John Schwytzer <jschwytzer@...> wrote:
>
> Wonk:
>
> Like you I built the series without having anyone to ask for advice. When I ran into problems I sat down on a bucket and figured it out. And I had to find out that the books are almost error-free on my own. That's how I ended up making a 46-1/2 tooth gear for the change gears (the number of holes in the dividing plate is different than what's in the book).
>
> After building the original you can make all kinds of modifications a lot faster. A few years ago I started a modified second lathe (not finished, but it's on the list of projects to finish before I start another). When I built the first one it took two weekends and all the evenings between to scrape the bed. I was using a 1" wood chisel, paint, and a lot of rags and hand cleaner. When I did the bed for the second one I started by milling it. That got the scraping down to an afternoon. The equipment won't eliminate the work done by hand, but it sure makes it go quicker.
>
> So how much of the series did you build the first time around?
>
> John Schwytzer
> West Milton, Ohio
>
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