Wheelchair repair

Last September I bought a new wheelchair since then I have felt very un-easy in many situations due to difference of balance as the front castors were situated behind the front support in a trailing manner. My old wheelchair were leading and situated in front.

A 2 hour visit back to Aidacare where I bought the chair gave no satisfaction of an quick, easy or inexpensive outcome. Now by rights this was a dangerous situation as I had been thrown from the chair twice due to a shorter wheelbase and pivot points making things very unstable so they should have I believe been held responsible.

I can't fault the to fine chaps who went out of their way with time and ideas to try as much as they could with stock off the shelf to rectify the problem, only to find that a brand new shipment of foot plate brackets was going to put peoples lives in greater danger than mine already was. Thats their serious problem, now I hope not one chair is sold till it is rectified. The design engineers and production team in Asia need one heck of a shake up from what I saw.

Ok onto my own remedy and fix.

The reason is that moving the castors forward  then had them hitting the foot plates by 50mm.

First of all my old wheelchair front frame came in handy two tubes where cut to extend the top pivot points of each side 50mm, an aluminium sleeve turned to suit (oh it's so nice to have the Myford) and inserted, drilled and bolted with the original pivot piece.

 Next and much thanks goes to my son Peter for his help with this part my hands just refused to work well as I was rushing and unwell.

Making the lock bracket.
Two pieces cut 150mm long from an L 3mm shape of Aluminium from Bunnings. Marked out and shaped on the bandsaw and cove sanded to final shape on the drill press using a radial sanding tool. Holes drilled after numerous checks for alignment of the first one this was all done by Peter on Saturday. The second one I did today, then came in doors to sit on the floor for final alignment and drilling of two holes to join the two brackets. This seems strong enough but a third can be added if required. 

All fitted and aligned.

I tried it out and I am no longer going to suffer leg cramps. Entering and leaving sloping drive ways will not have me hanging on for grim fear of being thrown out of the chair due to the tip point of the front castors.
Leaving and entering homes with even a single step the wheelbase will now allow some distance to make it easier.

Oh replacement cost of new foot brackets were in the region of $180. This repair has cost me about $40 total and a few days work.

I would like to make a brand new top bracket but I do not have a tube bender or TIG welding gear and its over 30 years since I did any TIG welding. A gent off the forum has offered to should I need to go further thanks Kieth.

A Starret Dial Guage and other bits n pieces.

I recently purchased an old Starret No 25-B Dial gauge among some other bits n pieces from a friend Pat who has a knack of scrounging garage sales etc.

 I figured reasonably priced at $30 even though the plastic face had come adrift and the anvil as sticking.

A tiny bit of glue (not CA as it effects this type of plastic) re fitted the whole bezel correctly which allowed a little more travel and stopped the needle sticking. Yep it still stuck when fully depressed so some advice from the metal section of the woodwork forum (Thanks Rob) and I removed the back cleaned fully and lightly oiled with sewing machine oil all working parts a wipe with a lint free cloth and I was getting grit out a further light oil an closed it back up as I had full travel and no sticking at all.

I'd like to make a couple of different anvils for it although the one fitted is quite ok it does hinder full travel due to a shoulder.

 In the box as you an see he anvil is stuck in.

The back opened during cleaning and the finished look.

 Some of the other things picked up on the day (Above) a set of fluted M1 reamers.
Below a small set of various hone stones.

 

 Vacuum bags and Free small vac to be used on the Myford.

 A new fellow to the forum Dave brought along a nice bit of Pepper Corn tree burl.

A Happy Mothers Day

I saw my lovely wife Sue have a beautiful weekend celebrating Mothers Day 2nd Sunday of May.

Saturday Peter brought Nathan and Bianca over while he helped me out in the workshop she had 4 hours enjoying their company.


Sunday a foggy start to the day which turned out a warm sunny one. Belinda and John had arranged to take her (us) out for the day to Australiana Pioneer Village at Wilberforce on the way out Peter, Nathan and Bianca rang her to wish her again Happy Mothers Day.

John and Belinda shouted the whole day a wonderful morning tea scones damper with cockys joy and tea. A real nice lunch and hours strolling around the grounds, historic buildings etc.

During the day Mark rang also to wish her Happy Mothers Day they Christian Brodie and Nichole and Mark all were heading to the airport for their trip OS, have a safe ones guys and enjoy.


Some of Sue's photos of the day.

Hardwood Vs Softwood

My neighbour Wayne drops in usually on his way to work no different this morning except I wasn't in much of a good mood and I was involved in a situation checking the Myford out.
Wayne asked if I'd noticed the log up the road, I had not nor had Sue as she had not taken Max that way for a walk. Anyway Wayne offered to bring it down which he did 800mm x 250 at its widest point fresh cut as it was still ooozing sap. Looks and smells like a form of Juniper.
Many thanks Wayne.


Then about an hour or so later Fletty calls around with my two pieces of Mallee Burl he picked up during his recent trip north to Rollands Plains where Boutique Timbers and a number of others were holding a Timber Auction. Alan had SMS'd me with a photo and hinted I may like a few, he chose to beauties.

Nathan's First Weaving

Nathan our grandson asked if he could have a go at weaving, having watched Sue spin some fiber. Sue set up her 2 shaft loom and showed Nathan the procedure. Over a period of visits Nathan completed weaving the scarf to give to his mum (Jaclyn) for her birthday.

Nathan became so efficient Sue would just put the loom on the coffee table and he'd continue without supervision only when he asked for help or for it to be checked did anyone assist him, not bad for a 5 year old (nearly 6).

Crop Cardigan Colabrative

Having started this process Izzy has turned the yarn into a Crop Cardigan, I then washed and blocked the garment. This is to be sold.

 The fawn coloured fiber in the photo to the left and the same on the right. 











A beautiful job done by Izzy.

Pins & Bangles

Alan was making a box for a little girl which I became involved in, I made some ringed divider sections out of some beautiful Huon Birds Eye Burl Alan supplied. I decided during the making of those to also make a couple of additional bits. Some bangles/bracelets or shawl rings and hair pins/shawl pins. I had some Rosewood similar to that which Alan had used to make the body of the box.

Alan had to laminate the Huon to achieve correct height for the rings.
I turned these down to 7mm wall thickeness.

The two Bangles standing upright side by side lower right.

  Huon pin

  The Rosewood pins and bracelets.

A Change to Metal Work

Some time ago Alan past on to me his old Tormek Super Grind as he updated, many thanks Alan. It has been used often on my turning tools, and some kitchen knives. In using it for bowl gouges etc I had to buy a usable kit as Alan doesn't turn roundy bits.
So I purchased the Scheppac Wet Grinder Wood Turner attachments based on price as Tormek is to me greatly over priced.

In using the bowl gouge jig mounting bracket I found it to say the least over sized and poorly designed, it gives little room left to move along the bar when sharpening/honing the tools to shape.






 This is the Scheppac jig mounted on the bar.






I had a piece of steel block which was almost ideal shape, a second hole drilled for the jig shaft of the main tool holder jig.
A bit of shaping to round off the edge nearest the grind stone a spot of linishing to brighten it up and round the edges.

 I left a shoulder as a buffer.




Instead of retaining the two locking rings I drilled and tapped a 6mm hex head bolt into the block to lock the position of the tool.





 I used a piece of Modwood, off cuts I had been given, to reduce the 17mm hole already in the block to 12mm and this gave a better sliding surface along the bar. Modwood turns easy and has a great instant finish to it, can be shaped well and drilled and tapped. Its a mixture of wood and plastics mainly used for decking.


Fits, looks and works real nice.

Below the two parts sitting side by side as a comparison.

 A quick job for Mark some lock plates for his roof bars had to cut the plates and drill 4x13mm and 4x9mm.

 My first turning job on the Myford just a simple clamping post fo the SCMS (sliding compound mitre saw). I was not happy with the original height or he length of the clamp block as it wouldn't allow large timbers or work with short timbers being put through the saw. This when I make the extended clamp block will give me one each side of the blade a much safer holding format.

I was doing a web search for something or other in regards to spindle adapters for the Nova 3000 and came across Nova's listing which indicated they had an adapter J 1 1/8" x 12tpi which is the spindel thread of the Myford and is listed as such. An email to Trend Timbers and Adrian responded they had one in stock it arrived today and fits like a glove a test run with a Nova chuck for true running and all is well.

 Why would i want a Nova chuck on my metal lathe? All will be revealed as time goes by.