If you have seen the Popular WW site video on Steel City, you already know about the new granite bed on the jointer with helical heads. They also showed the black granite bottom drive wheel on the 14″ deluxe BS. But there are a few other things they did not show.
A variable speed available on the already proven 17″ drill press so both standard and variable are available.
A 16″ portable (sort of) planer with a granite bed and helical cutters..
13″ portable planer with helical heads..
A new 16″ stationary planer with helical head and helical head available on the 20″ stationary planer..
A new large lathe..
And last but not least… a black granite bed lathe (not a mini but not a full size) available in both standard and variable speed.
Just thought I would point these out as I have seen no mention or video on any WW mag site yet.
Sarge..
Replies
Sarge:
The VS Drill Press has my interest. Can you find out from your friends at SCTW why we cannot have a Delta style woodworking table (made of granite) on the drill press? I don't think Delta has any kind of trademark or patent on the table. Also what is the timeline on the VS Drill Press.
Incidentally, I just got my SC 8" Industrial Jointer. The motor had come loose inside the stand and bounced all over. I documented everything and phoned / emailed SCTW. They called me thrice and sent me a new base and motor. Ironically, although the new base did the trick (old base had torn sheet metal, dents etc), the old motor (the one that bounced all the way to my garage inside the case) proved to be more solid. The new motor developed a "clicking" sound even under no load / hand turning (it was not the fan - I checked). I took the resiliency of the old motor as sign of "quality" and kept it returning the new motor along with the old dented / damaged base. J
Bottom line - service was superb. They are injecting new life into lots of old tools however, still some room for improvement (for example why can't they move the location of that one base to bed bolt which is behind the dust chute???).
Thanks for the update.
Lyle
The variable drill press has my interest also, Lyle. I was going to up-grade my DP with a standard (and still may?) SC 17" with the 6" quill travel split head. Frankly I don't want a long quill travel without a split head. Anyway... I found out about the new release being kept quiet several weeks ago but could not say anything as that would ruin the IWF debut for the press.
Projected date is late fall but you know how that goes with coming from across the pond. As I find more definite ETA I will post what I know and I stay in pretty close contact with Steel City.
Yep... when and if you do have a problem they jump on top of it. And 5 Year Warranty is not a bad thing at all. They gave me a couple of T-shirts recently and I made sure they had the 5 Year Warranty also. :>)
Give Jim Box (technical department) a call and let him know about the bolt as I wrestled around with it before I got it in also. They do listen and if feasible and a real problem... they change it. Other than that small annoyance (small to me anyway) the bed just bolts on and you go to work basically.
Now on the table... most WW don't really use a tilt (and of course there are some that do) and most want certain features on a table. So SC decided to just put a table on you could clamp what table "you" want on top. That way you get what features "you want". If you ask 1000 WW what they think would be an ideal table... you would not get two that answered exactly the same. They figured whatever they concluded not everyone would agree with so just let you make the decision and keep the cost down as much as possible for you to add it.
BTW... that was a question I direct to SC management as I was thinking the same on the table. But.. after their explanation I personally understand their thinking and really have to agree.
And I will also mention the bolt location on the jointer...
Regards....
Sarge..
You are a good man. And for all my jointer headaches, they did send me a set of knives too. :)
I was planning to buy their drill press but will hold on for the VS.
Regards,
Lyle
I spoke with Jim Box this morning Lyle. As I stated on the drill press the estimated time will be mid to late fall. And of course that go either way as it basically is ready to start producing.
I also mentioned bolt and didn't get farther than jointer table-base bo--when he cut in with "bolt up in the chute" and then "###*%%*###". I think you get the mood as it isn't the first he has heard of it and confirmed by your comment about getting a free set of double sided knifes. He will again mention it to the engineer on hand there in Murfreesboro.
BTW... have you changed knives yet... and did you notice the indexing pin on both sides of the cutter-head that correspond to the two holes in the knife blade. I love just turning them over and forget about having to make the adjustment.
Regards...
Sarge..
Hi Sarge:<!----><!----><!---->
Thanks again for keeping on top of this. I was just over at Marson Equipment, who are Steel City's authorized distributor here in Edmonton and told them I will wait until the Edmonton Wood show (October 24 - 26, 2008 ) to finalize my order. I am hoping that the variable speed drill press is out by them or at least they have a demo unit at their booth I can play with.<!----><!---->
I have not had the pleasure of changing the knives yet, although, I am wondering if Steel City will come out with a helical head for existing jointers especially the 8" industrial. I understand Byrd has one, which is same or similar to the one for DJ-20. Maybe you can check with your contacts. I find their equipment has minor "upgrades" like the index pin you mentioned and not sure if the Byrd cutter head is designed for those features. I also like the rub block on the fence (which is undocumented in the manual) and had me scratching my head initially.<!----><!---->
The business end of the jointer - fence and bed are 90 degrees and that is all I care about. So far just cut Western Red Cedar in addition some 2 x 4 pine as I wrapping up an outdoor project and those woods are not a test for that machine! Maple is next in a few weeks and I guess that is when the rubber will hit the road.<!----><!---->
Regards,<!----><!---->
Lyle
Edited 8/26/2008 3:51 pm ET by LB
I do know that the Industrial 6" has standard bearings and the Byrd will fit it as that question came up two weeks ago. I got to meet Tom Byrd of Byrd Cutter-heads as he dropped by the Steel City Booth on Tuesday before the show (dealer day).
I'll add the 8" to my notepad and find out either tomorrow or the next day. I have a 500 5 HP TS on my truck under a tarp as it has been raining (remnants of TS Fay) for several days. I hope to get it off there tomorrow so I may be a busy beaver.
BTW... the new 8" jointer (which is the same as ours but with granite fence and granite bed has a helical head. Not as many cutters as a Byrd and hard to explain but you might get it see it at the show also.
Sarge..
Edited 8/26/2008 8:07 pm ET by SARGEgrinder47
Sarge
Just out of curiousity did you hapen to catch the weight on that 16" portable (sort of) planer ?? Or dimensions either? Can one person lift it without a hospital visit?
If you build it he will come.
I can tell you it's heavy with granite tables but did not get the actual weight. And it comes with a steel stand but could be removed to sit on a table-top if you desired...
I will see if I can get the weight as this was the prototype but I feel that Jim Box will weigh it for me to give you an answer. BTW... what we broke down Saturday evening is traveling today so it may be a few days before the trailer gets unloaded. I have a feeling that Jim may be catching up with being down here for almost two weeks.
Regards...
Sarge..
As I suspected Doug... the trailer coming home did not leave Atlanta until late yesterday. Once it arrives it will take a few days to dig through the contents. At that time Jim Box will weigh it as a photo shoot has to be done that was scheduled. I told him to just weigh it with the steel base as we both figure it will weigh around 30-40 lbs. Subtract that from total weigh and it should tell you what you want to know.
From having moved it around.. I can tell you that the height would not be conducive to toting on a job-site with the base. But.. I did not pick it directly up (if I could for that matter) so I cannot say for sure. Just guessing but with the granite tables and 3" increase of head with helical I would say the main component alone will push 120-140 lbs. as my Delta 13" 2 sp. weighed 92 I believe..?
Regards...
Sarge..
Edited 8/26/2008 3:03 pm ET by SARGEgrinder47
Thanks. I wasn't thinking so much of toting to job sites - just being able to lift it from the only place I've got available to store one to a work surface. I'm using a very old DW733 and have thought about going to a 735 but an extra 4" widthwould be cool. The shelf cubby where the 733 lives is probably big enough to fit the 735 or SC when not in use but the weight factor of lifting it out (and up) could be tough to deal with. I'll keep my eye on SC's site for pics and specs.
If you build it he will come.
Edited 8/26/2008 9:01 pm ET by douglas2cats
You would have to pull it off the steel stand that comes with it to get down low or under-neath storage, Doug. Pretty heavy as my Delta 13" was around 90 lbs. as mentioned and this guy weighs more with that granite. The Delta just had aluminum tables as you know.
Ahhh BTW... a note that might influence your case. The granite tables do not fold up as a standard lunch box. The way you attach doesn't really allow them to do so. But.. I gaurantee flat as I ran a Starret straigh edge across the entire lengh and there was no day-light to be seen. But it will take up a bit more space when not used and you do need to know that.
Sarge..
Thanks Sarge.
A granite lathe bed makes a lot of sense, but I can't quite get the thinking behind a granite bandsaw wheel. Is the stuff that homogeneous that it won't cause balancing problems?
If I could change one thing on my tools right now.. the band-saw wheel would be the one I changed with my current thoughts. Perhaps someone knows something I don't know though. So.. I will tell you what I know and have experienced using that 14" BS last week.
Only black granite is used which is scrutinized for it's grade (check for unstable streaks as grey granite have a tendency to have) before the process begins. Grey granite is not as stable. Water jet cut from a single slab and then precision ground to within .001 for flat. Balanced at that point. Almost twice as heavy as cast iron. Won't rust and won't warp.
Can we say that cast iron is totally homogenous when even under strict quality control the carbon can shift in the long process of making it and not disperse evenly throughout the end product? That is what causes internal stress that can crack it from what I understand. Granite has been stress cured for about 5 million years... So...
What I experienced.... The black granite is much heavier and once it got rolling created more torque than a standard cast iron wheel. On that 14" BS it appeared to add HP that the smaller motor couldn't produce. Enough IMO that I would have personally added a foot brake as I have on my larger BS as the granite didn't want to stop spinning. My smaller 14" BS at home and all I have used will stop spinning pretty quick therefore a foot brake is not an item you see often on the 14".
When I ran the saw the machine ran very smooth as the balance was obviously good. Tracked quickly and they use a flat tire as the Mini-Max. The extra weight sitting on the steel cabinet dampened vibration to none. So... unless there is something I am missing I would be glad to add a bottom black granite drive wheel on my 18" saw.
I suppose time and further testing will tell as time is the real test for almost anything. Again black granite has been sitting waiting for someone to test as it's warp resistance has been tested far longer than any of us combined with a couple of million years left over.. :>)
Regards...
Sarge..
Edited 8/26/2008 2:52 pm ET by SARGEgrinder47
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled