Originally posted to Old Woodworking Machines group:
I've got two auctions to go to. First one starts 10am, I'm interested
in
lot 173. Second one starts at 9am, but I'm interested in lot 643 and
up. Should be no problem as I've already been and inspected the
items.
I finish my morning read of OWWM and look at the clock. Auction
starts at 10am, better get going. I get to the auction and its
8.50am. Hmm, those 4 hours sleep really paid off.
Pictures of the machines at the first auction are here:
Just four and I'm really only interested in the 26" bandsaw. A combo
12" jointer, rip saw, shaper and horizontal borer sounds good on
paper, but its a bizzare beast with lots missing. Its not clear in
the pic but the rip saw comes up through the jointer infeed table.
Its so damn ugly I doubt its own mother loved it. At the right price,
good for parts I reckon.
The auction is crawling. For the first hour, about one lot per
minute. I start sweating bullets because I know Mr. Gregson at the
other auction is good for three times that rate. But Mr. Gregson has
sent me home empty handed many a time. The bandsaw is my best bet,
I
have to stay. And its quite pretty, under the messy paint jobs. The
machines finally come up and they all go for around the same price
-
$500. That's a real shame because I stopped bidding on the bandsaw
at
$450. I guess the other two guys that wanted it more than me didn't
care about the lousy 8" resaw height. The guy who won it was some old
bastard. When I saw him inspecting the saw I felt sorry for him,
knowing it was out his league. Auctions, you just can't read 'em. I
think he took home half the gear there.
Well, no time for tears. Its 12.15. I run the numbers for the other
auction in my head - Mr. Gregson should be at about 585. I've got
about 20 minutes. Fear sets in. Then the adreneline. I'm out of there
like a bat out of hell. I'm negotiating corner after corner with all
the skill and grace of a guy being chased on COPS. I get to the
freeway and work hard to keep my speed in check. I'm running
through all the possible routes to the auction yard in my head. I'm
totally focussed, I'm like a machine with one purpose in life. I'm
the Terminator. I chose my route. Wait, I remember construction in
that area. I chose an alternate.
Luck is with me. The normally busy industrial area has no traffic
this Saturday. And I don't even get lost. As I get to the yard, I see
cars parked for miles along the side of the road. I take a chance at
there being parking in the auction yard. Luck again, someone went
home and left a spot right in front of the office. Yikes, my 20
minutes are up. I had the foresight to register for this auction
during inspection so I hot foot it towards the machinery shed.
As I approach the shed, I can hear the auctioneer start a new
lot. "Mumble mumble mumble docking saw". Ahhhh, its big machinery!
I
fumble through the catalog while running, trying my best to impale
myself on a forklift. Its the lot before the first item I'm after,
c1930 Sagar chain and chisel mortiser. Before I'm in the room he's
started on the mortiser. No time to catch my breath, I'm in a bidding
war with the only woman there. I'm having a hard time concentrating,
what with trying not to have a heart attack and having a tough time
grasping that this skinny young blonde is an arn head. Just when I
think I'm in control, I feel a pair of breasts press up against my
arm and a hand run across my inner thigh. If I wasn't alert before,
I
was now. A sweet female voice wispers in my ear "let me have it".
Trembling and with sweat dripping from my forehead I manage to get
out one last bid and the mortiser is mine. I realised later that she
was actually talking about the mortiser. The woman gives me a dirtly
look and moves into the arms of some guy. What a man, too scared to
do his own bidding.
Here's my mortiser (the gold thing):
Its hard to make out what it all does from the pics. On the left side
is the chisel mortiser, with no chisel in it. Just pull down the
handle, a counterweight pulls it back up. When the handle is
completely up, the drive belt is disengaged. In the middle is the
chain mortiser. For those who don't know, like me until yesterday,
a
toothed chain cuts the mortise. Kind of like driving the tip of a
chainsaw into the wood. This one has a large head riding on ways in
the front and a large counterweight on ways in the back. The handle
is on the right. It has about 12' of flat belts running through it.
The motor is very old and enormous - about 1.5' in diameter. If the
tag is the right one, its power rating is a whopping.....
3hp? When inspecting the machine I might have sworn a few times in
awe. $335 and I now have my first piece of heavy arn, babbits and
all. Yep, that's a decent chunk of money so if you're going to tell
me why its crap, do it gently.
I also wanted this shaper but they wouldn't take less than $260 for
it. Bah, why bother accepting it for auction with a reserve like
that.
Oh well, one machine is better than none. Sorry to don e, I was really
hoping to apply to the mainer yahd aht assoc.
I did also bring home this little arn cart for $20, complete with
quality socket wrench:
Note: All prices in approximate U.S. dollars. In order to meet don e's
requirements for debauchery and danger I took a little creative
license with the behaviour of the female bidder. The rest is true.