Renfro Repair, Machine and Weld

11/11/2022

It still beats swinging a hammer.

11/06/2022

I got this indicator stand for free so I cant complain to much but the k**b is so small that I cannot tighten it enough without pliers to keep the end from drooping down, which is very inconvenient. Could not find a replacement online so finally got around to making a new one.

10/26/2022

Another broken mower deck, this time the chute hinge and mount, it seems these mowers hold up fairly well but the decks not so much, but maybe that's just my experience with them. It probably could have used a weld but the way I pulled the flap back and fastened it to the deck caused a sandwich of material to stack up metal plastic metal. So i drilled some holes and put some stainless steel pop rivets in it, then since the plastic chute will no longer spring back when it hits something I cut off the chute as short as possible without exposing the blades to minimize the chance of hitting obstacles. All and all I feel like it turned out OK, but I am always open to suggestions on better ways to do things so if you've got them let me know.

09/05/2022

This part came from a disc mower to mow hay with behind a tractor. The bearings seized and the assembly got so hot it nearly welded the bearing to the housing but with some work it came out !

08/13/2022

This part came from a Skidder in Buladean from what I understand it connects the engine via PTO to the winch. Over time the bearing has gone bad and allowed the shaft to ware where the bearing sits this caused the shaft to become to small around for the inside of the new bearing. So material had to be welded back into the bearing seat to increase the overall size then this material must be turned in the lathe to create a usable surface that can be comfortably supported by the bearing.

07/19/2022

07/17/2022

My new lathe a big upgrade from the old one.

07/12/2022

My new to me compressor I have been building. I picked up a piece here and there until I had enough to finally put together a complete compressor ( at this point I probably could have bought one cheaper) . I bought the compressor pump and tank from a man in Erwin TN who salvaged them from the plant he retired from, and after a little paint on the tank they didn't look to bad (it was 2 years ago that I painted the tank and even though I wiped it down there is still dust on top). The motor driving the compressor was originally a 2 horse power but I was able to find a 3 horse power for cheap. Unknown to me the most expensive part was the piping to plumb it with, other than the PEX. This new compressor is a huge improvement over the 3 gallon compressor I had in the past, not that it wasn't great but it was time for an upgrade as many of my machines use compressed air to clear away the metal chips they create as they cut and to spray coolant to cool the cutting tool and work piece during cutting. In the future I plan to run air lines across the ceiling so that compressed air will be accessible from many connection points rather than one at the back of my shop.