Tool Restoration

I've had the opportunity to restore some tools this year.  The best part is that I got them for little or nothing yet they have proven to be incredibly useful.

 

I bought this grinder station (the part from the 1/4" steel table up).  It was unpainted and so covered in grease I had to wash it 3 times in industrial solvent.  The brush wheel mount is a casting, but the tensioner and the whole contraption for the sanding belt were homemade by someone.  I cleaned, polished and painted it up, added a magnetic on/off switch, grounded plug, a new belt and brush and mounted it to a refurbished cast iron base I found on the property.  The base says "Portland Ironworks" on the bottom.  It's a lovely, utilitarian casting that weighs a ton.

  

This benchtop sander was given to me by Pat.  It was submerged in the 1996 flood and had to be stripped down, painted and rebuilt.  It's already dusty as it has proven a very useful tool even though I probably never would have thought to buy one.  There is a missing table that goes in front of the disk portion.  I can get one new for $45, but I can buy the whole thing for $75.  

I also had to repair the vacuum plate mount by making a fitting that went over the part that bolts on.  I added a section of vacuum tube so that I could plug in the suction from the front.  

 

The final piece, a benchtop scroll saw, also went through the flood.  It needed only to be cleaned and new band saw blades installed and it works like new.