That sounds right. I like the ladder. Dave Carlon has one that will kick the ladder out by reversing the handles after the carriage latches. I've seen a bunch of other Swans that won't do it. Saves a step.

Here is one of my machines which I have change a few parts on. I did this before I purchased the Boss. It turns slower than the slowest speed on the boss. Some day I will adapt another head with the gears reversed to speed the bit up for peg holes, or construct a whole new machine for such a purpose.



Here is a home made version, something along this line for peg holes.
Excuse the shaky camera. You can hear one of our wind mills wisping in the back ground. I hesitate to decommission an older machine for readaptive use.

Nice videos. I got one question, did the camera lady get in trouble cause she got pitch on her jacket?

No Jim, she did not. Funny how she found the only pine timber to lean on, and it was an extra sticky one too. It is coming on to that time of the year when the sun hits new timber the sap really flows.

Tim

By the way, nice home made machine....and tell her she did a good job as a camera lady.....

Tim, nice work on your machines. Projects like that take some work. You're the first person I've seen so far making or extensively modifying a boring machine. I just purchased a Boss boring machine head on ebay and should receive it in about a week.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170453636572&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
I'll either have to come across a frame for it or make my own.

great vids once again Tim...the Moonhill boring machine is awesome I especially like the use of "off the shelf" components, if something snaps it's easily replaceable...which is hardly the case with the antique machines. Now I know why you so confidently hammer down on yours

Brad, you got the heart and soul of a boring machine, the rest should be a pc of cake to fab up

Brad, you could make up an angle iron from like Tim's and then you'd just need a rack gear for the lift out.......

to copy an regular boss machine you'll have to make the rack movable so you can bore down, then engage the rack and lift the bit out.....

Not sure I follow you there Jim, with "make the rack movable". Admittedly, I have not had any experience with a Boss. Do you mean make it movable like on my Snell? Movable, meaning it rotates to engage? I was just looking at some pics of a boss on the web. Not sure I follow you there Jim, with "make the rack movable". Admittedly, I have not had any experience with a Boss. Do you mean make it movable like on my Snell? Movable, meaning it rotates to engage? I was just looking at some pics of a boss on the web. Bosspics
The pics called upper standard left and lower standard left, what do each of these levers do? I imagine one is to hold the head up -latch, when at the top, and the other maybe to engage the rack? Wish I had one to look at in person...I'll go back and find your Boss videos Jim and see if I can figure it out from that. .....OK, I just watched your video and you totally showed me what I wanted to know. Thanks Jim!!! Brad, now if you had a frame already sitting around, you'd tell me eh?

I think the rack moves forward and backwards a little to engage and dis-engage.

I have a machine here and can inspect it if you need me to.....

I'll ask Tom if he has a boss base parts machine available....

Jim