GWA Site Visit to Pierce and Pierce

One of the activities enjoyed by my woodworking club, the Gwinnett Woodworkers Association, is to visit various businesses around Atlanta that either have woodworking shops or are in the business of producing wooden products. This past Saturday we made a site visit to Pierce and Pierce Architectural Millwork and Moulding on Buford Hwy. I've been to this business once before to price some custom millwork (this was back in the mid 80's and the operation has expanded since then) - of course at the time I didn't get back into the operation. Seems the company was founded by a couple of guys who were having a hard time acquiring the type and style of millwork they needed to build their custom homes for a reasonable price. Like any good entrepreneurs they decided to make what they needed themselves and thus Pierce and Pierce was born.

The showroom had what you would expect - many examples of mouldings both milled and CNC-cut - there was also an assortment of corbels, decorative blocks and other elements available on shelves so you can pick up something without waiting. This company specializes in hardwood millwork, so the softest wood you would normally see here is poplar, with lots of cherry, maple and other hardwoods available. You can either select a pattern that they've already got made-up or have them create something custom. Part of the trade is composed of matching patterns that are no longer commercially available - so if you're trying to make some interior trim that's an exact match to a
historic home, you can come to them and have them create what you need.

We walked into their main millwork area and you're confronted by lots of production equipment, with stacks of lumber to one side. The first area shown to us during this tour was their metal-working shop - this is where blade-blanks are cut into the shapes for their cutting heads, via CNC-machine. It was explained that their technicians first render the shape using CAD equipment, then the file is handed off to their cutting machine for production. Profiles they want to save can be turned into a pattern shape in hard plastic that is then inserted into a machine that follows the profile, much like one of those key-cutting machines you see at hardware stores.

 There were many examples of cutting heads - they have a six-head machine - on tables and along a long wall. He explained that the entire upstairs of the small building (it was 2 stories, built into the warehouse)  was full of knives and patterns for the heads.

There were also a row of old Foley blade sharpeners - you know I like to see stuff like this!

We went back into the production area where we walked through huge stacks of wood - most of this was surfaced, dried and ready to go. I saw tons of poplar, maple, cherry, mahogany, walnut and a few odd species like spanish cedar and sapele.

Quite a bit of the operation relies on equipment to move the stacks around. Our tour guide described the machine that rips their stock based on width and need. Much like a lumber yard, the machine draws what it thinks are the best widths to maximize yield based on the size of the board - lines are drawn with lasers and the operator can improve the yield for cutting around defects.

We were also shown their finishing area - they pretty much exclusively use lacquer. Here are a few shots of some of the equipment, including a large planer and a Stenner resaw 36 inch bandsaw.

Next we went outside where the guide showed us their two large dust collectors (cyclones) - thought you guys would get a kick out of seeing them.

We then went into their special order shop - this is where they produce those fancy doors you see with the curved tops. Lot's of equipment in here so I only took pictures of those classic machines that I like so well. First up is a Crescent 16 inch joiner:

This last images is Hans standing next to a Powermatic bandsaw.

Hope you enjoyed it!

-- John

Rust Hunting in Georgia 2011.11.12

Just a few things from a sale I hit on Saturday - this one was well advertised and apparently quite a bit had already been sold by the time I got there. I did miss out on a nice body vixen body file mounted in a tension handle (already have one but you never know). Everything that was left was fairly cheap - actually the stuff I bought was dirt cheap - most of what you see was in the quarter pile.

The larger of these hammers was the most expensive item I bought at $3 - guess no one wanted it. I think it's a useful size - about 2 pounds. The ball pein with a broken handle was a quarter and seems pretty well made - it's marked but hard to read.

I was hoping the micrometer was a Starrett - but no it's a Craftsman and the only one left that wasn't rusty that still worked (I left two others that were basket cases) - for a dollar I couldn't complain. I also got the Craftsman thread chaser for a buck.

I threw in the fret saw which I actually purchased at another sale for $5 - it's not as good as my old Millers Falls but I figured it would work as a backup. The real prize from the sale was this Atlas Steady Rest:

This was in the quarter pile. That's right, I found an Atlas steady rest that fits my 6" Craftsman-branded Atlas metal lathe for a quarter. Never would I have imagined ever, EVER finding such an odd-ball item that I can actually use so cheap. If you look you'll see that one of the "fingers" is missing. I believe I can find a replacement relatively easy (or fab one up if need be). I checked it on my lathe and it fits perfectly.

I asked about the lathe while I was at the sale - the guy said it was long gone and in really rough shape. The buyer claimed everything would need to be rebuilt (going from this part it just looks very dirty). No telling what it went for but I would have liked to seen it. Funny that the buyer missed this part.

Well, that's it for me - fairly slim pickings but I've had so much luck so far this year it's probably time for things to settle down (running out of space!).

-- John

Rust Hunting in Georgia 2011.11.06

I hit the aftermath of a huge tool sale - sounds like the guy just picked up everything he could find and then left it to his widow to deal with (hopefully the same won't happen to me!). In any case, the sale started on Thursday so by the time I hit it Saturday morning, most of the better items were gone. Being the consummate bottom-feeder I still managed to find a few items - I spent a little over $30 for everything (it was discounted being the last day, plus I got some off for buying so much). Many of these items were marked $1 with I think $3 being the top price I paid (less discount).

First up a saw jointer, some new Stihl chainsaw blade files and a holder for same.

Next are some of my favorite "vixen" cut files:

And then some later Buck Chisels (they look crappy but I cleaned one up - stained but not pitted), a tiny press, brick chisel and a tap handle:

Here's a group of handled tools, an awl, dental pic, flat-blades for a brace, Marples driver, putty knife, some sharpening stones and a couple of utility knives (sucker for those - seems you can never find one when you need one):

A whole slew of replacement hammer handles, mostly in hickory or ash:

4 small cross-pein or ball-pein hammers (red-handled one marked Plumb):

A bunch of micro-Pony clamps:

A Starrett Horizontal Gage Holding Rod in box and a Starrett 6" rule with cover (incidentally, someone stole an expensive micrometer from the sale):

Here's a close-up of the saw jointer - marked Disston:

And that tiny press (like to call it an arbor press but I think it's for pressing circuit pins - in any case too "cute" to pass up):

The tap handle is marked "Morse" and "Made in USA"

And here are some detail shots:

Guess that about wraps it up - there were still a lot of tools at the sale - mostly junk or stuff I already had a lot of - One very decent Stanley #12 scraper with rosewood handles for $20 (decent deal) but it was missing the scraper blade.

-- John

Unisaw - Quick October 2011 Update

This past weekend I finally had a chance to put another coat on the Unisaw case - next up is a bit of wet-sanding then another coat and I'm calling it done.

I've started assembling some of the interior parts - still deciding about the motor - I have new bearings for it but may put everything together and do the motor later. This project has been taking so long that I'm getting to the point where I just want to get if off the floor (it takes up a lot of space and I have to hear someone complain about it every time she walks by).

-- John

Rust Hunting in Georgia - October 8, 2011

Seems it's taking me a bit longer to post than usual. Part of that is due to my finding fewer things, as I don't have the time now that I'm once again working to scout out sails earlier in the week. It's also due to there being less stuff available - in any case the following comprises my finds over the course of two weeks.

This set of old "Monkey Wrenches" was found with the two Bypass Pruners below them. Kind of odd as they aren't really related. I love the wood "perfect" handles on some of the wrenches. The two pruners are very heavy and made of a quality you just don't find in modern yard tools - the top is marked "Pexto" and the bottom just "Italy"

I tried the Pexto pair on a whim and they are much sharper than the old Crapsman set I've owned for 15 years or so - hard to imagine carrying these all day as they have some left to them. I'd imagine a gardener's forearm looking like Popeye's from using these (but then again, those laborers from 75 or more years ago weren't the slackers we seem to be producing these days).

There's one other item that's not related to the rest - the Stanley #67 Spokeshave next to the pruners. I actually bought this from a fellow woodworker on WoodNet - it has the best rosewood handles I think I've ever seen on this particular shave - they're usually beat to death. These are so old they're black, looking more like ebony than rosewood. I don't believe this is a very common shave. It's missing the round sole and there's supposed to be a fence but it's usable as-is. This shave allows you to remove one handle and reposition it perpendicular to the other so you can use it in corners, I guess. An unusual tool.

The other two tools in the photo I picked up at the same sale where I bought the lumber from the previous post - that was on the weekend of 10/8/11. I had known about the collection of tools as I originally purchased a Delta 15" drill press and a Makita 15 3/4" planer there about two years ago. I had left my number and after a couple of unanswered inquiries, pretty much forgot about it until the daughter sent me an email about the middle of last week. These were the items I was interested in - I'm thinking about helping her to sell a few other items (still some equipment including a PC 24" Omnijig). In the photo above are the cutter and cap from a 7" Delta plane - set made in the UK (I saw the plane there - it had a replacement blade and was cast from a Record body so it was much later). I also picked up the metal file handle as I find those particular useful.

The lightweight mallet above I grabbed on a whim - not that I really need it but I liked the feel of it in my hand. The Craftsman drill-vise is in really good condition and was grabbed as it was originally used on the drill press I purchased previously.

The clamps are kind of interesting - well the "Pearlitic" are at least. I can always use these deeper-throated C-clamps.

That small brace bit I actually got for a quarter a a yard sale - the edge has been filed for a fine slot and it seems well made.

I'm a sucker for honing and sharpening materials and these stones seemed worth getting.

Next to the stones are the real find from the sale - the father originally owned a Unisaw and I'm not sure how this was missed - guess the purchaser just didn't know what it was. This is the first mortising jig I've ever seen "in the wild" - it's a bit newer than the one I already own (has one of the "indestructible non-slick grip" totes) so I'll probably use it for trading material or sell it outright. It also has the paperwork which I've never seen.

To the right are a couple of Craftsman branded handscrews - nothing exciting as these have plastic handles, but they do have a decent acme thread instead of that trash used in modern Chinese handscrews.

In this photo is a roofing or lathing hatchet, a wood crate tool and a concrete groover. As some of you suspect, I'm a real sucker for anvils - and couldn't pass up this small benchtop - it's marked but I can't make it out.

The anvil is marked but I can't quite make out the name (Valiant?).

The concrete groover is marked EC Stearns - I've got two vintage edgers so this will be added to those to complete out my masonry kit.

I don't know much about this handsaw other than it's massive, feels great in the hand and seems well made. It's cut at about 6-8 tpi (didn't measure so going by feel) and is very sharp. I think it will clean up great - I don't have it in front of me and the photo of blade lost the etch so I'll edit this when I can take a closer look.

Marked H S B & Co. The handcarved apple handle is in great shape - probably pre-war?

One hidden gem - don't know if you spotted it, is the Stanley $75 Rabbet plane, still in the box. This one is made in the UK.

In all, some pretty good stuff. There are still a few items left at the house I'm thinking about going back for, including a Craftsman quick-release vise.

-- John