He Makes His Own Metal Replacement Parts

He Makes His Own Metal Replacement Parts FARM SHOP Parts 31-3-39 Not everyone has the skill or the patience to make their own metal replacement parts for older equipment. But for those who do, a 3-in-1 "Smithy" from Smithy Tools may be just the ticket. "I've used my Smithy for some tough jobs," says John Fell, San Jose, Calif. "A while back I lost a pin out of a Massey 300 dozer. It was about 2 1/2 in. diameter and about 12 in. long. I cut a piece out of an old bus axle and made the pin on the Smithy. To buy a pin for an old tractor like that would have cost me a fortune." A much tougher project for Fell was a smashed steering gear on a Ford tractor. When the dealer couldn't find a replacement, Fell took the broken pieces out and chucked them into the lathe using centers on the lathe to line the parts up. He then covered the lathe and other machine parts with wet sacking and a leather welding apron and arc welded the pieces back together. After taking the piece out of the lathe, he ground away the broken metal leaving him with a straight shaft. He then built it up using arc welding, getting it roughly back to its original shape. "I put it back in the lathe and used the Smithy surface grinder to get it back to its exact original size and shape," says Fell. "The people at the New Holland dealership said they couldn't have done it." Starting at just under $1,000 for the Midas 1220, a Smithy 3-in-1 can pay for itself quickly. The combination machine lets an operator shape faces with mirror quality finishes with the mill, cut holes with precision with the drill, and turn cylinders with the lathe. As Fell found, the lathe also works for lining up broken parts. Fell has a top-of-the-line Granite model. Prices run as high as $3,999 for the Granite 1340-I. According to Michelle Rowe, Smith spokesperson, the Granite line is their best selling and contains features such as a quick change gearbox, cam lock spindle and a 1 1/2 hp variable speed motor. However, even the economy line Midas can machine to within 0.0001-in. tolerance. "I bought my Smithy to replace a lathe with a burned up motor," says Fell. "Instead of buying a new motor and a lathe attachment, I bought the Smithy. It isn't intended for big production runs, and you have to be patient and take small and medium cuts, but my machine has paid for itself over and over again." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, John Fell, Eagle Mountain Ranch, 5550 Felter Rd., San Jose, Calif. 95132 (ph 408 258-5851); or Smithy Co., 170 Aprill Drive, P.O. Box 1517, Ann Arbor, Mich. 48106 (ph 800 476-4849; sales@smithy.com; www.smithy.com).

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