Legacy Millwork Machine
The Legacy Milling Machine is a tool which utilizes a router, coupled to a movable carriage, all mounted on a framework. It allows the operator to do some very interesting things with wood. I had been casually wanting one for a couple of years, but had no reason to justify the purchase, and no spare money to purchase one on a whim.
All that changed a few months ago. I was contacted by a man who was building a house, and incorporating a Victorian stairway into its design. He had acquired two huge newel posts of walnut, 164 balusters of chestnut, and what lookd to be miles of handrail. However, he needed some more newel posts to complete the rail; hence his conversation with me.
To make a long story a little shorter, the result of some very lengthy discussion was that I could make the posts he wanted in the design he wanted if I bought a Legacy machine. After conferring with SWMBO, who is also my bookkeeper, we made the plunge (so to speak), and I took the job. The cusatomer supplied the wood, which turned out to be chestnut barn beams salvaged from a barn that had been taken down.
Here is the wood. I was supplied with nine beams to make nine posts. Now, that might sound just right in terms of how much wood I need theoretically, but from a practical point of view, it was quite stress inducing, especially considering the size and lack of availability of replacement blanks. Eight of the blanks were approximately 48" - 50" long, with the ninth being about 64" long. Finished length was to be 46" for the short ones, and 56" for the long one. All were roughly 5" square, and were to be milled to a finished square of 4 3/4". With this being a simple record photo, and not suitable for a design magazine, I'll point out to those interested that you can see my shadow in the corner, complete with camera.
Being old barn beams, this stuff was never intended for fine furniture, and I cautioned the customer that it might not end up with the same polished look as his salvaged pieces from the 19th century. The phrase of making a silk purse from a sow's ear came to mind. Still, he was determined to have chestnut, and have them made from solid wood, as opposed to laminated stock.
This is a shot of one piece after the initial rounding operation. This could have been accomplished on a lathe as well, but the blanks were just a little too long to fit on my Poolewood. On the plus side though, the surface is dead on where I wanted it with a minimal amount of fussing. On the right side, which is the rear of the machine, you can see a template made of MDF for template routing. This particular template was for the partially rounded corners leading up to the first completely round part.
Same thing, different angle. Please excuse the graffiti on the wall. I didn't do it, and I haven't had time to paint over it. Some previous residents of our property spent a lot of time drinking in all of the various outbuildings. Apparently in what is now the shop, they had access to beer and spray paint at the same time. I do have to wonder to what school the "artist" was referring, in that he (or she) was allegedly old enough to drink and still compelled to attend classes.
Here is a shot of the partially completed posts. All of the circular milling has been done, and all that is left to do is the taper. Taper cuts can be done in two different ways. One way is to make a template and follow it with the router carriage fitted with a stylus. The second way is to adjust the angle of the bed. I opted to use the bed adjustment for a couple of reasons. The main one was that the taper had to end up squared off at the top, and the only way to do that (besides a lot of hand work) was to mill it from the top instead of the side. Secondly, template routing can get quite exciting if a lot of stock needs to be hogged off. It is much easier to control the quality and depth of cut using the depth gauge on the router. Of course, I had other problems waiting for me.
The first, and biggest problem encountered was that the machine would not taper as far as the promotional literature indicated. Well, it would, but not if I stayed within design parameters. I was a litte frustrated when I discovered this fact, as it was the tapering capability that had encouraged me to purchase the machine in the first place. More on that later. After a lot of thinking, and a few bad words, I came up with the solution pictured here. I disassembled the rear end of the machine, and built a couple of risers. This enabled the bed to droop down below its frame, and allowed me to reach the desired taper angle. The rear riser had two U shaped cutouts in it to allow the posts to turn
A closeup of the tail end of the machine. The hex cap screws holding the legs to the bottom frame rails have been removed to allow the bed to droop past the frame. The elevation screws have been removed as well.
The (almost) finished product. I say almost, because final sanding by hand has yet to be done. Fortunately for me, I ain't the one doing it. My customer opted to perform that task himself as a cost cutting measure, and that was just fine with me. The good side of the posts are turned to face the camera. The wood was extremely dry and powdery, with numerous knots and heart checks. Where it was clear and solid, it machined very well, but the gnarly parts had several blowouts due to cracking and voids.
Here is the model post with the copies I made. I followed the details and dimensions as closely as I could while keeping it to scale. I had to stretch the linear elements somewhat, and the extra square on the ends make them look even longer, but I suppose that will be taken care of at the time of installation by the contractor building the house. He wanted the posts to hang down below stair tread level. This walnut newel post is a monster. It is a solid piece, with no pith in it. The bottom is 8 1/2" square, and it is 42" high. As with many of my customers, this one brought me a sample and said, "Here, can you make me something that looks like this?"
A closeup of the top details. The bracket screwed on the end comes with the machine (you get four) More are a real plus, and I was able to borrow five more from my friend Jim. It fits into a slotted wheel on the headstock, and makes it easy to remove and reinstall the work with consistency. This is one of the nicer pieces. Some of the "homely" ones are below.
Middle details and the bottom of the taper. I hadn't mentioned it before, but the taper is an octagon, in case anyone is wondering.
A little closer shot of the milled work. Like I said, the customer is going to do the finish sanding, and he will apply whatever varnish, oil, or whatever he wants. I have an invitation to get pictures of the whole stairway when it is done, and they will be added just as soon as I do. I'll be writing a little more on my impressions of the Legacy, but I wanted to get these posted with a little bit of an explanaiton as soon as possible. Thanks for taking the time to read thsi, and if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me.
