First Project

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First Project

This topic has 8 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 18 June 2009 at 16:05 by mgj.

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9 June 2009 at 11:27 #4691
R O’Connor
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@roconnor49402
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9 June 2009 at 11:27 #41765
R O’Connor
Participant
@roconnor49402
Hi all,

I’m absolutely new to M.E or any engineering for that matter.

I have just purchased a mini-lathe with a view to ‘building something’ and would be very grateful for advice on a VERY simple first project.

I bought the castings and accompanying book for a Stuart 10V ,but as a ‘newbie’ I couldn’t make head or tail of the drawings !!!

Many Thanks.
9 June 2009 at 14:34 #41768
David Clark 13
Participant
@davidclark13
Hi There

Stuart 10 is very simple but ar you an imperial or metric user?

regards David
9 June 2009 at 15:26 #41770
Circlip
Participant
@circlip
“R O’Connor” First carefully put the Stuart castings away. Then have a trip to the local library (Now THERE’S an experience) and get a book out on Mechanical drawing practice. Simple as you can find, at least it will give you the feel of what symbols and what they mean are used. Then have a look at a couple of titles on here by “H. Hall” ( No connection and usual disclaimer) to pick up a few machining tips.

The FIRST engine you should be looking at makinng would be an Oscillator (Or Wobbler as the Yanks call them), SIMPLE, but accuracy is required to get them to run properly and the same rules apply for every other engine you a re likely to come across.

THINK before you do anything cos this ingineerin thing BITES (an sometimes it hurts)

Regards Ian.
10 June 2009 at 22:35 #41801
Dave Tointon
Participant
@davetointon92281
G’Day, I suggest that you start by making some simple tools for the workshop. A set of Jenny calipers perhaps, a couple of toolmakers clamps, scribers, centre and pin punches there’s any number of tools to make that will help you to learn some basic skills. When I started as an Apprentice Fitter, we were given a cast iron block and told to chisel an eighth of an inch off the top. After much grumbling at the futility of the exercise, we had learned how to use a hammer and chisel and the first aid kit to fix bruised knuckles! Then we had to file it flat! learned how to file. Then scrape it. learned how to scrape. The block ended up as a surface gauge that I still have and use after 40 years! There are basic skills that we all need before diving into an engine or other complex project.

Regards Dave Tointon
11 June 2009 at 16:00 #41814
Geoff Theasby
Participant
@geofftheasby
I also am new to ME, having bought a Unimat 3 from eBay a couple of years ago, and slowly built up a workshop and accessories.

I bought s/h a Staurt beam engine, and am building a governor for it from the raw materials as supplied by Stuart. I am learning fast, with a few false starts and mistakes.

I then intend to build a pair of dividers and a vertical slide from scratch.

I make my own Antex soldering iron bits from copper rod.

This is great fun!

Regards

Geoff
17 June 2009 at 10:55 #41925
Chris
Participant
@chris16039
A beginner just like yourself. I started with the little bender, ME 4345 by John Barrett. A great exercise in reading the drawings and making something which has turned out to be a very useful tool. Made up some replacement brake pipes for my car only yesterday.

Followed that with the Stuart S 50 which is almost complete. Looking for some advice about the cylinder casting. (See my other postings).

Now I have started the Shand Mason Fire Engine. There are parts I can do and some I will need to learn about as I go along. For me that is the fun of this crazy game, always something new to learn.

Regards Chris.
17 June 2009 at 15:15 #41928
John Wood1
Participant
@johnwood1
If you want to start on model making, rather than toolmaking, I could suggest a simple steam engine such as those described in Tubal Cains books ‘Building Simple Model Steam Engines’. There are some lovely little engines which are not hard to make and you end up with a working model to play with. The drawings are very well done and largely self-explanatory and the machining and production techniques are fully described in easily understood language and you don’t need a shopfull of tools. The books are advertised on this site, just go to ‘Shopping’ and navigate to Model Engineering Books.

I think the Stuart engine you suggest is probably not ideal for a beginner but should be fine once you have gained some familiarity with tools and techniques. This is the way I started three years ago and I am now turning out some nice work but have had great fun with the simpler models up till now which have taught me a great deal.

Hope this helps

John
18 June 2009 at 16:05 #41937
mgj
Participant
@mgj
Trouble is, to make a model you do need tools- or they help.

Some kind of simple indexing arrangement, perhaps a fairly simple jig for grinding lathe tools, a depth stop is very handy, a handy lock lever for the saddle, perhaps a samll boring and facing head, or at hte least a small flycutter holder. Oh an accurate tee bar for squaring up up vertical slides quickly without having to change to a faceplate. A little holder for small milling cutters, and a drawbar for a small milling chuck.

Keep anyone a bit busy. My list included a GH Thomas Versatile dividing head, which, apart form the dividing/indexing, is one of the mose useful toolholders for slotting (before you make a little slotter) and of course for milling because anything round up to 3/4″ is automatically at centre height. Thats a great timesaver….Where do you stop?

If one is honest, even the most complex bit is only a combination of several single operations. The suggestion would be to think each operation through, whats to be used as a datum, and above all, how it is to be held for each operation.

But there is always a problem if you cannot viualise the object in your mind….so it might be worth looking at a small toolmaking project which will ease life in the future, but which comes with an isometric drawing -thats like a 3d drawing/pic rather than the old style single plane first or 3rd angle projections. An isometric drawing is a lot more user friendly and you know what the finished lump should look like. You should avoid end making a left hand version of a right hand bit!

Hemingway supply that sort of thing, and a good set of instructions (usual disclaimer) and I imagine there are others too … oh and get Tubal Cain’s book, Workholding in the Lathe. (absolute Godsend, along with everything else he wrote!)
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