Just Started a 4 inch Foster

[Chris GunnParticipant @chrisgunn36534]

MIke, I would advocate grease as well, it will fill up the gap between the 2 bearings which will act as a reservoir. Just be careful when you drill the hole in the hub to make sure the greaser is in the middle of 2 spokes on the outside of the wheel so you can get at it easily.

Chris Gunn

[Mr MikeParticipant @mrmike]

Again thanks for the advice I need to look at greasers, have I imagined a type that forces grease through every time you turn it? I was thinking if it's possible to hide a nipple in a cup oiler.

Work so far…..as said before for me its a test and demonstration of skills rather than the end result so rather than buy an axle I'm making one from square bright bar 40mm. The axle shafts were turned on the big Colchester at work as it was all I had access to that had a spindle big enough to take this size bar else it'd have to be turned between the chuck and a centre. First I scribed 2 diagonal lines corner to corner in the ends to line the centre up roughly using a 4 jaw and a dead centre. Next I put a tool in the post backwards and used it and the feed reading to measure and adjust the work in the 4 jaw chuck. Finally it was clocked up with a dti I have made to fit in my tool post.

[Mr MikeParticipant @mrmike]

Onto the mill, I placed the work in a vice and used the turned ends on blocks as my level. This way I could turn the work through its 4 sides and it remained at the same height regardless how much I removed at a time. Not shown is the stop I clamped to the bed to place one end against, this way provided the work was positioned against the stop I could work on each end and side and my machining remained equal. The tool used was a carbide that was wider than my work so I could mill from any direction and not be climb milling.

[Mr MikeParticipant @mrmike]

I left one section on opposite sides as my axle requires a taper on it.

[Mr MikeParticipant @mrmike]

Finally I angled the milling head after working out the angle and machined the taper. Again I fell foul of the lack of measurements on the drawings and my taper isn't as long as it could be so im undecided if to leave it be or fabricate a longer taper to it. The last part was to round off the sharp corners and lots of emery paper with a file to give it that look of a casting. I'm sure some purists may not be keen but im happy with the result.

[Mr MikeParticipant @mrmike]

Front spokes, these I did purchase fro lsm as it made economic sense as they were cheaper to buy than the raw materials would be. Also I don't feel I need a skills test of plasma cutting 24 pieces of 6mm plate. After a misadventure or 2 with a poor performing vernier height gauge, the result of which is visible in one of the pics. I had one marked up to be drilled. With this I set the vice up in the pillar drill and simply place each spoke in turn in the vice using a parallel as a stop each time I set up. This method allowed me to knock them out as a production line. A chap at work ground an old drill to make a counter sink that was the same profile as my allen bolts and off the production line went again. Next using a jig made for my rotary table I put a radius on the end of each spoke with the mill. Here hast led me astray, obviously the radius was different to the on in my milled hubs them being 8mm and me having put a 12mm one on the spokes. So a quick finish with a file and they fit a treat.

[Chris GunnParticipant @chrisgunn36534]

Mike, here is a dummy screw down greaser fitted to my 6" 4CD, under the cap is a TAT flat grease nipple. If you want to go down this route I can help you with the grease nipples, just PM me.

Chris Gunn

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