The Workshop Progress Thread (2016)

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Photobucket is down for maintanence, they have had a few issues over the last week or two.

[Anonymous]

Posted by JasonB on 04/11/2016 18:23:21:

……………..they have had a few issues over the last week or two.

I used some rather ruder words to describe the problems……………..

Andrew

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Looks like your quiet word in Photobucket's ear worked Andrew as it is back up and running

An hour or two last night got the crank webs blended in and I have enough bar left for another engine.

The bearings were turned on Wednesday, last night I added the oil holes and anti rotation pins, all seems to turn over OK.

J

[Anonymous]

Posted by JasonB on 05/11/2016 08:01:29:

Looks like your quiet word in Photobucket's ear worked Andrew as it is back up and running

That's good, I can now start boring the socks off people about the design and manufacture of internal gears.

Andrew

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Looking foprward to it, I've not been able to sleep well lately

[Anonymous]

Posted by JasonB on 05/11/2016 12:51:53:

…….. I've not been able to sleep well lately

No problem, I'll rabbit on about the parametric equations for the involute of a circle, in both cartesian and polar co-ordinates, and which system is best for creating CAD models of internal gears…………

Andrew

[Iain DownsParticipant @iaindowns78295]

After months of stumblings, I've finally done something constructive enough to post on here!

Following advice in another thread, I've invested in a sine bar to check the angle of my prism. A back of the spreadsheet calculation showed that the height needed to be 104.03mm.

So I've milled, filed and scraped a piece of steel to be 104.03 mm as the riser for the sine bar. That is assuming my height gauge is accurate, which I can't check.

Actually, the top varies by +0.01 / -0.02 mm or so, but for something made with my own fair hands I regard this as the ultimate in precision! That would put the angle out by something like 2% of a degree. Far better than I can work to!

Next step is to actually check and correct the angle. Well next but one; I'm still working on getting the base flat. I currently on scrape 180 and counting. I expect I'm doing something wrong for it to take so much work, but no doubt I'll get there!

Next time I try something like this I'll try and find a bit of cast. scraping mild steel is rather more difficult.

Iain

[MWParticipant @mw27036]

Posted by Iain Downs on 06/11/2016 13:25:59:

Next time I try something like this I'll try and find a bit of cast. scraping mild steel is rather more difficult.

 

Iain

Looking good, Iain. I'd imagine you'd be pushing the limits of a garden variety vernier to measure 0.01/0.02 given that would be it's standard deviation anyway. Hence the necessity of your dial indicator. I dont think i've ever hand filed anything smaller than 0.1 tolerance, so it's commendable handiwork. Well done.

Michael W

Edited By Michael Walters on 06/11/2016 14:05:25

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Did some bits for the Root & Vandervoort ignitor yesterday and today got the R&H silencer "casting" done, just needs a pickle to clean up the inside a bit. Looks like I got my co-ordinates right as the tool did not come through the side and it seems to have an even 1/16" wall thickness. I used Alibre to work out the length of each cut at 0.020" steps, about 35 cuts each side then blended by hand.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

A little more done on the Ruston tonight.

Two bits of scrap MDF, one with a hole through, the other with a 5/8" dia hemisphire and a sheet of 20g steel sandwiched between. Make a form tool from a bar end of ali and shove the lot in the bench vice and give it a good squeeze and out comes a plate with a dimple.

The form tool was held in the chuck then the work held against that with a bit of tube and tailstock ctr to apply pressure and the edge turned to dia

Add a couple of screw holes and that is the silencer baffle plate crossed off the list.

[Bob RodgersonParticipant @bobrodgerson97362]

Not sure if this should be in the Motorcycle related forum or this one but here it is anyway.

At last I have managed to get a set of crank cases for a 1970's British Motorcycle engine set up on the mill and get the cylinder base machined. The problem with this job is that I have no dimensioned drawings and the timing side casing had already been part machined so I was having to reverse engineer things.

In order to machine the cylinder base at the correct angle and parallel to the mill table I had to make a dummy crankshaft with extended spindles so that I could place the extensions on raised Vee blocks, align the shaft with the mill X axis and clamp it in position using a couple of adjustable engine mounting plates and various clamps. It took me about 6 hours to make all the bits and mount the engine on the table just so that I could programme the mill and machine the base in about an hour.

I have machined the crankshaft journal bearing housings and installed the bearings and the next job will be to fit the crankshaft into the engine and install the crank in the correct position. In order to do this I have made a jig/fixture that will allow me to fit the pistons and land the cylinder block into the fixture aligning the X axis face of the jig with the mill and clamp the jig to the castings. I can then remove the cylinder and then either spot through the jig or centre each hole using the mill coordinate read outs and my centre finder and drill the tapping holes for the cylinder head studs.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by Bob Rodgerson on 11/11/2016 09:27:26:

Not sure if this should be in the Motorcycle related forum or this one but here it is anyway.

At last I have managed to get a set of crank cases for a 1970's British Motorcycle engine set up on the mill and get the cylinder base machined. …

Bob, what particular Brit bike engine of the 70s is this one? Not a BSA Fury/ Triumph Bandit is it? Cavity on the left looks very cam-chainish and gearbox cover coming off on the left is very non-British-tradition. Please tell us more about this project. Are you machining cases from raw castings?

[Bob RodgersonParticipant @bobrodgerson97362]

Hi Hopper,

you aren't wrong in your assumption. I was asked if I could get the engine to the stage where the crank would turn and the pistons go up and down so that further work can be carried out to get the engine into running condition.

The drive side casting was completely raw and the timing side partly machined. I can't tell you an awful lot more about it because of confidentiality issues.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Haha, all very Secret Squirrel. I think there are only a very tiny handful of complete examples in existence so will be interesting to see when this one pops up into public view. I never could get particularly excited about them myself. Trying to be a Honda 450 twin but not quite getting there, they seemed to me at the time. But certainly a collectible historical machine today. And an interesting machining project, to boot.

The REALLY interesting one would be Turner's original prototype with the 360 degree crank that flew apart every few thousand miles. I've never even seen a photo of that one. Wonder what ever happened to it?

Edited By Hopper on 12/11/2016 05:24:55

Edited By Hopper on 12/11/2016 05:44:15

[Bill PudneyParticipant @billpudney37759]

Posted by Hopper on 12/11/2016 05:24:01:

………………………The REALLY interesting one would be Turner's original prototype with the 360 degree crank that flew apart every few thousand miles. I've never even seen a photo of that one. Wonder what ever happened to it?………

I used to work with someone who had seen it, even more impressive was that he had seen it run. He jokingly suggested that observers needed ear defenders because of the racket, and leather aprons (well it was before the days of body armour!) for protection from bits of exploded engine. Maybe he wasn't joking. To end up with something that worked and became the Fury/Bandit the only remaining feature of the Turner engine was the height!

Personally I'd rather have a Fury/Bandit than the Turner prototype, but that's just my opinion!

cheers

Bill

[Iain DownsParticipant @iaindowns78295]

A year after I made my Fixed steady, I've finally got to use it!

I'm making a mount for my indicator and all I had was a very long piece of 50mm ally.

Facing off

Boring

And finally, parting off the bit at the end.

Dead chuffed I am.

Iain

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

Well done that man…

George.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Iain Downs on 12/11/2016 16:18:43:

A year after I made my Fixed steady, I've finally got to use it!

I'm making a mount for my indicator …

.

Looks good so far, Iain

MichaelG.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Thought I may as well give my early Xmas present a decent test to sliced up some 100x 50 CI bar to get a suitable bit to make the Ruston cylinder head from. Its a Femi 782XL, can be locked with teh blade flat and carried in one hand and will also convert to vertical use with an optional table.

Not a bad finish

I squared it up, nice bit of iron which cut well and made good chips and not dust

Then reamed for the valve guides, bored the recesses and cut the seats

Finally for today tapped 1/4" BSP for teh exhaust and drilled the passage which is angled in two directions

J

[mick70Participant @mick70]

got rd to mounting my 4 jaw on a plate that i can bolt to drill press.

got some odd shape bits to drill for a project that can't hold securely in drill vice.

also fit's my 3 jaw.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Lots of handle turning this weekend to get some shape into the Ruston Hornsby cylinder head.

Started by roughing out in teh vice then screwed it to a tooling plate so it was easier to clamp in various positions. Milled the two valve guide stems first

Then worked out some co-ordinates to shape the bulge where the exhaust socket blends into the head. I made a slight mistake on the first couple of passes so will have to get the JB weld out later. Must remember to mahe sure the rotary table is directly under the spindle when locating work under the spindle!

Then the raised bosses for the studs, rest of the exhaust and the inlet flange were shaped.

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

Jason,

When you go into your workshop does time slow down, I'm finding I don't have time to think about projects let alone do them.

I do enjoy reading about your exploits though, looking at the silencer I reckon you would have a market if you started making them full size

Martin P

[Iain DownsParticipant @iaindowns78295]

Last weekend I was on a roll – my PCs were finally back together and working (don't ask) and I was on the verge of completing an indicator stand for my Compac micron indicator.

I was so looking forward to posting a 'look I've finished something!' rather than a 'er…. how do you'.

Then disaster struck. My 6mm tap snapped in the hole. My own fault. Having a choice between a 5mm and a 5.5mm drill I went the wrong way. And I would be every so grateful if those who so magnificently contributed to my question about M8 tap drills would refrain from any comment on this one.

Some searching on this forum and a few minutes with eBay found me a 5mm carbide end mill and a new Volker tap (also a spiral tap which is what I actually used – I think I might get more of those…) and a set of 0.1mm separated drills.

This morning I machined out (high speed and slow feed) the offending tap, re-drilled, re-tapped and assembled and here it is!

It seems to be very stable with it's 3 feet (and in a pinch I can stick a weight on the back).

Happy again – until my next disaster!

Iain

[Anonymous]

I couldn't possibly comment – Andrew

[DanielParticipant @daniel]

Refraining . . .

[Author]

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