The Workshop Progress Thread 2020

[Jim NicParticipant @jimnic]

At last I've finished Stew Hart's Dad's & Lad's mill engine, life and health slowing my normal snail's pace down to soporific. It was straightforward enough even with my "enhancements" but interesting nevertheless, certainly a good project for a second or third engine for a relative beginner.

Mill engine running

Next up is our esteemed editor's Norden engine.

Jim

[Grenville HuntParticipant @grenvillehunt47315]

excellent work, keep it up!

Gren.

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

Jim,

That really is very nice.

Rod

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Lots of tasty features in Jim's engine when I look closely. The regulator instantly impresses, but I like the exhaust pipe, lagged input, brass cladding band, and brass oil points. I've built the simpler version of this engine and it works well. However, have to confess Jim's standard of finish and eye for detail is far better than mine. I try not to get depressed: must try harder!

Dave

[geoff walker 1Participant @geoffwalker1]

Lovely Jim, lots of detail and a good combination of home made and ready made parts.

Well done

Geoff

[Jim NicParticipant @jimnic]

Thanks for the kind words gentlemen.

Jim

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Jim Nic on 07/09/2020 21:27:13:

At last I've finished Stew Hart's Dad's & Lad's mill engine, life and health slowing my normal snail's pace down to soporific. It was straightforward enough even with my "enhancements" but interesting nevertheless, certainly a good project for a second or third engine for a relative beginner.

Nicely done Jim!

Neil

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

A bit off beam, but it's what I just did in my workshop…

This morning the top button 'pinged' off my jeans, the rivet just pulled through the hole

Normally that's the end but these aren't anywhere near worn out otherwise.

I noticed a narrower shank in the rivet part visible between the two parts. Pushed it back through the waistband and added a C-clip, which is a few mm larger in OD than the rivet. Job done!

Neil

[SteviegtrParticipant @steviegtr]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 09/09/2020 14:06:57:

A bit off beam, but it's what I just did in my workshop…

This morning the top button 'pinged' off my jeans, the rivet just pulled through the hole

Normally that's the end but these aren't anywhere near worn out otherwise.

I noticed a narrower shank in the rivet part visible between the two parts. Pushed it back through the waistband and added a C-clip, which is a few mm larger in OD than the rivet. Job done!

Neil

You need to leave the puddings alone for a while.

Steve.

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Posted by duncan webster on 28/08/2020 21:48:14:

Finally plucked up courage to plug in the latest version of my milling machine table drive. The previous edition worked OK, but over the years had grown to have far too many separate boxes. Yes I know it looks like an explosion in a tripe works, but after sorting out some software issues where it didn't quite do what I expected it's a runner. I'll put the lid on tomorrow, then wait for the engraved front panel for the joystick box

Edited By duncan webster on 28/08/2020 21:48:40

And here it is with the front panel, well worth £15 for those who don't have CNC engraving. Now there's a challenge for the CNC experts, it would be good for making pcbs as well

[Mark RandParticipant @markrand96270]

I've been doing sod all inside the shed for the last fortnight. SWMBO decided that she was fed up with the way that the shed looked from the house. She got a paint by numbers kit off the Interweb and sent me to the Dulux Decorators Centre with samples of 22 colours to be scanned and mixed into 250ml sample pots. She doesn't do either colours or ladders all that well and I don't do art at all. But this is what we ended up with:-

 

 

I've still got to transfer bits of colour from what I painted on the wall onto the horizontal gutter drainpipe. Apparently I'll be doing that first thing tomorrow…

Edited By Mark Rand on 19/09/2020 22:40:40

[modeng2000Participant @modeng2000]

With camoflage like that you'll never find the workshop again.

[Philip BurleyParticipant @philipburley44197]

love that !!!!! mine is just faded green

[iNfParticipant @inf]

After enjoying and reading Jason's Jowitt build thread for what felt like the 100th time! I thought I should have a go at making my own version, using some of the many bar ends given to me by a couple of friends from a local engineering firm that usually get chucked in the skip for scrap! Nothing like trying to make your 1st 'proper' engine (apart from a small wobbler) as difficult as possible.

1st mark out and set up and bore piece of 55mm 303 stainless

[iNfParticipant @inf]

Then slice off on the bandsaw mill steps on the sides

[iNfParticipant @inf]

mill some ally bar to shape and JB weld it all together

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

First one I have seen with a built up cylinder, off to a good start.

[Jim NicParticipant @jimnic]

An interesting method of construction for sure, well thought out and a good use of materials to hand.

For me an attractive aspect of model engineering is "doing it my way" while sticking to the basic design dimensions.

I look forward to updates on this project.

Jim

[iNfParticipant @inf]

to make the frame I managed to buy a generic boring head from Amazon complete with carbide boring bars for just over £30. As has been discussed on the forum before, these usually have incorrect clearances, so a quick lick with a 'dedicated tool and cutter grinder' sorted that out

Then on to the real work!

Edited By JasonB on 24/09/2020 13:57:26

[iNfParticipant @inf]

Then shaping the sides

Edited By JasonB on 24/09/2020 13:58:00

Edited By JasonB on 24/09/2020 13:58:17

[iNfParticipant @inf]

Roughing out the conrod, using a centre set back in the 4jaw chuck and using the jaws as a drive dog. Thanks to Stew Hart for that tip on his potty mill build thread.

 

Then a bit of a lash up to try and get a smooth finish to the taper using the top slide!

Edited By iNf on 24/09/2020 19:55:38

Edited By JasonB on 24/09/2020 19:56:22

[iNfParticipant @inf]

Next the piston was machined from aluminium bar and when that was cut off the cylinder cover was cut from the same bar, sorry only 1 photo of that. The bolt holes were drilled in the cover using coordinates from zeus and then spotted through onto the cylinder

[iNfParticipant @inf]

Machining some phosphor bronze bar into square for the bearing, using a holder used for sharpening end mills and a square for indexing.

I didn't have much luck soldering the 2 halves together for boring out and turning. So ended up using a couple of keep plates and bolting together then machining in the 4 jaw.

[iNfParticipant @inf]

Boring out the eccentrics in the 3 jaw using a packing piece. I bored out bearings etc as I was using imperial 3/8 stock from an old printer as the crank rather than 10mm and I didn't have a decent 3/8 reamer. Also used 5mm rod from another printer for the valves as I knew my ability to get a good finish turning down stock that long to 4mm was severely limited!

[iNfParticipant @inf]

I had intended to make the flywheels out of some old 0.5kg cast iron weights that I had. This turned out to be a non starter as they were so hard that trying to machine them had my ml7 tieing itself in knots and it quickly became apparent that something expensive or painful was going to happen ( probably both! ) So enter 'plan B'. The only stock I had of a suitable size was some inch thick flat bar, so…

Some creative bandsaw work to fit a nearly 4" square into a 3.5" saw. Boy was I glad that I had it!

Then work in progress.

[Author]

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