The Workshop Progress Thread 2020

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Some more progress on the Governor and steam valve for the F&S engine which is based on a Gardner governor, not fully working but I'll be happy if my balls spin round and fly out. Small top bevel is 12T and 5.6mm OD, vertical is 18T to get the speed up.

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Wow, that is small Jason but the top bevel 12T at 5.6mm that is tiny, it would be getting into magnifying glass territory for my eyes.

Impressive.

[Anthony KnightsParticipant @anthonyknights16741]

Slotting tool is now finished . It's to my own design which I sort of made up as I went along, so I don't know how it performs.

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

Spent this afternoon making a crank handle for the SC3 lathe. As I was putting the 6mm threads on the rod I thought that it would be a sight less fiddling trying to wind the chuck round avoiding the saddle, toolpost etc if I had a crank handle for the lathe.

Oh………..

Well I have one now.

Edited By Nick Clarke 3 on 26/05/2020 18:32:00

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

Posted by JasonB on 13/05/2020 17:19:07:

Some more progress on the Governor and steam valve for the F&S engine which is based on a Gardner governor, not fully working but I'll be happy if my balls spin round and fly out. Small top bevel is 12T and 5.6mm OD, vertical is 18T to get the speed up.

I have always been impressed by your work, but this takes the biscuit. Super bit of engineering.

And, reading your post again, I have no doubt you would be happy if ……….

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Thank's Nick, got it more or less back together today after painting and although my balls did go round and swing out they were a little erratic. Think I need to get a second Mamod drive belt as it is a bit too much of a stretch for a standard one. Only time I used the collet chuck on the lathe was to hold the 3/16" stainless balls to drill the 1mm holes. Did use collets in the spin indexer for some jobs like making the 2mm A/F M1.2 nuts you can see.

But pleased that it seems to be running OK at the moment and need to resist the temptation to play with it when I should be working on the base. Just resting on the 1-2-3 blocks and less than 5psi showing on the comp regulator and no ball action!

[Iain DownsParticipant @iaindowns78295]

This is more about progress in the workshop rather than workshop progress.

I've stolen this idea from Blondihacks (I think), but when I saw it I knew it was for me. One challenge with a bigger mill is that you get blue hot chips coming of and pelting you and the surroundings. Not nice.

So the idea is to drop some magnets (the small pill shaped super ones you can get pretty much anywhere – 10mm dia x 5mm height) into a block and glue some plastic to it. The clear plastic may be a bit of a challenge these days, but I have a bunch 'in stock'.

My first attempt was a 3D printed block and I tried to locate the magnets with green loctite. It didn't stick. Don't know why. Next was an aluminium block. Also didn't stick.

Cleaned out the ally block and superglued. It worked! I've also put a bit of masking tape on surface of the magnets which I hope will let me clean swarf off without seriously affecting the grab.

Not actually tried milling with them yet, but I'm confident. I've a few more to make (including one to go on the vice) which will be 3D Printed.

Iain

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Posted by JasonB on 26/05/2020 18:59:13:

Thank's Nick, got it more or less back together today after painting and although my balls did go round and swing out they were a little erratic. Think I need to get a second Mamod drive belt as it is a bit too much of a stretch for a standard one. Only time I used the collet chuck on the lathe was to hold the 3/16" stainless balls to drill the 1mm holes. Did use collets in the spin indexer for some jobs like making the 2mm A/F M1.2 nuts you can see.

But pleased that it seems to be running OK at the moment and need to resist the temptation to play with it when I should be working on the base. Just resting on the 1-2-3 blocks and less than 5psi showing on the comp regulator and no ball action!

That Jason is impressive what a lovely little engine, different with detail and interest where ever you look, well done Sir. It runs sweetly to very smooth slow running at the bottom end and built to your usual hign standard.

Great stuff.

Edited By Ron Laden on 27/05/2020 07:41:49

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Posted by JasonB on 11/05/2020 16:27:08:

Some of the finishing touches to the Filer & Stowell included the cylinder cleading, I went for the type quite often seen on American engines that have a serices of recessed grooves.

Cut on the SX2.7 as I have a 6mm Weldon type colder for that which made it easier to see that I was doing with the 2mm cutter.

Also made some oilers, had to make the tube first from some 6mm perspex sheet, does not polish up quite as well as Acrylic rod but will do the job.

And I have made a start on the governor

Edited By JasonB on 11/05/2020 16:28:07

I missed this post Jason, the American style cylinder cleading I think very impressive. Looking at your set up for machining is it a piece of thin walled tubing which after you cut the grooves was spilt into two halves as I can see the seam on the top of the cylinder. Also there is an infill piece between the brass parts that looks a bit tricky to produce but it all fits together nicely and certainly looks the part.

Ron

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

It was a piece of aluminium scaffold tube that I took a bit off inside and out so it ended up with a 1mm wall thickness. I left a slightly wider space between the two top slots so that when cut with a slitting saw the spacing would be right. It looks even better now with the paint on it though I did take the easy route and not use scale screws to hold it on as they would likely have been less than 0.5mm dia. The small infill was bent up from a piece of sheet, shaped to fit then held on the mandrel in the photo to mill the slots with two other small pieces equally spaced so it would hold.

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Nice work Jason some of the engine parts must be bordering on what I would consider micro engineering, your making of the M1.2 nuts for the governor for instance plus the tiny bevel gears. Shows the attention to detail and you must have a fair amount of patience, certainly pays off though in the end result.

[garyParticipant @gary44937]

lovely job Jason, as usual,

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

Only another small step – having made a crank handle a couple of days ago and tried to cut a 25mm x 1.5mm thread – the first time I have tried screwcutting on this lathe. I now have a very tired left arm and an appalling failure of a thread.

Bit down at the failure I reset the change wheels for fine feed and noticed that when I had removed them the key on the mandrel gear had stayed in the gear so the one I had set up for threading was only held by the pressure of the retaining screw.

While it looked ok running light, under threading pressure the gear slipped from time to time – hence the intermittent movement of the saddle and the threads that blurred into one another!

I couldn't have happened on my Drummond with pins in the gears I suspect.

Anyway, having a look through Neil's mini-lathe book I realised out of the four projects he describes I had made or bought 3 but not the end mill holder.

So todays' positive progress is 10 minutes drilling, reaming, drilling and tapping a blank end arbour in the drawer. But it all counts and it cheered me up anyway. Just waiting for the steel for the drawbar.

Edited By Nick Clarke 3 on 28/05/2020 15:53:24

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Posted by JasonB on 26/05/2020 18:59:13:

Thank's Nick, got it more or less back together today after painting and although my balls did go round and swing out they were a little erratic. Think I need to get a second Mamod drive belt as it is a bit too much of a stretch for a standard one. Only time I used the collet chuck on the lathe was to hold the 3/16" stainless balls to drill the 1mm holes. Did use collets in the spin indexer for some jobs like making the 2mm A/F M1.2 nuts you can see.

But pleased that it seems to be running OK at the moment and need to resist the temptation to play with it when I should be working on the base. Just resting on the 1-2-3 blocks and less than 5psi showing on the comp regulator and no ball action!

Morning Jason, how is the base coming along not that I,m pushing (yes I am) can't wait to see it finished.

Ron

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Just doing the plumbing

[Iain DownsParticipant @iaindowns78295]

Nothing as interesting/pretty as most of you, but today was a tools day.

And end stop for the vice

wingnuts secured with that most ancient of fixings – superglue …

This in turn used to make another chuck key for my 4 jaw

Which I will use when making my eccentrics, having seen people use two chuck keys to great effect when centring a 4 jaw.

Iain

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I got the exhaust pipe done on my Filer and Stowell engine yesterday and took it for a spin this morning.

Could do with a slight adjustment to the valve rod as if you watch towards the end you can see that the inward stroke of the piston is a bit stronger than the outward when it is running slowly. And if you can bear to watch all the way you will see the jumping balls as I'm waiting on a second belt, the one fitted is too short and putting a lot of load on that thin pulley spindle. Apart from that I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Quite pleased? I'd be absolutely delighted!

I've just made the same part 3 times, first just wrong, second mirror imaged, third time lucky. Fortunately it was a fairly simple bit.

[Jim NicParticipant @jimnic]

Lovely runner again Jason and a lovely looker too.

I have used Mamod drive belts on a couple of governors and find that they are not very smooth running. I put it down to the fact that they are in effect long thin springs and so can react to varying loads from say bouncing balls or momentary tightening of the drive shaft by stretching and slipping rather than continuing to drive the governor. When I get a round tuitt I intend to try and find a different drive belt material.

Jim

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

What can one say that is just superb Jason you should be very proud of that one and what a sweet runner, excellent it really is

The base is very nice to, I do like the way you have run the top finish pattern diagonally and parallel with the engine thats works well with the eye.

Great stuff

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Jason have you considered Solid Nitrile Rubber Cord for the drive belt it's available in 1.00 mm diameter upwards. I would have thought it would be perfect for the governor drive.

Just a thought.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

May give rubber a go but the Mamod one worked well on the RMC I did over Xmas and it's easy to join & break.

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

Superb Jason. Paint job is top notch, do you use rattle can or mini spray gun ? having slow progress with my beam engine, some parts don't seem to be correct size/fit even though made to drawing dimensions & checkout with mic'… … will step back for a day or two & get the grey matter into thinking mode… .

George.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Although I have quite a few airbrushes and small guns I tend to just go for rattle cans these days. Usually pop into Halfords and pick a colour I like but due to lockdown went for a colour off a chart rather than going by a web image, this is Pale Roundel Blue in QAD ( Quick air dry) 1K with 90% sheen over white primer.

Right from when I first started drawing out this engine I had pale blue in mind and this came out well. next will be Kawasaki Green!

Edited By JasonB on 02/06/2020 12:58:02

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I've made a start on the next engine, loosly based on a 1946 Thompson model engine.

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