The Workshop Progress Thread 2021

[Pete.Participant @pete-2]

Thanks Jim, I've got a few other machines to refurbish, so should get an opportunity to put it to use and cut some pulley wheel keyways soon.

[Mark RandParticipant @markrand96270]

Posted by Pete. on 03/04/2021 20:24:21:

Nearly finished my little press, need to cold black the new ratchet mechanism parts I just machined, and the new handle, just need a few broaches now.

Without the gas bottle by it's side, I'd be looking on the Stuart models website for the castings for that.

Edited By Mark Rand on 04/04/2021 21:20:07

[Pete.Participant @pete-2]

Yes Mark, its size has made its refurbishment a little tricky in my currently very cramped workshop, it should be quite useful, so I think it was time well spent.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I have spend the workshop time over the last couple of days reducing a length of 1" dia EN8 into a crankshaft for the Wall engine, tapers and therads still to be done but will cut those at the same setting when I do the flywheel and pulley. Also got the bronze bearings and brass counter balance weights done. The blob in teh biddle is a packer hot glued into place to save distorting the crank while working between ctrs.

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Looking good Jason, what type of hot glue did you use to hold the packer, I know its only temporary but surprised it grabs on metal I can see that been handy to know.

Ron

[Mark RandParticipant @markrand96270]

Spent a happy day cleaning up and leveling the Hardinge. Because I tend to have chucks, faceplates, tools on the back of the chip tray, it gradually builds up an excess of swarf. Once a year or so it gets a spring clean!

It got leveled, not because of "leveling" (three point sprung mounting), but so cutting oil, way oil etc actually drains into the coolant tank, which it hasn't been doing for a couple of years.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Ron, I'm not sure of the type of Glue, it's some sticks I've had for years

[Mark RandParticipant @markrand96270]

Having tidied up the mess in the Hardinge's chip tray, I went out and payed money for a couple of brackets at Screwfix and used a bit of spare wood to make a shelf to hold the stuff that had been living in the chip tray. I'm a bit ashamed that I spent money on the brackets rather than welding a set up, but the shed is so full at the moment that getting the welder set up would be a pain.

[Mark RandParticipant @markrand96270]

I need to do some work on the milling machine, when not doing bedroom decorating. There are a few things I want to improve on the mill's head before doing the work, so I took the head off this afternoon:-

There are two things to note from this:-

1. With an NMTB or R8 taper machine, it's a relatively simple job to either make an adapter or clamp a slitting saw arbor in a vice or chuck. Then the head can be safely lifted off the ram without doing oneself a mischief.
2. The other point is that Most Bridgeport/Beaver etc. style mills really need a riser block to get the most use out of the knee's travel. I was 2" away from the top of the travel even with the homemade 7.5" riser block.

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

Had the first run of my air cooled Farm Boy hit and miss engine. I've never had a an engine that is so easy to start first time – I reckon that's down to the elastomer piston ring giving good compression from the off

Rod

[Jim NicParticipant @jimnic]

That's a good runner Rod. Well done.

Jim

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

The Wall engine now has a flywheel cut from a lump of ductile iron and an almost complete starter pully on the other end of the now completed crankshaft. I also got the piston done and the conrod is roughed out and ready to go onto the CNC for final shaping.

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

Got my 'new' Drummond M back a couple of weeks ago and it incentivised me to integrate the motor of the original M I got 10 years ago. I even found the original bolts for the treadle table in a dog tin still waiting for me

Used a couple of bits of white painted gas pipe I liberated from a pavement outside a house refurbishment years ago and fabricated a mounting plate from liberated water pipe and some bits of B+Q angle iron which slots straight into the two pipes

This original one is going to be my horizontal milling machine while the new addition at the back is going to do proper lathe work, it's not been used much at all. I'm going to have to get the spindle out of it, some woodworking may have blocked the oilways and it needs that roller bearing upgrade

Plenty to do but the really tuff bits are done. Getting the motor onto the back of the new Lathe took a car trolley jack, it's a Higgs motor, a make I am unfamiliar with and must weigh 60+kilos

Edited By Ady1 on 19/05/2021 09:13:33

[Jim NicParticipant @jimnic]

Making some more progress on my Norden engine. This is what I'm aiming at:

The frame and crankshaft bearings are done, latest fumblings involved making the cylinder. Here's the main components which replace the casting of the original model, the top and bottom flanges will be fixed with Loctite and the port face with JB Weld.

Here's the first scrapped attempt:

You may be able to make out the top of the broken off 8BA tap. I haven't broken a tap for ages but my mind wandered while I was doing the eighth one and that was that.

So I recovered the top flange, the rest went in he bin and I started again:

It's not easy to see why this also bounced off the wall but it moved in the vice when I was milling the brass port face and it ended up too thin and not square. So I started again again.

At last I successfully completed a cylinder and even got the cover done as well:

Steam chest next.

Jim

[Pete.Participant @pete-2]

Quite some time ago I made a post about a mini 1940's milling machine I purchased , in red as received, quite sorry looking condition.

It’s been a do a bit here and there project when spare time allows, it deserved saving I think.

[Dave WoottonParticipant @davewootton]

Lovely job Pete, I remember the initial post and it is good to see the final result, a worthwhile project that has finished up as a useful machine. Very nicely finished and painted.

Dave

[Jim NicParticipant @jimnic]

Nicely done Pete.

Jim

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

Thats a nice save

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi Pete, yes very nice job you have done.

Regards Nick.

[Pete.Participant @pete-2]

Thank you all for the kind words, given me a bit of motivation to finish the rest of the machines so I can concentrate on making things.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

The last couple of weekends workshop time have been spent making the carb for the Wall engine. The main body is a brass fabrication consisting of 8 parts and then all the other bits to go with it.

All seems to go together OK, just needs some period screws making to replace the cap heads

And what goes in must come out.

Finally a group shot of the two parts assembled onto the engine's manifold.

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Very nice Jason the 8 brass part fabrication of the carb looks good. What is the rod/tube between the inlet and exhaust on the manifold is it a brace or something more.?

[Joseph Noci 1Participant @josephnoci1]

Looks more like a web than a single tube Ron.

Joe

[Ron LadenParticipant @ronladen17547]

Oops, so it does I think I need a visit to Spec Savers.

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

Posted by Ron Laden on 07/06/2021 13:05:06:

Oops, so it does I think I need a visit to Spec Savers.

I wonder just which shop you will end up in?

Only joking Ron – I had a card-ectomy (the forcible removal of money from a debit card) on Friday for some new glasses myself. I usually reckon I need them when they start printing the clues for the Telegraph crossword in grey fuzzy type – a new pair of glasses and they start using black print again!

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