What did you do today? (2013)

[NJHParticipant @njh]

Took delivery of a truck load of logs early this morning and spent until 1:30 pm stacking them in the log shed. Luckily the rain stopped just before they arrived – but it's throwing it down again now. Have eaten lunch and can almost stand upright again. Any possibility of workshop activity today is very unlikely – I'm off for a shower and lie down!

N

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Well actually not today but Thursday night.

Now the POS Bridgeport has gone to that big scapyard in the sky, India actually, very fitting sending a POS there to make more POS parts I now need to look for a new name for the new machine.

Seeing as it comes from China [ at least they can make thier own machines and not rely on cast offs ] and it's based on a Bridgeport clone I came up with this plate to fit to the head.

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

Just to prove I don't spend ALL day looking at this forum.. I a couple of hours was enough to make a new ER25 chuck using a large-ended MT3 blank arbor from Arc Euro and a ball bearing collet nut from Gloster.

Made easier as I already have an 8-degree 'square' made for my first ER25 chuck & homemade collets. This chuck is much smaller but doesn't have the through capacity. I'll use it for milling cutters and teh other for holding bar on the lathe.

The ballbearing nut is brilliant – I was able to collapse that collet by hand.

Neil

P.S. yes I know there are three holes left to drill for a tommy bar

 

Edited By Stub Mandrel on 16/03/2013 14:57:47

[Douglas JohnstonParticipant @douglasjohnston98463]

Ok Neil,

What form does your 8 degree "square" take and how do you use it? I have found getting the 8 degree taper a bit hit and miss and use a collet as my "square". Have you found a better way of doing it?

Doug

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

Hi Doug,

Just a brass blade soft-soldered into a steel bar, and file to be a good fit aligning the cross and top slides. The initial setting of the top slide was set with a protractor and fine tuned when making the original chuck by the usual trial and error methods. (ME 4232, 15 October 2004, p.455).

I got a good finish on the taper using a bit of hex key in a pistol drill on the handle to provide a dead-slow 'power feed'. I finished the taper using a piece of emery tape cut to fit round a collet, just enough to make sure all machining marks were removed.

The 32×1.5 metric thread was cut using the ratios 63:60 45:50 for imperial mini-lathe owners.

Neil

Edited By Stub Mandrel on 16/03/2013 15:56:26

[Grizzly bearParticipant @grizzlybear]

Hi Neil

The ER25 chuck looks brilliant. I'm not into collet chucks, but always fancied one, home made of course.

Today I have repaired a liquid soap dispenser. Broken plastic lever. Made one out of acetal rod. Some turning, and milling on the ML7. Enjoyed that.

Regards, Bear..

[magpieParticipant @magpie]

Love the name for the new mill John.

Cheers Derek.

[chris stephensParticipant @chrisstephens63393]

Having finished making loads of 7/16BSF studs in EN19T, a success, and dropping one of my inverters causing it to cease functioning, a failure, I took advantage of the postman delivering my first Sixty+ Oyster card and went on a long tube train ride..God bless TFL, £10 for over two years worth of free transport in London. It seems there are some benefits to getting older! After about 44 years of avoiding public transport I feel I could get used to doing it for free. Now where shall I go next, hmmm. Keep the rude answers to yourselves!

chriStephens

[jim’Participant @jim11037]

Posted by John Stevenson on 16/03/2013 14:42:23:

Well actually not today but Thursday night.

Now the POS Bridgeport has gone to that big scapyard in the sky, India actually, very fitting sending a POS there to make more POS parts I now need to look for a new name for the new machine.

Seeing as it comes from China [ at least they can make thier own machines and not rely on cast offs ] and it's based on a Bridgeport clone I came up with this plate to fit to the head.

like it

[Mike WainwrightParticipant @mikewainwright87512]

I have been trying to teach myself Alibre for the last couple of weeks. Taking the time to learn this as I cannot get into my Worksop (shed) as i am having to look after my mum at the moment.

I have finally finished drawing and assembling the Vega V Twin

This could be the next project if I ever finish the Nemett Lynx I have started.

This was drawn 2x scale and I think I have it correct now. There were some missing dimensions in the original article.

Mike

[Boiler BriParticipant @boilerbri]

I spent the morning at a local engineers where i was having my flywheel turned up for my 4" Durham. It has taken me about 15 month to get round to as with all the trouble with Brunel i had lost interest. As turning progressed a large hard patch right in the middle of the face showed itself, ARHHH. I was just starting to think that i may get on with it earnest, but that has gone out of the window now. Anyone got any – sensible suggestions?

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

You could get it heat treated as its too big to do yourself. I've done it on small castings but would not want to risk it on something like that.

Failing that make it into a road loco with disc flywheel cut from something nice and consistant.

J

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

Have the outer diameter ground. Traction engine flywheels should be painted all over anyway.

Neil

[GaryMParticipant @garym]

I finally got round to borrowing an engine hoist from work to get my new mill onto the bench I made for it. Only two months after the mill was delivered. I really envy those who are already retired. Can't wait to start learning how to use it.

Gary

[NJHParticipant @njh]

Gary

Don't be too optomistic about the amount of time available to the retiree – you firstly find that you will get all sorts of "extra" duties in the home when you retire, that the excuse of being too busy at work as a way of avoiding tasks is no longer valid, and that everyman and his dog will assume that, as a retiree, you have nothing better to do than solve their problems. Along with this assumption they will plan little "projects" for you to ensure that you don't get bored. For example the vicar will think you fair game along with the committee of every organisation you belong to….etc… etc the list goes on and on. What's more all those little jobs which you didn't have time to do when working now become "possible ". After all this you can, with an easy conscience, escape to your workshop – probably too kn****red to make any useful progress!

( I speak with the experience of some 15 years of "relaxing" retirement projects.)

Cheers

Norman

[magpieParticipant @magpie]

VERY true Norman. Plus life is too short to go wishing it away. Seems to me that my birthday comes round every few months now, i wonder how long before it seems like weeks.

Cheers Derek.

[GaryMParticipant @garym]

Hi Norman, I think I might just not tell anyone when I retire.

Gary

[Douglas JohnstonParticipant @douglasjohnston98463]

Thanks for the information Neil, I will take on board your ideas if I make other ER collet holders.

Doug

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

What did I do today?

Rebuilt the flash steamer engine with a lightened piston and new Dykes ring.

Then run in the piston and ring on the lathe at 1200rpm it was like a noisy compressor.

Exhaust uniflow port timing checked (adjusted with cylinder base shims).

Inlet poppet valve timing and lift checked clearances critical and altered with shims on cam follower.

Now setting up the various angles with the electronic angle gauge on the hydroplane hull to try to stop it becoming a flying boat or submarine that’s the propeller angle, front sponsons, tail wings and front canard wings.

Will probably have to redo crankshaft balance after it is all fired up under load but that is later.

Paul

[SpringbokParticipant @springbok]

got rat a***d then had a huge spare ribs and rice.

[Anonymous]

Posted by Windy on 17/03/2013 11:52:11:

Rebuilt the flash steamer engine with a lightened piston and new Dykes ring.

Well I never, I didn't know Dykes rings were still used. Paul Dykes was listed as an engineering fellow of college when I matriculated in 1980, but I don't think he was active in college by then. I certainly never met him.

I got rat a***d last night; but today I made a master tool for my CNC mill, and then set up and ran my first job using tool tables and automatic compensation for differing tool lengths. Then I set up the repetition lathe for the first operation on 500 threaded spacers which I've been asked to make. Plus oiling and fettling the hitch on my glider trailer so I can get the d*nm thing off the car, and getting the next set of seeds on the propagator on the kitchen windowsill.

Andrew

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

Yesterday I went to North Norfolk to see a friend and we spent the day at the NNR Gala weekend playing with trains we then spent some of the evening in his workshop discussing his latest project, a 0-4-0 Romulus which he is building as an 0-6-0 with other modifications involving the valve motion. Today I went back to the NNR for a few more hours of photography and then a 2.5 hr drive home.

Martin P

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I laid some blocks and flag stones in preparation for my soon to be complete Large scale Easton & Anderson Grasshopper Beam

Neil, most traction engines have a bare rim so they can be used for belt work, don't think I've ever seen one painted.

J

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

Model ones usually have bright rims, but there are lots of painted flywheels in evidence HERE such as these ones:

Neil

Edited By Stub Mandrel on 17/03/2013 20:25:41

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Posted by Andrew Johnston on 17/03/2013 19:27:55:

Posted by Windy on 17/03/2013 11:52:11:

Rebuilt the flash steamer engine with a lightened piston and new Dykes ring.

Well I never, I didn't know Dykes rings were still used. Paul Dykes was listed as an engineering fellow of college when I matriculated in 1980, but I don't think he was active in college by then. I certainly never met him.

The dykes rings are still used in some of the top drag racing cars fuelled with nitro etc.

Paul

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