What did you do today? (2014)

[Anonymous]

Due to the wind and rain it meant no gardening or flying this weekend, so workshop time instead. I finished machining the final drive gears and winding drums for my traction engines:

I just need to fettle the unmachined parts (I know I should have done that first), cut a couple of keyways and then cut all the gear teeth. Also had a massive clear up of the lathe, mill and floor after turning these gear blanks and the flywheels. I've now got a bucket full (literally) of cast iron swarf.

Regards,

Andrew

[LathejackParticipant @lathejack]

I have been making a new stairway for a 1946 A.E.C. Bus for a customer at work, copying the rotten original.

And at last got a bit of spare time from working to do a bit more to the Red Wing engine.e.

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

Stairway to heaven

Sounds like nice work if you can get it – and a nice piece of work at the end too!

Neil

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

The old one looks more holy! Ian S C

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi Lathejack, you should get a bit of rise by the time you weld the top step.

Nice job.

Regards Nick.

[GaryMParticipant @garym]

Not today but over the Christmas break had poor or non-existent internet connection due to faulty phone line (now replaced by BT).

However, I did manage to do my first bit of heat treatment, case-hardening the eccentric sheave for the S50 engine, which seemed to go well apart from one surprising moment when a flame appeared from the joint between the neck tube and the handle of the brand new Sievert torch. I'd checked the connection to the cylinder that I made but assumed the hose, handle, neck tube and burner were assembled tightly by the factory.

Also, my first use of a slitting saw to cut the eccentric strap. Why they put teeth all the way round when only one or two seemed to do the cutting though, is anybody's guess.

Sorry no photos at present.

Gary

[Another JohnSParticipant @anotherjohns]

My Unimat SL CNC lathe now has a relay to turn spindle on/off, easy setup in LinuxCNC.

Last club meeting devolved into ball turning – and the easiest method.

I hope to bring out my CNC lathe and show how to turn balls while pontificating and drinking coffee!

Still have to put the spindle on/off control on my blog, but some earlier stuff on the Unimat SL CNC lathe if anyone is interested:

**LINK**

and, in the search window top left, enter "unimat" and hit the magnifying glass symbol.

I'll try updating the blog later on tonight.

John.

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Gary, if you put slitting saw in the search window, you'll find a number of people have had the same problem, starting with "Slitting Saw Woes" back on 10/6/09. Ian S C

[Another JohnSParticipant @anotherjohns]

Put some pics of my lathe on my blog;

**LINK**

here's one of the lathe from my newly created album on this site:

I'm still excited like a kid with this CNC stuff – hopefully it'll never become "old hat".

John.

[Anonymous]

Posted by GaryM on 08/01/2014 21:20:18:

Why they put teeth all the way round when only one or two seemed to do the cutting though, is anybody's guess.

Because you don't know which two it is going to be.

Andrew

[Mr MooParticipant @mrmoo]

if anybody every asks you to help remove the carpet from an E46 3 series BMW, politly refuse! get there in the end but just got to reinstall the dash et al tomorrow. Then take it all back out next week once the carpet is clean and dry. Im now of to sit in the corner and cry into my pint of homebrew…….

[Luke GrahamParticipant @lukegraham30014]

After trying both methods, milling is a lot nicer than chemical etching.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Over the weekend I have bored out the bearing housings on the Monitor, started with drills then a single ended bar held in the chuck and the final cuts were done with a between ctrs bar.

The casting is too narrow to allow for the crank and bearing flanges so I back cut the sides to account for some of the flange width. Luckily there is an access cover on one side which allowed the tool to be adjusted within the crankcase

I then turned the outside of the liner which had previously been roughed out, the slight differences on the surface are due to the middle being wasted for clearance and the top end being 0.004" larger than the bottom

J

Edited By JasonB on 12/01/2014 15:39:48

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi Jason, got a bit confused for a moment or two, when reading your latest post. While spelling mistakes and misplaced letters are acceptable, it is funny sometimes how the odd one or two can change what one is trying to understand.

e.g.

" … single ended bar held in the chuch …." I read as, held in church. I'm sure the Vicar woundn't mind the odd demonstration, but probaly not on a Sunday morning. Rereading this you obviously ment chuck

"…. the outsid eof te liner …." This one I read as, outside end, but then the te didn't make sense. Rereading this you obviously ment outside of the.

Nice work by the way.

Regards Nick.

Edited By Nicholas Farr on 12/01/2014 15:07:24

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Thats what comes from rushing to complete a post when lunch is ready plus a bit of my dyslexia, I've edited it now so nobody else gets confused.

J

[blowlampParticipant @blowlamp]

I finished adding a fine feed to the quill on my Myford VMC milling machine.

No more nudging the knee to get the right dimension and far nicer to use with a boring head.

A few more pictures are in the album showing the general arrangement.

Martin.

[Alan .204Participant @alan-204]

Got a DRO for Christmas and fitted it a couple of weeks back, used it today for the first time drilling out 8 evenly spaced holes on a machine vice I'm making, I can only drill to the middle so when one side is done I flip the part over and drill from the other side, it turned out bang on the money the DRO's brilliant I see why people like them so much.

This is a poor picture but shows the DRO

The pictures are a bit crap but hope you can see how it turned out, really like the DRO.

Al.

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

Neat aren't they, Alan.

Lovely dial Martin.

Neil

[blowlampParticipant @blowlamp]

Cheers Neil.

I looked at the Mini-Lathe hand wheel you made based on Graham Meek's design and you've spurred me on to do the same with my Mini-Lathe and also my Harrison – when time permits.

Martin.

[Involute CurveParticipant @involutecurve]

Managed to get some work done on the bike, machined the rear Axle boxes today……..

Also updatecd the album with updated images of progress.

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

Learned that 12.5 degree swept-T joints for 110mm soil pipe are like hen's teeth. I've managed to fit in a standard T a bit higher, but I'm still not happy…

Also discovered that hammering 4.5" nails through studding, ceramic tiles, lath and plaster and into the joist behind works.

Knackered now, but still more timber to put up…

Neil

[GoCreateParticipant @gocreate]

Someone on this forum mentioned using a radius milling cutter to turn a rad in the lathe.

Tried this first time today using R2 milling cutter. Result on this En24T turned out very satisfactory.

Ones side done with spindle in forward, the other in reverse.

Milling cutter was held in a 'Vee' tool holder intended for a round boring bar. Very quick and accurate method.

 

Beautiful work Blowlamp and Involute Curve, I am inspired to improve and match your skill.

Nigel

Edited By tractionengine42 on 18/01/2014 18:10:04

[Bob PerkinsParticipant @bobperkins67044]

I got a bit further with my 10V. Nearly finished the castings.

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

Speedfit and bending copper pipes. Entertaining…

Neil

[GoCreateParticipant @gocreate]

Not model engineering nor what I did today, more case of what I have been doing the last 6 weeks.

I designed and built this bead roller which has a 4" throat depth and 24" throat length. It's to be used for making custom motor bike parts in particular tanks and fenders as well as panels for motor car restoration.

Guards remain the last piece of fabrication to do, then after testing strip down for painting.

Soon I can get back to model engineering.

Nigel

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