What Did You Do Today 2021

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

Printed some fixtures for holding rounds in the milling vice

I'd been puzzled how to best hold this. Worked OK, nice and solid

Also, the vice overhangs the back of the table and restricts the Y travel – so I cut it off

That's better – a whole 3/16" extra movement which is quite important on my mill

Stay well,

Rod

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Rod, you have the makings of a miniature camelback straight edge there.

[Jeff DaymanParticipant @jeffdayman43397]

You know what they say Rod – one man's 3/16" is another man's 4.76 mm….

Just kidding, that clearance will undoubtedly be handy in future, I did same sort of trimming on my mill vise some years back.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

John –

Thank you!

I don't have a milling-spindle but you jogged my memory of a large, simple, rather unprepossessing adjustable angle-plate of unknown ancestry and original purpose, quietly mouldering in a dusty corner.

I exhumed it, and after some work with a wire-brush, Plus-Gas and oil, found it will just hold my 6-inch rotary-table, using 2 of the assorted holes in it.

I was thus able, via some experimenting, to mount that combination on the mill and centre the table by a plug in the spindle. I used a similar method, with the shank of a 6mm drill held upside down, to then centre the grinder's slide base on the RT for clamping down.

To cut the radius, I tilted this ungainly tower of metal to 75º from horizontal, set by adjustable-square, and eased the steel away by lots of very shallow, steady passes with an end-mill.

As you found, milling doesn't leave a very pretty finish but it yielded to draw-filing and a final touch with wet-&-dry paper.

Then it was time to stop for tea, rather neatly between the end of the In-Tune Mix Tape and the concert, recorded in the Alexandra Palace Theatre in December 2019, a month before many of us made our way up those imposing steps….. .

As I locked the workshop door for the night, I could hear one of the frog-pond's residents in full cry. They are very sensitive to vibrations though, and although I walked as softly as I could in safety-shoes on concrete, he (or she?) stopped croaking and dived into the depths with a soggy "plop".

The set-up is still there for cutting the fiducial lines, using the rotary-table's divisions but also marking their positions by dividers as in the kit's hand-book. Belt and braces. I've also to find a suitable engraving-cutter.

That's tomorrow's task….

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Got a phone call at 3:10 "can you get to the rugby stadium by 3:40 for a covid jab?" You bet I can. Let in bang on time, sit down, jab, sit in socially distanced seating for 15 minutes, home within the hour. Really well organised, but then the NHS has sorted it, not some expensive management consultant. There is a silver lining honest

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Double post

 

Edited By duncan webster on 27/01/2021 23:02:09

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Correction triple

 

Edited By duncan webster on 27/01/2021 23:02:52

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

This was a very quick job. A simple clip to keep the tapping attachment on the UPT raised while inserting a tap into the chuck:

Stay well,

Rod

[Grindstone CowboyParticipant @grindstonecowboy]

Posted by duncan webster on 27/01/2021 23:00:22:

Got a phone call at 3:10 "can you get to the rugby stadium by 3:40 for a covid jab?" You bet I can. Let in bang on time, sit down, jab, sit in socially distanced seating for 15 minutes, home within the hour. Really well organised, but then the NHS has sorted it, not some expensive management consultant. There is a silver lining honest

Well done on that, I think you feel a little safer having had it. They are doing very well now, but it took a few days to get properly organised – took my mum to our local centre on the first Wednesday they were doing jabs, absolute chaos, we were queueing for best part of an hour and the post-jab 15 minute wait was outside in a marquee. However, by the next day when I took an elderly neighbour down, he was in and out in twenty minutes, and my mum's second jab couldn't have been better organised. So hats off to all in the NHS – and the volunteers – for getting things sorted.

Just to keep on topic, I'm slowly stripping, cleaning and re-painting bits of my ML7 – just had some Renaissance Wax delivered to wipe over the shiny bits. Not tried it on a lathe before but it does work well on other bits and pieces.

Rob

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

My jab was booked for 11:00. Four in the queue ahead. I was sitting down at 11:00 for 15 minute wait.

VERY well organised

Wife is going to a different (JUST opened ) centre at tea time.

Apparently, someone who had been vaccinated some time later tested positive. (WHY test unless out of curiosity ) Does not surprise me unduly., maybe it wouldn't tell the difference between a live virus and a dead one!

Stay Safe

Howard

[Alan JacksonParticipant @alanjackson47790]

My jab, two days ago, was at the Wickford community centre Essex. I was there just before the 11,10 appointment and out of the building by about 11,05. They could not have been more efficient and pleasant. Well done NHS.

Alan

[DrDaveParticipant @drdave]

I have been following Turbine Guy's 3D printing in metal with interest. This looks like an ideal solution for the cam covers on an engine that I am building. There is a lot of detail that is really not suitable for machining, such as lettering.

I finally got round to uploading a file tonight to get an instant quote for aluminium printed parts. One company wants £480 for two, the other $400 for two. Plus import duties and all the other taxes. They are only 133 mm long, for goodness sake.

Time for Plan B.

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Posted by Howard Lewis on 28/01/2021 17:02:23:

My jab was booked for 11:00. Four in the queue ahead. I was sitting down at 11:00 for 15 minute wait.

VERY well organised

Wife is going to a different (JUST opened ) centre at tea time.

Apparently, someone who had been vaccinated some time later tested positive. (WHY test unless out of curiosity ) Does not surprise me unduly., maybe it wouldn't tell the difference between a live virus and a dead one!

Stay Safe

Howard

Jonathon Van Tam was on Channel 4 news yesterday and gave very good explanation of this and several other issues. Worth trying to get it on backview. If you've already been infected but not developed symptoms when you get the jab it won't stop it in it's tracks, in fact it takes some time to become effective, so you could actually catch it in the few days after jab.

I've got a side affect, my arm's a bit sore. I'll live with that!

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

I've seen a lot or praise here and elsewhere for the efficiency of the Covid vaccinating.

When I had my flu jab last Autumn, that too was very well run, precautions and all, though you don't need to rest before leaving the surgery. I did wonder if the health-centre was using it as something of a Covid vaccination planning exercise.

[John Dean 3Participant @johndean3]

Spent today using the rotary table, thanks to Jason for his very clear instructions.

[DullnoteParticipant @dullnote]

Okay not today but last weekend, completed ball turning device, first ball the one on the handle, think that is standard

[Peter Seymour-HowellParticipant @peterseymour-howell39349]

Not today, 4 weeks in fact of making 4472's crossheads, mostly from a solid lump of black steel, the slipper is a removable item for servicing. Next up will be the gudgeon pins, oil reservoirs and associated pipework to the pins and lastly (I hope) the drop links, 1934 pattern. Crossheads won't be mated to the piston rods until the connecting rods have been made.

Pete

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

This is a tale of turning a bug into a feature. I wanted to replace the fluorescent tubes in the workshop with LED tubes to give a brighter light. I ordered 2 tubes through Amazon. Somehow I managed to tick the 5ft box rather than the 4ft I required. No problem from the supplier, they were happy to swap but I could not find a carrier for return that would handle a 5ft package for less than £25 – almost the whole cost of the 2 tubes! So, to the 3D printer:

The tubes have conventional pins on 1/2" spacing at each end. One end has no electrical connection and is just there to fit into a normal fluorescent light fitting. The other end have Live and Neutral for power. Half inch spacing chocolate block fits nicely:

So now I have extra lighting: One over the lathe and the other over the work bench:

Stay well,

Rod

[John Dean 3Participant @johndean3]

Made a couple of boring bars with the ends turned down to 12mm to fit my ARC qr tool holder.

[Gerhard NovakParticipant @gerhardnovak66893]

Got myself a new blowtorch, I am quite impressed, you can turn it in every position and it doesn't make any flares. Came with 3 burners, one of them has a really tiny flame, but well concentrated in one spot. Also I do not look for the lighter any more as it has piezo ignition. Was on offer at Toolstation, had to drive a few miles as around my place all were sold out.

Went on with the restoration/finishing of my late fathers 10V. Excenter for the valve and crosshead were todays parts.

I put all together for a test fit, there is some friction here and there but nothing which is a show stopper. Hat off to my father – he made all of it on an Emco unimat 3. Well a few parts I have to re-do, for instance the excenter and the crosshead. I cheated a bit as I used some M3 screws, as I prefer inbus hex against a cut slot in the screw. Also the bolt in the cross head will be 4mm, first I have the matching silver steel and second I have the 4mm reamer.

Tha'ts todays work. Will see what tomorrow brings.

Edited By Gerhard Novak on 06/02/2021 21:51:51

[John HinkleyParticipant @johnhinkley26699]

Braved the snow showers and distinct chill in the workshop and finally got around to rebuilding the boring and facing head which I made about four years ago. The design is inspired by Graham Meek's in his book "Projects for your workshop – Vol 1", but incorporates changes by me to reflect my lack of experience and expertise so that I had a fighting chance of it working. I also increased its size by 50% or so, in order to be able to see and hold the smaller parts! Here's a picture of the finished head, taken from my album:

I had valuable assistance and "peer review" of my version by the late John Stevenson, whose contributions I gratefully acknowledge.

I've also published a short video about it on my youtube channel: Link to Workshop tooling video

John

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

John D –

My, your lathe tools like their luxury! I like that design principle in their holders. The QC holders for my Myford and Harrison lathes are all of the open-jaw type.

Gerhard –

I can vouch for those blow-torches, having bought one myself. A friend in the building trade says they are all piezo-ignition and automatic off valves, now, for safety.

Good to see progress on the engine!

John H-

A worthwhile addition to your workshop. I'd say that increasing the size by half again has given you a greater advantage than easier construction, by increasing its range while still within the capacity of a milling-machine large enough to have an R8 spindle. I'm judging it of similar size to a commercially-made (and French) boring and facing head I own.

[Pete WhiteParticipant @petewhite15172]

[Colin HeseltineParticipant @colinheseltine48622]

Tripped over in the workshop. Last night I had moved my 3 phase heater around as I was doing some spraying. This morning car indicated low tyre pressure so went in garage to pen door and switch the compressor on. As was moving towards garage door caught my foot in the armoured cable to the heater. and went headfirst. Right hand landed on the front wing of Caterham 7, It was already slightly damaged and the force of my hand cracked the front corner off it. and bent forefinger well back.

Now have swollen hand and useless finger. Tried to use a rattle can to spray base of Stuart 10V but could not even depress the button. Spraying left handed does not work so well..

Hopefully tomorrow it will have recovered.

Write note to self. Move heater cable before walking through garage in semi darkness.

Colin

[Frances IoMParticipant @francesiom58905]

it may well be worth a trip to A&E if still operating – some years ago I trapped the end of a finger rather badly, cursed and waited for it to heal – a couple of weeks later it still felt wrong, the GP sent me onto the specialist section at the hospital, quick xray indicated I broken the tip of a bone on the 1st joint and it had started to heal in the wrong position – was told “you should have come earlier before healing started” but wearing a splint forced it back into a more normal but still wrong position.

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