What did you do today? 2023

[Nigel Graham 2]

On Nigel Graham 2 Said:

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Oh – and Moderators……

Can you please turn that blasted Unlimited Reads ad off! It is big, bright yellow thing alternating at <1 second flash half-second rate, right next to the entry panel so right in your eyes, and very uncomfortable as a result. It’s basically a bright-yellow strobe-lamp flashing in your face.

There is no excuse for gimmicks like that.

Alas, moderators can’t change paid adverts.

However, excessive advertising is a known issue, so expect improvements once the nastier technical issues are mended, fingers crossed.

I have reported this example as a Critical Bug.

Dave

[Anonymous]

This is an experimental post to see if I can cope with the new regime!

The wire rope guides on the Burrell SCC engines seem to be different on every engine. I have gone with a modified version of one with four rollers, two vertical and two horizontal. The two horizontal supports are fixed to the tender via bolts. These have been made and fitted, M6 thread and 10mm AF hex, as this seemed more to scale than the 1/4″ BSF and 11mm AF elsewhere on the engine.

From pictures of the full size engines it is not clear how the two horizontal and two vertical support angles are fixed to each other, so I have decided to use 3/16″ steel rivets. Sadly the riveting jig for the wheels didn’t fit, so I had to make a new one, plus new rivet sets.

Last night I did some experiments using two scrap lengths of angle. I started with an excess length of 0.25″, ending up with 0.28″, which is slightly more than the recommended value of 1.429D. Here is a picture of the riveting jig and the formed heads, rivets were placed in order from the centre to the right:

I used the flypress to close the rivets. Turned out to be very easy; just pull the flypress through followed by one good swing to finally form the head. It’s a lot of faff for eight rivets in total, but I like things just so, and am prepared to put the effort in to achieve it!

Andrew

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Predictably excellent, Andrew

MichaelG.

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, yes I believe it looks a very good job.

Regards Nick.

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

This is timely, I’ve got a fair few 3/32 steel rivets to fit. According to interweb it takes ~1 te to cold form a head on this size, and I should use a ‘modified cone head’. Nearest detail I can find is pan head. If I had room for a fly press I’d buy one, but I don’t. Anyone got any comment on the force required

[mgnbukParticipant @mgnbuk]

Finished fitting a Dickson style toolpost to my Warco GH600.

I went for the Dickson for a couple of reasons, mainly familiarity plus fitting was easier than a wedge style one.

The toolpost stud on my GH600 seems a bit different to some I have seen, in so much as the 22mm boss at the bootom is part of the stud, not a raised part of the topslide casting. This has an M18 thread that screws into the casting & an M10 thread for the locking handle.

Boring out the base of the Ebay purchase Indian made T51 toolpost was “interesting” due it being hardened (above 50 HRC but below 55HRC according to test files). A Chinese CBN insert on a minimally stuck out boring bar did the job but didn’t survive the experience – the areas near the clamp boss recesses were harder than the rest of the bore giving an interupted cut when under the skin I was aiming for a running fit on the boss, but ended up a bit oversize – may revist that later to bore oversize & bush down to suit, but a close fit on the top bush is working OK at the moment.

At the other end of the block was a pressed in bush bored to suit a 16mm stud. This was drifted out & a replacement made to suit the 10mm stud & recessed for a needle thrust bearing and thrust washer.

The original clamp handle had a recess machined for the other thrust bearing washer, with the depth of recess calculated to put the handle out of the way when clamped.

There is a 0.15mm gap between handle & clamp bush when locked up, so hopefully the grease will keep swarf out of the bearing.

Happy to be “QC” again, as I had forgotton how much of a pain setting tools up in a 4 way toolpost is. The T51 toolpost on this machine will allow use of 12mm section tools, though the tool fitted is 10mm.

Nigel B.

[Danni BurnsParticipant @danniburns84841]

That looks very tidy.

I am just looking to swap mine on CL500M,

Could you share with me the eBay details

Note you mention that it ‘will allow use of 12mm section tools’ – I thought the T51 held a 16mm tools?

 

Regards

[Robert ButlerParticipant @robertbutler92161]

It will depend on the centre height of the lathe, 16mm tools may take the tip over centre height.

Robert Butler

 

[Danni BurnsParticipant @danniburns84841]

I get your point. No point in installing a bigger toolpost if you must still use smaller tools.

My center height is 28mm from the top of the Slide. I am interested what that measurement is on your machine and what max tool you can now use

Im looking into the options so I can use the biggest tool possible.

I think there are some with the T37 – Im not sure if that was their choice or because restrictions/limitations.

 

cheers

 

[mgnbukParticipant @mgnbuk]

Hi Danni,

As Robert said, the maximum tool section that can be adjusted to centre height is 12mm. With the 10mm tool shown on centre there is approx. 2.6mm free space below the tool holder to the topslide, so a 12mm tool will stiil get to centre but a 1/2″ (12.7mm) tool may not – depends if my less-that-accurate quick caliper measurement is accurate enough.

I know that Jason B uses a T37 toolpost on a similar size machine to my GH600, but I felt that the T51 was more in keeping with the size of the machine, being the same size as I had on the 4.5″ Boxford CUD I had before my S7. I doubt that you could stress a 12mm section tool enough on a CL500M to warrant going up to 16mm.

I do not wish to disclose the seller of my toolpost – not because of any qualms about the quality of the toolpost, but the transaction was not the best. What was supplied initially (and promptly) was not what was in the description – I opted for a tool post set + 5 additional holders and, while the set was as described, the additional holders were not. They were replaced – eventually – after poor communication and rather bad grace. I have the incorrect holders repacked in the original packaging to be returned, but the seller won’t respond to any communications regarding paying to return them. Their mistake in supplying items not as described in their listing, so I expect them to pick up the tab for returning a 2.2kg package.

With my charitable head on, the communication and incorrect supply issues could just be down to language difficulties with a foreign supplier – but they may not. Only the negative feedback that I left 3 weeks after repeated no response to weekly messages for situation updates and no replacement parts got a response, the replacement parts arrived & the negative feedback (and records of the transaction on the sellers page) have been removed.

Nigel B.

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

Nigel , You could machine up an acetal sleeve to fit the handle and slide it down to the tool post to provide a seal?

[Danni BurnsParticipant @danniburns84841]

Hi Nigel, Robert (et al.)

Bare with me for a moment.

My magic number is 28mm (top of top-slide to centre-line). See pic1 below

The main problem/restriction with these standard/crap tool-posts is the 15mm min base tool height. See pic2

In pic3 below the QCTP tool holder is sitting on the cross-slide. The dimension H is (‘Standard’ type) 11mm. If my measurement from the top of the cross-slide to centre-line is 28mm, I could potentially use a tool of 17mm with that toolpost. BUT the holder only holds 14mm. If it actually does sit/lower to the Top-Slide*.

The T51 QUICKCHANGE TOOLPOST (same H dimension) is 8mm (as advised by RDG), meaning that I could use a max tool height of 20mm. As long as it does actually sit/lower to the level of the Top-slide*.

The T51 has a 16mm max tooling (and for completeness the T63 has a 20mm max tooling).

Looks to me that there are options available and the wider choice of tool sizes means better tools should be available.

Now here’s the question – have I made any stupid mistakes in my above logic/assessment?

Cheers

Danni

[Danni BurnsParticipant @danniburns84841]

Update

I hadnt noticed this before but the 15mm min base tool height is partly due (3mm) to the top-slide. Essentially it gives me a magic number of 25mm (not 28mm reported earlier).

See pic below.

But this still should make the T51 4mm lower, now with max tool height of 17mm (shank of 16mm) and

and 14mm (for height and shank) with the Model 111.

Regards

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

For many years I’ve had a vernier depth gauge from Allendale (ME-DEPTH-30). It stopped working, totally dead and nothing I could do revived it, so I was faced with buying another, by the time I add postage and vat it would be over £40, so I emailed Allendale, and they sold me a complete replacement read head for a great deal less. This also fits many of their vernier calipers, so it’s worth a look if yours goes wrong. The screws holding it together were pretty tight, and destroyed my cheapo drivers. Good excuse to buy a decent set!

 

 

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Repaired my Harrison L5 lathe.

Completing a nearly-finished boring-table for it, I noticed the small thrust-bearings on the cross-slide screw and lead-screw were breaking up.

I bought replacements from ‘Bearing Boys’ by very prompt service – for which thankyou BB! – and fitted them this evening, while swapping the boring-table back to the standard compound slide.

That table does still need its gib-adjusting screws but those are just 2BA grubs.

One useful aspect of the compound slide is that it can be rotated 360º, meaning it can cut very shallow angles such as Vee-pulley flanks. That on lathes like the Myford is designed to rotate readily through only 45º.

(Making such pulleys as two discs screwed or rivetted together, rather as pressed-steel ones are, would allow cutting with a conventional tool rather than making form-tools.)

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

Well … Friday, delivered 32-off locomotive lubricator valve adjusters to the railway.

Originals had round adjustment setscrews and locknuts that had been knurled at some time in the remote past, but have since been played with by a steel dog…;-)

So I used hexagon screws and locknuts in M8 x 1,0 to allow spanner rather than Mole wrench adjustment. Was gonna make these in the garage at home until the family complained about the buzz from the interrupted cut on the long M8 shank and when parting. I prevailed on the powers that be to buy bolts and nuts in the thread required. Originals had a crosshole with a split pin a couple of mils from the tip – presumably to prevent withdrawal and loss during adjustment – but that didn’t seem worth delaying delivery to do.

The bodies screw into a massive casting with tight M16 x 1,5 – carbon steel dies in this thread proved easily available, so I didn’t have a really awkward and time-consuming screwcutting job to do. However the die turned out to have quite a lead-in taper both sides so I had to put in a 3-4mm undercut to allow the body to screw in tight to the shoulder.

[JssParticipant @jss]

Well, over the weekend really. Made these two tool holders for my Myford M type. The black finish was something of an accident. They are made from BMS bar of unknown origin, I think it came with some other lengths of round bar at an auction. I wondered if cutting the slot for the tool would cause it to open out due to internal stresses, especially with additional forces of the clamping screws. Maybe I was being a little pessimistic, but I’ve been caught out before. So they’ve been cooked in the wife’s jewellery kiln to dull red. That’s when the black finish appeared. Still not sure why.

I’ve still got enough 25mm x 75mm bar left to make another 3, but lopping bits off with the hacksaw is hard work.

I still struggle after posting pictures as with the old site. The curser seems to have a mind of its own. Can’t get to post text after the images.

John.

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

I think Id Have to find  a friend with a hack/band saw with a 13 amp plug on the end 9 (not Duraplug though)😁

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

On gardening leave, mainly!

Took out my frustration with finding CAD so difficult, on removing two Gojiberry bushes.

I don’t know these plant’s wild origins but they develop straggly, untidy tangles of thorny, twiggy “branches” like a gentler form of Bramble. Their tiny but pretty Autumn blossoms give way to small, bright-red, edible berries the  garden-centre label promised are rich in Vitamin C. Perhaps, but only ever in low numbers and with a faint, oddly salty taste.

They were taking up ever more room on my small “lawn”, snagging the washing, getting in the way, for no good purpose. So they are now all in bits in fertiliser bags for taking to the tip. I cut the stems, roughly, with a spade a few inches below the ground.

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The exercise also proved I’ve lost my best secateurs and pruning-saw, so I’ll have to buy new ones! I think my home generates miniature “Black Holes” that swallows things rarely if ever to be seen again. Unless I buy new ones.

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I surprised a frog hiding in the lank grass and twigs around one of the bushes. My garden’s amphibians are usually a sort of grubby Compost colour, not Kermit Green; but this was a strange, dark orange-brown Rust. I’ve never seen that previously.

….

Then spent an hour or so working out how to link a motor to a horizontal milling machine with a speed reduction of about 18 or 20 to 1. I’ve the twin final-drive pulley sorted, with link-belts, temporarily suspended from the overhead hoist to help me determine what needs go where.

[Colin HeseltineParticipant @colinheseltine48622]

Started a 3D print of first half of cylinder pattern for Alyn Foundry RLE engine. This is a 21hr print. Then have the other half to do and then the cylinder head. These have been drawn up by JasonB. When complete will go to Graham Corry for casting.

[John HinkleyParticipant @johnhinkley26699]

I hope this is not a duplicate posting.  Reduced window size to introduce a photo and lost all the typing I’d done up to that point.

Anyway, idea was to post a photo of my transaxle design, which is progressing, albeit slowly.  I’ve 3D printed a LOT of parts, many more than once, after changes to the design, notably the gear selector barrel, which I still can’t get right in Alibre Atom, it needs the bigger brother version to do what I want it to do by wrapping a path around the cylinder.  I can’t justify the cost of an upgrade, just for that job, so I’ve fudged it and left myself some fiddly filing  or fettling with a rotary burr to obtain the correct width of the diagonal channels.  Hopefully, there appears below, a screenshot of the (almost) complete design.  I’ve made some components see-through, otherwise it’s just a fancy box:

Don’t know how ell or not it will look on screen.  None too good on a ‘phone, i suspect, but on a proper monitor it looks OK.

John

P.S.  I wonder if the new site will accept a rotatable 3D pdf format?  I’ll try that later.

[Colin HeseltineParticipant @colinheseltine48622]

Finished the 3D prints of the Alyn Foundry RLE cylinder and head patterns.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

They look good, who gets the fun job of smoothing out the surfaces you or Graham

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Today? Far less than I should!

I seem finding it harder to decide what to do and ruddy well get on with it.

However, flushed with last night’s vague “success” at drawing my engine’s connecting-rod in Alibre (a seven-Part Assembly taking well over half that many hours to create) I tried this evening to draw the two-throw crankshaft.

I had thought it would be too difficult… It proved so. That’ll larn me!

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I could not model on-screen the connecting-rod’s tapered, circular section stem with a nice big fillet onto the body of the big-end, and fancy intersection with the cylindrical small-end. So gave it a blocky, tapered rectangular section. The bearing-liners’ and big-end’s joint-lines do not align fully, either – but I know what it’s meant to look like.

Anyway, because I’ve already made these components, drawing them now is an Alibre exercise but the images have no further possible use.

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To prevent the big-end shells from rotating, I drilled the turning-centre hole in the cap right through and tapped it for a little brass grub-screw that engages a small hole in the shell.

For lubricating the big-end, I drilled a generously-countersunk hole into the root radius both for initial oiling-round and to catch oil running down the rod in operation. Somewhat similarly, for the small end, I drilled oil-catch holes down the shoulders of the cross-head piston-rod spigot, notched to the top-end bearing edges, to gather surplus oil from the guide-bars. I omit such details from their drawings.

(It’s an inverted vertical engine. On some very large marine-engines each side of the cross-head was fitted with a sheet-brass comb that dipped into oil in an open collecting-tank at the lower end of the stroke, to wipe it on the guide-bar as the cross-head ascended.)

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These are parts already made so I only had to measure them, by vernier-caliper and rule.

That showed the crankshaft, machined from the solid, is not quite as I’d fondly imagined, possibly putting the connecting-rod centre distances out enough to need the big-ends thinning.

I’d also mistakenly given the pins non-“standard” diameters: 0.600″ instead of 0.625″ which would allow splitting an ‘Oilite’ bush and fitting it with brass gap-shims. (Similarly sometimes in full size, avoiding the awkward task of machining split bushes, and giving some latitude for taking up wear.)

Plus the error I already knew of making the output section some nominal length but too short, so now making it harder to design the transmission. The shaft end is too short for the full width and travel of the pinion pair – something I could not predict when I designed the crankshaft probably three or four years ago now.

Oh Lor’…. Surely I don’t need make a completely new crankshaft along with completely new cylinder-block, rear-axle sprocket and steering-gearbox!

Think I’ll take up CAD/CAM Crochet.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Finally got round to making a shopping-list of inserts – Jenny Beatty said “Hello!”” to me when I walked past her stand at The Fosse, and I had to admit I’d forgotten!

This was also a worthwhile opportunity to go through the tools, while sitting comfortably at the dining-table, rotating or replacing blunted tips as necessary so they are all ready for their next uses.

I find it hard to measure the thread inserts with a gauge, but some have their angles etched on their edges. I loaded one holder with a 55º insert, another with 60º, then wrote the angles on the tools with a soft pencil. (Just readable if you catch the light correctly on them.)

[Author]

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