Member postings for Sam Longley 1

Actually I had thought about that. I have 4 or 5 jigsaws from my joinery business & had considered just making a blade grip. & doing exactly what you suggest. The variable speeds would enable me to experiment.to get best cutting speed. I already have a startright bandsaw

I just fancied trying some gear cutting & making the eccentric

Edited By Sam Longley 1 on 26/01/2016 20:42:33

I want to make a scroll saw for thin metals, grp sheet, ply & balsa ( model aero building).

I would appreciate comments on the following:-

1) How many oscillations per minute do forumites reckon I need. I will have a simple eccentric & the number of revolutions will govern the number of times the blade goes up & down.

2) How far up & down would you reckon the blade should travel. This will govern the size of eccentric. is 20mm enough or too much? Should it be faster & less stroke length or slower & a longer cut. Presumably the upper spring will have to adjust to this & thus govern the stroke. But it must affect operation somehow

3) I seem to recall a standard single phase motor of about 0.25 HP runs at 1450 RPM. Is that correct? & any ideas where I can source one cheap?

4) I will cut the gears from tufnol as I have only just bought the lathe & mill ( Promised delivery Friday-- Hurrah!!!) so I want to go easy on the cutters.

So how big should the teeth be. I know the ratio is set by number of teeth to number of teeth but should I be looking at very small teeth. How does one decide on tooth size on gears . Is there a table somewhere that one follows. Would smaller teeth be better on tufnol ? Bigger may be easier/ quicker but will the tooth snap off? should I have small teeth for quieter running or will they just strip off?. Or is it decided by the divisions available on the dividing head?

Finally - No; I do not want to buy one. Half the fun is making it ones self

Thanks

I get the reply "Activation failed! this code you entered has already been issued

Yesterday i paid for a digital subscription of model engineer. It has been a disaster.

I spent 2 hours trying to upload it & finally managed to get the October 2015 issue on my computer. It takes ages to load & is either so small I cannot see it or so large that it is just as unreadable. I tried to get it on my Ipad & gave up after struggling with passwords etc. All I , i get is requests for payment for individual issues & my order number seems invalid

. Another go tonight & as far as I am concerned i might as well have thrown the money down the drain.

Is it possible to upgrade to a posted print subscription & dump this digital mess?

Edited By Sam Longley 1 on 21/01/2016 18:54:29

Birthday in Feb & 4 titles have already been selected. Just see what transpires

That would be a good idea. All I need to do now is follow the links & find out how to subscribe.

by the way- Apologies to the mods for putting in wrong place.

Being new here means i do not know my way around yet & there are many different blocks of thread. The notification email is not as good as some & i do tend to forget where i have posted. Too many blocks is my first thought. Buy Hey! I am new here

So what do forumites think of model engineers workshop as a magazine?

Years ago I used to have RC&ME which had lots of engineering articles. Now, however, it is aeroplanes & helicopters. Whilst I am a member of a model aero club I find the mag disapointing as it does not give much " how to" info

So having seen the note that there was an article about the Drummond ( i have an "M" I shot off to W H Smiths. Disaster, - not on the shelves. If the mag has lots of info on machining I will invest in a subscription, but if it is all about steam trains chuffing up some valley or other than it will be of no interest

However without getting my hands on a copy i just wondered if model engineers actually think that it is an informative mag, or like a lot of magazines - all about someone's latest holiday

Finally - why has that little smiley plonked itself in the script? have I a little lodger?

Edited By Sam Longley 1 on 19/01/2016 18:11:33

Edited By Sam Longley 1 on 19/01/2016 18:12:37

Edited By JasonB on 19/01/2016 18:17:40

Yes - Thanks- I have seen the video & whilst it is very good the chap does go on a bit--- as do a few others-- Just wish they would get on with the machining

But informative all the same

I also have the book by Andrew Smith on building the 10V which, having bought at the show, I have not read yet

Edited By Sam Longley 1 on 19/01/2016 17:50:29

I know that when one machines cast iron they have to get below the case hardened skin.

However, I am about to start machining a cast iron Stuart 10V & the feet of the stand seem liable to cracking off

So the question is :- How deep does the first cut have to be to get beneath the skin & how deep can one go with a small item like the 10V stand before one is likely to snap the legs off

I am really fed up now -- I missed some of those !!!!!!

& mine fitted & worked very well on my laptop - So thanks for taking the effort

Well the payment has been made & delivery arranged for within 10 days

i bought a Warco WM 250 lathe The WM 16 mills. Do not know if I have made a good choice or not. Time will tell

Accessories were only, fly cutter & some HSS inserts, quick change toolpost, set of indexible cutters. Collet chuck & collets. set of end mills, toolpost die holder. I did want a boring head but was not sure what sort. I need a better vice but my existing one will do until I have had some experience. Could not find a Glance holders so just bought cheap to get a start

I nearly bought a rotary table but another model maker I spoke to advised me against the one I was looking at as he felt it was not suitable for a mill. It was him that advised me against the WM 14 mill as he said one never has one big enough & he had already made that mistake. I need some means of dividing but am not sure what yet.

I have some tools plus tool post chuck etc & a selection of HSS cutters , cut off tools , between centres boring bars . measuring gear , dials etc so i have something to experiment with

So I am just going to play around & get a feel for things. I have some Tufnol parts i need to make & that will keep me occupied for a couple of days

So once I get it set up I will just machine some bits & see how it goes

Edited By JasonB on 17/01/2016 13:20:08

I know a number of people have suggested buying something & i do have the rotary pump suggested above for my nitro planes. I also use a hand pump on one of my yachts inboard engine. JasonB's little pump is brilliant & i could cut some tufnol gears to a crank to get it pumping fast

It just seems like a nice little project to try & a chance to extend my skills. I think I will give it a go just for the " non flying" days

Edited By Sam Longley 1 on 13/01/2016 19:20:44

Edited By Sam Longley 1 on 13/01/2016 19:21:41

Actually you are right . it is heavy. I had to move it on my own from one shed to another & needed copious use of crow bars & rollers. Thing is that being heavy there is no vibration & it does not have any appreciable flex. I do have it on a base but that is because I am tall. I also hit my toes on the base which stops me hitting the flywheel- which I have never done. I had intended to fill the base with concrete but found it unnecessary

The headstock bearings are adjustable ( that is why there is a strip of aluminium fixed to them to prevent them moving from the set position

Edited By Sam Longley 1 on 09/01/2016 11:19:14

As well as model engineering I fly model planes. i have just bought an engine that runs on petrol oil mix so the pumps that are used for glow fuel cannot be used. I have to buy petrol friendly pipes etc

I want to add a little hand operated pump alongside a can of fuel to fill the plane ( yes I know I can buy them but one made by me would look better on the field)

i know that Stuart etc do castings for water pumps but I feel I can make from my own materials. What i cannot find on the internet are designs for the valves. I only have to move a cupful of fuel each time so i do not want something enormous.

I seem to recall having book with designs for a ball bearing with a spring. But springs might breakdown in petrol. In addition I do not need fuel leaking everywhere so the piston needs to be a good fit, as do the valves

Can any one direct me to a source for free designs please.

Edited By Sam Longley 1 on 09/01/2016 09:40:59

Toggles on the top cords on the bottom

I cannot believe how lax I am !!!!

I sell chain as a side line. i currently about to buy in another 1000kg I could cut the slot with hacksaw then use a shaped milling cutter to form the shape to connect

However. That still does not tell me how to actually machine an item like that from plate. Surely it is not just a case of one having to grind or file it it.

Can I stick it on a vertical stub mandrel & rotate it against a cutter somehow . Each end at a differing radii?

I have had a Drummond M type for 43 years . Have not used it much as I also had a large Colchester at my business premises. However, when i did use it it saved me much more than it cost. It has a 3 jaw chuck with 2 sets of jaws, One still in the box. it all works & there are about 20 change wheels. I actually used it for small threading jobs.

So here is the question-- If I put it on ebay ( have to sell soon as new lathe & mill arriving soon) what sort of price is it likely to fetch? I have an opportunity to sell it to a local for " £100 possibly 200-00 but I do not have a clue what it is worth. with the prices of new lathes so low I will not get much. or will I?

Although it is old the ways are Ok & everything is tight

Any ideas- & no!!! I was not trying a crafty trick to flog it here so apologies if I am out of order. I am sure the mods will delete it if I am

Can someone help a newby ( Getting lathe & mill later this month)

Hope this is the right place!!!

Above is a picture of a clip. It joins to its partner by holding at 90 degrees & slotting through the slot. I want to attach the bottom cord of 35 flags to race marks so no great load. I have already spliced all the partners to the uphaul lines

I went to buy some more but wondered if i could make them

The 2 holes with rounded edges are relatively easy as is the slot, but I am not sure how to shape the semicircular ends. Need to be rounded on all arrises. Clamping & cutting an outside radius has me stumped

They should be made in 3mm stainless but can also be in 5mm aluminium so that is what i will use. Length is 34mm & width 22mm

size does not have to be exact & the 35 No. that I need do not have to be exactly identical but it would be a good exercise to see that they are.

will be buying the gear at the ME exhibition next week so perhaps someone can direct me as to what tooling I need

And before anyone says so - yes! I can buy them for £ 4-00 a pair-- but hey!! would forumites buy them & admit defeat?

Unfortunately -according to google - they died in 2015