Member postings for Dianne Best

That makes a lot of sense John. I never heard of an optical centre punch before but it is definitely on my list now!
A second set of measuring and layout tools also makes sense.

I am thinking about some type of magnification and better lighting as well for the layout area. The old eyes aren't as sharp as they used to be

Okay, so maybe 0.0001" is a bit of an exagerataion but definitely to 0.001 +/- half a thou.

I have always envied those who can layout a bolt circle of 6 or 8 #4 screws on a 2" diameter with such precision that the cover fit in any position - I can't do that! I want to be able to.

I have been machining off and on most of my life but mostly for big stuff and old machines where 0.001" is good enough.

I am now wanting to make some smaller models and need to improve my layout and machining techniques to improve the accuracy by an order of magnitude.

Is/are there any good books (preferably eBook) on precision machining? What do you recommend?

Thanks gang!

With many years in engineering, I was proficient in AutoCAD but when I retired, I switched to progeCAD, a free AutoCAD look-alike, and I use SketchUp for 3D creations.

The initial concept is usually developed with quick/rough sketches on paper but then I move to CAD to work out the details and specifics. Maybe because of my years of engineering, I like to develop a full set of detailed drawings so that anyone could build it. In the shop, I prefer to work to the drawings rather than designing on the fly. If I come up with a better way in the shop, I go back and revise the drawings.

With the 10" Southbend, I don't need riser blocks, though I did use them on the Southbend to machine a 24" flywheel!

The flywheel, wheels, and gear blanks are already cast for the Trevethick engine. I printed them in 3D and had them investment cast last year. My first iteration of the boiler didn't produce enough steam so the project has been stalled since then.

After doing an awful lot of research on specs, availability, and costs, I have decided to go with the Taig "Micro Lathe II". I like its specs - better than most of the Asian imports - the lathe and its accessories are available locally so that means local support. The Taig will nicely handle the making parts that are too small to work easily on my old 10" Southbend.

Thanks for all the suggestions and discussion - it helped a great deal!

Thanks Ian. I will report back on what I get. I will be watching for used and that may determine what I get.

Yes, our winters are COLD! My shop is the back half of a 48x24 foot metal-clad, insulated, with wood heat so it only gets heated when I am working out there. I also restore old motorcycles so it gets used quite a bit in the winter - no time in the summer

I will always have my 1940 Southbend 10" for larger stuff.

The "small end" of what I want/need to make is steam fittings for 1/8 scale.

The other project I have in mind is a steam engine for a 1:48 sternwheeler. I have also started an 1803 Trevithick locomotive in 1/8th scale.

I have been doing machining since I was a teenager (a LONG time ago!) but my shop was more geared toward large work. My lathe is a 10x48" Southbend WWII lathe that has seen better days - the V's are worn, the leadscrews are worn, the chuck needs to be replaced but it was sufficient to build a 1/2 scale traction engine 20 years ago. It certainly isn't suited to doing small parts to precision tolerances yet it isn't worth extensive rebuilding.

I would like to purchase a small mini or micro lathe to do very small model work but I am on a pension so I have to watch costs. I don't need anything as large as the 7x lathes but have no idea which micro lathes may be good quality and which ones are junk.

Any guidance from experienced machinists?

Thanks Martin - that has promise.

That's a lot of parts to fit in a tight space and requires very precise fits to work well.

Back to the drawing board!

I have been working with full size steam most of my life and built a 1/2 scale traction engine in 1995/96

I have recently started on a sternwheel ship model, 48" long, 10" beam, and would very much like to make it steam operated.

Because the ship is small, the goals for the engine are: small, light, low friction, reversible, easy to make (without precision machining). It would be nice (but not required) to have variable cut-off.

I have a cylinder design that is simple and eliminates packing glands but I am going in circles trying to develop a simple valve gear.

Has anybody seen a valve design on the Internet that would be low-friction and easy to build?

Thanks

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I attended technical college more than 40 years ago and it was quite obvious to me that only a few had any 'intuitive feeling' for what they were doing - they could make a mistake by an order of magnitude and have no sense that they had made a mistake while 'a gifted few' would look at that answer and say "That doesn't seem right...". In my career in engineering I noticed the same - that some people simply had a 'sense' for their work while most only knew formula and rules.

I am confident in designing almost anything but I look at the precision creations of my non-technical friends with tremendous awe and admiration and only WISH I could do half as well!

My 10" Southbend was build in 1941 and sold to an aircraft company so it undoubtedly saw war time service. At some point in the 1960s it was sold to a community college auto shop and was used and abused there until I bought it in the 1980s. It is worn and sloppy but now does infrequent light duty and gets pampered. I feel good that it now has a good home where it is appreciated.

I envy those of you who live in an area with 'sane' temperatures! Here on the Canadian prairies winter temperatures often get down to the range of -30C for prolonged periods and heating a shop is neither cheap nor easy.

My shop is detached and about 28 x 20 feet. The first thing I did when I bought my place (1997) was to insulate and sheet the walls (2x4 construction). The original owner had relocated the oil furnace from the house to the workshop when the house was converted to wood/electric and the much-oversized furnace was great! Within 15 minutes of flipping on the switch, the furnace would be blowing HOT air and the shop would be shirt-sleeve warm within 30 minutes.

Unfortunately the price of heating oil had increased significantly and the cost of filling the tank had risen above $1,000. Even though a tank of oil would last more than a year, $1,000 is a HEAVY touch for a pensioner and the insurance costs and regulatory B.S. for having a 200 gallon oil tank was becoming a problem so last year I had only a 4 KW electric heater. Over the course of 4 month last spring, the electric heater also cost quite a few hundred dollars.

Last summer I removed and scrapped the oil furnace and installed a small air-tight wood stove. Removing the furnace freed up a lot of floor space (about 8 x 12 feet!) but I miss the speed and convenience of the oil furnace and being able to flip a switch and have lots of heat minutes later.

Now I try to turn the electric heat on a couple of hours before going to the shop to take the chill off. I light a fire when I first get to the shop but even with an old ceiling fan to circulate the warmth, it still takes an hour or two before the shop is comfortably warm.

If money was no object, I would have stayed with oil heat for the speed and convenience. Since money is a consideration, a wood stove with electric "pre-warm" is more economical.

Most people in this part of the world have their model workshop in the basement and for good reason!