Member postings for vic francis

Hi Nigel, speedy recovery, err well I used said bandsaw, think it was a pinacle? Early 4.5 hori / vertical typical design but after experimentation in setting esp the crown wheel used it alot ie daily! And with the thin cork on the lower drive wheel it hardly broke any blades, perhaps one per year! I used very little blade tension.... so blades lasted a long time, unless snagged...and a reasonable downcut pressure to avoid rubbing.I used it for 6 years plus as well! It came from another dept so it was second hand .Useable when I got it as well.I always cut dry or friction would be lost...The procurement woman was tight about buying things, ( packs of blades) so I made sure things lasted! The sort of work it did was bar and tube upto 30mm ; I once cut 70mm bronze bar ! But best to turn it...There is a quality difference between blades, the thicker blade was superior, and fine pitch was preferred. The workshop was too small to have a decent cutoff type so I made do... I also improved the work holding clamp... Evo stick glued the cork to the wheel... I tried rubber originally, but creep occurred! , cork was the best; boiler insulation would be perfect around 2mm thick.

regards

vic

Hi Robert ,White rose was a club in the leeds area, as mentioned above,operated around 1984, looked to have a road vehicle bias to its members, found some refs vol 154 3742. I have a Sent you a message!

regards vic

Hi Nigel, I had the similar bandsaw; I found that a thin layer of cork glued onto the drive wheel gave friction and cushioning drive... not only did the blades last longer and needed far less tension... but always cut material dry...

vic

Hi everyone , and thankyou for the useful suggestions! The overarm mounting is not a route I would go having tried that wth the Bartlett head idea, when mounted on the arm droop is present! Centec mk2 head looked possible, just the drive motor issues and mounts; even a cl500clarke mill head... as mounted ontop of the M1 machine column.

Alan Jacksons work and solutions is outstanding; , and thank him for the pictures here and The mew article I now have!

thanks

vic

Hi Bob, sent a message;, err it will break in time, or be difficult to get the correct strength required... the section would also need care re shaping , not to mention hardening and tempering.What caused the break ?was it someone trying to to remove the spring without skill or material defect or working fault? The taper of the material is very important ! Regards vic

Hi Alan and Buffer, thanks for the great ideas! Alan great work ! Lovely Design idea, I shall track down the mew issue! Your swivel head design is most useful feature as well. Thanks for sharing the idea.

Thanks “buffer” yes I have seen that , its a useful idea about column raising... Yes you are right the senior head; I have had a few tries at buying one even buying one at ebay and then someone else buying it privately at the end ;I even considered buying a whole machine but the head was very worn...

thanks for your reply👍

Hi I am fond on the Tom Senior m1 but mine only came with the knuckle head, and though it works fine, it has limited clearance in use,I have seen bport milling heads grafted on, or the actual senior main column raised upwards, and various other ideas such as the Bartlett milling head which mounts on arbor support ( which is just not accurate enough due to droop!) nor has it a quill feed...

I only do light work but need more clearance so any ideas appreciated! Has anyone tried these far east milling spindles? Senior heads are rarer than hens teeth, some people just buy a machine for one!

The top of m1 is not machined? So any mounting on top is a bit hit or miss! I am not moving another mill ! Which would be the best solution....

Any ideas appreciated! Or what you have done!

thanks vic

Hi its tough project! How are you going to harden and temper the tap (s) ? I have found they tend to warp on homemade smaller long tapered ones... and the actual taper of the tap? Load per tooth? Is it possible to rough out by sc the female thread first and then finish with the tap?? The roughed out cut helps avoid it horribly becoming stuck!!

good luck look forward to seeing the update!

Hi, Rather than dismantle, you could stick weld it! , i had a cast iron quadrant break, so I bought some cast iron welding rods, welded it, then screwed a strip of steel to the outside over the break, ok not pretty but its still ok! Besides its a big strip down to take a milling head off! Make sure there is no grease present and paint! It looks like you could make a steel strap to support the break to the casting? Then paint it cosmetically... Good luck.

Hi Jim, I certainly dont know everything but looking at the poor nurse on tv yesterday I could see the fit of her band mask was poor ; very sad to see...the gaps either side of her nose would be drawing in unfiltered air... the band concertina type mask is one of the poorest ones i have looked and tried. The cup type ones are much better but require careful fitting;I feel the disposable screw on filters would have been the way to go; the rubber mask could be easily sterilised or wiped after use. Model Engineers are practical folk...and observers of detail; so Jim I do not say I know everything; but a friend of ours died from Covid on Tuesday, drove the Black Hawthorne No3 040 st; At Kettering Furnaces, so whatever your point of view, be very careful and yes stay in the shed.

Ian b , you could well be right, ! One thing is certain the Govt figures for Covid are being manipulated; The care homes are not allowed to record deaths from Covid... My Mother’s home, about 1/4 died from the first wave...they are not able to record the true loss officially at the home the Manager told me... therefore The true death rate is much higher.The Nhs Senior spun doctors are happy resort to False information; speaking from personal experience. They also have a Professor who is head of “Complaints “ ! I was pleased when she was unable to give a answer on a serious point.Not often you find that on their own subject.

You would have to look at the past; and compare the figures ...

What I find really shocking is how Ppe equipment ( newly formed) companies have close relations to Ministers... ie Neighbours ( Hancock as reported in The Press) or friends even ( Cabinet Minister)... such indirect profiteering is shocking.... it was also of a obvious low quality design. They are happy to expose those on the Front line Nursing staff with inadequate ppe.

That says it all...

keep safe

Hi Noel you say that the engine is 25 years old, would that be-the original boiler? If so is there sufficient life in the boiler to merit tube removal? ? When was the last test/cert issued?

Hi Andrew, I do hope you reconsider; your knowledge, skills, are of the highest order; as well your explanations. It would be a sad loss to the forum if you did not contribute anymore. You are right to feel upset, and perhaps lockdown has made people more caustic with their comments. I had it on fb, but The Forum is very valuable to the hobby.If you only got one thing wrong , well that is a tiny percentage of your total output on here! Which is remarkable considering the different topics you have knowledge on.

I quite like looking at Professor Simon on utube; he had a Engineering problem on threads ( lathework his new hobby) I was pleased to give him a helping hand ; I had found one thing he did not know! Compared to his deep knowledge and abilities which I can only guess; but shared knowledge is very valuable , even more to The Forum...

kind regards

vic

Hi Jason, welcome to the forum; just thought I would mention that if ever you get the urge to make a miniature model of one of your motorcycles , then I can help out with information; for there have been some super models made especially in 1/4 and1/3 scales of originals... such as Bert Whites acme blackburn,les Worthington's bsa gold star , honda cbx, gs550 Suzuki,Douglas dragonfly engine, bill connors ajs famous engines, Jim Gough’s Vincent nero drag bike ....or rc variants like Mr Bridges 1/4 scale Lambretta...

regards

Hi Roger, Well I thought I would mention that yes that is a slight failing of the south-bend lathe of no slotted crosslide, however i remember seeing a casting and drawings marketed some years ago to correct this. However The boxford slotted cross slide would be a close fit.... besides you have a mill coming which is superior to lathe milling ops.... even so, i would still dispose of it; simply as sheet metal work needs alot of room to process from 1/2 or 1/4 sheet stock size both from the front and to the rear, not to mention cranking the handle! I have found that they need to be permanently fixed down or move horribly under cranking the handle. Most likely your one would need to be 90 to the wall for access...they are no good on castors...!

Its true the drummond in capable hands can produce good work eg lbsc/ David Curwen but the area it takes ? Versus how much use argument. Locos have a fair amount of sheet metal work...

Another factor to consider is future needs... one chap( in a me article)had declining health and modified his workshop for wheelchair access... the first machine to be sold was by the door entrance...I see you have had covid and are feeling weak, I have seen this before with illness and recovery can be in years or other symptoms of tiredness now being reported after covid unfortunately so it maybe seating is factored in while working...Whatever you do good luck!

Hi Roger, The trouble with home workshops is that it needs to match what you intend to build, with your loco interest, I see that sheet metal fabrication or metal heating is not catered for. My thought would be to dump the Drummond! And use the valuable space for the above!besides the Southbend is far superior machine tool and can do everything and more than the drummond... noting its rather unsupported lathe mandrel , which surely is for ornamental turning work? .are two lathes really necessary? sometimes a ruthless approach is best! Rather than collective...To change things later with access limitations would be very difficult. Just my thoughts and observations.

Hi Ken , look at Keith Appletons superb videos on boiler testing , much easier than words! On utube ; mainsteam.co.uk

pm sent!

kind regards

vic

Edited By vic francis on 15/08/2020 13:59:08

Great work and thanks for the sharing of ideas , love the carbon fibre work decals!

Paper modelling ; Eric Best’s traction engine about 1.5 inch scale, 1/8 full size of a Wallis and Stevens road loco was of such quality that no one knew it was card by looking at the model visually. I remember seeing on the web a card modeller on formula 1 collection ... wow stunning...

keep the good work up👍

Great work and thanks for the sharing of ideas , love the carbon fibre work decals!

Paper modelling ; Eric Best’s traction engine about 1.5 inch scale, 1/8 full size of a Wallis and Stevens road loco was of such quality that no one knew it was card by looking at the model visually. I remember seeing on the web a card modeller on formula 1 collection ... wow stunning...

keep the good work up👍