Member postings for Lou Powderly

David,

Thanks for your input. My toolholders from a number of years ago also have the "W" which I understand indicates Western Engineering which is a firm which at one time made the toolholders for Myford at Beeston. However what I wondered was how the Dickson and the Aloris compare in terms of rigidity and therefore machining capability and freedom from chatter.

John Reese

Thank you for your reply. Does your last sentence suggest the the Dickson is more rigid that the Aloris type?

Johnf

Thank you for your reply. I have an Imperial based workshop and after translation I confirm that my Dickson toolholders are indeed the same size as the items that you use. However what I really wanted to know was how the two system vary in machining capability; which would mean that if they both come out as about the same there is no need to spend a lot of time making the complicated toolholders when I could switch to the Aloris type and dash off a few toolholders when required and get on with the main task of making steam engines

m

Thank you, it is certainly an option which I have considered and have not ruled it out.

Chris Evans 6

Thanks Chris. I have tried that route with very little success I'm afraid. About two years ago I bought a set of five toolholders from the firm that you mentioned and they were extremely upset when I sent them back with a note saying that I thought they had sent me a bag of rejects by mistake. They thought that I was being facetious but in fact I genuinely thought that was the case. The machining was appalling with the Vs not cut to depth, the T slot cut too shallow to allow entry of the retaining piston and the height adjuster screw too far to the rear which fouled the locking cam and rotated the adjuster when attempting to lock the toolholder. I was given a refund and assured that future purchases would be correct but when I ordered a couple more to test the water a few months later nothing had changed and I had to rely on a friend with a surface grinder to correct the errors. I asked some other suppliers for a firm committment that their toolholders would fit the original toolpost and not just the ones they were currently selling. They declined by saying that they probably used the same source as my previous attempts. Hence my need to reach a decision.

When I bought my ML7 in 1974 I fitted it with a Myford Dickson quick change toolpost and was very pleased with it and about fifteen years ago bought an additional three toolholders which were apparently made in this country and fitted the toolpost correctly. I have recently upgraded to a Super 7 and I now have a lot more revs available and so have started using carbide tipped tools to a such an extent I now need more toolholders but I have found it impossible to buy toolholders that fit my original toolpost at a reasonable price. Many suppliers claim to supply the real McCoy but they are just not machined sufficiently accurately to mate with the toolpost.

I have had a look around and a well known supplier markets an Eloris type wedge toolpost for the Myford which looks to be a possible answer and for which I could make additional toolholders as required. However I don't know anybody who can give me an opinion on a comparison of rigidity between the two. I would therefore be pleased for any words of wisdom on this matter.

WOW! Thank you chaps. Totally amazing. Sherlock Holmes has nothing on you. The completed engine looks very interesting and if I can source the drawings from somewhere I might add it to the project list, or on the other hand I might just build a more basic freehand version. Thank you once again for your hard work and interest.

Lou............................

The cylinder bore is 1" and the casting is 2 1/8" overall, the piston is 3/8" lang and if the disc is the crank then it would point to the stroke being 1 1/2". The numbers are as followed :-

PS   .....and if you haven't already guessed M17 is the valve

Edited By Lou Powderly on 10/09/2018 17:32:55

Thank you for a speedy reply. Sorry, my introductory post seems to have got lost. I have been a model engineer on and off for a few decades and am aware that they are indeed for some horizontal engine but which or rather who's design is the mystery. Another strange thing is that the cradle shaped casting is too long to fit between the cylinder casting's flanges which is where I imagined it to be used.

I wonder if anybody can identify these castings. I was given then by a friend who's brother had died and he didn't know their source nor did he have any drawings

.

Perhaps some of the more distinctive ones will trigger some memories.

Some bear numbers starting with an "M"