Member postings for Clive Brown 1

I don't think it makes any difference to the running of the loco, but with the RH piston at rear DC, the LH crank should be down.

I think that's correct!

I use an old toothbrush to clean swarf out of my Boxford spindle -nose and the chuck backplate threads.

Dont really know the Myford, but I certainly wouldn't put a UNF die on the spindle theads. I'd expect it to be Whitworth form.

There are some pictures and a description of the Fobco mill on the Lathes.uk website. Cutters were intended to be held in 2MT collets, a fine downfeed was fitted and also a compound table.

Fairly rare I would guess.

Incidentally, before I had a "proper" mill, I once tried to use an end-mill in the chuck of my Fobco. The chuck came off the Jacobs taper in very short order.

Edited By Clive Brown 1 on 03/07/2017 19:56:04

Thanks Neil, Jason and Ketan for your interesting input. Since my post yesterday, I've spent some further time trying out my 10mm boring bar. On the piece of mild steel that I was using I didn't make much progress.

I have a 0.8mm tip as well as the 0.4mm supplied with the bar which I tried. There was possibly some improvement, but not a great deal.

I then tried some aluminium bar and 316 stainless with the 0.4mm tip. Finish was much better, so some satisfaction!

I used moderate speeds for all cuts, and around 0.003" - 0.015" depth and 0.003" - 0.006" feed.

I therefore subscribe to the view that mild steel isn't always easy with carbide, a pity, since it's a staple material and I can usually wangle a decent finish on it with HSS or even silver steel tool-bits.

Maybe free-cutting MS would help, I'll try to get hold of some.

I'm interested in this thread. I recently purchased an Arceurotrade indexable boring bar, the low-cost Chinese type with a standard tip. This was to supplement the collection of mainly HSS boring tools used on my Boxford ME10. The attraction was the compact dimensions of the "sharp end" and the avoidance of what can be extensive grinding of HSS to make a shaped tool.

I can only say that I'm badly disillusioned. The surface finish is terrible in mild steel, En3, a bit better, but still poor in some tougher stuff, possibly EN8. I've tried ramping up the speed, as seems to be advised in places, but with little improvement. I now see this tool as little better than useless except for the most crude roughing cuts.

OK, I must be doing it wrong, would an expensive tip transform things? The bar itself seems reasonably well made and it's held rigidly. I should say that I sometimes use carbide tipped tools for external turning with no real problems.

Any advice appreciated!

Clive

Nige,

My experience, such as it is, of British made hobby machines of that era suggests small whitworth thread sizes, especially if tapped into cast-iron.

My elderly "Dormer Twist Drill and Reamer Information Handbook" lists diametral tolerances according to BSS.

All tolerances are +.0000. Minus tolerances vary from - .014 mm for drills up to 3 mm. dia. to -.054 mm for drills between 80 to 120 mm. dia.

A 10mm drill for example would be +0, -.027.

Off-centre grinding would change this of course.

All reamers are plus tolerances

Edited By Clive Brown 1 on 03/06/2017 19:31:31

Edited By Clive Brown 1 on 03/06/2017 19:33:26

Hello, I've just joined the forum after a period of lurking. My model-making activities go back, on and off a good few years but with lapses, the most recent being due to a house move, but the workshop is now functioning again, (at last!)

I started off with a Grayson 3 1/2" lathe, now replaced with a Boxford ME10 and a Raglan mill was added. The Raglan has just been supplemented with a small Chinese mill. Main projects over the years have been a 1 1/2" Allchin, a 5" g. Simplex and a Quorn, also a few tools, GHT and others. Present main task is a 5" Princess of Wales.

I've been greatly impressed by the level of knowledge and general helpfulness shown on this forum, I hope to be taking advantage of this in future as, hopefully, the PoW progresses.

Regards,

Clive

My drawing shows a 2 element radiant superheater, 7/16 inch dia. stainless tubes extending to the back of the firebox.