Member postings for Ron Laden

Thanks ndiy, good to know it is close enough with some adjustments for various conditions.

Ron

Mill cutting tool speed..? Quite some time ago when I started to consider getting a mill, I read somewhere and for the life of me cant remember where, a quick speed calculation that is said to get you in the right ball park for cutter speeds.

3.82 (or rounded to 4) multiplied by material SFM divided by tool diameter in inches = cutter speed. It stuck in my memory, does anyone recognise it and more the point is it something like correct.

Hi Jason, you were quite right the blocks do machine ok, did one this afternoon. I was going to double up in the vice and do the two at the same time but there is a 3 thou difference in thickness and worried one may break loose so I chickened out and then I got called away so will do the other in the morning.

Edited By Ron Laden on 21/10/2018 19:17:16

On the little 0-4-0 I had a tad under 2 thou and used Loctite 638, I,ve not test run it yet but I think it has fixed really well.

Ron

Hi Jason, thats helpful, I will it a go and no I am not sure what the T bolt should look like.

Thanks

Ron

Hi Martin, of course now why didnt I think of that.

Many thanks

Ron

I realise that John, I just wanted to catch the drips/runs off the machine, flying swarf/coolant is another issue.

My £2.99 oil tray, I think it will do the job, its "non stick" too..

The vice location blocks supplied with the vice are a no go. Compared to the 8mm T nut you can see they would need most of the sides and counter bore milling away. It would be a simple job to modify a pair of T nuts but as Jason said they seem to be pretty hard. Another option I thought of was to take some square steel bar and produce an elongated T nut shaped block which spanned across to both fixings. The fixing screws would need their heads turning down to fit through the table slots. Also the block would have to be removed to fit the vice to its swivel base but thats not an issue.

Thanks Neil, I will take my vice off the mill in the morning and have a look.

Thanks for the photo Jason, I cant see me needing one of the long reach just at the moment, looks useful though when you have larger jobs to consider.

When Lionel asked for details of your vice stop, I thought "vice stop" what is a vice stop..? I was going to ask but thought no, I wont show any more of my ignorance, I will wait and see what turns up. I do know what its used for though, but I only know that by going back to your Jowitt build thread to find it...lol

Thanks Jason that is another tool for me to make.

Ron

Edited By Ron Laden on 20/10/2018 21:00:25

Thanks Jason I will give that a go.

I saved a few bob today, I was walking through the cooking section in a cheapie shop when I noticed a shallow sided roasting tray, it reminded me of a mill oil tray certainly not a millions miles from one. I bought it, it will just need 4 holes for the fixing bolts at £2.99 instead of £32 for the mill tray there was no argument.

The SX2P uses 8mm T nuts which have a M6 thread, they are quite small, in fact the two I used to fasten down the vice look a bit lost and I used two of the small clamp bars to stop the M6 nuts pulling through the vice fixing slots. I guess they do work but by choice I think I would be happier with M8 threaded nuts. I was thinking of making some but even easier buy the 10mm (M8 thread) T nuts which are just over a tenner for 10 off and modify those. The table slots for the top of the T is a tad over 8mm so M8 rod/bolts will fit but there wouldnt be a lot of wall thickness left in the nut top front and back. Plenty of meat left and right and also plenty in the base of the nut. Think I will get a pair of 10mm nuts and see how they turn out.

p.s. Almost forgot to say that the shed was over 80 degrees again this afternoon and no problem with X handwheel so the gib mod did the trick.

Ron

Edited By Ron Laden on 20/10/2018 17:00:19

Thanks Chris, I guessed that there would be electric traction engines around as most things have been electrified be it loco,s, traction engines, boats, r/c planes etc etc. I am still undecided as to whether I will have a go at one as my next project. I dare say I probably will at some point but a class 22 may well be what I design and build next.

Nigel, I love steam engines and whatever they power but apart from the basics I have very little understanding of all their workings. I also dont know much about heating water with battery power but my gut feeling tells me that you would need a lot of battery power, wouldnt gas be a more viable option...just a thought, I could well be wrong.

Ron

Thanks guys but no, they dont fit my table T slots, thanks for identifying anyway.

Ron

Edited By Ron Laden on 20/10/2018 10:49:24

I know I,m a pain but can anyone tell me what these small blocks which are supplied with the vice are used for, I have no idea.

Problem found and fixed.

The gib was sliding back and forth 3 or 4 mm, it wasnt located on the screw dog points. I removed the gib and it was a bit pathetic to be honest, the 4 dimples for the dog points had no real depth and the positions were off, witness marks from the screws were 1.5mm off centre and all siting at about 2 o'clock.

I picked up the witness marks with a small centre drill and drilled 2mm deep with a 2.6mm drill, the dogs are 2.5mm dia but I allowed a couple of thou for fit. Polished the gib and re-fitted, the screws located as they screwed further in. Adjusted until I had a good feel to the the handwheel and managed to get the added bonus of no play in the table.

I guess what was happening with the high temperature was that the expansion as tiny as it is was just enough to let the gib slide out of postion as they were not located and then lock up.

Ron

Edited By Ron Laden on 20/10/2018 08:44:21

Edited By Ron Laden on 20/10/2018 08:55:54

Andrew, the gib strip is steel and the table and base are cast iron.

Well they say the proof of the pudding, the temperature in the shop this afternoon went into the 80,s as it did yesterday and the mills X axis tightened up again, which proves its temperature related. I adjusted the gib screws to a balance of smooth operation with the minimum of play in the table. So it will be interesting to see in the morning when the temp is in the 50,s how much the play has increased.

Have any of you guys experienced this or is it only me who,s mill has summer and winter gib settings...lol

Edited By Ron Laden on 19/10/2018 20:19:00

Thanks Jason, I would recommend any beginner to read through your Jowitt engine build in the link you provided. It is like a machining guide in itself, I read through all of it and picked up quite a few tips and ideas on "how to do" it will certainly help me.

Good ideas I probably wouldnt have thought of: Mounting the feet blocks on a dowel across the vice top and tangental cuts, then finish with a file for a radiused end. Tap mounted in the chuck with the wrench attached for tapping true to the work piece. Packing up the side of the vice for cutting shallow angles.

Great stuff

Ron

Edited By Ron Laden on 19/10/2018 17:00:43

Hi guys, I havnt replied individually but I have taken on board all your advice, many thanks.

Jason, a question, how did you cut the radiused sides to the left hand block in your first picture. I imagine you laid it on its side, but what tool did you use.

Edited By Ron Laden on 19/10/2018 15:17:49

I was up early this morning and managed to get in some practice on the mill, did a bit of a test piece as per the photo.

All done with 6mm and 10mm 4 flute TiN coated endmills which I now understand are not ideal for ali but with WD40 they seemed just about ok.

I tried different cuts/different speeds, up and down cutting, though most of it was done with up cuts as I read that up cutting is probably best for beginners. Holes I did with the 10mm cutter and I used the vice swivel to produce the angle cut. For a first attempt I am really pleased with the surface finish, its not perfect but pretty good.

I really enjoyed making it and although its a simple part, I learned quite a lot in the 2 hours.

Ron