Member postings for Andrew Knowles 2

I am considering restoring this poor old mill and I need to check the spindle bearings condition.

At the moment I cannot see how it comes apart. The 2 square headed screws will not move, I will have to make a 5/16 square socket if they have to be unscrewed.

Above the plate with the screws is a split collar which appears to be like a valve stem cotter.

The rest of the machine (now stripped down) appears to be in reasonable condition but I need to evaluate the spindle before investing further.

Any help would be much appreciated.

There is a picture of the dismantled spindle with the bronze bush lower bearing on lathes.co.uk but it is slightly different.

Has anybody had any issues with the balance of the countershaft/clutch assembly

I have no vibration from the motor on its own (3phase Newton Tesla) but when I put the belt to the countershaft on but with the belt to the spindle off there is vibration

The large pulley on the clutch appears to be out of balance. Ie place it in one position and it will move round on its own always stopping in the same spot

The problem was much improved when fitting the 3phase motor but the vibration is still there

Thanks for any help or ideas on how to balance it

Sam. Well spotted I run the spindle in reverse so I can have the cutter in front of the work to make it easier to see what is going on.

Easy to do on the BCA just put the belt on the motor the other way around

Andrew

The drawing of the weight for my lantern clock (ME article by Malcolm Wild) works out to be about 11lbs. Is this about right it seems a bit on the heavy side to me

Thanks for your help

Andrew

That was not so hard was it

Hello All

I have been meaning to post a picture of my pinion cutting set up for the last few weeks

I have now managed to produce some reasonable ( in my opinion ) results with the help of all the comments I have received. Today I have got the going train completed and it runs !!!

Many thanks for all the help

Andrew

Just realised I do not know how to insert an image but I will find out and post the picture in a minute

Thanks William

I will run it for a while to warm up then check again.

It sounds a lot happier now after my initial adjustments but I will keep an eye on the temperature.

I also made the mistake of greasing the thrust bearings which resulted in one of the ball cages breaking up. Luckily Simply Bearings managed to find me replacements. Now I use only 32 weight hydraulic oil on the BCA and the Myford

Kind regards

Andrew

Just wondering if there are any machine tool experts with experience of adjusting the spindle bearings on a BCA jig borer.

The bearings are adjustable bronze bushes but I am not sure how tight to run them

Any advice would be most welcome

Many thanks

Andrew

Hi Roy

I have no idea but bent it is. I just do not understand as it was fine whilst I was cutting the wheels.

The mill has no power feeds so not that.

I will post some photos of the results with the new arbor. I would be most grateful for any comments

Kind regards

Andrew

And after the posting above the original now appears

Very strange

Andrew

Gentlemen (I made this posting on 11/11/22 but it does not show up in this thread but it does in My Postings)

With some embarrassment I have to report that I have solved my pinion cutting issue.

After reading all the advice it appeared that pinion blank size and cutter were correct.

I then realised that the tooth space on the pinion was wider than the cutter teeth. On checking the wheels I had previously cut the cutter fitted perfectly into the tooth space.

On checking the cutter arbour I found it was bent. This must have happened after I finished cutting the wheels.

New arbor made and now the pinions look much better

Once again many thanks to all who replied to my question

Kind regards

Andrew Knowles

Gentlemen

With some embarrassment I have to report that I have solved my pinion cutting issue.

After reading all the advice it appeared that pinion blank size and cutter were correct.

I then realised that the tooth space on the pinion was wider than the cutter teeth. On checking the wheels I had previously cut the cutter fitted perfectly into the tooth space.

On checking the cutter arbour I found it was bent. This must have happened after I finished cutting the wheels.

New arbor made and now the pinions look much better

Once again many thanks to all who replied to my question

Kind regards

Andrew Knowles

Hi Roy

I am using a depthing tool and I will get some pictures next week.

Regards

Andrew

Gentlemen

Firstly thank you all for your help with my issue

Just to confirm the ME article clearly shows a M1 x 72 tooth great wheel meshing with a M0.9 x 7 tooth pinion

The great wheel was cut with a M1 Thorntons wheel cutter and I am using a M0.9 x 7 Thorntons pinion cutter.

The OD of the pinion blank is 0.343" on the drawing. This ties up with the value from Wild's book for a M1 pinion and also Roy's comment that the pinion dimensions should be based on the module of the larger wheel module.

The outstanding point is now deciding if I should try a M0.9 x 7 or a M1 x 7 cutter to try. I would rather not have to buy both so would welcome suggestions on which one to try.

Once again many thanks for all your help

Andrew

Hello

I am a beginner clock maker trying to make a lantern clock from Malcolm Wild's article in Model Engineer.

I am having trouble getting the clock to run and I am almost sure that this is due to the pinions I have cut.

I am using a Thorntons cutter so I do not think that is the issue (tried making my own first) I am confused about the pinion blank diameter and depth of cut.

The pinion in question is M 0.9 x 7 teeth

In the ME article the pinion blank OD is shown as 0.343" whilst in Malcolm Wild's book the OD is given as 0.309"

I am also unsure about the depth of cut Should one cut until the OD diameter of the blank just disappears or should it be possible to see the original OD on the tips of the teeth?

If I start with an OD of 0.343 and cut until the OD almost vanishes the leaves are much too narrow and mesh very poorly with the wheel (M1.0 x 72)

Any advice would be much appreciated as the pile of scrap pinions is growing.

Many thanks

Andrew

On the same thème ordered from m-metals in Darlington late Friday afternoon delivered by our postie at 10am Monday morning. Many thanks to both parties

Andrew

Many thanks for all the suggestions

I think I will get all the wheels,pinions and plates made first

Best wishes to all

As a complete beginner to the world of clockmaking I am working on a lantern clock based on Malcom Wilds ME article

I have made the finials,columns and feet by turning from bar stock but this is very wasteful. I understand that originally these items would have been turned from castings

Are there any clock maker members who cast this type of part?

Is a furnace essential or could I get by with some firebricks and a couple of propane torches? I assume a crucible is essential

Ant help would be much appreciated

Just wanted to say thank you for taking the time for making your YouTube videos

As a complete beginner in the world of clock making your videos are a great help

Andrew

Hello All

My interest is in making clocks mainly lantern clocks as my eyesight is not good enough for anything smaller

i was lucky enough to inherit my uncles workshop equipment which included a Super 7 and a BCA jig borer so I am very well equipped as far as machine tools

My first project is a lantern clock by Malcolm Ward as published in ME some years ago. Early in my working life I have done some turning and milling but on a much larger scale but have not touched a lathe in 40 years but it seems to be like riding a bike it comes back easily

i hope there are some other clock makers out there as I have many questions

Best wishes for 2022
Andrew