Member postings for IanT

Thank you Andrew(s)

The ball bearing sounded like a good idea but I had wondered where people were getting them from? I had no idea that you could purchase large single balls - but prompted by your suggestion I searched online - and up popped Simply Bearings with a hardened chrome steel ball for a few pounds.

7/8 inch Diameter Grade 100 Hardened 52100 Chrome Steel Ball Bearings Simply Bearings Ltd

So I will order one and see how we go - my Warco 2B is probably man enough but I don't want to stress it.

I've 're-bushed' quite a few things over time, either because of wear or to change the bore size. Loctite has been my favoured solution (rather than a press fit) but I was also really not sure about this approach on Oilite.

Thanks again everyone.

Regards,

IanT

Thanks Grey - yes, they are from Simply Bearings.

I generally use SB or Bearing Boys, both have been very good in terms of price, quality and delivery.

Don't have a suitable ball bearing (or large press) but it has made me think about chamfering/rounding the leading edge of the pull-in mandrel more carefully. Keep coming back to the pulley bore being correctly sized (as Goldilocks would want - not too big and not too small but just right)

Regards,

IanT

Regards,

IanT

Well thank you again - I've been up a ladder all afternoon, probably not the best thing for me to be doing but basically a simple job if you can reach it and I'm afraid these things cost silly money around here if you try to get outside help.

So, my current thinking is that the old bearings look like Oiltite and were probably made by them too. The new ones are from Simply and most likely from the Far East. They are a close fit to the shaft, which is slightly worn on the section where the bearing runs but not on the first part that the bearings need to slide over when being re-installed. I probably have a 1" reamer (haven't checked yet) but doubt it will be "razor sharp".

So I'm going to make a fitted 7/8th mandrel to pull them in, with a separate 1" top-hat that can be removed, so that I can then pull the mandrel out after the first operation. I'm also going to try and make the bearings an easier fit in the pulley. Since my ability to turn/bore to very fine limits is clearly not as good as some folk here, I'll most likely lap the 7/8th mandrel to a very close fit, which will also give it a very fine surface finish. Same with the pulley. I think (for me) it's probably easier to work on the bits that surround the bearings than the bearings themselves. I suspect that if I can get the shaft to actually pass through the pulley (with bearing fitted) when re-building - that the bearing will run fine on the shaft once it's in (due to wear) and anyway it can be run-in.

So don't hold your breath - lot's of other stuff to do first - but thank you for your feedback

Regards,

IanT

Ok, thanks everyone.

Some good food for thought there. When I eventually get around to it, I'll report back on my progress (or not) - balancing my time between getting outside repairs and inside (insulation) work done on house before cold weather really sets in. Main workshop gets very cold and I'm not going to be (fan) heating it this Winter, so visits will be very brief.

Regards,

IanT

Finally got back to re-building the headstock of my Atlas MF mill.

Started as a bit of a clean and check, ended with the machine completely in pieces, stripped down and re-painted. Decided it was worth changing all the bearings for new ones, including the Timkens. Came to the headstock pulley (which includes the backgear). There are two new 1"OD x 7/8th ID Oilite bearings to refit, a 1/2" and a 1". Checked that they fitted over the shaft OK, then used the same M8 threaded rod (with steel formers) to pull the first 1/2" bearing in place. The shaft won't fit now. Partially inserted the 1" and got the same result. Removed both bearings and neither now fit. Clearly I've compressed the 1/16th walls by this method. Two new bearings have just arrived in the post.

So, what to do?

Thinking of trying to lap the (aluminium) pulley to make the bearing insertion easier but maybe I'm missing something. Any suggestions welcomed.

Regards,

IanT

Edited By IanT on 29/09/2022 09:36:58

Much the same as others, I use 45% Silver, 1.5mm rod for general work. This is good for feeding alloy into the joint and also for cutting off small 'pallets' for placement. I'm afraid I've never found it that easy to beat it flat, so don't try these days. It is also quite stiff, so is somewhat awkward to form small diameter rings with.

Instead I have some 55%, 0.7mm silver wire that is much easier to form for smaller work - e.g. small rings. It gives very tidy joints on smaller work, as you don't tend to get as much surplus alloy around the joint. It also needs slightly less heat to flow well.

Regards,

IanT

I think most of the issues (and thier solutions) have been already been covered;

Use of 'Command Finder' to locate the icon you want or go to Help - but you can also have a simpler UI if you wish.

Icons/Commands are context sensitive, as are file types - so (for instance) you can only save a DXF from a 'Draft' drawing - not a part or assembly one.

You can see (or hide) planes by using the 'Base Reference Planes' tick box on the L/H side of the drawing - the drop down let's you show/hide individual planes. Same with dimensions & base reference by using 'PMI' and 'Base' boxes.

Regards,

IanT

Well it's a Catch 22 then Bill

The answer is that I've never had to send anything back to them and they've always sent what I've ordered. So I guess that leaves some room for doubt because I've never had to return anything?

As you may have gathered though, most of my purchases have been small ticket items, mostly consumables etc.

You may need to just take a leap of faith

Regards,

IanT

Yes, I've used Cousins fairly often over the years.

Good service, good quality and reasonable prices. There are lots of small items that are very useful for the modeller that are often hard to find elsewhere. They will sell you anything in their catalogue but of course the better prices are when you buy in volume (which I normally don't) and you also pay a small postage charge. If there is something inexpensive I need (£2-£3), I will also tend to have a look for other things that might be useful or where my stock is getting low.

Rather like allowing my wife in the Supermarket (than just using Click & Collect) this does cost a bit more but not excessively so (and normally much less than my wife's impulse buys)

Regards,

IanT

I'm not familiar with this machine but I assume you could make something to adapt piercing saw blades, especially if you need to cut thinner materials.

I use Swiss Vallorbe blades (from Cousins UK) - they are suprisingly inexpensive (mostly less than £2 per 12 pack) and they cut very well. If you can, I would run the machine fairly slowly and just let the saw do the cutting (or you will break the blade). However, they should last quite well when used on the machine, as I only tend to break them these days when my attention wanders and I twist or yank the saw inadvertantly. This usually occurs just as I'm thinking "Haven't broken a blade recently"

Regards,

IanT

Hello Nigel,

Siemens do seem to have changed the opening 'Learn' link - but you will find the Micrometer here...

Solid Edge - Micrometer

Regards,

IanT

All of the above and I don't think i've seen any mention of using a hollow ground tool for deep cuts if you have one.

I've cut flat stock on my mill (12mm steel using a coarse tooth, 1/8" blade), which is very useful for longer cuts (that other machines won't handle) but my horizontal wouldn't really be my first choice for this job. If this is just a test/learning exercise, then doing deep cuts with a narrow slitting saw may not be the best place to start.

Regards,

IanT

"If you wanted to produce similar objects later, using all-synchronous mode, could you save the starting 2D sketches as drawings in their own right, in their own files, and open them to "Save As" then modify as needed for the later drawings ? (With meaningful file-names to help retrieving them. A large sketch library might need a 'Word' or 'Excel' index in the same folder.)"

Or just regularly 'save as' your part/assembly (with a simple version no.) to keep track of progress. I don't do this so often now but it was very useful at first when my confidence was low. It's very quick/simple to do...

Regards,

IanT

Hi Lee,

I think Nigel is referring to this set of Siemens self-paced learning courses - which covers a lot of useful ground.

Solid Edge - Self Paced Learning

If you select a course, you will find that for most of them, Siemens has provided a PDF of the course material, as well as Powerpoint slides and 'Activity' data. The production quality is excellent. However, the 'content' PDF is effectively a pretty good manual on that topic in it's own right (and is indexed) - so has dual use in my view.

Have a look at the 'Sketching' course content PDF to begin with...

Regards,

IanT

" I have just paused to have a look at the down-loaded SE manual.

The first page is a bit daunting but the step-by-step instructions and their diagrams are very clear; making me feel a bit happier about it! "

Congratulations Nigel,

Your Solid Edge Manual 'Quest' seems to have finally succeded!

Keep on questing and I'm sure you will have further sucesses!

Regards,

IanT

Hi Lee,

It's Dr Mohamed Seif and he's Professor of Mechanical and Civil Engineering at Alabama A&M University

His early videos were just intended for use by his students I believe but he seems very happy that others find his videos useful and he updates and changes them over time. He now calls his YouTube channel "The Design Engineer"

Introduction to Solid Edge - The Design Engineer

I've always found his expanations very easy to understand, he doesn't rush through things, explains what he's doing and even makes the odd mistake (which he corrects - which is also useful). Highly recommended.

In terms of the number of features available, you can of course select different interface levels but I chose to just go straight for 'Balanced' (the defacto UI) and learn that - there are simpler UIs though. It may look complicated but it soon becomes quite normal.

I very much like the 'find a command' feature (At bottom of screen) as my memory isn't what is was. It will show you a list of suggested commands it thinks you are looking for and highlights the required icon as you hover over it in the list. The associated "?" will link you to the help file for that command (a very useful reminder for less frequently used commands).

Regards,

IanT

" I don't know how to use the wretched thing! "

I don't mean to be unkind Graham - but nor will you until you decide to make the effort to actually learn it.

Go back to my original thread and within a few evenings you will have drawn a Micrometer in 3D CAD (something a bit more complicated than a block with some holes in it). You may not be fully au-fait with all the detail of how you did it but you will really have drawn it yourself (and have a CAD file to prove it) using the basic tools in Solid Edge.

I did this within a few evenings myself, knowing nothing about Solid Edge and whilst it didn't make me a Solid Edge expert (and I'm still not) - it did convince me that I could learn to use SE with a bit of practice. It's a matter of confidence.

So stop telling yourself (and us) all these reasons you can't do this - and get just get on and put the effort into trying to learn it!

Regards,

IanT

Evening Nigel,

Let me take you back to this thread in October 2021.

Solid Edge - Community Edition | Model Engineer (model-engineer.co.uk)

As you may recall, I tried to explain how best (in my experience) to get going in Solid Edge. It's a little while ago now but I think it will still all be valid if you decide to work through it all. There's even a reference (link) to some very comprehensive PDFs (that Siemens describes as self-paced learning) that can also be used as a set of manuals.

It will take you some time and effort to work through my recommendations but I'm afraid I don't think there are too many short cuts - you have to approach any 3D CAD system methodically (and not just try dipping in here and there). You may of course have some success with the 'jump right in' method but you will also fall into many traps and pitfalls along the way too. I made this mistake with TurboCAD a long time ago and for many years my ability to draw 2D drawings effectively was limited. It took Mr (Paul the CAD) Tracey to put me on the right path but it was hard to unlearn old (bad) habits that could (and should) have been avoided very early on.

So, if you are serious about learning Solid Edge, then please take the time to do it properly. I think you will find it a very good investment and help you to enjoy 3D CAD in all it's utlity and splendor !

Regards,

IanT

Sorry if I didn't make myself clear JD. I only use cruise on M'ways - we were on a B road at the time and had just left a 30mph area and we were in a line of traffic (and fortunately) I was at the tail end - nor was I tailgating him or I would have hit him. We'd just gone past a side lane, so perhaps he'd missed his turn. I've no idea but I don't think he braked because I was annoying him - in fact I think it's more likely he hadn't even noticed me.

Dave - "performance" is an interesting word. My car is 'quick' but not particularly so by modern standards, especially so when compared to many EVs and hybrids. The 'performance' Tesla 3 can hit 60mph in 3 secs and even the base model can do it in about 6 secs I believe. That would have been supercar performance not too long ago. Of course, there are a few other EV issues too - weight being one that isn't talked about very often.

My new saloon weighs 1429kgs, pretty light, especially when compared to my son's hybrid car which is about the same size. It's a whopping 415kgs heavier (900+lbs) and it's not even a full BEV. So we have some very heavy, very fast cars hurling around us that have all sorts of interesting software running them these days.

Btw - I started the braking but I'm certain the car took over when it detected the car in front closing fast. As far as I can see, it's not possible to disable this function either - so another good reason not to tailgate these days...

Regards,

IanT