Member postings for Steve Wan

Hey buddies,

I was at a lost when I got to the metal supplier asking myself which is better for my 2 projects. One for the back plate to raise my mill z axis higher (small miller cowells type) and second a mounting plate on to mill bed to extend the table width for clamping jobs.

Hot rolled plate may not be as flat but it's stress free, warping is minimum.

While cold rolled plate being more expensive, flat and free of oxide, it contains compressed stresses during production. Will it warp over time when under heavy loads? After I googled, many machine manufactures prefer using hot rolled plates than cold rolled....any comments?

Steve Wan

Hi Ian

Yes! It could be more practical to make a hollow section but I wanted to cut down too many joints for such a small machine. I read a lot about hollow body later filled with concrete/epoxy. Did a discussion here last year.

That will be my next bigger lathe making project in the near future using I beams and stronger AC motor...too early to spell out clearly now.

If you're into similar hobby in mini-machine building, we could be pals and exchange design ideas and suggestions by emails.

Steve Wan

Hi Ian

Thanks for the interest in my mill machine project. The gibs are brass strip around 3mm thick. Yet to find a way to make taper gibs which is far more harder to master. We don't have much aluminium grade selection in Singapore unless for huge order. I contacted Barry Gordon on his mini-machine making for guidelines. He uses cast iron billets more and aluminium plates for a hollow body while mine is a solid block to add more weight to cut down milling vibrations.

You can see the semi raw product of my miller in my photo section.

Steve Wan

Hi Ian SC, Sam, Kwil and all,

Thanks for the fruitful replies! Yes I agree that aluminium may gall or bind with each other which I encountered. Normally for light small sliding surfaces is ok with aluminium with proper lubricant. As for bigger counterparts, I would use a steel dovetail mates with aluminium reason being I want to replace the softer metal only when wear and not both. Moreover, with my small horizontal mill in the making, I would also use a steel plate to prevent aluminium blocks from galling each other. Steel does not gall with aluminium.

I was a toolmaker in the 80s, then hardly I saw tools made in aluminium usually cast iron. Owing to cheaper manufacturing ways and cost cutting measures aluminium is used instead. Plastic is replacing aluminium soon!

Steve Wan

Hi Sam

Anodised aluminium surface is only for better finish and appearance. The surface is not hard at all. With fine grade sandpaper does the job easily. For dovetails that are heat treated or case hardening, an oil stone would be a better option for honing/lapping.

Most parts of my Sherline are made of aluminium but Taig has more steel.

Honing is prefered than hand scraping for small parts.

Steve Wan

Hi workshop buddies,

I like to share with you guys a small discovery! Hand scraping may be good for dovetails of medium to large machines but I'm refering to small dovetails in the range of Sherline, Taig or Cowells machines. The new Taig comes with detachable dovetails which are good with this method.

I re-designed the honing guide (wood-working blade sharpener with adjustable back angle) to hold the dovetail blade. With the aid of the female dovetail part plus a back lighting, I match both dovetails to spot the high/low spot with this in mind, I could adjust the honing guide to the exact angle. Simply, sand down on a sandpaper resting on a flat slab. To spot the high and low along the dovetails, use some blue and run along the surface, rub against the mating part. Sand down the high spot by applying different pressure on the honing guide. The honing guide is able to maintain a parallel flatness without the usual free hand guessing!

Steve Wan

Hi Ian SC,

Sorry for the delay, was busy making a deep hole drilling at my small press drill. Making a recess for the leadscrew of my mill carriage. Hence no time to check my email last night. Not so much of tungsten carbide way but I saw a video, a guy used a real broken ceramic to cut a steel rod! Wow! Am sure this is so much cheaper for home workshop

Hi Andy, Jason, Pat and all,

Yes! It's metal clay product but very expensive! Guess, it's not practical for engineering use. But I was excited someone mentioned microwave casting...but this suitable for very small casting. Charcoal furnace-casting is still the best to date

Thanks for the tips, I search more into micro-casting in small workshop.

Steve Wan

Dear folks,

I attended a workshop in jewellery making and discovered a new wonder! Jewellery craft has reached a new climax..product comes in a clay form with a mix of precious metals and combination agent ... easily shape...bake away the moisture...harden and polish till glitters like silver or gold.

Speaking of casting, are there such thing as alumimium paste that can be mixed with water and pour into mould...after it has dried and harden, simply bake in a oven to drive away the moisture...hence don't need a furnace and the danger of pouring hot molten alumimium. Great for people staying in flats or small workshops.

In this generation, anything is possible

Steve Wan

Hi all, CB and Norman

Thanks so much! I got a better picture thumbs up for Bill into making one with 3 phase motor.

I saw those links and downloaded the drawing.

It's a wonderful project if one could understand the basic design principle and apply to Asian lathes.

I think I need to digest a little here for Myford design, I may select a more simplified version like the one I saw in Record Drill press, not the new Record but 15yrs back where those were made in England. It had a lever to loosen and tension the belt. The motor rested on a pivot, able to swing free and engage any selected steps of the pulley but Myford is far better of course.

It's a wonderful experience to mingle with you guys with so much knowledge!

Steve Wan

Hi folks,

Greetings! Back again for more help! I'm building a cutting machine with a variable speed change. I saw a Myford lathe video, the turner simply lift a lever, pulled the belt to another pulley, released the lever and went on turning with another speed at ease...wonder owners of Myford lathes could share some light over the working principle of it?! I like to make one to suit the cutting speed of a 5 steps pulley system at the driver motor end.

Appreciates inadvance, any drawing is most welcome either here or email me in private. Guys have a jolly workshop weekends

Steve Wan

Hi all,

Thanks! With all these ideas, I don't need to buy an engineering's surface table afterall. Options are plentyful as long one is creative

Happy machining,

Steve

Hi all,

Thanks for so many inputs, learnt quite a few things from chopping boards to thick glass panel. My workplace is having some renovation work. At lunch I managed to ' steal' a small ceramic cut off piece. The surface is quite smooth, yet to test the flatness. Will frame it up to raise a little. Hopefully, I could use it to find the high/low spots using engineers' blue paste for scraping the machine bevel runway.

Thanks also to David Clark of MEW forum moderator

Steve

Hi guys,

Has anyone used a normal small granite/ceramic tiles working as a surface table instead of a cast iron or engineering granite slab? Wonder is it possible using a leftover tile with a smooth surface acting as a reference plane for checking flatness via scraping. Since this job is rarely done, cheaper this way than buying one. Most suitable for Sherline small range of work...

Any comments?

Steve