Member postings for Ed Duffner

Hi chaps,

I'm rebuilding a home made lathe and having some difficuties with oilite bearings I've decided to rebuild the headstock and use pillow block bearings. I got hold of some 25mm UCP bearing pillow blocks from Ebay which arrived today and to my mind they seem rather stiff i.e. packed full with grease, but not binding. They are also spherical mounted (self aligning?).

Can anyone please advise if these will be ok for the main spindle on a lathe. If ok, would they need to be run in?

Here's a link to the ones I have. **LINK**

Thank you,
Ed.

Edited By Ed Duffner on 06/04/2013 17:58:53

Thank you chaps for the inputs. Although some electrical formulae are second nature to me I get a bit lost when the mechanical bits and forces are added ...lots to learn!!

I was hoping to build a small O Gauge or Gauge 1 loco eventualy when I'm more accomplished with machining and as somebody suggested the boiler would have been replaced with an air reservoir.

Back to the drawing board it is then.

Cheers,
Ed.

Hi Mark P,

I always thought that steam expands whilst it is being heated and the resultant pressurised steam is then channeled to the cylinders (where there is no heat and no further expansion) which forces the piston outwards, yes,no?

Edited By Ed Duffner on 01/04/2013 22:20:15

The idea is to drive the pistons of a loco with air as opposed to a noisy motor and gear box which display IMHO unrealistic operation, That's part of the thinking behind not using a motor as the direct drive and it gets away from fire and burning hazards associated with a boiler.

Most electric motor models in the smaller scales are geared way too high to display realistic motion, perhaps a much better gearing ratio would do. Maybe the cons outway the pros for such a concept and it's interesting to read the comments about the physics involved and was one of the reasons to share and ask about the idea.

Regards,
Ed.

Hi Everyone,

I noticed that a lot of models that would normally run on steam are utilising compressed air.

I was wondering if a miniature compressor could be made and incorporated into a model steam locomotive, with the speed regulator and reverse controlled by DCC. The compressor tank could refill by means of a small motor/piston and shut off circuit taking power from the constant track feed.

How small could a compressor be made to be effective i.e. store enough air to power a model loco?

Regards,
Ed.

Hi Len, It depends on what you require the drill to do, i.e. do you need a hammer drill and cordless screwdriver with clutch etc as well.

I agree with Rob about Makita, my brother sells and repairs them. There is also another make as good as Makita but can't remember the name. Bosch are very good. I used Bosch power tools for years as an electrician but they're considered mid range nowadays.

"I can do that, gi's a job!"

I was getting the same effect as the multiple, evenly spaced rings on a home made lathe. This was due to the lead screw being slightly eccentric and feeding through a threaded bush(half nut) in the saddle which had a radius on the internal shoulder. As the lead screw rotated it was forcing the bush against this radius and causing the saddle to rock.

It was slightly remedied by removing the radius on the bushing(half nut) allowing the bush to float around the eccentric curve. The lead screw eccentricity is caused by the bush that it passes through being drilled off center. This bush is part of the saddle feed winding handle.

Ok, thank you gentlemen.

Ed.

Alan, hope you don't mind me asking a question in your thread. It's somewhat related.

Is it possible to increase the diameter/overall size of a lathe shaft by heating? I have one that's made of mild steel and has understandably worn over time running in oilite bearings.

Thanks,
Ed.

Hi Neil,

The adaptor you mentioned is a T-Ring or T-Adaptor and depends on the type of camera you have e.g. DSLR or Compact. I use a T-Ring with my DSLR for astrophotography and these connect the camera body directly to the telescope focusing tube (on an SCT scope) without the need for a camera lens.

The DSLR adaptors have a thread on one end to attach to a scope and the other is machined or threaded to fit to the camera's lens mount. This setup basically makes the scope a long focal length lens.

The compact camera adaptors are usually just a sleeve that threads onto a scope and allows the smaller diameter (non-detachable) compact lens to slide into the tube and is secured with some kind of locking screw or clamp, or just held in place with the camera mounted on a bracket of some form. I've not used this method but I'm sure there wil be many articles on line to show the setup and different ways to achieve focus.

Digiscoping is a term more used for birding or wildlife study.

I'm hoping to make an equatorial mount when I can get hold of a lathe and have a better understanding of machining and gears etc. The "seeing" here in Bristol was a little misty but I did notice the two objects last night.

Regards,
Ed.

This one shows more results without wood turning;

lathe -(wood, woodworking, woodturning, wood turning)

Edited By Ed Duffner on 18/02/2013 01:57:15

I had a similar problem on the lathe my Dad made. The motor would just hum and not start. I took it apart and found as Keith suggested above, a centrifugal switch was sticking. A good clean and regrease was all it needed and now it starts every time. The centrifugal switch can also be heard clicking out as the motor spins down to a halt.

Just to add another point, I could get the motor to spin by hand before cleaning but it would not self start.

Edited By Ed Duffner on 13/02/2013 16:07:35

Hi Alan, according to that ebay listing it says an easy to understand wiring diagram is included. Might be worth contacting the seller if you didn't get one, or if you do have it can you post a photo of it and your motor details?

With an engine lift I'd probably break it down into smaller parts and reassemble in place. That would give you a chance to check out some internals and clean/adjust/lubricate where necessary. However I'm just beginner with machine tools so perhaps somebody with more experience can offer some better advice. Good luck with the new toy Jason

Many thanks for the info Keith, I'll take a look at that website. I just double checked the diameter witha vernier and I was wrong first of all (i'll blame my eyes) it's actually 1.186" (30.12mm).

Thank you.
Ed.

Hi Everyone,

I'm having a go at bringing my Dad's lathe back from the clutches of several years in the shed, rusting away. It's one he made.

For the main shaft he's put a thread on it which according to a thread gauge is 14, 7/16 and is 1.25" diameter.

I'd like to get a new chuck and back plate for it and would like to ask if anyone can tell me if this is a standard chuck/backplate thread please.

Thanks,
Ed.

Edited By Ed Duffner on 26/01/2013 22:12:37

I originally thought a tool for wire fencing, but if that middle shiny part is threaded maybe it's some kind of jack to push things apart and using a pin in the small holes to increase the length of the tool in steps.

I wonder if it's an expandable center for wood turning?

Edited By Ed Duffner on 25/01/2013 12:14:43

It's all a big cover-up! ...or maybe not!

But how would you go about checking this tolerance? Isn't it more sensible to reduce the figures to workable/measurable values?