Mandrel Handle

He does the in-house maintanance for a narrowboat hire company'; learnt most of it on the job. He's 95% of the way through kitting out an old cruiser, he's done everything hjimself.

Neil

Hi Neil
Your Stepson must enjoy his job I suppose when its 100% finished they can can take it out and test all the work he as done on it . My Son worked on the last sunderland that whent to the USA I have bits of it in my workshop
Nobby

Hi Neil, I presume cabin cruiser, not HMS. He would have got on with my brother in law, he started with a 38 ft cabin cruiser, sold that and went on to build a 50 ft power catamaran, he and my sister cruised around the Pacific Islands, Fiji etc., then on to Austrailia, Don died and my sister sold the boat in Aussy.

Nobby, the RNZAF Mk5 Sunderlands were one of the incentives for me joining the Air Force, they got rid of them not long after that. Ian S C

Hi Ian & Neil
The sunderland was based a Calshot .& my sons firm was getting it ready to fly to the USA. The BBC were there . Hermet Weekes who bought her was going the change it back to wartime livery ie with guns etc . You can see it on U Tube
Ian or Neil have you any projects on the go at the moment ?

Nobby

I remember, as a teenager, we went to see the house where my Mum lived as a small child in Pembroke Dock. There was a complete Sunderland as a gate guardian nearby in Fleet Air Arm colours. Magnificent. I was always interested in the similarities and differences to the Stirling (like a Lancaster on steroids). I wonder if any Stirlings are left - I guess not?

Main project right now is a 3.5" gauge Hudswell Clark shunter at rolling chassis stage. A few stationary engines in progress (Lady Stephanie, a tiny winding engine and a very unusual A-frame engine). A 1/12 model of Miss Briain IV multi-step hydroplane needs a replacement ESC to go. A big (1/16) British Power Boats ASRL awaits fitting three big motors and I need to remake teh turrets to look abit better. I have a Seal 4-cylinder my uncle started and abandoned (big ends made too big for the crankcase!) Sparrey 1.5cc diesel which will wait a while longer.

A few other things and my retirement project is 1/4 scale Fordson Tractow which refuses t get past the gearbox !

Is that enough to be going on with, there are others! I do try to finish aproject every year or so. My first ASRL took about 20 years to complete, and it was a simple Vic Smeed design.

Neil

Hi Neil
I'm impressed You have a lot on on your agender well done . As you may have gatherd I'M into workshop items . and trying to work out a 3d manual copy system on my mill drill.
The Stirlings done a bit of glider towing. I had a go at making a ED 2.46 diesel. When I was in the local model makers club making A2 gliders I won the S.M .A.E sourtern area champs at Greenhaam Common
Thats a great deal to get on with puts me to shame,
Nobby

Just been on google, found www.stirlingproject.co.uk/ thede people have been collecting, and building up Stirling parts, and eventually hope to have at least a foreward fusilage on display. Isee also that there are no complete Halifax either. Ian S C

Hi Ian
Where i served my time . The company I worked at machined the parts for the Halifax undercarrige .And fabricated the complete nose for the Blenhiem. I can recall all the jigs a fixtures for the TSR 2 were sent back to the ministry At a later company I was commended on some fixtures I made for Farborough for the Vulcan bomber.
I was using my mandrel handle yesterday. Very usefull
Nobby

I have from time to time thought of a mandrel handle, but feel my lathe is a little large, so I think for hand turning the lathe i'll continue pulling the chuck over, don't need it often.

The aircraft jigs I worked with were for single engine Cessna, although most of my work was in the engine shop, or doing service inspections (50, 100, annual etc), biggest macine was a DC-3. I was sorry my stay in the RNZAF was cut short by ill health.

We straightened out some fairly bent planes, some times you start with not much more than the name plate. Ian S C

When I was a boy I wanted to work at RAE Farborough putting smashed aircraft back together to find out why they crashed.

Neil

Hi Ian & Neil
Thank you for all your comments & Input. We are like minded chaps with a vast store of knowledge .Its a shame as i said in another thread that the youngsters are not being taught metal work at school these days . Myself I went back to college in my 50s a 2 year night class course on nc/cnc part programming which i passed with distinction . Ian on the old belt driven lathes when tapping /dieing etc we used to slip the belt. The DC3 was a great plane. Did you see the progam on telly flying in the ice in Canada . On my drummond 1903-12 flat bed lathe Ive got to sort out the belt as i have all the treadle . and that would be good for screwcutting.
Neil When my Son was working a White Walthum He worked on the wingtip of a spitfire . also a tiger moth I made some cable tigteners with a RH & LH thread .for them
Its late we just got back from ------ballrom dancing At my age ?
Nobby

Edited By Michael Wilde on 02/03/2012 01:36:33

Hi Michael & Guys
They are very useful. Thats a brilliant idea of yours to incorporate a back stop with the handle well done. Thank you for email. It may be another thread ? but my saddle stop is adjustable with a rule included for setting or using gauge block/slips.
Nobby

While you are about it add in a big holey disc for indexing.

Not sure of the space on a Myford but I made mine using a boss clamped on the outside of the mandrel leaving the bore clear and the handle just engages the boss with pins like a dog clutch. Instant attachment.

Hi Guys
It's ammasing this forum a thread is started & all the different ideas you get as people approach a problem in a different ways .Thats what this is all about .
Bazyle you indexing disc is great idea . I have a round protractor I mount on my lathe . As you may have seen my handle is sprung similar to milling machine handles if you let it go it pops off the drive pins. It can be left in place as the m/c is running.
Nobby

If you look carefully at teh shaft of my handle, you'll see a small peg - this is a stiff push fit into the keyway of my nylon mini-lathe change gears. I have a plate with a two-way detent (between/over teeth) on it that fits to the back of the lathe (it appeared in ME two weeks after the handle). Mike Chrisp commented on not relying on the back end of the mandrel bore being concentric, but I tested mine with a dTI and its within 0.001", so plenty accurate enough for dividing.

Now I have amilling machine & rotary table I rarely use it.

Neil

Hi Neil ,Bazyle & Guys
I have a rotary table now But to engrave micrometer dails i still divide on the lathe with a fixture on the back end . also clamp my dividing head on the lathe bed. I have to raise the toolpost using this to get the tool on the centre line. Remind me what lathe/ miller have you got.
I have found a a source for round leather belting ,so I have put the pedal and flywheel on my 1903-1912 drummond flat bed back together When its ready I will post a photo maybe start a new thread ?
Regards Nobby