What Did you do Today 2022

Spent the day completing all the major work on the frames just nee to do some hand work to all the curved surfaces some of which can just be seen on the marking out blue, ( I do need to re-blue one and mark it as I wiped that off by mistake). I also still need to countersink some holes.

When I did the first cut outs I kept forgetting which way to turn the wheels and nearly spoiled all the work that I had done. So a couple of stickers as a reminder printed off with a labeling machine I use in the garden.

I am pretty pleased with the outcome so far considering this is my first time using a milling machine.

Bolted back together ready for hand work.

The quick and simple labels made things a lot easier

Started the Wyvern cylinder liner. Drilled to 3/4” and now for boring.

Bored a redwing casting for someone who only has small machinery.

Looks like a backlit Quorn spindle+motor mount.

Do I get a prize?

My achievement today was the first welding I've done for a couple of years. It was TIG welding at arms length and some odd angles. Dipped the tungsten twice, but I think the bits are properly glued together again.

Looks a bit like the cylinder bore of a water cooled redwing to me and a nicely finished one at that.

So, 26hrs after ordering, new drive arrived and yes Bob despite not requesting specifically, it is a pipeline version. Refitted and case closed within 5mins., reconnected and after it reformatted itself within a futher 10, up and running. I could get my old recordings back with a bit of faffing but, as stated on another thread, the regularity of repeats is just a waiting game.

Regards Ian.

More or less completed setting up my new WIN-10 loaded PC, by buying a CD drive so I could install my (licensed) copy of MS Office for XP - well, its applications useful to me - and TurboCAD 19 Deluxe.

Only... although it all went into its new home, I could not "activate" TC because the code was long expired. My aim was to load it then buy an up-grade.

All sorted eventually with much help from Paul (The CAD) Tracy from whom I had bought the previous and now bought the new versions, and after some searching I managed to find the tool that changes the TC's modern, default Gloomy Shades of Grey to what it calls "Classic", with dark font on near-white backgrounds so easier to read.

All I needed then was to save copies of my TC drawings to the new PC.

I will keep the old computer for any odd off-line work and direct file copying.

.

I had planned to spend a while in the workshop but that didn't happen.

Darn, I didn't spot the text between the two photos.

No prize for me then.

Hope I don't embarrass anyone - one side of my new workshop is operational. For the other side (with the lathe) I have to wait for help of strong men (I cannot move the beast on my own...)

Edited By Gerhard Novak on 21/01/2022 13:23:48

Spent a couple of hours in the workshop today doing little jobs on my latest project, the copy attachment for my lathe. I had to do those little remaining parts, because yesterday I spent a couple of hours dropping of the slide at the spark eroders. Yes, you've guessed - I snapped a tap off in the last of nineteen tapped holes in the workpiece. There was no way I was going to scrap it and start again, so after a quick Google, found a company that was prepared to do the job for cash. Hopefully I'll get it back Monday or Tuesday. I didn't 'arf curse, I can tell you!

I should learn from that, but I don't expect I will. Just took my eye of the quill DRO for a split second and bang! there goes another tap (Yes! ANOTHER tap.) Luckily I wasn't filming it at the time, but I'll own up in the final edit, I expect.

I hope to have the attachment finally finished by the end of next week and all the design faults sorted out - or "refined" as I prefer to call the procedure.

John

And again a day of work on the workshop. Now the other side. All the major work is done, some small things like cover worktop edges where I had to cut out are waiting for tomorrow. Lathe is in place and bolted on, cupboard bolted against the wall, so good to go.

And the wooden table is my wife's, thanks god she has a hobby as well, which helps me in occupying the garage.

Edited By Gerhard Novak on 22/01/2022 18:20:20

Finished boring the CI cylinder liner for the Wyvern. Note to self: buy drills above 3/4”. Boring out to 1.25” took ages but its now ready for lapping/honing. BTW Although I know the difference I dont know which is appropriate for this job. I need to read the various construction notes and threads here. Brake cylinder tools which arent too costly seem well thought of.
In the endless attempt to change speeds, feeds and spring passes to eliminate chatter the set up shown here worked as well as any. The bore has a tiny chatter mark but hey ho I dont make parts for Rolls Royce. Long live the G clamp.

Brake cylinder hone should be enough to remove any slight tool marks, use with paraffin so the stones don't clog.

Thank you Jason. Over to Amazon then for me.

What did I do today and last weekend? Tried to move Alibre Atom3D to a new computer, that's what.

Long story short - have gone to FreeCAD.

Short story long - we are Linux/MacOS/IOS here at home. Rough count, 15 computers/mobile devices set up, and one dual-booted Linux and Windows 10. It was an old one, and had a hardware issue that caused it to freeze/reboot at inopportune times. I only booted the Windows partition maybe about two sessions per year; it would take time "updating" then I could continue with the beginners Alibre3D Tutorials.

A bit of a waste of $$ so I let the Alibre3D yearly maintenance expire, after all, the web site says "

Pay Once, Own It

No subscription nonsense - own your tools and use them offline."

Decided to get more serious about Alibre 3D. Made a new Windows 10 dedicated computer last weekend. Installed Alibre3D. Tried the license. Nope! License manager replied that it was in use (of course - the old computer).

Tried releasing the license on Alibre's site, and it comes back with something like "this license is not under yearly maintenance". So I could not release it, I guess. It's tied to an old, dead computer. I'd rather put the yearly $50.00 US towards a couple of bottles of wine for the Mrs.; the ROI is better than Alibre, as the wine allows smooth workshop purchases no matter what the cost.

So, FreeCAD runs on my new Mac M1, an older Mac mini, my Linux Desktops (including the 3 tied to CNC machines in the workshop).

AND it appears that FreeCAD now has 3D CAM built in! Something to try when idling away waiting for one of my CNC machines to finish.

(BTW, QCAD has been my "go-to" for years; works very well for following the plans I use. I'm not 3D agnostic; ran a 3D Viewer open-source project that, for instance, was distributed by Apple pre-app-store, was active in Web3D Consortium, W3D HTML5 development, focused on 3D graphics for a bit, SIGGRAPH, writing shader and compute code running on graphics cards; all of which was paid for by employers/clients) (and, my Shared VR 3D equipment is now in Canada's Science Museum, gathering dust, which is the best thing for it to do)(edit - the 3D project was the largest and longest running open source project managed by the Canadian Government; still probably holds that title, even though I left 5+ years ago)

Edited By John Alexander Stewart on 24/01/2022 17:30:41

Done most of the buffer beam this week until I realised that I needed a milling cutter to complete them. So Monday ordered from Tracey tools they arrived this morning post office must have pulled up their socks at last even my ME copy arrived two days early.

On to yesterday I thought I would start another part while waiting for the cutter(always something can be made). That so far is great being able to do something until today. found one of the pieces of metal but the second must have been taken by the workshop gremlins.

So to help a little I had a little clean up not that it was that untidy as I do try to keep things clean and put away unless they are being worked on. still no sign of the part, Coffee time and onto the computer and ordered some castings for the rob Roy as well as a pile of steel also for the loco.

Back into the workshop and spotted an angle plate which had the smallest amount of rust trying to creep on to it I may as well get on top of that before it takes hold over to the vice and yes you guessed it there sitting in the vice was the missing piece of steel it is now with the other piece in a safe place until I forget where I put them.

Oh well another exciting week so far what will I loose next

Received the stainless drip tray to fit over vice on mill, it cover the table and bit more to the rear. Cut a hole in it from centre to fit over vice, added 4x plastic round feet below tray in each corner. It just slides over vice and sit on the table so the cooling liquid will flow down near the vice to the table leaving the chips behind. The mill is tilted somewhat so the table flow to its one corner from where it goes to a filter to the tank to a section that will separate the oil etc from above from the coolant and keep it floating above coolant.

Waiting for back stainless plate of a certain height 150mm that will cover lower to vice jaws operations, it will probably good for most reflecting coolant and chips back in tray. I also use a small piece of thick leather behind cutter to cover area near cutter and fold as head/quil may go up or down near vice fixed jaw.

I discarded the perspex safety plate fittings that came with the mill on a swing arm, but re-use it in the tray on rear side of vice, it just stands there and keep chips and coolant from splashing towards me if it happens, I can see clearly through it and can easily just remove it or re-insert it.

All this is just removeable pieces just for ease of use with the vice. If I work on the table clamping another stainless plan comes into play which the lower part will probably stay on permanently...Must still get there.

The trade off to this is I must extend my handle for adjusting the mill headstock up & down to the far left, which I dont mind doing, thinking of how to do it still.

Like it!

Email Alibre support and they will release the licence for you. The online licence release only works (as you have found) if you have current maintenance.

Edited By Nick Hughes on 27/01/2022 12:03:14

Some new toys have come.

A jeweller's screw plate and matching taps - at less than a pound a tap, I don't have unrealistic expectations, but it could get me out of a bind.

A 10mm corner rounding cutter - I hadn't realised it has a 25mm shank (!) to use it, I will have to get an ER32 collet chuck for my mill... unless the shank is soft enough to machine with carbide.

And finally (I can't believe it took me this long) a set of Stevenson blocks.

Neil