Quorn Castings

For those who might be interested, I'm about to put a part built Worden and a Stent (from memory, complete) in the sale ads.

rgds

Bill

​Done a complete computer scan and no nasties were found but it just shows how pervasive these problems are. Unfortunately it just makes one reluctant to click on links in case there is a problem.


Doug

I have a complete set of Quorn Mk2 castings, motor etc and the book. Partly machined by my uncle who was a very exacting engineer, sadly now deceased.

I will be taking them to Doncaster if anyone's interested. I've got a Clarkson already, so rather than let them sit under the bench someone might fancy a go.

Regards Ian

They’ve gone !

Are Quorn castings available from a UK supplier.

Neil you mentioned a few years ago MES were going to hand over the patterns etc to another well know supplier, did this happen?

Hugh

Edited By HughE on 11/02/2019 09:12:36

IMHO, the Quorn is over-rated. It was designed to grind a wide range of cutters including some very tiny ones that Prof Chaddock needed for one of his engine projects. A challenging project but if what you want to do is re-grind cutters and get on with your main projects, then the Eccentric Engineering Acute or the Worden from Hemingway do the job. I built one of the first in a couple of weeks, there's a build thread on this site about it. BTW I also have a Quorn, inherited from my dad, it took him a couple of his retirement years to make and then he hardly ever used it.

I bet he had a lot of fun making it.

Well I have recently obtained a set of Quorn castings and I am about to start building it, as its the building of "things" that I enjoy. I know I can free hand grind HSS lathe tools or just buy a new milling cutter but its the challenge that interests me.

Over the years the designers and builders of engines and kit that I grew up reading who now are no longer with us and I want to build a few things that they described in the ME.

For example, I have built many of GHT's workshop equipment and its very worthwhile and useful kit, I have made some engines and of tools described by the late great Tubal Cain, and I always wanted to build the Quorn to the design of prof Chaddock.

I did my apprenticeship in 1974 to 1978 and in the stores in the first year they had some ME magazines, and in one or two issues was the description of the Quorn...one day I thought, I want to make one of them! 45 years later I got the castings!.....as a 16 year old in 1974 perhaps that was the spark for me stay with Model Engineering for the rest of my life...

Regards to all

John Haine, can the Worden or Acute sharpen the side flutes on milling cutters?

John Haine, can the Worden or Acute sharpen the side flutes on milling cutters?

Worden sharpening flutes of milling cutters?

I have a Worden, and have not tried it, but don't see why not once a suitable fixture has been made up.

Probably not a simple and straightforward device, but likely to be possible.

Howard

They could with an appropriate fixture. But the Quorn can't either, very easily, because it is very hard to get a smooth spiralling movement where the work head mandrel turns smoothly and the tooth is held firmly against the tooth rest. I've tried it with mine and never succeeded.

I have seen a Quorn at an exhibition with a chromed mandrel and other modifications to allow this; and a series of US articles about making an air bearing spindle which isn't very easy either. But apart from the very end of the cutter the side flutes don't generally get much wear at least in our usage, it's the end teeth that get worn.

Isn't tackling a Quorn almost a rite of passage?

Acquiring a set of castings is

Neil

The Quorn in it's basic form is unable to sharpen milling cutters
along the flutes with any great success along with many other
hobby type cutter grinders that use the same type of setup.

The problems are all the same the friction of the workhead and also
the guide rest in the flute of the cutter.
Even when attempting to do this there is a size limitation that
makes this impossible to do even if you were to have an air bearing
work holder.
In the first 20 years i had the Quorn i don't suppose that i tried to
sharpen along the flutes more than a dozen cutters, most of them
were not much better than before i started.

In the time since then i made this cnc grinder which uses the Quorn
head, up to now i have sharpened hundreds of cutters along the flutes
from 2,5 mm dia to 20 mm dia all of the cutters that i use, they
all come out as sharp as new cutters and in some cases sharper than
new cutters from some suppliers.
The resolution of the machine is 1/20 th of a degree and as such the
clearance angles can be set with this sort of accuracy.

John

John

Nice looking Quorn and a very well planned nest of swing out drawers, is that your design ?

When grinding along the flutes of milling cutters I thought the cutter should be ground on the periphery of the wheel but above centre to provide back clearance, how do you grind flute back clearance ?

Emgee

Hi Guys,

I resurrected this old thread on the 11th hopefully to get some answers to a couple of questions. So far no answers only responses regarding pro and cons of the Quorn. Some interesting can anybody out there answer my questions?

Hugh

Hugh,

I asked a guy (a well respected model engineer and I cannot recall his name) who was demonstrating the Quorn at this years Midlands Model Engineering exhibition, that I cannot seem to find anyone in the UK that supplies Quorn castings.

He responded that Ivan Law's son was involved now in the supply of Quorn castings and that I should contact him. Unfortunately I do not have his address or email. I am assuming this person is the same that is helping in the upcoming Model Engineering exhibition at Harrogate this year....

I also asked how long did it take him to build the Quorn.....?....his reply 4 months!

If you do find a UK supplier of Quorn castings then please let us know...

Best regards

Derek

The situation regarding supply of Quorn castings is somewhat complex. Ivan and Mike have made efforts to get the castings available again and any delays are not due to their tardiness.

My hope is that something will be sorted in the future.

Neil