What Did you do Today 2022

Over the last few days yet more gardening (nearly at the end) then afternoons in the workshop managed to fit the Main horns into the frame as well as turn and fit the two weighshaft bushes

The pile of metal work is getting larger. I also rough milled the gunmetal black for the Axleboxes to find that using the 1/2" cutter left a ridge when making two passes next to each other. Double checked the mill tram but that was OK eventually found why this was happening the mill vise grub screw was a little loose and this allowed the moving jaw to lift the block and cause the problem.

Anyway that problem sorted I got around to taking the block for the axleboxes to final size but this time I used the fly cutter which I am pleased with the finish that it left all this before milling the slot down the length which will be the next job followed by cutting it into six pieces.

This photo of the parts with the axlebox in its rough size.

I did find that I had made a mistake when I drilled the frames and that was the centre hole for the brakes my original hole I had drilled too low and have now drilled one in the correct place now I need to fill this hole. Do I just leave it or counter sink and make a plug and treat it like a rivet and file flat or just fill with a plug and loctite it in place. Suggestions welcome

Edited By Derek Lane on 23/03/2022 19:32:05

John - thank you very much for that. I did look at the various ram approaches but I've ended up with something slightly different.

That's a fairly plain scotch yoke in principle but I think it will be easier to make than a quick return and be a bit more compact. On the down side the stroke (based on a screw in bearing on the grey block that will give 10, 15, 20 and so on mm stroke) is not continuously adjustable, with the quick return is.

At the moment in design terms I'm debating if I need the table to tilt or to keep it simple.

My other challenge is that I planned to make the gears mysefl, but I've been struggling a bit with the accuracy of my (small) rotary table and ER32 chuck which has a run out of about 0.12 mm. It something I may be begging for advice on at some point, but I want to try and identify where the error is before I expose my ignorance further.

When I get properly started I will do a build log.

Iain

Off to a good start in the sunshine by digging a vegetable plot in the nature-reserve, sorry, back garden; and fitting a plush "bee hotel" - a Christmas present - to a sheltered spot on the boundary wall.

Then to the serious stuff: converting part of a computer case to parts of my steam-wagon's ash-pan. This area of the project had led down a maze of dark alleys of mangled metal and confections of steel and bits of scrap until I realised a simple rectangular box is the answer.

The original was probably cylindrical, a downwards extension to the cylindrical outer firebox; and the photos give no clues to the ash-door and damper arrangement. This proved so intractable to resolve tidily that I decided that provided I reasonably respect Edwardian practice generally, frankly, if some Inspector Meticulous wants to grovel on the floor to peer at its shape, that's his look-out. It will not be easy to see otherwise.

There is a more important point here. The boiler is heavy and awkward. I made a lifting-attachment that requires removing the grate and ashpan then assembling the attachment down from the "stoking-shoot" (original name for that). Very awkward. So I am making the top of the ash-pan as a separate "lid" : reinforced and provided with discreet lifting-lugs or eye-bolt bushes so to also act in conjunction with Slings, Lifting, Special-to-purpose, as an erecting-cradle. Hence allow lifting the boiler from the chassis, leaving the undisturbed ash-pan, grate and damper assembly still screwed to their sub-frame.

'

The ex-server panel (scrap from my work) is of zinc-plated 1mm thick steel; just in range of my anonymous rotary shear, Warco "3-in-1" former and WSN "Rotary Machine" (a jenny).

I measured, marked out, re-measured.... took a deep breath - I am retired and scrap server panels don't grow on trees - cut the development (the two walls, floor and 3 pairs of end flanges).

Then after tea......

Folded it..... and it fits! Just as it should, easy sliding fit so no need to jiggle bends or file holes into vague slots. The bends may need squaring, but nothing serious.

Another step forwards.

Iain -

Filing-machine. Interesting project!

I looked back at John's suggested design with quick-return; a neat arrangement though fairly complicated.

I'd not worry too much about quick return though. With a short stroke the time-saving won't be much and I presume you won't be using the filer for production work on piece rates!

You could make it continuously adjustable if you wish, with some extra work, by cutting a T-slot across the blue crank-disc for a T-bolt through a spacer that carries the bearing itself. That was common on shapers for both the ram control and adjusting the feed mechanism.

Regarding your Rotary Table, I think the most likely place for run-out is in whatever holds the collet chuck to the table. Its register should be a good but not wear-inducing tight fit on the table (mine is plain cylindrical, some use a Morse taper), and concentric with the collet register above.

Iain,

Thanks for the feedback/comments. It's always been a principle of mine not to try to re-invent the wheel, only make it more complicated! As I said, it was really just a brain-stimulation exercise, but who knows, it might get built one day. Making a tilting table would be a fairly trivial step, I would say.

Having a slow downstroke and fast upstroke was introduced into the design from my memories of being taught to file by by father, a time-served engine fitter apprentice at the Hong Kong Dockyard School, in the early thirties. He taught me to use a conventional file (as opposed to die file) such that the cut is put on during the forward stroke and, keeping the file in contact with the workpiece, draw back slowly. This, he told me, had the effect of helping to clear the filings from the teeth of the file on the non-cutting stroke. Maybe he was wrong or my memory is failing?

The major problem with any design will be sourcing the files with the gripping bit at the "wrong end", as it were, so that it will cut in the opposite direction to a normal file. They appear to be a very rare commodity these days. With my design, I had intended to use the commonly available needle files with the business end ground to a circular section.

John

If you arrange the file attachment to accept say 1/4 inch rod you can make yourself a load of 1/4 inch steel adaptors (thimbles) drilled most of the way through. The needle files can then be araldited into the thimbles. It is quite easy to rig up a jig to ensure that the files are dead straight to the thimble as the araldite will allow for movement until ot sets.

regards Martin

Trouble with workshop lore is it's never certain how true it is! Three ways of looking at it:

1. Slow withdrawal allows more time for the filings to fall off. Maybe.
2. Fast withdrawal puts more potential energy into the filings, making them more likely to fly-off when the stroke reverses. Maybe.
3. Slow withdrawal is the best way of not disturbing the filings. Maybe.

I suspect much depends on the metal being filed and the lubrication: Aluminium is much stickier than Brass, with Steel in the middle.

Hand-tools methods aren't necessarily best for machines. Machines can be set at a consistent rate, apply more power, and can include a swarf removal mechanism - flood cooling, compressed air, built-in brushes, or whatever.

On a filing machine, I'd be tempted to try a quick return mechanism that ends each fast backstroke with a clunk to shake filings loose. Quick return is also good because the machine files much faster due to not wasting time on non-cutting backstrokes. I think the extra complexity compared with a simple yoke is worth it.

Dave

Martin,

It's not very clear from the angle of the screen shot, maybe, but there is such a thimble inserted in the end of the ram. I think your idea of using Araldite or similar to secure the files is a good one. I'll pinch that for when/if I make it.

John

My filing machine uses needle files and cuts on the up stroke and has never been a problem, after all how much metal do you think you are going to take off each stroke???

I dropped in on our local auction house yesterday. Out-bid on what I went for, but I came home with a lovely little oscillator steam engine instead. It would have cost more to buy the brass to make one, so quite chuffed (no pun intended) with it.

Apologies for the delay - spent a few days at the coast with the wife - clearly picked the best week for it!

Thanks for all the comments. I have a more developed model for building the thing - that was just something for the idea. Yes I will have thimbles to mount the files in with araldite.

Also, I see how I can make the stroke infinitely variable, but I don't think it's worth the extra complexity.

Many thanks

Iain

Not so much again as what I did today but more like what I have been doing over a week.

Managed to groove and size the axle boxes as well as drill and ream the axle holes and also drill the spring pockets.

Had to making some metal down to thickness for the hornstays as everywhere I looked seemed to be out of stock of that size then onto drilling them and also the horns to accept them. And finally a quick dry fit ready to drill holes in the buffer beams to join them to the main frames.

Good progress there Derek. Its starting to look like it may be a loco.

Jim

Today I finished refurbishing and repainting my Reeves Trojan. This was my very first build, back in the 90's, built entirely by muscle-power on a treadle lathe and a hand-powered drill - a good way of learning the value of sharp tools. These tools were a hand-me-down from my wife's grandfather, and were my introduction to model engineering.

Actually something I DID do today, although it refers to my earlier posts above, regarding the die filer ......

I happened to have a new battery powered hedge trimmer which has "ceased to be". It also happens that I still have the old one (of different make) lying in the greenhouse. I decided to strip out the motor from the old one on the grounds that they are all pretty much of muchness when it comes to drivetrain - just in case the new one can't be replaced under warranty. I was delighted to discover that the oscillating mechanism would lend itself to driving a die filer and at the same time take up very little room with far less complication than my ram design.

The drive is via sort of Wankel engine cams and the whole is driven through a series of reduction gears:

And

Sorry about the picture quality. The lighting is less than optimal.

John

Please don't ask me to make that on my kit (or rather with my skills), John!!!!

Iain

Saw a deckle FP 1 on e bay , looking for one to this spec for over ten years, lo and behold THE PRICE!
it was sold from a small site I frequent, asking price was £2750.

it included a vast array of accessories and was the late 1980z model in very nice condition.

dealer up north selling it for £12000 plus VAT without the accessories.

possibly why I STILL don’t have one 😂

OH bugger it, it had to happen sometime first major c**k up. Managed to mess up one of the wheels every thing turn on it except the tread went to drill the axle hole and walking to the drill bit shelf thinking to myself must get it to 7/16" yes you guessed it instead of picking the drill smaller so I could put a 7/16" reamer through I grabbed the 7/16" bit and drilled the hole ans as you all will know a drill bit will always drill oversize.
The air was blue for me doing a stupid thing so have just now ordered a new casting.
Yes I could have bored slightly over size and turn the axle to match but I am the sort of person that want it just right(maybe not perfect but the best I can do).
Well at least I could go into the garden and mow the lawn as well as pot on some plants on top of that plant some other bits and pieces we both brought yesterday at the garden centre. I am sure the garden centre cost more than bit for my loco.

Wing foiling has got pretty popular around here:

The problem is that the water can be quite shallow, especially in Christchurch Harbour. The readily available masts ( the bit that holds the foil below the board) are too long for comfort. The masts are aluminium extrusions. After bandsawing to approximate length, the cut end was tidied up and squared off in the milling machine

The extrusion has M6 tapping size holes in the strengthening ribs so easily tapped with a M6 spiral flute tap held in a cordless drill

Job done

I've done a few of these now for friends

Rod

I've been looking for a 10" x 7" adjustable angle plate, something cheap and cheerful as it's not something I'll use every day. but I do have a job for it coming up. Various searches didn't bring anything sensible and I just missed one on ebay for £70 that was collection only from the Doncaster area - a bit of a jaunt from Worcester, especially with the cost of diesel.

I was about to order one when one of those annoying pop-ups appeared advising me the "same" thing was available for £39.99 cheaper! Clearly it was going to be from the Far East but at £75 delivered I thought it worth a punt. I'm quite happy reworking this type of thing if it appears to be good value for money so I pressed the Buy button, that was Wednesday pm.

Friday lunch time a white van arrives and a very heavy box was handed over and taken into the workshop for further investigation later in the day when I had time to look at it. The unit was double boxed and in a plastic bag, at first glance it looked ok, as expected it felt gritty so the expected strip down was in order. There was quite a lot of casting sand revealed when I split the two main parts, rather than a light clean I decided to do a thorough clean and then do some checks.

My first check was the flatness of the base which was a little disappointing so a couple of hours with a hand scraper, it wasn't bad enough to need a skim, had that better than .0015" feeler proof and a good deburr had that part sorted. I then turned my attention to the top half which is the more robust part and found that it only needed a quick deburr. The minor parts, adjusting screw bearing blocks and the screw and its handle were also deburred and the whole thing put back together after a second clean down.

I then checked the top surface for parallel bearing in mind I'd tickled the base face up for flatness, and was surprised to find the it was better than .002" when set at 0 degrees, I couldn't really check what it was like when set at an angle so I'll have to see how I get on when I've made some T nuts for it and I can get the job I bought it for set up. My guess is that when the base was machined it was over clamped which introduced the distortion.

All things considered I'm pleased with my purchase, I found the castings to be to a high standard and the machining, other than the base was fine.