Something a little different from the day to day ME

As an occasional visitor and poster I thought that you might find this site of some interest. It certainly brings a new meaning to scale: -

www.shipsnostalgia.co/guides/William_Doxford_and_Sons

Enjoy.

missing m

http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/guides/William_Doxford_and_Sons

Edited By Bazyle on 11/02/2013 15:01:09

Thanks for the link - very interesting but don't let elfin safety see it!

Fascinating Mike, now that's what you call heavy engineering.

Thanks for the link.

Gary

Hi Mike,

thanks for an intersting link. Quite a bit heavier work than I can do on my lathe.

Thor

That brings back memories did my apprenticeship on Doxford and Garland & Wolff motor vessels in the early 70s the engine were opposed piston two strokes. I was deck officer and remember the 20 minutes it took to change the engine to diesel from heavy oil so that the engine could be manoeuvred. If you wanted to go astern you had to stop the engine and start it backwards

Happy days

Olly

Too late Sandy!

The elfins saw it and shut it down 50 years ago

Jim

Memories indeed! I've only been at sea for 30 years so a bit young for Doxfords but big slow speed engines of that size were what I remember. Smaller ships nowadays and the main engines are about the same size as the generator engines on big ships i.e "little" medium speed diesels - only a couple of decks high really

Scott

Now that is a spherical ball cutting device, makes the one in MEW200 look a little shy.

Some years ago I went to the Anson museum and they had a single cylinder Doxford in bits.

**LINK**

The museum is certainly worth a visit for IC engine enthusiasts.

Paul

Wonderful collection of photos - BUT hardly any swarf ! Not like my workshop, its all swarf and not much work.

Brilliant link

Whats the hang up with H&S

I spend the first 11 years of my life watching these engines jump up and down. Started as a 6th Engineer Officer. Olly is right the engine reversed after stopping, using air starting valves. 380cst heavy oil fuel was the usual fuel until we arrived at port, where marine diesel was mixed and took over for manouvering. Getting via the panama and suez canal was tedious control work. We used to carry out our own maintenance, so we seen the fine machining work shown in the picture galley first hand. Side piston top end bearings were the worse to open for inspection. In ports around the world, we started at 8AM and removed both pistons from the cylinder, cleaned and check the wear down readings inside the 760mm or 670mm bore and returned it to running condition before 4PM. Ready for shore leave. Now I start these "little" medium speed diesels using a mouse, watching a monitor. We shared the same space with these engines as the controls were beside the engines. We still get to go inside the engineroom to look at the engines but its not the same as staring at the 6 top pistons of a Doxford beating up and down a full speed. Thanks for this link Bazyle. I better get back to work we are close to Aberdeen.

Thanks for the link MadMike, wonderfull photos of engineering days gone by

Mind-boggling stuff!

Super photographs and a real sense of atmosphere. As one who was never blessed with contact with 'proper' engineering, am I naive in thinking that the radial arm drill in the 11th photo down is a bit 'overkill' for the drill bit in use?

Rgds

Bill

Cornish Jack,

I don't think they had invented the Magnetic base / drill spindle idea when that photo was taken and I wouldn't fancy doing it with a B&D pistol drill!

Bob D

CJ, Having used just such a machine I can vouch that they are more than capable of drilling very small holes, and equally very large ones with equal ease. We usually sed the radial drill because of component size and the relationship of multiple holes. As you can see in the 11th and 12th photos rthere appear to be 2 very large fabricated structures on the drill. The drilling arm has in this case both a large radial sweep and an extended table to allow it to traverse along the length of such a large structure. Thus it could give accurate repeatability when drilling and tapping.

Robert the magnetic base drill was available in those days, but was mostly used in stuations where a component or structure couldn't be mounted under a fixed machine. or where a horizontal hole needed drilling in an existing piece of structural steel etc.

Much has changed since these photos were taken but they do give a real sense of engineering atmosphere to those who were there, and I believe to those who have never experienced "engineering" on that scale. Don't you just love the pictures of the guys standing on the saddle of their lathe. I remember watching one of my colleagues turning extremely long and large diameter spindles on such machnes. He used to sit in a folding chair on the saddle and travel with the tool post, pouring tea from a thermos. Some cuts used to take several hours for one pass.

Remember there is a clear heirarchy among the workers in these photos, which can be seen from their overalls. Boilers suits mostly machinists. Brown coats possibly a foreman, white coats, inspectors. White coats and a hat....managers.

Those WERE the days. I hope you all enjoy the pictures.

Awesome!

Toolbits the size of my forearm! Plasma cutting steel over a foot thick!

The planing machine is incredible -but whats the technical difference between a planer and a shaper? I thought the workpiece moved on planer.

Neil

Wonderful engines. smooth and effective, however they had a nasty occasional habit of bursting the water cooling hose to the top piston and showering the whole engine room with hot water. Especially awkward when you were stood at the control stand 25 ft below the one that went!!