Brian John | 13/06/2014 18:54:34 |
1487 forum posts 582 photos | I need to buy some steel to make 1/4 inch axles for stationary steam engines. 1. What type of steel should be used for the axles ? 2. What do you call the flat machined part of the axle where the grub screws of the flywheel make contact ? |
Neil Wyatt | 13/06/2014 20:09:30 |
![]() 19226 forum posts 749 photos 86 articles | Hello Brian 1 In most cases ordinary 'bright drawn mild steel' without specifying a precise composition will be adequate, whether you use them at nominal size or turned down. No point in using expensive silver steel or high-tensile alloys. 2 I've always called them 'flats'. Neil |
Boiler Bri | 13/06/2014 21:04:26 |
![]() 856 forum posts 212 photos | Hi Brian, Bn Q sell bright bar which machines ok.
The flats, well there are different types, a sunken flat with sides is usually for key that sits in it, a flat that is not sunk would usually have a gib head key, so you could call it a gib head key flat! You could also leave the shaft round and gently tighten your grub screw down, then take off you flywheel etc and drill a small dimple where the grub screw has left a mark. This would locate the grub screw and stop the wheel coming off. I like this on small items as the shaft fills the hole in the wheel and looks nice.
Brian
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Brian John | 14/06/2014 04:46:11 |
1487 forum posts 582 photos | Which raise the question : How to drill the hole for the grub screw in the flywheels ? I do not have a drill press so can this job be done by hand or is this not advisable ? I notice that you do not get much room to manoeuvre as the drill bit, chuck, tap and tap wrench come up very close to the rim of the flywheel.
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Eric Cox | 14/06/2014 09:00:19 |
![]() 557 forum posts 38 photos | Don't drill the hole at right angles to the shaft. Drill the hole in the flywheel at an angle such as 45 degrees. |
Brian John | 14/06/2014 10:24:47 |
1487 forum posts 582 photos | Eric : Yes, I know. But even drilling at an angle of 45 degrees it is still a very tight fit on most of the flywheels that I have purchased. Edited By Brian John on 14/06/2014 10:25:57 |
Neil Wyatt | 14/06/2014 11:06:41 |
![]() 19226 forum posts 749 photos 86 articles | Hi Brian, Tapping is made easier by using a pion-vice to hold the tap. Alternatively, use a key to hold the flywheel in place Neil |
Hugh Gilhespie | 14/06/2014 13:17:39 |
130 forum posts 45 photos | Hmmm, a pion vice is going to be a bit small - "AbstractThe pion radius has been measured by direct scattering of 50 GeV negative pions from stationary electrons in a hydrogen target. We find the square of the radius to be 〈rπ2〉 = (0.61 ± 0.15)fm2."
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JasonB | 14/06/2014 13:28:24 |
![]() 25215 forum posts 3105 photos 1 articles | Brian, one way to drill the hub is to take a bit of spare round bar, drill into the end of it with your tapping drill then loctite the shank of the drill into the hole. You then have a drill that is long enough to reach the hub at a shallow angle without the chuck hitting the rim/spokes. A bit of gentle heat will get the drill out of the extension. You can do the same with the tap. It can be done freehand with a cordless drill or if you don't have a benchdrill fix it to an angle plate set at a slight angle on your lathe cross slide and hold the drill/extension in your 3-jaw chuck.
J |
Boiler Bri | 14/06/2014 17:01:25 |
![]() 856 forum posts 212 photos | Hi Brian. Not sure if you have a lathe? If you have machine a small bar say 8 mm diameter dril a hole in the end just a bit smaller than the square end of the tap, warm it up with a blow lamp or similar and then tap, hammer etc the square end of the tap into the hole, this will make you a long tap holder to allow you to get into the corner.
Bri |
Brian John | 14/06/2014 17:54:14 |
1487 forum posts 582 photos | Yes, I do have a lathe but it is not set up yet. It is still sitting in its box on the living room floor. I am building a workbench for it which should be ready next week. |
Ian S C | 15/06/2014 12:10:57 |
![]() 7468 forum posts 230 photos | Brian, some of my flywheels are drilled when finished, I angle the drill as close as I can to clear the rim, a long drill is handy here, I drill it free hand using an ordinary wheel brace (the battery doesn't go flat). My flywheels are fabricated, and when I remember I drill and tap before assembling the hub. Ian S C |
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