Shed Matters 3

[Stanley]

The next set of castings has arrived..... It can stay wrapped up until I have made these crankshafts....

[Stanley]

Straight into cutting the excess metal out of the first crankshaft. This is careful boring work but still faster and easier than interrupted cutting in the lathe. Here we see the results of 45 minutes. One shaft cut out and the next one mounted in the mill ready for cutting tomorrow. Now for my breakfast!

[Stanley]

45 minutes of uneventful patient milling got us to this point, another crankshaft blank gutted and ready for eccentric turning. The cutter didn't need any attention and cut wonderfully well and I am set up for cutting the third blank tomorrow. I deserve my breakfast.

[Stanley]

This morning I cut the excess metal out of the third crankshaft blank. This is another triumph for my El Cheapo Taiwanese mill/drill. The cutter was just showing signs of distress as I got to the end of these cuts, it has done remarkably well and will get sharpened tomorrow. I am ready now for setting up in the lathe for eccentric turning of the three crank pins.... But at the moment I am after my breakfast!

[Stanley]

Look after the tools and they will look after you.... So, instead of plunging straight into the glamorous job of eccentric turning on Mrs Harrison, I set to and sharpened the 1/2" cutters I had dug out. I also touched up the everyday 1" cutter in the VM but forgot to attend to the 7/16" cutter that let me down..... I can go back to that another day. Then I took the 3 jaw SC chuck out of the lathe and installed the 4 Jaw independent so I am now ready to set up tomorrow for turning the crank pins.... That was 45 minutes well spent and now I shall go and look for my breakfast!

[Stanley]

You could be forgiven for wondering if I had done anything at all this morning.... Well, I've spent about 30 minutes in the shed, first in seeking out the 7/16" cutter that failed me and putting it on the naughty step on the T&C grinder to remind me that it needs attention. Than I addressed the blank in the lathe. I spent a long time, using the dial indicator, getting the blank set up and parallel in the chuck. It's a fiddly job but will work for the other two blanks as well because they are all the same. So I am ready for eccentric turning but at this point I came out of the shed to look for my breakfast but only after dealing with a load of washing that has been on the go. I have a straight edge now and so I can look forward to tomorrow.

[Stanley]

Straight into eccentric turning of the first crank pin which I left set up yesterday. This is high stress turning as you have almost two inches of throw on the workpiece and as a consequence, almost two inches of stick out on the parting tool that I am using to cut the pin. I gave it the best chance by honing the insert with a diamond hone to make sure it had a keen edge and then only taking 10 thou cuts. So just over twenty minutes of turning and then a polish with emery cloth and hey presto, we have the first crank pin. Then I set up for the next one but that will do tomorrow! I want my breakfast.

[Stanley]

Half an hour of very careful high stress eccentric turning and we have another crank pin. I set up for the next and final one and came away. I know my limitations, I shall come back fresh tomorrow to cut the final one. Good progress, we have two pins cut. Now I want (and deserve!) my breakfast....

[Stanley]

No need to tell you what I've been doing or how hard it was! We now have three crank pins. Now I want my breakfast!

[Stanley]

This morning's task was to make three buttons that can be fixed in the gap with Loctite to give support when the billet is under pressure from the centre. The crank pin is so small it couldn't remain rigid. So I started parting off the blanks for the buttons in the lathe but hit a problem with my parting tool that had reached its sell-by date. I spent more time on that than on the buttons so I finished up today with three buttons ready for final fitting and installation. Tomorrow I shall finish that job and be ready for some serious turning! Now I want my breakfast!

[Stanley]

This morning I spent about half an hour making my buttons exactly the right size to be a snug fit in the cut in the blanks and then installed them using instant glue. Then I put the original 9" 4 jaw independent chuck on to Mrs Harrison. A long time since I had this chuck out but I wanted the chuck with the largest hole through the centre and the truest jaws, you'll see why later. Now for breakfast.....

[Stanley]

I missed posting this pic yesterday....

[Stanley]

This morning was setting up for turning the blanks down to finish size. I am being ultra careful and want to turn one leg down to a size that will fit the bore of the chuck so that I can grip in in such a way as to take all the torque off the offset crank pin. In effect that means turning this first leg down from two inches to an inch and three quarters. I am rubbish at centring stock in independent jaws so this took over half an hour!But it's done and I am started. Now for my breakfast!

[Stanley]

I carried on from yesterday turning one leg of the shaft down until it fitted in the bore of the chuck. Then I reversed it making sure that I grabbed the other leg by the end of the shaft that will eventually be the shaft's web. This means I can now take a good cut on the shaft secure in the knowledge I am not putting any damaging torque on the 3'8" crank pin. I will be able to reverse it to finish the cut on the other leg of course. I have taken the stringy swarf made by the light cuts out and put it in the recycle bin which will be emptied tomorrow making plenty of room for what will follow. Now I deserve my breakfast!

[Stanley]

I set up yesterday so straight into turning one leg of the shaft down far enough to fit in the bore of one of my smaller chucks for final operations. You can see how it compares to the other two, it's ready to go forward but I want to get the other two to the same stage. I finished this morning's stint by cleaning up my chips and swarf and putting them in the brown recycling bin which is out in the back street ready for collection and emptying this morning so plenty of room for the swarf from the next two shafts. A good morning's work, I am after my breakfast now!

[Stanley]

This morning was a preparation morning. I have prepared the next shaft blank for bedding in the bore of the chuck and set it up ready to start cutting this leg down to 1/2" ready for bringing to the same stage as the first. These cuts were light and careful because the torque was being taken by the 3/8" crank pin so I am glad I have got away with them! Then I cleaned up the lathe and the floor. We are ready for tomorrow and now I want my breakfast.

[Stanley]

I left the workpiece all set up ready for turning and only did one thing before starting. I changed my indexable cutter to a negative rake one that had the advantage of never having been used. I used that to attack this leg of the shaft with 50 thou cuts and got about half the metal taken away. I swept the floor in case the shed goes on TV! Now I want my breakfast and second sleep.

[Stanley]

This morning I turned the leg of the second blank down to the roughly 1/2" stage and installed the third blank in the lathe. I turned that down to the diameter that fits in the bore and it is now ready to reverse and turn down to roughly 1/2" Then I cleaned up all my chips and swarf including sweeping the floor. I have a clean shed and lathe ready for the last leg of this stage tomorrow. A good hour of solid progress. Now for breakfast.

[Stanley]

Sorry Lads! I declined the shed and watched national TV this morning. Why? BBC were doing a piece about an exhibition by Dniel Meadows amd me which featured Bancroft Shed. I watched the programme, Jayne, the interviewer, was right, Daniel and I got more air time than Trump and Starmer! I think everyone will be pleased.... Now I'm going to bed.

[Stanley]

Only one pic needed. I have turned one leg of the third crankshaft blank down to about 1/2". I now have three blanks all at the same stage and can go forward tomorrow with the next stage. Yes I know, it's a lot of trouble but wait until you see the far superior final product at the end of all the faffing about. Now I need breakfast.
PS. If any of you want to see the clip from the BBC programme. go into the topics and find 'What attracted your attention today'. You'll find a link there.

[Stanley]

Today the task was to get ready for the next stages in making the three crankshafts. First I had to make sure that I had turned the web on the side of the crank I had roughed down to 1/2" down to 1/4" thick as this would mean that when mounted in the 3 jaw SC chuck I had a firm hold of the web past the weak point of the crank pin thus allowing me to take good cuts. Once I had done that I took the 4 jaw independent chuck off Mrs Harrison and installed the 3 jaw SC chuck. Then I cleaned the swarf off the lathe and mounted the first of the thee shafts ready for starting on tomorrow. That was an hour of careful and worthwhile work which should pay off in the next few days. Now I deserve my breakfast.

[Stanley]

This morning I went straight into reducing the leg of the shaft I had left set up in the lathe. Straight forward hard turning and you can tell how I was pushing it from the image. After 45 minutes in the shed I was roughed down to 1/2" but too hot to finish turn. That can wait until tomorrow morning. Right now I am chasing my breakfast.

[Stanley]

I have only been in the shed for half an hour this morning because other matters are pressing in on me. However I have done useful things. I realised that I didn't want to start doing finish turning on the shaft that was in the lathe. I wanted to finish reducing the web thickness and then put the rough turned shaft on one side while I brought the other two to the same stage. I can then change to a smaller chuck and take my time over finishing. So I did just that, finished turning the web on the shaft that was in the lathe and then took it out. Then cleaned up the swarf on the lathe and on the floor and mounted the next shaft in the chuck so I am ready for a start tomorrow morning. Now for breakfast.

[Stanley]

I resisted the urge to have just a short spell in the shed and did an hour of hard turning. Here we have the result, another rough turned crankshaft. I aqm ready to clean up tomorrow and do the same operation on the third and final blank. I'm glad I did the right thing, it really feels like progress..... Now for breakfast!

[Stanley]

I started the morning's work by cleaning the swarf and chips off Mrs Harrison, Then I reversed my carbide indexable chip to get a new cutting edge and started my last session of heavy turning. I got this last leg down to roughly 1/2" and stopped. Then I cleaned Mrs Harrison again and disposed of the chips. I am ready now to start more leisurely finish turning, I have all three shafts at the same stage. Now for the next treat, breakfast!
I do enjoy my breakfast, more so when I know I have earned it!