SHED MATTERS 2

[Stanley]

We are ready to mount the winch drum on the base plate. First job was to mark the four holding down bolt positions, drill them and tap them.



A bit of fiddling and fitting and we arrived here. The winch drum mounted on the bed plate. It looks tidy.....



Here's a nice pic. I have introduced the two halves to each other for the first time. They are not falling out .....

[Stanley]

I realised last night that before I go any further I need to make the stay rods that fit in between the bearers so I had a look at the drawings and the video of the finished winder running. There was no relationship between the two and in addition the drawing is obviously wrong because it shows two different lengths of each pair in the total of four rods. Only one thing to do, ditch the drawings and design my own.



I found what I thought was a rusty length of MS rod, 5/16" which is just fine and cleaned Mrs Harrison. I set the rod up and faced the end and was surprised to find it was brass. No matter, this will do just as well.



Bleeding obvious tip, to stop the free end of a long length of stock jangling about in the bore of the mandrel, wedge it tight with wood!



I popped a centre in the end and polished a length of the rod up and then cut it off to a size long enough to make two stays.



By closing time I had the first two stays finished. The 9" dial calliper came in handy because it's essential that the shoulders on the stays are accurate to within a couple of thou. I knocked off early because I had a welcome visit from daughter Susan. I'll make the other two tomorrow and install them.

[Stanley]

I got straight into finishing the stays this morning. I got my head in gear and soon knocked them off.



I had to take the front bearer off to fit the stays because they have stops in each end so while I had it in bits I took the opportunity to ream the back bearing as it was a bit tight. Worth doing it, it's a nice fit and the drum turns nice and smoothly....



I put it back together and got the next bits out that have to go on. This is the general relationship but one or two things are still puzzling me so I had a look at the video and the pics I have of the engine. It soon became obvious that things were more complicated than I first suspected. I had to decide on the size of the pinion as the centre line of the shaft that carries it dictates the height of the entablature.



I had to skim each side of the pinion down so that it matches the bull gear.



Here's where I finished up. The pinion is only sat on top of the gear so it will stay there, it will be mounted to the left of centre in the final build. You'll notice we have won another piece as well, the cast iron quadrant under the right hand end of the entablature. This is the quadrant that carries the handle of the lever that operates the clutch that will have to go into the pinion drive shaft but there's no need to worry about the clutch itself until I make the shaft. I put the flywheel in approximately where it will have to go so I could look at the whole thing and get a better idea of where I am going. I can now make some sensible measurements for the pillars I have to make to support the entablature.
So far so good and I can have a good think about it. But that wasn't all, my head started on the job straight away and another thought struck me.... I realised that I could now see why the drawing had puzzled me so much. There's something else I have to do and it's better done now before I go any further. I will have to take the front bearer off again and put two sleeves on the top stay rod on the front side to locate the anchor point for the brake band which slots in between the bull gear and the drum. This means that I have to address the shaft that carries the cam that applies the brake and as all this is in between the bearers now is the time to get them sorted out. I shall have to do some more digging into the drawings and the video to work out exactly what I am doing.
So as you can see things are a bit complicated! But I will give myself plenty of time for plotting. It's been what you might call an absorbing morning.

[Stanley]

The Design Committee have been burning the midnight oil and have decided that I have to install the components of the brake first so my first job was to make a copy of the details from the drawing. Because I have not followed the other details on the drawing exactly many of these measurements are wrong.



So the first hour of the day was spent in translating the dimensions on the drawing to real life. I hit a bit of a glitch half way through when I realised I had confused the anchor point for the brake band with the cam that operates the brake but that didn't matter, the measurements were still correct but for the wrong shaft. I've decided to make the anchor point first and this involves making two tubes, a long one and a short one that are sleeves on the top stay rod. This has a consequence in that to make sense of doing this I have to make the brake band and attachments as well so I'm into watchmaking again! Never mind..... I harvested the clean brass chips off the lathe for John and went for a furtle in the scrap box.....



I found a handy piece of mild steel rod that was originally part of the drive to a Kirkham lubricator on a colliery winding engine. Lovely stuff, turns like butter! I soon had a piece of 1/2" bright bar.



Handy having a long drill to work with, the long sleeve was beyond a jobber's drill.



Here's where I finished up at closing time....



And just to make it clear, these two sleeves are all I have actually made but none of the morning has been wasted. I am now clear about where I am going and what I have to do.

[plaques]

Because I have not followed the other details on the drawing exactly many of these measurements are wrong.

Sounds a bit like a quote from higher management at home! I think I know what you mean. Have you ever thought of becoming an MP?

[Stanley]

Problem is P that there were discrepancies between what the drawings say and the castings supplied. This stems from the fact that the drawings are based on the original engine and meant as an archival record and not as a building aid as such. This means that you have to do a variation. In this case it was the distance between the centres of the flanges on the casting supplied, it was bigger than the drawing and there was no way you could alter it so the winch drum ends up slightly longer. Once that dimension is altered it affects other related measurements and if you don't get your head straight you are soon in deep trouble. My attitude is to accept the variation and use my head to accommodate the changes.... I'm used to working like this and I think I've got it right so far! In fact I love problems like this where you have to go off piste and rely on experience. Don't worry. In the end it will be OK and will run!

[Stanley]

This morning I want to make the brake band. I can't finish it until I have made the brakes shaft etc, but I can't start on them until I have the brake band partially made. Once again I am doing it differently than the drawings, the drawing shows the loop for the anchor as being separate. That my be how it was on the original but it's far easier to make it integral with the band. Another thing is that the drawing calls for tiny friction blocks riveted to the band. I'll take a view on that later, I think I'm going to go for a leather brake lining. First thing was to find some 16SWG material and this copper will do nicely. I marked a strip 1/2" wide and 12" long. I started to cut it with the Gilbows but it was distorting it too much.....



I started with the hacksaw but of course the frame was fouling the sheet before I had cut far so I used the Eclipse blade holder with a broken piece of blade in it. Quietly away, slow but it was doing a reasonable job.



I was glad when I finished cutting it out. Now I need it exactly the right width and parallel.



I filed it until I was close to the size and then cut the last bit off in the milling machine because this way I could guarantee it has straight edges.



It wasn't quick but in the end I got the width right and polished all the edges with emery. I have a blank I can use now. This has taken all morning! I was glad to sit down..... Definitely not in my comfort zone and it will get worse!

[Stanley]

When pure copper plate is being made it work-hardens under the rolling process and I wanted this strip soft and malleable. Copper is easy to anneal, heat it up dull cherry red and quench it in cold water. It will be a lot easier to form round the brake drum now.



The drawing, no doubt following the original, had a complicated arrangement of a separate piece on the end to form the loop for the anchor and this was all riveted together with multiple small rivets. I decided that I was just going to form the loop in the end of the strip and fasten it with one nice dome-headed copper rivet. Riveting is rather like soldering easy to do but very hard to do perfectly! You know how I love my old tools and here we have a good example, a lovely gadget for squeezing up soft rivets. The complicated lever arrangement multiplies the effort and they make a lovely job.





The tool has domed anvils and the first pic is of the back side, the one that was squeezed up. The second pic is the side that will show and is the original domed head. You can hardly tell the difference and the rivet is tight. What a lovely job it has made! Very pleased with that.



A closer look at the pliers. No maker's name but a patent number. Patent 139.412 NZ 10. I did a quick search but didn't come up with anything.



I had to take the bearer off to install the brake band but here it is in place, located by the sleeves and it's going to be long enough.



Then into the lathe to make a blank for the 1/4" diameter brake actuating rod.



Closing time. The brake rod blank in place. Now I have to decide what to do about the actuating cam and the way it's connected to the brake band. Once again the drawing has a complicated arrangement. I shall give it some thought.......

[Stanley]

I started this morning by having a good clean up of Mrs Harrison. The stuff I cut yesterday for the brake shaft made horrible stringy swarf and the floor wanted a vacuum anyway. I work better if I'm clean and tidy.



We carry on with the winch drum brake mechanism.... I had a good study and made a fag packet drawing of a revised design for the attachment to the brake band that drops into the claws of the actual brake operating cam. Then I cut the stock I needed and you'll laugh at this, I cut them in Mrs McMaster. She is so easy to set up and I'm more for nourishment than punishment! You'll laugh at this as well..... I have never realised that there is a right direction and a wrong one for the direction of the saw teeth but saw a faded notice on the beam this morning that told me I had the blade in the wrong way round! So I took a bit of time out and put the blade in the right way!



I had worked out that I could do all the operations to finish the brake band except for cutting it to length. I shall need to fit the actuating cam before I do that. So I aimed for that stage with the attachment.



Bleeding obvious again. I was going to use this slitting saw to make the slot that will accept the band. I wanted it cut straight so I set the vice up using a ruler.



The slot cut. Now I want some relieving of the excess metal and a peg in the end.



Knocking off time. Here it is finished except for attaching to the brake band and perhaps reducing a bit at the head where the pin is. I'll leave that until later. Tomorrow I'll make the brake cam. Not a lot done I know but it's fiddly work and I am pleased with my result!

[micktoon]

Hi Stanley , looks to be going great I love that rivet tool, lovely job of closing the rivet and you can just looking a proper bit of kit, shame it has no name on it eh, I bet it was used in an aircraft factory or somewhere like that. When you drilled with the long drill Stanley, did it drill the full length of the bar to make it into a tube ?, just asking as I am amazed it did not flex and wander and come out the side at that length.
Great work , keep on going its going to be a lovely thing when its done

Cheers Mick.

[plaques]

Stanley, I know its a bit late in the day but I thought you may have gone for brass instead of copper for your brake band. Not that it makes much difference for what you are doing but brass tends to work harden to a more consistent coefficient of friction. Nice job just the same. Brake band.

[Stanley]

P, the brake will never do any work and if it did it would be OK. It locks the drum solid just by pulling on the end with a pair of pliers. By the time it is operated by the cam and the foot pedal it will be a good brake. I'm not bothering with any lining.....
Mick, thanks.... The drill probably would wander a bit eventually but I started the hole with a jobbers drill 1/64" smaller than the long drill, I find that if you do that and the lathe is set up accurately the drill will keep fairly straight as it is cutting while it is establishing direction. Important it's sharpened with even lands. It helps that these long drills have thicker webs as well, you have to relieve the chisel points on them.
I keep referring to the video of the completed model running on Youtube (LINK) and noticed the other day that whoever built this one has got it running the wrong way round. Two reasons why I know this.... The way he has it the cable exits the drum on the top side, they would never do this given the choice, it would be as near ground level as possible because this engine was for pulling loaded wagons up an incline. The second thing is that the brake would be used when the winch was out of gear and gravity was taking the empty trucks down the slope. Hard to explain this but the friction makes the brake band self-wrapping if the cable is pulling on the drum from the bottom, an automatic servo action to aid the effort on the foot pedal, running the way he has it you get the opposite effect. I shall have mine running what I consider to be the proper way.

[Tizer]

I visited the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton this week and peeped through the door of their workshop. It looks like the lads were all out on their tea break!

[Big Kev]

Stanley, have you checked your shed for equipment? Looks like they've moved the contents to Yeovilton

[Stanley]

Far too tidy Tiz!
I had a problem this morning, I had an appointment at the opticians at 09:00. I got in the shed early and had a good 90 minutes but when I got to the appointment it had been cancelled! Never mind....



I cut the piece of scrap bar yesterday (It's part of the frame of a winding machine that was being scrapped. Never let a good piece of stock escape!) that's why it is rusty so the first job was to skim all the faces and make sure it was clean and square.



This cutter has done a bit of work and cutting rusty metal doesn't help so I reground the back-off angle and the cutting edge.



Then I went in with the sharp cutter to find my sizes but never bothered about length, that can come later.



Here's the blank correct for width and thickness. The cutter left a good finish.....



Here's where I finished up. The bottom 1/4" hole is where it fits on the brake shaft and the top one will be cut out to one side eventually to form the hooks that engage on the brake band. You can see that there is some material to come off the top but I'll do that when the hooks are formed after I have cut the slot for the catch on the end of the band..... Not bad for 90 minutes......

Just seen your post Kev.... None of mine is missing but I'd love that milling machine and the space to put it in! Ah well......

[Stanley]

The lads in the NE have sent me a birthday present! A very old, heavy and completely refurbished dial indicator by G B Ames of Waltham Massachusetts, a place famous for fine watch making. I've been after a fine reading clock for a while. Each division on the dial is two ten thousandths of an inch. Perfect! (And it's back mounted as well which I prefer.)
Thanks lads! a very kind thought and much appreciated. No excuses now!

[Stanley]

I'm still on with the brake actuating cam and it's mainly tiny little milling jobs to get the shape. I'm cutting the slot in it here.



That's the slot done..... next was another cut to open the top hole out into a hook.



I've no doubt this is an old machinist's trick but when I saw it on Youtube it was new to me. It's a way of milling a curve on the end of a bar by installing a pin in the end and using that as a pivot to turn the piece as you take multiple cuts. I already had a pin in the clamp that will go on the end of the brake band so I used that and it worked a treat!



I did the same for the hook using a 1/4" drill as a pivot and that worked just as well.



Here they are united for the first time, you can see where I'm going now.....



Here's how they will be mounted eventually but the shaft has to be fitted first and the brake band measured and cut to size.



Just as I was heading out of the shed I noticed a piece of 1/4" rod which would have saved me a lot of trouble! I might use this, but I'll take a view of this tomorrow. Slow, but it's good progress and no mistakes!

[Stanley]

It's all right for those of you who have a live in housekeeper but old Singletons like me have to do some housework and cooking at times and it gets in the way of progress in the shed. However, I have it done now and am just having a few minutes sit down before I renew the attack on my brake. I shall report later!!

[Stanley]

I got in the shed before 9AM so I had an hour in there. Time well spent, no cooking for at least two days! The first thing I did was to finish making sure the brake actuator was a good fit on its shaft. That didn't take long.... What I want to do next is cut the shaft to finished length and then cut the keyways for the operating foot pedal and the actuator but, as so often happens, I can't do that until I have decided on the size and location of the foot pedal! So, back to the drawings and a good coat of looking over. I shall design my own but had to make sure I had it straight in my head and had some sizes. Decisions made I needed to find a piece of scrap in the treasure chest I could make it out of.



What I needed was a piece of plate 3/16" X 3" X 2". I found a piece of rusty stock, marked it up and cut the major dimension with Mrs McMaster. Then I cut that to size in the HM with the slitting saw.



Here we are, It's very rusty on the other side and badly pitted but there is enough meat in it for my purpose.



First job was to get the pits out of the rusty side and get a surface.....



That looks a bit better! Now turn it over and flatten the other side which isn't much better.



Knocking off time. Dead on 3/16" thick. Now we need to get it square and mark a shape out......

[Stanley]

My first job was to finish sawing and milling this piece of 3/16" plate square and the right overall size.



Sawing done in the HM of course!



I cut as much of the internal cuts as I could get at on the HM but finished up with the hacksaw and file.



Here we are after breaking all the edges and drilling for the pivot point. I've decided how I am going to mount it and secure it.



I made two small collars which are part of the solution.



The drawings want a 3/32" key but I haven't got a cutter that small so it will have to be 1/8". Question is, do I have any 1/8" key steel?



The answer was yes! But only one. So we have a cutter and a key, now we need to get set up to mill a keyway in the shaft.



Here's where we are at closing time. All set up ready to mill the keyway for the actuating cam.....

[micktoon]

More good progress Stanley and good to see you are still managing to find everything you ever seem to need in stock lol. Glad you liked the DTI, I thought you would its proper old heavy bit of kit I am sure it could not have found a better home too.
Things are starting to take shape now , good to watch

Cheers Mick

[Stanley]

Thanks Mick. You're right about that DTI, I'm dying to use it! I looked enviously at the test piece John gave away this week, a handy bit of kit. I suppose it started life as a gauge. The treasure chests and scrap box are still serving me well. Some people call it clutter..... When I get the brake finished I have to get serious about the relationship between the engine crankshaft centre and the winch. That's going to be interesting!

[Stanley]

I cut the keyway in the shaft and fitted the 1/8" key first thing.



Then I cut the brake shaft to length, reduced it to 3/16" as I wanted a shoulder for the brake pedal arm to butt against and threaded the end 2BA. It's the wrong way round here but you get the idea....



Next I made a button for the brake pedal, drilled and tapped the arm 5BA and fitted the pedal with a countersunk screw.



The design calls for a balance weight on the back end of the arm so I made two more brass buttons from scrap and riveted them in place. We're getting somewhere now!



Next job is a fiddly bit of milling to thin down the jaws on the terminal that will be riveted on the brake band so I touched the cutter up.



A bit of careful milling, we don't want any slip-ups when so much work has gone into this small component!



Here's where I was at at knocking off time after three hours in the shed. I've found the rivets and drilled the strap to take them. They will be cut down before use. I have to cut the keyway in the brake actuating cam next and then I'm ready to decide on the finished length of the brake band. We are getting close to having this phase in the bag! Ready for a sit down......

[micktoon]

Hi Stanley, looking great. I will ask John about the test bar as I think he was given a few he gave , me, Bob and David one each and did a give away with one so might be gone but I will ask. Bob sometimes gets similar bits of shaft from work so I will put the request out Stanley
Cheers Mick

[Stanley]

Good lad Mick..... No big sweat but it would be a useful addition.....