SHED MATTERS 2

[PanBiker]

So, that's the reason for the bruised face, no point in saying watch what you are doing, but do. Can't do with you knocking yourself up, you have engines to build, take care.

[Stanley]

Thanks Ian, I have had a quiet day with much shoulder rubbing, applying heat via a wheat bag and self indulgence.... Mending slowly..... More important than even the engines!

[micktoon]

Hi Stanley, sorry to hear of your fall. I hope you are feeling better and your arm no worse. Hopefully you will be back in the shed in no time.
The crank is coming along very nicely, it looks the part so hoping you will be well enough to get back to the project quickly.
Until then put your feet up and plenty cups of tea
Cheers Mick

[Stanley]

Thanks Mick. I'm pleased with the crank, it just needs the ends finishing.
I am improving quickly but am not going to rush things.... I was very lucky when I fell because my head took the full force and it was a flat pavement. I hate to think what could have happened if I'd hit something sharp! You're not as nimble on your feet as you get older.... And you don't bounce!

[Stanley]

Sorry I'm AWOL lads, arm and shoulder is improving but I'm not pushing it. Continuing with the TLC.....

[Bodger]

Stanley summat for thi to look at whist thart lakin fromt shop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfXf9BHJe64
have a peek at sum er tothers on reet hand side

[micktoon]

Hi Stanley, hope your feeling better and the shed is back in sight for your return. Glad you did not do too much damage , as you say lucky you landed on a flat area or who knows. You reminded me of when my dad had a fall and when asked by the doctor at A&E if he had hurt his wrists , he replied ' no luckily my face broke my fall, so my wrists are fine ' , his face was not so fine but he made full recovery, as you say you don't bounce like kids do when you get older.
Put your feet up and watch some Youtube I say the cranks will not run off
Cheers Mick

[Stanley]

Bodge, thanks for that, I've bookmarked it.
Mick, I have decided that I have had enough TLC. I left the door from the kitchen to the shed open last night and have given it a blast of heat.... I shall be in there this morning. Arm isn't 100% yet but you can get to the stage where you convince yourself you are poorly. Time to crack the whip! (Mind you, I could be totally wrong.....)

[Stanley]

The first job this morning was to get set up for tidying the ends of the shaft. I cleaned up first, then oiled all the lubrication points on the lathe, it doesn't need doing too often but was overdue. Everything is running easier now! Not taking any chances, I fitted the steady so that I could be absolutely certain of my cutting. Both ends faced, chamfered and an accurate centre put in just in case I need to do anything to it later.



That's better, both ends tidy.



I went for a furtle in the non ferocious treasure chest. I need some stock for the pedestal bearings....



I was going to cut the end off this by hand but it was easier and less painful to pop it into Mrs McMaster and chop the thread off.



That's better! I could have just got a bush out of the small piece but the problem would be holding it as there is no spare so I decided to go for the two big pieces.



First job was to get the outside of the bush a nice interference fit in the pedestal block....



Usual drill, centre, and successive drills to get me somewhere near and then sharpen the cutter in this boring bar and go looking for a fit on the shaft.



Nearly there, the fit doesn't want to be too tight.... So a bit more taken out of the bore.



Mrs Burnerd makes the parting off certain and trouble free!



Close of play. I have a bit of fitting to do to get it perfect but that will be the first job tomorrow....
In case you're wondering, yes my shoulder and arm hurt but then they do if I am sat reading. I didn't take any pain killers, just put up with it and the report is that it's done the arm good, I have more and easier movement now than this morning. A result I think.....

[micktoon]

Thats more like it Stanley, no good sitting in a rocking chair you will improve more having a work out in the shed. Mind you probably a good thing Mrs Macmaster is there or you might have had your arm in a slig right now ! Looks like good steady progress and hopefully your arm will have freed up a bit too.
You might not bounce now Stanley ............. but you can still bounce back and thats probably more important

Keep up the good work .
Cheers mick.

[Stanley]

Thanks for that Mick.... It looks as though I was right about the exercise. My arm frees up when I use it but I paid the price last night, it got worse as I tried to sleep but in the end gave up and I had a good sleep until later than usual....
You know how I like straight edges... just as Jack and I were going for our late morning walk the scrap chap came up the street so my swarf bin is empty as well! Lovely...... On with the day and bugger the arm!

[Stanley]

First job was to fit the bush in the pedestal block. The last stage of this was relieving the entry to the bush so that the root of the shaft didn't interfere.



Then press the bush into the pedestal, it's just a nice interference fit.



The shaft fitted to this side. Now for the other one....



Waste not want not. I decided I could just get the second bush out of what was left of the scrap shaft I made the other one from....



I just made it by the skin of my teeth! I shall turn this end off first thing tomorrow and then fit it. Short morning as John Clayton was visiting and we have history to discuss. But a good step forward....

[Stanley]

No shed today lads, I had to go to the diabetic clinic. They certify me as fit as a butcher's dog and theoretically no longer a diabetic but pre-diabetic. It's all down to losing weight and I shall continue with the same regime...

[Stanley]

The task this morning is to finish the fitting of the crankshaft into the bearings. So, first thing, finish the second bush off. I was going to part this collar off as it would have been a useful bit of scrap but decided I have enough scrap in the treasure chests so I simply turned it off, relieved the entry to the bore and got on with fitting it.



I pressed it into the pedestal, a nice interference fit. Note the hole in the bush which it inherited from the scrap shaft. It's dead in line with where I will have to drill and tap the mounting for the lubricator....



The bush mounted in the pedestal and the crankshaft assembly bolted down tight on the raising blocks. The shaft is a good fit and so any small discrepancy in the fit shows up here. The temptation is to decide why it isn't running freely and do something to relieve the fit so it runs nicely. It was still tight on first fitting but I didn't do anything major, just made small adjustments to the thickness of the flange and the depth the bush was relieved to at each side. Once I had it somewhere near I put some oil and grinding paste on the faces and after tightening everything down, ran it with the electric drill until I was satisfied with the fit and how it was running. Then I stripped it all down, washed all the grinding paste off and oiled it up before reassembling. It turns nicely with just one small tight spot when the shaft is hard over towards the valve rod side. This will probably not be a problem when the shaft is turning central in the gap and even if it is it will soon run in.



Knocking off time. A nicely fitted shaft. It took 2 hours to get here but well worth the time to get it right. Remember, be patient and make only small adjustments when fitting, continually re-trying the shaft to make sure where you have got to. Any fool can fit things sloppy.....

[Stanley]

Today's task is the fiddly job of making lubricators for the cylinder and the two pedestal bearings. You'll see that I had a clean up but the lathe is still full of brass chippings. I'm doing the lubricators because it is all non ferocious turning and when I've made them I can harvest the non-ferocious scrap for the John Mills Memorial scrap bin.



Once I had cleaned up I went into the drawing office and got my head straight as to what I was doing. I had a furtle in the treasure chest and found some stock, 5/8" for the cylinder lubricator and 1/2" for the pedestals. Then I sorted out the taps and dies and tapping drills I shall need. Into the lathe and make some more muck!



I won't bore you with the process but after a short while we have a lubricator fitted to the cylinder. It has to have a lid of course and an 'O' ring ensures a good seal.



Next job was to drill and tap the bearing pedestals 1/'4" X 26tpi ready for the lubricators.



A bit later.... ready for the lubricators.



A little while later.... It's clocking off time but I am at a straight edge. The stock is set up in the chuck and trued and I'm ready to make the Lubricators. Come to think the next moves can be some more brass turning.... I'll take a view tomorrow when the lubricators are made and fitted.
Not fast but quiet progress and no cock-ups. Always nice.....

[Stanley]

I need to start thinking about articles but hate losing the time in the shed.....

[Stanley]

The morning was decided for me, I had a long telephone call from a daughter in Oz so I was a bit late in the shed....



I was all set up so I cracked on with the relatively simple job of making the two lubricant cups for the pedestal bearings. Next move, box on after tidying up and putting tackle away.



While the lathe is in non ferocious mode I might as well make the shell for the crank bearing. It has to be done and fitted before I can measure up accurately for the con rod. So a trip to the treasure chest and I found this, just the job, exactly what I needed.



I brushed the lathe down so it looks tidy and set about getting the vise back on the VM table. Squared it up as usual using the John Mills method.



I set the blank up in the vise ready for squaring up but it was clocking off time. Nice clean start for tomorrow! We're slowly moving towards an engine in case you hadn't noticed.

[Stanley]

Straight into squaring the stock for the con rod bearing.



I hit a small problem straight away. The piece of steel I was using as a parallel in the vise was not giving me a level cut so I went into the treasure chest for some ground silver steel and called on Mrs McMaster....



That's better! The two thick pieces are the new ones....



That cured it and after getting the two surfaces parallel I swapped the cutter and went through the usual drill of squaring the edges.



Next job was to blue the stock, mark it up and take the meat off with the saw on the HM.



That's better. Those two pieces are a lot of milling!



Then some measuring and marking up and drill two holes for the bolts which will eventually connect the bearing to the con rod and hold the two halves together. Two register marks put on each side of the location for the hole so that I can match them up.



I Found a thin slitting saw and set it up in the VM. At this point I made a mistake, what I should have done was pop a hole though the block to cut down on how much I had to saw. The saw was a bit blunt and generated too much heat, distorting the block as it cut it so I finished up with a bad match of the two surfaces.



This is where I finished up. I need to skim the sawn surfaces to get them perfect. No problem because I have allowed plenty of meat but it was a silly mistake! You can't relax for a minute!

[Stanley]

The first job was to rectify my mistake of yesterday. I am beginning to be more disciplined with my packings in the VM vice!



I soon got them to match properly and fitted them with 2BA studs and nuts. These will fasten the Con rod on later, that's why one leg is longer.



Out came my old friend the two jaw brass finishing chuck. If ever you see one, grab it! Easy to find the centre from the markings on the bearing.



The crank pin is a shade over .750" so the usual progression of drills culminating in poking the 3'4" drill through.



I bored it to size and then eased both sides with the form tool to make sure there was room for the radius in the root of the pin. Then pop two oil holes in either side of the bolt hole. It's not a disaster if the oil hole clips the bore for the bolt, the oil will find its way in.



The next job is a bit tricky so pay attention! I want to design a con rod and so I need some basic measurements. Bear in mind that we know the stroke because it's built into the design of the crankshaft. Two inches.
The first thing to do is find the exact centre of the stroke and mark it on the crosshead slide. To do this, push the piston back as far as it will go and mark the position of the leading edge of the crosshead on the slide. Then do the same for the other end. If you split the two marks exactly that's your centre for the stroke.
Then set the crankshaft on mid stroke (top dead centre in this case). Next do some careful measuring and end up with the distance between the face of the bearing and the centre of the crosshead pin hole. You should finish up with a fag packet covered with measurements!



Use a square to match the hole with the pop mark on the slide.



I stopped at this point as it was almost knocking off time. Before I go any further I shall harvest the brass off the lathe for John's scrap box and check all these measurements again. A nice morning's work.....

[Stanley]

I forgot to mention two things. The first was a major tool purchase...



The second thing is that next time you are looking at a full size engine have a careful look at the crosshead slide, you'll find witness marks just like the ones I described above used by the fitters for setting the valve gear and erecting.

[Stanley]

I was late to work this morning, I had to write an article. First job was to harvest the non ferocious off the lathe and put it in John's bin. Then change the chuck, two jaw off and three jaw on. Then check my measurements from yesterday and find a piece of 2" stock, I had a rough piece of shaft, it's sat on the bed.



It's a rough old piece of shaft so the first job was to get one end running reasonably true, face the end and turn part of it down to good metal.



Then reverse it and get hold of it properly before popping a good centre hole in the end.



That's better. A good solid hold and I can start roughing the surface off until it is bright and true. When you have it clean, take the cutter out and put a good edge on it. Rust is an abrasive and it will not have a good edge.



Clocking off time, it's turned down to the major diameter which is the end the foot has to come out of where it connects to the bearing brass. Remember to measure across the corners of the bearing and not just the face. It wants to overhang the full face for when you do the last job of tidying it up after fitting. That will do for this morning, the next job is to get some more meat off down to the minor diameter which is for the clevis on the back end. Yes, plenty of swarf again, I've cleaned up as I go along. The old engineers had the luxury of starting with a forging that had some shape to it. We can't do that, it has to be chopped out of the solid like the crankshaft!

[Stanley]

I might be too busy with other matters to get in the shed today, sorry lads, normal service will be resumed tomorrow....

[Stanley]

A better day today despite it being my busy shopping day. I got in the shed by 9AM and got back into getting some meat off the stock for the con rod.



My cutter is shifting the metal OK but producing horrible stringy swarf when I push it so I had a rethink. First I cleared the bad swarf up, swept the floor and got it outside into the bin.



Here's something you have never seen me do before.... I have tried these tipped tools before but never experimented and found how to use them properly. I put a new tip in and started playing with it.



I got it cutting OK but the chips were spraying all over the place. I've seen Adam Booth do this and it works.



I did a bit more experimenting and stopped the chip barrage but then got into blue chips! This frightens an HSS man to death but I gritted my teeth and carried on, I was shifting muck.



My target was the major diameter of what will be the clevis on the end of the rod for the crosshead pin. When I got near this I chickened out and put the HSS cutter in again and did the last cuts.



Clocking off time, I have got the diameter on the small end of the stock. Now I need to cut the con rod itself out of what is left.... That's for tomorrow, I'll admit to playing out this morning but I've still made progress with no cock ups so it's a good morning!

[Stanley]

I started with a clean up while I decided what to do next.....



I decided we needed a bit more overall length so I reversed it and started muck shifting again.



Slow speed and plenty of cut kept the stringy swarf at bay....



I want 5/8" at the foot so some more muck off before putting the taper in with the top slide. (2 degrees)



By clocking off time I had got to here. Now I need to do even more careful measuring to make sure I am on track. All is well so far! Tomorrow is another day.

[Stanley]

Quietly away and more measuring, it's important to get this just right. Once I'd got the position of the crosshead pin marked I tidied up the junction of the taper with the swell of the clevis and gave that end a polish.



Then I reversed the rod in the lathe. made sure I had the cut-off point correct and parted the surplus off. Point of no return this if you have got it wrong so measure everything at least twice! When I had it cut off I popped a centre in the end, put the half tailstock centre in and gave the end some shape with a form tool. Then another polish....



Now there are some more cuts to make.... The question is what order to do them in, it's a question of holding such a funny shape in the machine vice in such a way that it's accurate and firm. To that end the first job will be to cut the foot to the same width as the diameter of the clevis end, 7/8" so it will grip well and once cut, the foot will make sure the clevis end is held exactly at right angles. (It'll all become clear as we go on....). I didn't want to start into that so I knocked off a bit earlier. There's no rush and the more time I have to think about this the better!