Shed Matters 3

[Stanley]

Once again only one image needed. I did the small cuts on the blank I was working on yesterday and started cutting the main slot on the other. An hour and a quarter and slow but steady progress.

[MickBrett]

How deep of a cut do you take each time?

[Stanley]

Good question Mick and right to the point. To tell you the truth I don't know, I just put a bit on by feel but I'd guess at about 15thou. As you can see my El Cheapo mill is actually a heavy duty drill and you can't take heavy cuts. This has never been a problem because with light cuts and sharp cutters it does remarkably accurate work. That's why I am so slow but time is no object of course, nobody is breathing down my neck!
So I am slow and have to put up with it. I watch people like Brian Bloc hogging 1/4" cuts off with sparks flying out of the cutter but don't envy them. that's not for me. I may be slow but up to now I have always got there and get decent results.
In case you're wondering, yes I did think of doing the cut on the horizontal mill. That would have been a lot quicker but imagine the mayhem if the stock rolled during the cut! This way is foolproof as long as I take my time.....

[Stanley]

Only one pic this morning. I carried on quietly chewing the middle of the stock out but hit a problem. I only have two viable 7/16" cutters. One broke down and the other, pictured here, is too short to get to proper depth. I shall do my best tomorrow but it's a bit of a problem!

[MickBrett]

Good question Mick and right to the point.
<snipped>
In case you're wondering, yes I did think of doing the cut on the horizontal mill.

Good grief, no! It never crossed my mind. I was thinking "if that were me I'd surely be taking small cuts, especially as I got nearer the bottom of the slot."
I was simply curious.

[Stanley]

Not having an adequate VM has always been the Achilles Heel for my shed but over the years, with care, I have done some good work with this early version of the Rongfu Taiwanese machine which cost £350 brand new. It was the price that drew me to it in the first place but later when I could have afforded to upgrade I hadn't the room.
So, I have to work within the limits the machine imposes on me but over the years have learned to live with it.
One thing is certain, I couldn't do what I do with it if it wasn't for the fact I have the Clarkson Tool and Cutter Grinder. A sharp cutter makes up for a lot of disadvantages!

[Stanley]

Only one image. Here we have the two blanks with as much of the metal taken out of the centre as I dare with the inadequate cutters I have. They are cleaned up and ready to go in the four jaw for eccentric turning. That's for tomorrow....

[Stanley]

The task this morning was to set the blank up for eccentric turning the crank pin of the crankshaft. I've done this and started the cut. That took an hour. Tomorrow I can get straight into turning.

[Stanley]

A nice hour and a half in the shed. The slow progress milling the excess out has paid off. This morning I cut the first crank pin and then set the second up and started cutting it. I was tempted to do some overtime but didn't give in to it. I shall finish this one tomorrow.

[Stanley]

Straight back into cutting the crank pin for the second crankshaft blank. Started the cuts with the HSS cutter, and when I got close swapping over to my tipped parting tool. 20 thou a cut and soon down to size. Then I changed back to the 3 jaw SC chuck and swept up my chips on Mrs Harrison. A nice hour and a quarter, good progress and no errors!

[Stanley]

Nothing complicated about this morning. Mark both lumps of stock with the depth of the shaft on each side of the pin and then fit a piece of steel into the gap and stick it with instant glue. These are to stop the pressure of the centre in the end of the shaft from distorting the gap between the flanks of the crankshaft. We can start thinking about muck shifting tomorrow as we progress further forwards to two crankshafts and no mistakes.

[Stanley]

Only one pic needed. An hour's muck shifting..... Patience and slowly forward!

[Stanley]

Only one image again. I have finish turned one side of the shaft. I shall reverse it and do the other side tomorrow.
Quietly forward.....

[Stanley]

Only one pic needed. I turned the other end of the shaft5 down to finished dimensions. I shall finish it off, polish it and clean the lathe tomorrow. This was a good hour in the shed....

[Stanley]

This morning was housekeeping. I put the finishing touches to the shaft and polished it. Then I cleaned up all the swarf and chips from the shaft turning including the floor. I've put the other half completed shaft away with the engine parts and if I ever make another Number 9 engine I can get it out and have a flying start. The last job was to knock the 7/16" button out of the throat of the shaft and put it on the kitchen table where it becomes an ornament until needed.

[Stanley]

This morning I tidied the bench, oiled the surface plate and put a clean tablecloth out. Then I started turning the flywheel. A nice bit of mucky cast iron turning. I shall finish the initial turning tomorrow.

[Stanley]

Forward with the flywheel this morning. I finished turning those surfaces ready for sizing then cleaned Mrs Harrison before getting into the Vise and round files to clean of all the flash and bring the as-cast surfaces to a condition ready for painting. Next I shall move onto the other castings. They all need bringing to this standard.

[Stanley]

Most of this morning was spent on fettling castings. Lots of grinding and filing. Then I set up the base casting on the VM ready for milling it and the bed casting tomorrow. A good hour and a quarter with no mistakes......

[Stanley]

Just one image. I milled the top and bottom faces of the base and then set the engine bed casting up for work tomorrow. The first set up is to mill the target face that the cylinder will fit on. I'm ready for that tomorrow.

[Stanley]

Straight into milling the face of the target end on the bed casting and once that was done, altering my work-holding and milling all the other surfaces that needed it. After an hour all there is left to do is the pockets for the pedestal bearing brasses. That will be the first task tomorrow.

[Stanley]

A nice hour in the shed. I finished the milling of the bed casting, cutting the pockets for the pedestal brasses and cleaning the flanks of the horns of the casting. Then I drilled the lugs on the casting for the 2BA fasteners to the base. I'll attend to them tomorrow.

[MickBrett]

Stanley.

I want you to know that, as an ex machinist, I check this thread every morning.
Not only do I watch the work in progress but I monitor your clamping methods, use of tools and finished results.
I even study your work bench and the items on and around it

Keep up the good work

Mick

[Stanley]

That's nice to know Mick. Be sure to comment if anything comes to mind!
(I shall have to consider a 'pic for Mick'; an overall shot of the bench every now and again.)

[Stanley]

This morning I drilled and tapped for the 2BA bolts that fasten the bed to the base casting and once that was done, drilled the lugs in the base and fastened the castings down onto the temporary base that makes fitting easier. A nice quiet uncomplicated hour and a quarter with no errors..... Nice!

[Stanley]

I set the bed and base castings on one side and started on the other castings beginning with the cylinder. The first job was to put the vise back up on the VM and tram it in using a piece of ground gauge stock to magnify any errors. Then I started milling the faces of the cylinder casting starting with the valve face and the flanks and then moving on to the length. At closing time I have one end of the casting milled to size and tomorrow I shall start on the other end.