JV Puleo Posted September 28, 2021 Author Share Posted September 28, 2021 (edited) I am grinding away at this but it would be pointless to show any of the pictures until I get a little more done. As is it, it would make little sense. I did discover I'd made an error in the design though. Fortunately, I thought of a quick fix. Edited September 29, 2021 by JV Puleo (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted September 29, 2021 Author Share Posted September 29, 2021 These are parts for a took I've designed to engrave the lines on a graduated dial. I will use this in conjunction with a dividing head. The first part is a sleeve, 1-1/2" OD and 1-1/4" ID. I didn't have a suitable piece of tubing to start with so I made this from a piece of "mystery metal" - in this case it was formerly a piece of a railroad switch/ It wasn't the best choice. I had a difficult time getting any sort of acceptable finish. It will work but it could be better. Then I made the piece that will rotate inside this. It's 1-1/4 OD, 3/4 ID with one end turned down to 1" The large end was counterbored to .950 And threaded 1"-20 Next, I took an acme thread nut, turned it down to 1" and threaded it 1"-20 It was screwed in with locktite...so we have a sleeve with a holder for a nut that will be turned with a hand wheel. There is a lot of experimenting going with this. It's much the same as will be needed when I make the new lead screw but it's all new to me. For instance, using an expanding mandrel to hole the nut that I threaded proved to be a poor choice. When screwed in, it's clear that it isn't perfectly straight. Tomorrow I will see if I can remove it and make another (I bought 2 nuts precisely because I anticipated something might go wrong.) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 1, 2021 Author Share Posted October 1, 2021 More bits of the dial engraving tool today...I used a block of aluminum, 2" x 3", drilled and reamed a 1" hole in ti. Then counterbored one end to 1-1/2" It also gets a 1/4" slot in the top. The "ram" has a full length key way and this will hold the key that keeps it from rotating. And, if you are wondering where all this is leading, I did a rough & ready assembly to show how it works. Turning the hand wheel will force the 1" bar forward. It will have a sharpened tool in the end to engrave the lines...this will be facing the dividing head so I can rotate the dial, engrave a line, then move to the next graduation. Of course, I won't know if it works well until I'm done so all this is somewhat speculative. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 5, 2021 Author Share Posted October 5, 2021 I had a busy weekend and, wasn't able to get into the shop. Supposedly, two little pieces I need for the dial engraving tool were supposed to arrive Monday. They didn't...so I find myself trying to do the odd bits of three different jobs that I have the materials for. I made a 1-1/4 - 12 threading gauge. This is for a piece of the lathe I'll be replacing. The problem here is that I need the lathe together to make the parts so I took it apart, measured what I had to replicate and then put it back together. After I took that photo, the piece slipped on the mandrel. In threading, that ruins it since it is virtually impossible to put it back exactly where it was. If it happened on the first or second cut you can keep going but, in this case, it happened on the last cut. So, I started over holding the piece in the chuck. the gauge itself came out pretty good. Then, because it was still early I started to make another lathe part. This will be the block that will hold the lead screw nut for the compound...it's 1-1/2" square With a threaded hole in the center and one end turned to a 1" circle... I didn't quite finish, preferring to leave the precise part for when I'm not tired... The parts I was waiting came in today so I can get back to the engraving tool. I'd prefer to work on one thing at a time but sometimes it isn't possible. Ultimately, no time was really waster (except for the mistakes) since all these parts will have to be made to finish the job. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 6, 2021 Author Share Posted October 6, 2021 (edited) It was a reasonably productive day today...after I'd finished turning the 1" projection on the square block I trimmed the other end. This piece goes inside the compound. Eventually, it will be bored and a 3/4-10 bronze acme nut inserted but that can't be done until the other parts are made. In this case, alignment is absolutely critical. The original part is a roughly finished cast iron block. I'm sure they had fixtures to do this with but, without them, I have to be very careful in positioning the hole. Then back to the engraving tool. I started by turning down a bronze thrust washer to fit...this will block the "ram" from coming back too far. I also trimmed both ends of the outer sleeve so that everything now lines up. I gave up on my "turned down & threaded" acme nuts and just bought a brass acme nut...the type that is made for this sort of job. It had a 1" OD so I threaded it 1"-20. While alignment wasn't perfect, it was much better. It was then screwed into it's holder with Loctite and the end faced off. Last up today was the "ram"...a piece of 1" keyed stock. I drilled and reamed one end 5/8" And slipped in a 5" piece of the acme rod. Actually, I super glued it in - that should hold it while I drill and ream for a tapered pin but it was near the end of the day and I was starting to make errors so I called it quits until tomorrow. In addition to being useful, this project is serving as practice for others I've put off...I've learned quite a bit doing this so whatever errors were made hardly count if they prevent an error when I'm working on something more demanding. Edited October 6, 2021 by JV Puleo (see edit history) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted October 6, 2021 Share Posted October 6, 2021 Joe, thought you might like this picture I took at Hershey today. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 6, 2021 Author Share Posted October 6, 2021 Wow! My never to be fulfilled aspiration! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 7, 2021 Author Share Posted October 7, 2021 First thing this morning I discovered another error I'd made - nothing earth shattering but it's another part I'll have to make over. This has been a real "two steps forward, one step back" project but it is turning out as I'd hoped. After that I put a pin through the "ram" and screw to keep it solid and then drilled and tapped the hand wheel. I had to give this one some thought because the chuck I use in the mill is too wide to go down past the rim of the wheel. I used this long center drill to start the hole. After that, it was a piece of cake... I've been losing parts all day so I assembled this - that way I can't lose the small parts. The acme thread collar on the end of the screw is the stop so that the ram will always advance the exact same distance. The only real flaw in this design is that I should have used a LH thread screw but I couldn't find a LH collar. The only result of this is that it advances by turning it counterclockwise but since I'm the one who will be using it, that hardly matters. So, while I wait on another aluminum block...I started on the dial and the piece that screws into the compound. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 8, 2021 Author Share Posted October 8, 2021 The piece in the saw, above, and another like it will replace the dial and the piece that the dial runs against and is screwed into the compound... Both get drilled and reamed to 3/4". This is to facilitate making them...both also will eventually get bushings to reduce the ID. The second piece - the graduated dial - gets counterbored and I'm not going to make the same mistake I made with the engraving tool - I counterbored it in place before removing it from the chuck. It turned out that I had the proper tool to do this but simply didn't remember until I looked this morning. If I'd looked earlier I could have saved myself my last error. The first piece then gets turned down to 1-1/4" for a little more than 1/2". I managed to get about 2/3 of it down but one of my friends showed up today to use the shop so I ended up helping him...besides, it isn't a good idea to do fussy work when you're talking. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsfarms Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 Amen to distractions! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Allen Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 Fantastic work! Really enjoy this thread 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted October 9, 2021 Share Posted October 9, 2021 On 10/7/2021 at 5:25 PM, JV Puleo said: The only real flaw in this design is that I should have used a LH thread screw but I couldn't find a LH collar. The only result of this is that it advances by turning it counterclockwise but since I'm the one who will be using it, that hardly matters. While walking around at Hershey I came across a really nice 6” jaw, swivel base vise that had a feed wheel just like what your using to replace the usual ball ended slide bar. It too had the feed screw replaced and also tightened when turning the wheel to the left. Definitely a modification made by a machinist. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 9, 2021 Author Share Posted October 9, 2021 I finished turning it down to 1-1/4 this morning. Then put it on an expanding mandrel to face the end off to the correct length. Then put it back on the solid mandrel to cut a chamfer on the front edge and put in the relief for the end of the thread. Threading it was made a bit tricky by the diameter of the flange. There is very little room for the threading tool. I got around that by using a smaller one that is really for a smaller lathe. After figuring that out, the threading went quite well. I checked it with the gauge I'd made last week. Then it went back on the expanding mandrel to be faced off to 1/2" thick. So, that is that piece mostly done. It still needs an oil hole and a hole for a pin spanner but I can't do that until I've screwed it in and know where the top is. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 11, 2021 Author Share Posted October 11, 2021 I completely forgot today was a holiday but, fortunately, didn't set the alarm off like I usually do... I started by trimming what will be the graduated dial to the proper length. I must have mis-measured something because it was about 3/8" too thick. As it is, I'm making it thicker than the original. Then I got to thinking about the order of the jobs that still need to be done. Because I'm actually using the machine that I'm making the parts for, I have to try to get everything done that I can before I take it apart again. One piece I'll have to make is a threaded collar so I made the turning fixture that will hold it while I'm working on it. The thread is 9/16-18 (the original is 5/8) but in order to make these parts I have to change a few of the measurements. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 12, 2021 Author Share Posted October 12, 2021 (edited) I need two collars to hold the new lead screw in place, one of which is threaded. The holding fixture above was used to make the first one. As simple as this looks, it has to be extremely precise, with the threaded hole exactly concentric with the OD. The second collar, which isn't threaded, was more of a problem because there was no good way to hold it. I used some rusty steel bar from my stock of "machine rolling" bars because I could afford to waste some. The idea was to do the OD, one end and the hole without taking the piece out of the machine. Then saw it off and finish the rough end. Both of these still need set screw holes and the larger one has to be drilled so I can use a pin spanner on it. Last up today was the acme nut. This has to be turned down to 1" and threaded. I got it to the point where it is ready to thread but decided it was best to leave it for the morning. I'll finish that tomorrow and go on to the actual lead screw. Also, the last set of bearings came in for the hubs so as soon as I finish this and get it operational I can go back to finishing those. Edited October 12, 2021 by JV Puleo (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 13, 2021 Author Share Posted October 13, 2021 I usually hold the mandrel in a collet when I'm threading but this time set it up on centers because there was no collet that fit the fat end of the mandrel. It's good I did because just about everything that can go wrong, did go wrong - all the more nerve wracking because the acme nut cost abut $32 and I'd have to buy another one and wait for it. In the end, I did save it but the job that was supposed to take about 1/2 and hour to 4 hours. The thread is a little loose...but, it's only purpose is to hold the nut in the block and I'll use Locktite on the threads so it will be fine. With that done I went on to turning down the end of the lead screw...I'll be glad to finish this get back to car work. Machine tool work is much less forgiving! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 14, 2021 Author Share Posted October 14, 2021 I finished turning down the end of the lead screw today, threaded it for the threaded collar and cut it off to finish the end. Aside from the seat for a woodruff key, this is now done. I had wanted to finish the nut it screws into and made this little drill guide... Only to discover I didn't have the center drill that fit it. So, I drilled and tapped set screw holes in the collars... It's amazing how much time these fussy little things - that you hardly think of when planning a job like this, take. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted October 15, 2021 Share Posted October 15, 2021 (edited) Yes Joe. So frustrating as you are making parts to make a fixture.. to make a jig... to make a one off part then needing to repair the machine you are trying to make them on. I had to make a fixture plate to linebore rear spring perch blocks for my friends 1928 Buick. A 1/4" plate fixture was needed for the compound rest for my 10" S/B lathe. Except to center it I needed to excavate about .100" in the center of the plate for the outboard lugs to fasten it down level. I To undercut the center section of the plate I could use my 7" South Bend Shaper I bought at a school auction about 20 years ago and never got into setting it up. It had a 208V 3ph motor. I thought all I needed was to replace the motor with a 120V single phase unit. After clean up and fighting with wiring the 120V motor I got it operating. Much adjustmen needed... The tool post down feed screw collar was missing so I had to make that. Lock screws missing here and there that had to be made. But finnaly had a functioning machine it only took me 20 years! Edited October 19, 2021 by dibarlaw spelling (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 15, 2021 Author Share Posted October 15, 2021 That's a great fixture...and my shaper/planer - which I'm glad to have - came in about 3 years ago and I still haven't gotten around to setting it up. I will, eventually, probably when there is a job that can't be done any other way. They are great tools and much underappreciated. Today I took the compound apart to begin fitting the pieces. The first one - that screws into the casting, fit just fine - as good as I could hope for. It needs an oil hole, another pin spanner hole and a notch so that I can access the gib screw. Then I took the top off to access the nut. I had hoped this wouldn't be too difficult. No such luck.... basically, it took all day to fit this. Here you see the old one and the new one. There is very little room inside the compound casting - a problem that was exacerbated by the fact that I was working blind. In the first place, the 1" projection I'd made was probably .0005 too large - there was no way to reduce it in the lathe so I lapped it in. Then I milled a 45-degree chamfer on the bottom edges. I did this 3 times, each time going a little deeper. In the end, it was in and out of the machine a dozen times. The last step was to put some Prussian blue on the inside of the casting to see where it was rubbing. That worked but I probably have 6 hours in fitting this piece and I still have to drill & tap it. I finished about 4PM so, rather than quit early I milled the notch in the first piece. If I get in tomorrow, I'll keep going with this. so far, despite the headaches, it is coming out pretty good...at least a far as I can tell! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 16, 2021 Author Share Posted October 16, 2021 I came in for a short time today to work on the lathe and do one really fussy thing. I started by drilling an oil hole...which is also a hole for a pin spanner. The the piece went back in the compound and was tightened up. It is critical that the hole in the nut be perfectly centered with the hole in this piece. This isn't easy to calculate given its two separate parts. I screwed the piece in and tightened the gib so that there was no movement. Then inserted a sleeve into the center hole to take a #5 center drill (7/16" in diameter). I then used a 1/2" electric drill on the center drill. The sleeve, which is about 2" long, should keep it perfectly centered. It certainly looks right. Monday I'll set this up in the mill to drill, bore and tap a hole for the bronze nut. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 18, 2021 Author Share Posted October 18, 2021 I wanted to do the next step when I was rested and thinking clearly...so this morning I set it up in the mill and very carefully centered the spindle on the center hole. I then drilled and bored it to .950 and threaded it 1''-20. Then screwed the bronze nut in with Locktite on the threads. I also fit the collar that is the stop at the end. On the original lead screw, this was one piece with the screw but, to do that, I'd have had to cut the acme threads as well and I doubt I could do an accurate enough jot. The original threads were probably ground. I don't know how this acme threaded rod is made but I do know I can't match the precision. Aside from a key seat and the graduations, these parts are nearly done so I went back to fixing the engraving tool. Like the nut, the idea was to do everything without moving the work piece. It was a close run thing because the reamer and the counterbore have Morse Taper shanks. I rarely use those in the mill but I got away with it this time. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 19, 2021 Author Share Posted October 19, 2021 So...having done the tough part, I started to mill the slot in the top that will hold the key. And got about half way when the end mill broke... That was the only extra long 1/4" end mill I had...so I had to come with another way of doing it. Ironically enough, this is actually a better way but I was too lazy to set it up. I should have. It does a much better job and I could have avoided the difficult - almost impossible challenge of lining up the cutter with the slot that was already there. It's easy to get it close but we don't want this slot to be any more than a few thousandths larger than 1/4". In the end, I got it as close as I could thinking I had a 50/50 chance of getting it close enough. I was lucky...it looks as if it will be fine and all the parts slide in and move smoothly. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 20, 2021 Author Share Posted October 20, 2021 I worked on the engraving tool today...starting by milling another slot. It goes half way down the large counterbore. The idea is that this will act as a clamp to hole the pieces in place. It looks good, but the only way to tell if it works is to drill some holes. The two holes at the front will hole the key while the rear one clamps the wheel and screw mechanism n place. So far, so good. Next, I'll make the key. There can't be any "wiggle" in this part since it will be used to engrave the graduated dial so I still have my fingers crossed that it will work. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 21, 2021 Author Share Posted October 21, 2021 (edited) I'm getting close now...I milled a piece for the key. Then marked it drill two holes. The holes are 5/16 so as to not touch the through bolts... I had to add some shims to adjust it and didn't push that too far. I got it close enough to be certain it will work properly but it has to come apart several more times before final assembly so it's pointless to go too far with the adjustment yet. The next step was to drill and ream a 7/16 hole in the end of the "ram". And press in a square hole sleeve. These are a really neat little device that circumvents the need to broach a square hole. I get them from Green Bay Manufacturing, who also supplied the acme lead screw and nut. Then I drilled and tapped the end for a set screw and slipped in a 1/4 HSS lathe bit. This will get ground to a 60-degree angle and serve as the engraving tool. I'm waiting on some set screws to finish this up...then I have to calculate the optimum height, trim it and make a base that bolts to the mill table. In the meantime I set up this piece, a 3/4" rod that will take a 3/4-16 nut on one end. This is needed to take a final cut on the dial and the piece it mates with and to hold the dial in the dividing head to engrave the graduations. I set up the threading but it's 5:00 and my back hurts. I'll get back to this tomorrow morning. Edited October 21, 2021 by JV Puleo (see edit history) 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 22, 2021 Author Share Posted October 22, 2021 I finished the little threaded mandrel this morning... And used it on the lathe to take a tiny bit - about .004 off the dial and the piece it mates with. This is so that they will have an absolutely identical OD. I also polished them on the lathe. Ordinarily, this isn't very important but in this case I want the engraved lines to be very clear. With that done, I removed the chuck from the small dividing head and did a preliminary setup. You can now see how this is intended to work. I had to cut 1-5/8" off the aluminum block. And mill the bottom square. Actually, this long end mill didn't work very well. I don't think it was stiff enough for the 2" depth so I finished it with a different end mill. This piece needs a base to bolt it to the mill table so I started on that. By which time my back was hurting so I set it up in the mill to put a slot in the center but I'll leave the milling for tomorrow. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 23, 2021 Author Share Posted October 23, 2021 When I left last night I wasn't happy with the set-up for this last step but I was too tired to re-do it. so, I did so this morning and started milling the big slot. I took it down to a depth of .400 And moved it over to finish the slot. It also needs an alignment block on the bottom and this has to match the width of the blocks that go on the dividing head. I usually leave them off because I use this head on the drill press and when I found them, I couldn't find one of the screws. B&S used all sorts of odd threads on their machine screws (and this dividing head probably pre-dates WWI) so replacing the screw is not an easy task. After about an hour of looking I finally found a hex head with the right thread. fortunately, these stick down into the slot on the mill table so they don't have to be flush on the bottom. The blocks are 5/8" wide so I milled a 5/8" slot on the bottom side of the base. Now I'll have to make a 5/8 "key to go in the slot...needless to say, I don't have a piece of 5/8" square stock so I'll make it out of a scrap of 1" 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 25, 2021 Author Share Posted October 25, 2021 Today I found a apiece of 3/4" scrap and milled it down to 5/8". To make the bottom key... I then pressed everything together. And tried it on the machine. Because the key isn't the same as the width of the slot in the table the trick is to pull both pieces, this one and the dividing head over to hit one side. If I've done things correctly, they should be in almost perfect alignment. I then drilled and tapped it from the underside to bolt everything together and put it back in the mill to take off the pieces that projected over the sides. One last bit was to drill and tap for two additional set screws. I don't know if I'll need them but they will be there if I do. The piece that clamps into the body of the tool needed holes for two additional set screws... And for good measure, I turned it 90-derees and put in an oil hole. Those set screws align with a groove in this piece. To get the groove in exactly the right spot, I used some dychem, put the set screws in and twisted it so it would scratch the surface. These are a stop so that the piece stays inside its housing as the handle is turned. I'm using these extended tip set screws. All done. Tomorrow I should be able to do the final assembly and find out if this thing works. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 26, 2021 Author Share Posted October 26, 2021 This morning I assembled the engraving fixture. As a first step, and a test, I wanted to put the register mark on the piece that screws into the compound so I had to partially dismantle the compound to put it in and mark it. Then it went in the dividing head, lined up with the fixture. To set the tool that will cut the lines I put a piece of .004 shim stock under the fixture and tightened it down. Then, set the bit to touch the piece and removed the shim stock. I did a couple of lines on the underside of this piece (where they can't bee seen) to test it, then cut the register mark. As a further test, I sprayed some black paint on it and baked it, thinking I'd polish most of it off leaving just a black line. It didn't work very well and it occurred to me that maybe I could use cold gun blue... I wasn't happy with the line either, thinking it was too light so I reset the tool with two .004 shims under it and started cutting the graduations. It worked reasonably well although now I felt the lines were too deep but, having started there is no way to fiddle with this so I went on and finished...and discovered that I'd made an error somewhere. The process is to cut 4 lines and then skip one, then 4 more and skip one. The skipped spaces will get a longer line but that has to be done as a separate operation. Fortunately, there are 20 longer lines which is a simple 2-turns of the handle so nothing has to be changed...unless you cut 5 lines on one of those steps, in which case, everything is off. Usually, I make a checklist and carefully check each cut off...I didn't this time. I also discovered, when I went to take it apart, that I'd forgotten to tighten the drawbar on the collet which explains why it looked to me as some of the graduations weren't perfectly straight.. So...I put both pieces back in the lathe and turned the graduations off. I've actually reduced the OD by only about .030 which will nave no effect on it's functionality. This sort of setback is to be expected when doing something both new and with a shop-made tool so, even though I'd like it if it came out right the first time that is probably an unrealistic expectation. By the end of the day I was ready to start again... 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luv2Wrench Posted October 27, 2021 Share Posted October 27, 2021 That engraver is wicked cool... I might need to borrow that one day. I use the indicator trick you taught me on the lathe but might be nice to redo that whole thing when I replace the lead screw. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 27, 2021 Author Share Posted October 27, 2021 (edited) Needless to say, I've thought of a way to seriously improve it. It's something I will probably do. In fact, I've had so much trouble with this that I almost put it aside to make the changes but I thought I'd give it one more try. This time I cut the long lines first. That way I'd be able to see if I was putting in an extra line. Then I cut the short lines. And, they came out wrong again. This was really perplexing because I was sure I'd set it up correctly. After an hour of re-reading the indexing section in my B&S manual on milling I finally realized what I'd done. To get 100 graduations you use the 20-hole dividing plate and move the arm that turns it 8/20...8 holes. I set it up with 8 holes between the guides, forgetting that the first hole is zero...to move it 8 holes there has to be 9 holes between the guides. So, again I turned the piece smooth and polished it and tried that setting... This time, the spacing came out right but when I cleaned it up, some of the lines were not deep enough. I'd live with that but in one place they disappeared altogether so I turned it down for a 4th time and started over. Adjusting this thing is very fussy - which is why I should redesign it... The round ram with a keyway is not very good. It really needs a square ram so it cant's twist at all. I may be able to do that quite easily but it will involve waiting for stuff to come in and I'd really like to finish this and get back to the car. Edited October 28, 2021 by JV Puleo (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary_Ash Posted October 28, 2021 Share Posted October 28, 2021 Joe: Remember that perfect is the enemy of good enough! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 28, 2021 Author Share Posted October 28, 2021 I know...and I'll be happy with good enough since very little I make is perfect – at least by my lights. The problem with this part is that I will probably be looking at it most days for the rest of my life and if there is any glaring error it will torment me...so it has to be "very good" at least. It's not such a problem with something that works properly and can't be seen. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 28, 2021 Share Posted October 28, 2021 “We pursue perfection, and hope to achieve excellence.” It’s the other shop motto we have besides “Drive it like you stole it!” 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 28, 2021 Author Share Posted October 28, 2021 (edited) I guess the 4th time is a charm because this time it worked pretty well. Actually, it's mostly a matter of figuring out how to use it and working around its shortcomings. The real test was to see how it looked after I'd polished off all the burrs. It's not bad. The lines are a little thick but when you consider that each one is .001 you can see that it should be a lot easier to use. I put the register mark on the piece that screws into the compound, then shortened this bushing. That goes into this hole now that the piece is finished. The oil hole was drilled in the bushing. And then I did a test assembly of the lead screw. I've added a little thrust bearing in the front and a thrust washer in the back. This is to allow me to tighten it just a little and eliminate all of the backlash in this piece. So far, it's going very well... I made a little washer to take up the space between the dial and the ball-crank. And assembled it again to check the dimensions. I also made a list of what is left to do...there are 6 more operations, the most difficult of which is putting the numbers on. I want these to be accurate and even so I'm working on a jig to hold the dial. I'll draw that up tonight to check the dimensions and maybe get it done tomorrow. Edited October 28, 2021 by JV Puleo (see edit history) 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 28, 2021 Share Posted October 28, 2021 I look at the above........and feel very humble.........all of it is beyond my ability to figure out......never mind machine, and make a useful tool..........Joe gets a never before given four thumbs up.........👍👍👍👍 Well done! Impressive! 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weathered1 Posted October 28, 2021 Share Posted October 28, 2021 Joe, as Ed said Very Impressive!! 🙂 Look forward to seeing the next stage and I am amazed at how you figure out all the steps you take. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 29, 2021 Author Share Posted October 29, 2021 (edited) I think the forum format makes it all seem more straightforward than it really is. This particular job is one I've been thinking about for a long time. I'm only doing it now because the jobs requiring a higher degree of precision are building up and it has to be done eventually. What doesn't show is all the sketches and drawings I've made and discarded. Even this final version leaves a lot to be desired but it's basically sound so I'll go ahead and improve on it. One thing I have learned is that tools like this almost invariably find another use. For instance, now that I have it, I think I will add a scale to the timing adjustment coupling I made for the mag. I also have to make something to mark the flywheel as I suspect that a previous "restorer" skinned it and took all the timing marks off. I just realized that I bought the Mitchell almost exactly 10 years ago this week. At the time, the big lathe wasn't operational yet and all I had for a milling machine was a very early B&S "0" horizontal...nearly all of the shop has been accumulated since then. Edited October 29, 2021 by JV Puleo (see edit history) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted October 29, 2021 Share Posted October 29, 2021 You’re absolutely right joe about the forums. If we recorded or showed every sketch, trial, error, etc, it would take forever to get through a thread. Then as you doing now, even many of the tools and jigs we need, have taken the very same effort and time as the main subject of the thread. Even simple tasks can end up taken hours of “behind the scene” efforts. I remember the need for just setting a particular type of grommet for my olds roof, every single setting tool I found at upholsterers to sail maker shops just wouldn’t set the grommets right. Out came pencil, paper, a small steel rule, and a micrometer so I could make up a drawing to use for turning the two piece setting tool. Hours of work and R&D just to set 7 grommets that took a total of about two minutes to install! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted October 29, 2021 Share Posted October 29, 2021 When you look at something like this it brings to mind a comparison to the old “what came first” analogy. 99.99% of us could not do what joe is doing nor even to have the mind about trying it but joe has the knowledge to use tools like the dividing head, lathe, Miller, and the ability to purchase the lead screw. One can just imagine the very guy(s) who designed and made the parts that joe is using. Some of the things engineered so many years ago before the days of even slide rulers never mind computers absolutely amazes me. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luv2Wrench Posted October 29, 2021 Share Posted October 29, 2021 1 hour ago, chistech said: When you look at something like this it brings to mind a comparison to the old “what came first” analogy. 99.99% of us could not do what joe is doing nor even to have the mind about trying it but joe has the knowledge to use tools like the dividing head, lathe, Miller, and the ability to purchase the lead screw. One can just imagine the very guy(s) who designed and made the parts that joe is using. Some of the things engineered so many years ago before the days of even slide rulers never mind computers absolutely amazes me. The saying "standing on the shoulder of giants" comes to mind... and sometimes we forget just how tall the giants we stand on are. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now