Rik Thistle

I was thinking more along the lines of using a 4 jaw chuck..... OK, thanks for all that. I'm now on to fitting the feed screws etc to the saddle, so that work should appear in my next post, hopefully in a few days. Richard

Hi Ron, Thanks for the idea. Is the quick sketch below what you mean? I'm not sure the 0-80 studding could take the cutting forces. Also, there needs to be a bit of latitude in the 'Y' direction for the Nut's 4-40 threaded hole to align up with the path of the Feed Screw thread. I think I've got a workable solution at the moment, so will probably stick with that ie a floating nut. If I'm way off the mark with what you meant, apologies. Richard

Most of this is, of course, not relevant on a model. Yes, agreed. I have to keep reminding myself this is a model and not a fully functioning mill. However the model is designed to allow the main parts to move in a similar fashion to a full sized mill and even be belt driven. And that is my eventual aim...to make it appear to work correctly even though the parts are a compromise design. Richard

keeps the hardened screw thread from grinding on the softer saddle... OK, got it, thanks. I'll keep that in mind for the next one I build 😉 What I've now got is a functional but admittedly not quite 100% perfect Bed Feed Nut set-up. I will 'tune' it up on final assembly if there is too much friction. I need to move on to the next Nut and associated parts. Making some progress there, although I still have some machining to do on the saddle as I didn't want to complete it till I got to these feed nuts....just in case. Richard

Hi Egilman, Thanks for the feedback. I did investigate making a true floating nut, like those on the valve of a model steam engine, but finding space for the housing plus the nut looked a bit of a challenge - not impossible but a fairly serious sidetrack. I've include below a wider view of the parts that interface with Pt 19, the Bed Feed Nut. I think this is the more difficult of the two nuts to align...probably famous last words! They want you to use a bushing in the feed screw hole to align the thread hole on the nut I actually did have a bushing from a previous model that fitted the large (but shallow) hole on the right hand end of the Bed, hoping I could use a drill (through the bush) to mark the spot on the nut,...but there is also a threaded part at the other end of the bed, Pt 26 - Bed Feed Shaft (...not sure why it is called a 'shaft') that the tail end of Pt 25 screws in to. So even bushing one end of the bed would still not guarantee Pt 25 a perfect alignment. Note: The holes in either end of the Bed were initially drilled with a long series drill, in my mill. Then the holes either end individually opened up to the desired sizes. So the long series drill could introduce a misalignment of maybe 2 or 3 thou". And two or three thou" might be all it takes to make the nut feel tight on Pt 25. I would bush the screw to prevent any wear on the contact parts..... When you say 'screw' are you referring to Pt 47 or Pt 25? Thanks again, Richard

Hi all, Firstly, thank you for all the Likes since I started this project.... they are much appreciated and I am guilty of not thanking you before. Summer has arrived and the weather has been glorious for a couple of weeks. So Working on the model mill has taken a bit of a back seat whilst I got on with gardening and painting work. Nonetheless I did spend a decent amount of time working on the Feed Nuts (Pts 19 and 20). This proved to be quite challenging. A rough sketch of how the nuts interface with the Feed Screws (eg Pt 27) It had come to my notice that the Drawing instructions requires these nuts to be 'line bored' to ensure perfect alignment with mating parts. See Note 3 below. There was no way I could line bore something that small. Perhaps they meant for the nut (Pt 19) to be drilled with a long series #4-40 tapping drill, prior to me drilling out the larger holes in each end of the Bed (Pt4). Even then, the nut is only held on with a few threads of an #0-80 thread (Pt 47), so I wasn't convinced it would stay in position as a long series drill worked on it. (This is what I imagine line boring to mean ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPWJSJwIDfM ) So I tried to make the feed nuts straight from the drawing dimensions, and hoped for the best 😉 Below, the two nuts. Most of this post is devoted to the Bed Feed Nut (Pt 19). The 3/16" supplied brass stock material is also shown. Below. Drilling out the #0-80 hole for attaching the nut to the Saddle (Pt 3). And the two nuts sitting in their counter bored holes in the saddle. So far, so good. I thought there may be a way to 'centre pop' the Bed Feed Nut using a home made punch that was a sliding fit in the end of the Bed. But the bed hole wasn't long enough to give good support, and it is already cracked. Not sure how the crack happened - maybe when I reamed it. The pic below is included just to give an idea of how the bed mechanisms are meant to match up with the nut thread. My first attempt at making the nut, by following the drawing dimensions, was quite a bit out ie the threaded hole was possibly 0.020" -0.030" too high. So back to the drawing board. I decided to assemble the bed mechanism to the saddle (but without the nut), measure the actual height the long #4-40 threaded part is above the saddle base and work out the height for the threaded hole from that. That did a lot better and I ended up with a nut that did line up and allowed a full assembly. However it was a bit tight so my plan then became to make the nut 'floating'. Still held in position with a #0-80 screw but not done up tight. This meant buying longer screws...see below and then cutting them to length. It's worth noting that the supplied screws (see below) have a slight taper at the end of the thread - this had meant that there were not many thread turns engaging with the nut even if I had somehow managed to line bore, or drill, the nut whilst held in position. Cutting the new screws to a slightly longer length and filing the end square gave better engagement. The finished Bed Feed Nut attached to the Saddle. In my next post I should be tacking the Saddle Feed Nut, shown below. And as part of getting ready to finish that nut I made the Knee Feed Shaft (see below). I'll also need to make the Saddle Feed Screw (Pt 27) and a number of other parts before the #5-40 left-hand threaded hole in the saddle nut can be machined. Finally, I managed to break a couple of #0-80 plug taps whilst making the nuts. Both taps broke on the grinding wheel as I attempted to grind off the taper at the end of the tap so that it would cut deeper. It was a new grinding wheel (and courser than the previous one) and the tap was the cheaper 'carbon steel' variety - I have now bought a High Speed Steel (HSS) version and used a diamond polishing plate to remove the taper on the end of the tap. Well, that's it for today. Thanks for reading. Rain is forecast for today and the rest of the week, which is good since the plants need it. As do the reservoirs. All for now, Richard

Hi Ruben, however I am going little by little That's the best approach. Don't rush in - study the drawings for a week or more to get a feel for what machining (and order of machining) is needed. As for clearance holes -v- tapped holes....I don't have my drawings at hand but the drawings will tell you 'clearance or tapped'. If I recall correctly the Boxbed had a couple of clearance holes for a piece of studding (or screw) plus nuts - that is because there are no other parts (apart from a piece of mounting wood) attached to the bottom side of the Boxbed. But the topside of the Boxbed and the parts above that need to be more accurately placed so the holes will generally be tapped + studding. The 10V booklet is a useful buy....it doesn't 100% match the current 10V product but does give lots of useful tips and diagrams. There are also lots of helpful 10V YouTube videos out there eg - Part 1 - Making a Stuart 10V Steam Engine. The Boxbed and Soleplate. By Andrew Whale. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhnU3HtNx10 - Joe Pie is currently building a D10 .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN61UNW9zys&list=PL4wikbEbcE3LgNegsjLoFKQE8P1u45aT6 This is basically two 10Vs joined together. Joe is a highly experienced machinist and has a very well equipped workshop since he runs his business from it. The home hobbyist will not have similar equipment but an awful lot can be learned from how he tackles the puzzles and challenges of building these models. Good luck, Richard

Hi all, I've been focusing on getting the bed apparatus mostly completed. Just a quick reminder of where I am hopefully heading to (some time this year!). Below, are the parts made for this post, plus parts that had more features added. Left to Right - Pt 26 Bed Feed Shaft, Pt 42 Roll Pin, Pt 42 Dowel Pin, Pt 21 T-Nut, Pt 38 Feed Rod, Pt 30 Feed Clutch, and Pt 17 T-Slot Link. I tackled the T-Nut first. It needed to be a sliding fit in the T-Slot in the side of the Pt 4, the Bed. This was the smallest and fiddliest part I've made so far. I decided to drill the two holes first ie the locking thread and the through hole. There was not much meat spare at the sides of the leg of the 'T' so the threaded hole needed to be dead in the centre. After the hole drilling I then milled the 'T' profile in the part. Below, shows a test fit in the bed's T slot. Once I was happy with the fit (...ideally a sliding fit) I cut the part to length. Next on to the T-Slot Link. I probably spent a couple of days trying to figure out the sequence of operations, work holding etc. On top of this Summer has arrived so the garden was also getting it's fair share of attention. As can be seen above, one end has a T-Nut profile identical to the part above, and at the other end there is a 90 deg angled face that points down at about 35 degs or so (...I'd need to double check that). And that face then has a hole drilled in it that needs to accurately match the position of the threaded end of the Feed Clutch. Below, forming the T-Nut profile. Quick check to see if the drilled through hole is reasonably straight. I should have shown this pic a bit earlier in this post. Now hacking out material of the T-Slot Link. The more material I removed the weaker the part became (for vice clamping). I kinda made this hacking exercise up as I went along. But I got away with it. Below, the part with a fair amount of material now removed. The T-Slot is on the top edge and the 90 deg face is on the right side. Test fitting the part in the bed to check it is a sliding fit and also that the right hand end is in the correct position relative to the Feed Clutch. Next was to drill a small hole in the square end so that it lined up with the centre line of the Feed Clutch. I Blued the inside face of the square end, rotated the Feed Clutch a few times, and this left a small circular witness mark that I could now use to pinpoint where the hole should go. Below, some of the parts about to be test fitted to the bed. Note that I chamfered the edges of the gear and also slightly reduced it's diameter. Otherwise it would have jammed against the T-Slot Link. The drawing actually advies that there could be a clash if material is not removed from the Link...I did do that but it wasn't quite enough, hence the mods also to the gear. And those parts now installed in the bed. I still needed to profile the square end of the T-Slot Link to match the drawing. I also had made the Bed Feed Shaft which fits on the far end of the bed and which the Bed Feed Screw attaches to. I didn't take any pics but it was reasonably straightforward to make. Holes were drilled first, then diameter turned down to size. There are square flats on one end - these are for a handle to fit on to - the handle will be made later. Below, on the left circled in green is the Bed Feed Shaft. Then moving to the right, the raw material for the 1/16" Dowel Pin that fits through the Feed Clutch hole. The dowel is cut to length such that it sits just within the diameter of the notch on the brass Feed Gear. Finally, bottom right is the now profiled end of the T-Slot Link - this was hand fettled. The dowel slotted in the Feed Clutch.... it was a light press fit (....I'll Loctite it on final assembly). Next was to drill the 1/16" hole in the Saddle Way for the Roll Pin. It wasn't actually a roll pin - just a piece of 1/16" rod with the ends nicely rounded by the supplier. Saddle Way refitted to the saddle. 'Roll Pin' fitted to the Saddle Way. Again, this will be Loctited on final assembly. A quick refresher on the Power Feed Clutch Assembly, shown below. The instructions on how the clutch works. But a picture tells a thousand words 😉 As the T-Nut (circled in green) on the left engages the Roll Pin it closes the small gap on the right (green oval) and this disengages the clutch. Finally, an assembly picture of where I have got to so far. I had originally thought this might be a 'Spring Project'....nope, more like Spring, Summer and Autumn methinks 😉 Well, that's it for this post. Take care, Richard

Hi all, This week I've been working on three parts that interface with the Bed of the milling machine. The three parts are linked together by Pt 42, a 1/16" dowel pin that is pressed in to Pt 30, the Feed Clutch once it is assembled with Pt 25, the Bed Feed Screw and Pt 22, the brass Feed Gear. Below. So, the first part, the Bed Feed Screw, Pt 25. Again a very long thread (#4-40 UNC) had to be cut. The stock material was to be turned down to 0.112" Dia for the thread. How best to do this thread took some time to think through. I already had a #4-40 split die so planned to use that, but I needed to make sure the die did not wander as it was run down the length of the 0.112" dia. Below. The plan was to nibble away at the 0.112" dia in 1/4" lengths keeping close to the collet jaws. Below, the full length of the 0.112" dia turned to size. A rotating centre was used on the far end to stop the material whipping. Next, the 0.187" dia was turned to size. Now the threading began. I pushed the 0.112" dia in from the rear of a 3mm collet in 1/4" steps, and then used a die holder to cut the thread. The pic shows the holder being backed off - only the 1/4" or so of thread near the collet had just been die'd. Since the collet doesn't allow the full length of the 0.112" dia to protrude through the collet body towards the die, I needed to hold the work piece in the region of the 0.187" length. So a split sleeve was made up that fitted a 7-6mm collet. That allowed me to finish off the threading. Next, machining the 0.070" wide slot in the part using a 1/16" cutter. The work piece has a sacrificial piece of mild steel under it, and then that sits on a parallel. The end hole was drilled out and flat bottomed using a 3mm long series end mill. I couldn't find a reasonably priced long series 1/8" end mill. Note: This meant that Pt 30, the Feed Clutch would also have to have an O/D of 3mm. Below, the finished part. I was happy with how the threading turned out. Next, is Pt 22, the brass Feed Gear. The brass was supplied with the teeth already cut in it. For some reason, my picture taking frequency dropped off with the last two parts - I guess I was concentrating on what I was doing rather than thinking of pics, sorry. Anyway, below shows the almost finished part - it had been drilled, turned and milled and sawn to rough length. This is the end mill about to clean up the saw cut. Here is the Feed Gear fitted to the Bar Feed Screw. The 3rd part is the Feed Clutch, made from 3/16" mild steel. Only one pic 🙂 .... turning the 0.095" diameter of the Feed Clutch. The three parts next to the mill. I added the #0-80 screw as it holds another part in to the end of the Feed Clutch, but that part is yet to be made. And all three parts fitted to the Bed. Jumping back to Pt 42, the 1/16" dowel pin. Before starting any machining, I did draw up an assembly of the three parts, 22, 25 and 30 at 10x scale to try to get a feel for what that pin does. Seems it is a press fit in Pt 30 on assembly with the other two parts. The pin nestles in the 1/16" deep cut-out in the brass Feed Gear and so drives that gear. The slot in Pt 25, the Feed Screw, allows the pin to move forward and out of the cut-out and so disengages the Feed Gear drive as and when required. My drawing showed there was sufficient space for this to happen but I think the dimensions of the three parts in the pin area were a bit tight and could maybe be slightly better....I don't think it will affect the operation of the mill. I'll keep my eye on it. An aside - My hobbyist bench grinder (7 yrs old) has given up the ghost - bad wiring, so another is on order. But I did spend some time trying to diagnose the problem - my conclusion was the Live wire that connected to the On/Off switch was under tension from the factory. So with the vibrations and tension it was only a matter of time before intermittent connection started to happen and then failure. Well, that's it for this week. Catch you all soon, Richard Edit: Referring the 'clutch assembly' mentioned above, I should add that the drawing set does include a note and diagram explaining how it all functions- see below.

Doug, Wonderful looking model and great pictures. Great job. Richard

Square hole - the square needle file I used was a bit fat for the 1/16" dia hole. Initially it felt like there was only one tooth of the file getting into the hole to remove metal, then after 10 mins two teeth, then three teeth and so on. And on 4 faces and at both ends of the hole! .... 'broach' for sure next time!.... certainly for a hole that small. Can you imagine the machining to make both the sleeve and it's mating collar to be industry accurate in that scale? They surely were skilled back in the day. But needs must. Richard

other ways to secure a square cutting tool at the front of an arbor. Yes, there must be. But it's a model so I guess PMR kept it (seemingly) simple. I have noticed at least one other build of this model on the web where the builder inserted a round section cutting tool in the round hole 🙂 Richard

Hi all, Another update on the progress this week. Two areas covered - Pt 24, the Idler Pulley Shaft and Pt 34, the Spindle Draw Bolt plus Pt 49,the Cutter Arbor it screws in to. Firstly the Idler Pulley Shaft, made from 5/16" mild steel.. Below, the 0.124" dia section was turned to size in steps to prevent undue cutting forces at the unsupported end. Below, drilling and tapping the #5-40 hole. The finished Idler Pulley Shaft plus the parts it mates with. And below, shown mounted onto the mill Stand. Next, a part that had had me kinda scratching my head for a few weeks. I really did not fancy making this out of one piece, so Plan B was activated ie make in two parts. !/8" dia mild steel rod came with the kit, and I procured 1.5mm dia mild steel to satisfy the 0.060" dia section. However when the 1.5mm rod arrived it measured 0.062" ie 1/16"....sigh. But not a big deal - I took a light shaving of the end that was to be threaded to get it down to 0.060". Firstly, squaring off the 1/8" rod using a square Stevenson block. The squared section was then hand sawn off and filed to size, Below, the assembled Draw Bolt. I used SuperGlue to fix the two parts together. Now for Pt 49, the Arbor, which the Draw Bolt screws in to. This was a fairly tricky part since it has a 1:48 taper, plus a square hole to hold the square section cutting tool. The PMR instructions give advice on how to turn a drilled hole in to a square hole. More of that in a minute. The pin was clamped at a slight angle in the V-block to compensate for the 1:48 taper. It was such a small angle it hardly seemed worthwhile bothering about, but better safe than sorry. Putting a flat on the end of the taper pin to prevent the drill skipping about. Drilling the hole for the #0-80 thread. Not sure how another pic of the drilling has crept in, but here it is anyway. I had first drilled the hole with an undersize Stub drill, so the pic below will be showing the final size Number drill prior to tapping. And now the tapping. At the other end of the taped pin, an offset square hole is required. So I used a 1/16" end mill to gently push straight through. I then rotated the pin by 90 deg whilst still in the V-block to drill and tap one of the #1-72 holes used to clamp the cutting tool in position. Shown in the pic below is a short length of 1/16" rod inserted in the soon-to-be square hole to aid aligning at 90 deg. The PMR instructions had advised making a cutting tool from a 32 teeth per inch hacksaw blade. I used a Junior hacksaw blade - I think a full sized blade would be too thick. I also has a Safety Blade and a square needle file standing by for assisting in making the square hole. The only thing that really worked was the needle file....it took over an hour to get the hole square enough for the square cutting tool material (shown on the left of the pic below) to pass through the hole. Below, the finished Arbor, with cutting tool and clamping grubs screws fitted. Arbor and Draw bar ready for installation. Installed! Well, I'm glad that one is over. It turned out not as bad as I had feared. Although the square hole was a bit fiddly. I guess a small broach would be the best solution, but I mostly try to use the tools I have at hand. Next post should be about the Feed Rod and T-nuts that attach to the Bed. See you soon, Richard

... but we a veering off the subject of this thread. I don't really mind a little diversion, and each time it happens I learn a bit more. Yes, accurately swapping the workpiece on a mill is a bit more difficult than on a lathe. I remember reading something about the National Cash Register (NCR>IBM) company using punched cards to help tally up votes, and that led the way to the development of punched cards etc in to other areas. Richard

Egilman, Good stuff. Today, they are all led screens.... I did a little NC tape programming at college but never used it in anger. It seemed a bit too detached from the hands-on workshop experience I had. But I could see it's value to business. After spending an hour or so this morning searching the web for when Milling Machines started to become 'programmable' to some degree or another, it seems that WWI gave a big push. As has been mentioned, lathes were a bit more easy to adapt for automatization. Richard

stops acted on a dog-clutch that would disengange the carriage drive. Thanks. I imagine that, at the turn of the last century, these machines would be entirely manually operated? Was there any means to set up the mill to automatically skim 0.030" off the surface of a thick plate clamped to the Bed ie make 3 or 4 passes in the X direction, then indexing in the Y direction at the end of each pass? Off to do some further reading up on how 'automatic' 1900s milling machines could be. Any thoughts/advice welcome. Richard PS: Yes, that's a new image.... I had shown some photographs of the finished mill previously, but the line drawing does makes things a bit more obvious. My one pair of eyes do sometimes miss things - that's why multiple pairs are a great assistance. I try to find a balance of putting enough info online for discussion, help advertise the PMR product, but also without giving away too much PMR IP.

Jumping back a few posts, we had discussed the reasons for using only 1 locating pin on the Saddle Way.... [Image above from one of the PMR plan sheets] As shown above, it turns out that the pin is not for locating the Way but rather as a means for the adjustable T-Nuts to restrict the bed movement in the X-axis. I imagine the full-sized machine would have had some kind of rudimentary microswitch back in the day? It's only as I get close to building these parts does the light bulb switch on! Richard

Toolmaker, Thanks for the roller box video. Interesting. Soft jaws - coincidentally I ordered a set of 3 soft jaws on Saturday, but not for this project. For the co-axial and offset drilling of the taper pin, I am not overly concerned about achieving this - the project is only for a 1 off - if it was a batch run I would make a fixture/jig of some sort. I'll probably find a way to clamp the tapered pin vertically in the mill, find the pin's central axis, drill and tap the #0-80 thread, invert the pin, again find the central axis and then offset in the X and Y plane (I have X, Y and Z DROs). I'll post pictures etc when I get to that challenge. Richard

Wefalck, Thanks for the link. Excellent pictures there. The V-notch is a clever solution. And it will be able to accommodate different diameters, whereas the 'bushing tool' (as you note) would need a range of accurately sized bushes for each rod diameter. I can see how the V-notch will work well for small cutting forces. I wonder if it could be scaled up to somewhat larger diameters? What is the maximum diameter you have cut using it? Richard

Paul, looks like the hole in the end is not central. Ah, good spot. There are two options for the Cutter Arbor (PMR supply two tapered pins). Fig 3 does show the #53 hole offset. Thanks for the ideas on the tapered pin. Yes, there are quite a few ways to solve the issue of centrally drilling the ends. I'll make my mind up when I get back to that part(s), probably selecting the quickest 'good enough' solution 😉 Toolmaker, Wefalk, I do have a fixed steady ( https://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue/Machines-Accessories/Lathes/SIEG-C3-SC2-SC3-Mini-Lathes/C3-SC2-SC3-Accessories/C3-Fixed-Steady/C3-Fixed-Steady-090-020-00200 ) but I feel it's a bit too chunky, wide at the jaws and doesn't have roller bearings. A travelling steady would be better also, but again it is the same size as the fixed. As I mentioned I do have a Plan B solution prepared so will go with that. Thanks for the comments and advice. Richard

Hi all, Here's the latest update on progress. The parts ringed in red are discussed in today's post. The blue ringed item (the Draw Bar) has been 'pushed back' (...more later) Firstly, Part 4, the Bed casting (Aluminium). There is quite a bit of machining required on this part and, as usual, figuring out the order can be a bit challenging. With hindsight, it might have been better to cut the dovetails first, before cutting the T Slots. Otherwise there is a slight danger of the part collapsing in the vice. Also the Bed casting has a slightly offset split line where the two halves of the cast mould did not align perfectly - that need some tweeking with files and Emery. The holes in either end were drilled first. Below. Using a 1/16" cutter to prepare for the T Slot that runs down the side of the Bed. I did this in 2 or 3 passes. It's Aluminium and quite soft. Now using the T Slot cutter. It took a bit of web searching to find a suitable tool. The drawing calls for the T Slot to be 0.125" wide. 0.075" deep and 0.125" down from the surface. I managed to find a cutter that was 0.117" Dia and 0.057" deep - That meant taking a few cutting passes whilst adjusting the width and depth of cut for each pass....it was a bit tricky. Now cutting the same sized T Slot but on the top face of the Bed where a milling vice would be clamped Below. Finally, cutting the dovetails that would fit in the Saddle (Part 3). It soon became apparent why the Saddle had a separate Way made of Mild Steel - answer shown later 🙂 Next was Part 6, a Bracket and it's Spindle, Part 33. All the Bracket needed doing was taking a light skim off the faces and drilling the holes. The Bracket, Feed Pulley and Spindle attached to the rear of the mill. Next was the arm (Part 7) that determines the position of the Worm used for driving the bed. I machined Pt 7 but didn't fit it to the bed yet since I need to make the Worm etc to see how it all aligns. Below, Drilling out the holes aftet filing off any casting artefacts. I wouldn't have used this clamping method if it was a Mild Steel part. Below. The Bed now mounted into the Saddle dovetails. Below. It can now be seen why the Saddle had a separate Way, made of Mild Steel. Otherwise the round bosses on the end of the Bed would stop it sliding on to the Saddle. So the Bed is placed on the Saddle. Then the Way screwed in to place. The two screws are positioned such that they just miss the side of the Bed. Finally, I had thought I might have tackled the Spindle Draw Bolt this week...but after a lot of thought I went with plan B - order in some 1.5mm (0.060") Dia rod and fit it in to the square end of the Draw Bolt. I didn't feel comfortable about trying to turn down (from 3/16") to under 1/16" over such a long length. However, there is tooling on the market that allows one to do such turning. Below is a tool holder that has a Phosphor Bronze insert that the larger diameter (eg 3/16") runs in whilst the tool, right next to the insert, trims down to the smaller diameter. There is a good video here showing how it is done.... 'Slender Rod Turning Moving Steady' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDrXDVB1ABI Well, that's it for this week. I'll still be working on more Bed fittings etc for the next week or so. Bye for now , Richard

My lathe can’t swing a Major Beam’s flywheel Yes, my Mini-lathe can only machine a maximum size of 7" flywheels. Otherwise I'd be looking at a wider range of suppliers. Polly Models do a decent range of interesting models ... https://www.pollymodelengineering.co.uk/sections/stationary-engines/anthony-mount-models/index.asp ....but the ones that really catch my eye have flywheels that are a bit larger than 7" diameter. I like watching my Stuart Beam working since it has a slow enough RPM to be able to see all the moving parts doing their thing - it's quite absorbing and relaxing. I only use compressed air - I've never attempted to use steam. Richard

Django, That is a very well finished 5A. Even the nuts on the front plate line up 🙂 Just for interest, Joe Pie is currently machining a D10 .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN61UNW9zys&list=PL4wikbEbcE3LgNegsjLoFKQE8P1u45aT6 I don't know whether or not model engineering is more prevalent over here....it might just be that it is concentrated into a smaller land mass than the USA. There is also a very strong model engineering presence in Continental Europe. Either way, modelling is a great way to spend time and learn new things. Catch you soon. Richard

Hi Django, I've just had a read of your Malek Adhel restoration - very good. Nice to see a Machinery's Handbook in the background, and the model steam engines also. I like seeing the engines in the same case as the ship - it somehow works :-) It's only in the past couple of years or so that I've been machining cast iron models, so can't really compare them to what Stuart was supplying decades ago. I believe Stuart was bought out by a foundry company a few years ago and were moved to the foundry's premises. I imagine Stuart brought with them all their knowledge and probably a few employees but, as with any takeover, the new owners would have examined ways of saving cost etc. The 10V, Beam and Lathe I have made all use cast iron parts. Some of those parts had a diamond hard skin (due to rapid cooling) so I used Carbide Insert tooling to cut through that. Stuart are very good at replacing blemished castings, no questions asked. Regards, Richard PS: A friend brought his Grandfather's old model steam engine to me to see if I could get it working - it hadn't ran for probably 50+ yrs. I gave it a quick look over, oiled it, connected up the compressed air and off it went, running like new. My friend was a bit silent for a minute or so as memories came flooding back.

Hi all, This week I have been working on Pulleys (Pt 9), a Spacer (Pt 39) and the Spindle Shaft (Pt 23). These form major parts of the drive system that operates the cutting tool (Pt 51), fitted to the Arbor (Pt 49). Firstly, 3x Aluminium Feed Pulleys were turned on the lathe. Below. A straight forward part, with two of the pulleys requiring a clamping grub screw hole to be tapped. Below, a collection of the finished pulleys, five in all. The Spacer (Pt 39) is also shown, top left and next to the narrow end of the Step Pulley. Now things start to get a bit interesting again. The mild steel Spindle Shaft (below) has a relatively long but small diameter section (0.124") that is also drilled through with a Number 51 drill (0.067"), leaving a wall thickness of 0.028". And the other end has a tapered hole, and a stepped end. I spent quite a bit of time thinking about how to make this part on the lathe and the best sequence of machining operations. I felt it best to get the drilled holes out of the way first. For the #51 hole I started with a 1.6mm Stub drill to try to keep the hole as straight as possible. And then drilled the full depth with the #51 drill. Below. The part was then turned round in the lathe and the #24 hole drilled (0.153"). This hole's diameter and depth is to allow the tapered reamer to get in deep enough. Next, the tapered reamer (3/16") was used. There are two No 1 x 1" tapered pins supplied with the kit, to allow two versions of the Cutter Arbor (Pt 49) to be made, if one wishes. These pins have a taper of 1:48 (ie a 1/4" change in diameter over 12"). Metric pins use 1:50. With the holes complete, the 0.124" diameter section was turned to size in stages...ie only having about 1/4" length being turned down to size at any given time. Below, cutting in 1/4" lengths worked fine - I got away without having to use a revolving centre. I also took the opportunity to turn about a 1/2" length of the Shaft down to the 0.249" diameter - this would allow me to use a 7mm collet to grip it plus a revolving centre at the tapered hole end. Edit - the revolving centre 's size stopped the cutting tool getting close to the workpiece, so a fixed centre was used instead. Below. Removing the bulk of the remaining material down to the 0.249" diameter. And a Left and Right hand tool was used to finish of the 0.249" diameter. The parts sitting next to the Stand. The tapered pin, shown above (bottom right) will have a hole drilled in either end. I'd like to drill it in the lathe to make sure the holes are on the centre line, but I suspect I'll have to mount it in an angled V Block in the Mill, and then do my best to find the centre line of the tapered pin. The only way I can think of drilling it in the lathe is to make a tapered, split holder held in the 3 Jaw chuck and Super Glue it in to the holder (otherwise the drill pressure could push the pin backwards, for one of the two orientations). Any ideas welcomed 🙂 Below. All parts assembled into position. Everything fits fine, although the Spindle Shaft did require a light touch of fine Emery to get a decent rotating fit. And for the coming week I have my focus on the part below. This is the draw bar that pulls the tapered Cutter Arbor (Pt 49) into the tapered hole in the Spindle Shaft. This one will be a challenge....the long, spindly part is less than 1/16" diameter. I think I may try doing what I did with the Spindle Shaft ie only turn a short length down to diameter at a time...and use a revolving centre to stop the part whipping. And I'll be re-watching Joe Pie's Shaper videos to maybe copy what he did (....used an SRBF support?). Again, suggestions welcome. OK, well that's it for now. The garden calls. Back soon'ish. Richard.