Alba 1A advice

[John OlsenParticipant @johnolsen79199]

Hi Geoff,

I wonder if someone has tried to change gear with the machine turning? Since there is no synchromesh ! this is not how it should be done.

It will be a good machine once you are done. I like the 1A, the only criticism I have is that the door opening for adjusting the stroke is a little small, but there is not much they could have done to enlarge it since the clutch would get in the way.

John

[Geoff BrearleyParticipant @geoffbrearley24273]

I managed to find a bit of time today to get the machine back together with the newly machined components.
It’s now working and definitely far far quieter. No nasty clunks like before but now I can hear (and see) another problem.
the bronze bushes that the shaft of bull wheel runs in, is very very sloppy and causing a clunk all of its own.
I’m going to partially strip it down and have a couple of new bushes machined.

another issue is the stand where the table support Leg runs. It’s worn in the centre where it’s been used most.
when I put a cut on, as soon as the leg runs into the outer most part of this machined surface, it tends to push the table up a few thou causing the machine to cut more off the workpiece.
Does anyone have any thoughts on how I could make this good again, or even a workaround.

cheers

geoff.

[Geoff BrearleyParticipant @geoffbrearley24273]

https://youtu.be/av8J_OYplR0

[Geoff BrearleyParticipant @geoffbrearley24273]

[Geoff BrearleyParticipant @geoffbrearley24273]

[John OlsenParticipant @johnolsen79199]

I can think of a couple of possible workarounds. One would be to add a piece of flat, possibly gauge plate, on top of the existing surface. I wonder if epoxy would be sufficient to secure it? The other would be to make a pad to go between the foot and the sliding surface. This would be large enough to span the worn area, which i think would be just a narrow line down the middle. The pad would need a socket matched in it to match the end of the foot, and if the foot is worn it might need the spherical end remachining. The end is hemispherical to allow tilting the table, but I've always though that it really needs something to spread the load a bit. I made a foot for my 18 inch Alba, but that table does not tilt so is simpler.

The heroic approach would be to figure out something that could be attached to the table or to where the table attaches to the cross slide, to enable taking a skim off the base. Maybe the head off a smallish milling machine. Few people would have a machine large enough to take the base to remachine that pad.

John

[John OlsenParticipant @johnolsen79199]

I can think of a couple of possible workarounds. One would be to add a piece of flat, possibly gauge plate, on top of the existing surface. I wonder if epoxy would be sufficient to secure it? The other would be to make a pad to go between the foot and the sliding surface. This would be large enough to span the worn area, which i think would be just a narrow line down the middle. The pad would need a socket matched in it to match the end of the foot, and if the foot is worn it might need the spherical end remachining. The end is hemispherical to allow tilting the table, but I've always though that it really needs something to spread the load a bit. I made a foot for my 18 inch Alba, but that table does not tilt so is simpler.

The heroic approach would be to figure out something that could be attached to the table or to where the table attaches to the cross slide, to enable taking a skim off the base. Maybe the head off a smallish milling machine. Few people would have a machine large enough to take the base to remachine that pad.

John

[Geoff BrearleyParticipant @geoffbrearley24273]

Hi John,

thanks for the quick reply.

I like your idea of the pad to span the area of the wear. I’ve got a nice lump of brass that might do the job just fine.

Geoff

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