What did you do today? (2014)

[Boiler BriParticipant @boilerbri]

The traverser installed.

[John BaguleyParticipant @johnbaguley78655]

Hi Brian,

Good work!

I notice on some photos that you haven't put a 2½" gauge rail in. Are there any plans to do this or have you decided not to bother with this on the new site?

John

[Oompa LumpaParticipant @oompalumpa34302]

So gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to the rather BRIGHT colour of my new Drill Press! I was going to order up something else but to be honest, it is starting to grow on me so I am keeping it the way it is. I filled the holes in the table with a bit of weld, just a bit of Mig as it is nothing but cosmetic. Having done this I am now not so sure because if I had left it the way it was and autographed it myself it could have been a case of "Oh yes, old drill so you can see the marks made by previous careless operator" – now I have no excuses

Lovely finish which is only to be expected from a bit of quality paint, I am using Tekaloid Enamel brushed on so plenty on there, three coats in fact.

I have fitted some knobs I had in the "stores" but I am going to need three new ones for the quill spider as I don't have three the same size Hopefully get the last of the old paint off the main head tomorrow and get it into primer.

graham.

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

The ESA Rosetta website put up a stereo photo pair of the comet, I printed these off and as I have a Wild ST4 Stereo viewer set the 2 photos underneath and lined them up and the stereo view was superb. It was just like being there in space looking at it, the 3D picture was quite dramatic!

Clive

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

I must try that, Clive … thanks for the info.

MichaelG.

.

P.S.  Too idle to dig out the viewer tonight; I have just looked at the "Parallel Viewing" pair via this page. It's remarkably easy, on the iPad, to zoom them so that the centre distance just matches  one's eye-spacing. … Amazingly Effective.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 10/08/2014 22:30:06

[Boiler BriParticipant @boilerbri]

Hi John, A decision was taken at an agm not to put either a 2.5" or larger gauges in. The club had run on a closed site for years with the only revenue earned by taking the portable track to events, so when they had to move the coffers were very empty. The club was very determined to get another track and a site was offered and when I saw the site three years ago my heart sank.

Now three years down the 'line' their efforts have come to fruition and they have a superb outer loop (phase 1).

Sheer determination and hard labour from a group of old gentlemen, well it's amazing what has been achieved.

I dare say that over the next few weeks the steaming bays will be installed and they will be able to run their larger steam locos.

Bri

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Michael, thats an interesting site, collated info. is always easier to read than being drawn off on another tangent as you find something interesting.

Clive

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

MichaelG,

iPad 3.

There must be something wrong with me, as I've tried everything but only 'see' the two side-by-side photos.

Wearing Varifocals.

Geoff – I suspected I wasn't all there, but confirmation comes as a shock

[Oompa LumpaParticipant @oompalumpa34302]

So, having thought about it I have cut a deep groove the full length of the pillar from my new Drill Press. How many times have you moved your table on your Drill press and wondered if the clearance hole was directly underneath the drill? I will line the scoremark at 90 degrees to the foot and make sure the head is lined up the same then mark the table when it is at 90 to the column too. Then every time I move the table I just check the mark on the table to the line down the column and away I go. I could even make up a scale and put it around the table clamp in degrees. Whatever for I have no idea, but I could if I wanted

The lathe is an old girl with about three feet of backlash on the cross slide and not one but three sets of Stillsons in the suds tray with which to make "adjustments". But she has all the features and functions you would want including backgear and clutch. And a 40mm hole through the spindle, very useful for some of the jobs I do occasionally.

graham.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by OuBallie on 11/08/2014 12:23:25:

MichaelG,

iPad 3.

There must be something wrong with me, as I've tried everything but only 'see' the two side-by-side photos.

Wearing Varifocals.

Geoff – I suspected I wasn't all there, but confirmation comes as a shock

.

Geoff,

Some people can do parallel viewing stereo, others struggle

Being short-sighted; I find it relatively easy with my glasses off.

If I "gaze blankly" at the images; my eyes align as if looking to infinity, but [very conveniently] the images are in focus.

The magic happens when you see three images in a row … Left and Right eyes are seeing their respective images [and these should be ignored], but the central one is stereo.

MichaelG.

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Michael and Geoff, the stereo image should 'Float' as if it were in space, it is hard to do with naked eyes and does need a bit of relaxation of focus of the eyes. Not everyone can do it by the way! As I said earlier I have a stereo viewer that is used for ariel mapping where the photos have a percentage of overlap, nominally 40% which gives and excellent stereo image. You often see stereo viewers for sale on ebay and they are just 2 lens that you can move apart to get the image. I am taking it in to work tomorrow and will take a pic. of it set up.

Clive

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

I'v got an old Sterioscope(100+ years old) might try that, it's made of aluminium, in the days when it was about as valuable as gold. Ian S C

[John McNamaraParticipant @johnmcnamara74883]

Hi Oompa

Is the lathe in the picture an old flat belt drive plain bearing Colchester?

The saddle looks exactly like my old Lathe.

Regards
John

 

Edited By John McNamara on 12/08/2014 13:13:15

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Here are the pics. of the Stereo pairs viewer. Images of the Comet in place under it.

[Michael HornerParticipant @michaelhorner54327]

Didn't make the actual rear tool post just the sub table and riser block got the inspiration from here **LINK**

It is certainly a lot more ridgid

Cheers Michael

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

MichaelG & Clive,

I tried every way I could think of to 'relax' peepers, but I'm in the 'can't achieve' I think.

So gave up, and instead added another shelf in the Garage for the music player instead.

Then practiced using the HV20 in the Garage, in preparation to making the video showing how to remove the Apron from generic 6"x36" lathes. (12"x36" for those across the pond)

Geoff – Short back and sides, so feeling cooler.

[SteamgeekParticipant @steamgeek]

Fitted a magnetic encoder to my ML7 cross-slide, checked the accuracy using two dial gauges and working to within one thou – have earned a pizza and a beer, maybe not in that order

[Oompa LumpaParticipant @oompalumpa34302]

Posted by John McNamara on 12/08/2014 13:04:47:

Hi Oompa

Is the lathe in the picture an old flat belt drive plain bearing Colchester?

The saddle looks exactly like my old Lathe.

Regards
John

It is indeed John, very astute of you. I wouldn't care, but it is in the workshop with three phase all around and it plugs right into a 13amp socket! Was fitted with a single phase motor years ago.

Today I went off on one of my jaunts. Normal service will resume tomorrow.

graham.

[Raymond Sanderson 2Participant @raymondsanderson2]

Had been given some castor wheels by my oldest son they were being thrown out at his work nothing really wrong other than who ever had welded the plates of 3/16 flat on top left dangerous edges to them..

He thought I could use the wheels for a wood lathe steady. I had other ideas.

Cut the old bolts off first, removed the wheels and then cut the dangerous over hanging edges off. Ground the remaining bolt and weld of the top. drilled a centre hole in the ones which didn't turn as well as the 4 holes to mount them on all 4 castor wheels.

I now have a spare set of good quality castors heavy duty to use. ooops no photo taken yet of finished items

[Oompa LumpaParticipant @oompalumpa34302]

Finally managed to finish removing the paint and more importantly the ancient grease from the inside of the Drill Press Head today. I have had it sitting in a barrel of paint thinners for a week now, sloshing it about occasionally and now it is grease and paint free. I set to with a rotary wire brush in the angle grinder and removed all of the residual primer on the outside. It is presently sitting looking rather good in a coat of fresh primer.

graham.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Re Graham's Bright Blue Boring Machine.

It needs knobs for the quill downfeed, why not make them? It will make a change from buffing, filling and rubbing down.

If you have a radius turning tool, they could be ball shaped.

Did that when the handles plastic handle broke up on a Clarke drill press, (not mine, but someone else's).

If unable to radius turn, make each knob with a taper/plain/chamfer, reading from the quill feed spider outwards. (Look at the clamp handle for a Warco BH600 or Chester Craftsman 4 way toolpost)

That way the handle can be just the size and shape that you want.

Used the taper/plain/chamfer routine for the handle for my 4 way back toolpost, to match the front post.

Just a suggestion.

Howard

[CotswoldsPhilParticipant @cotswoldsphil]

Just completed recommissioning a 1972 vintage Myford Super 7 I bought last Thursday in excellent original condition. The only issue was with the spindle bearings which had been greased with what looked like Molyslip and were deemed shot when cleaned, and oiled. So my local bearing supplier came to the rescue and obtained suitable alternatives to the R&M LJT25's removed. I've fitted Fag 7205B's from Germany (£38 pair) so should be of suitable quality. The Myford Super 7 has cleaned up very well and has very little wear. The carriage moves freely, without the apron, from chuck to tailstock after the gibs were set up at the chuck end. The front shear has less the .0005 wear in width and thickness when compared to the tailstock end. The machining marks are still visible of the front face of the front shear, and there are only a couple of chuck-drop-dings and a small bruise half way down the bed which was scraped flat. Note to self – make a chuck board.

I've photographed the process of replacing the bearings and set up an album which contains some tips which might be useful when replacing the bearings or just changing a headstock belt on a Super 7 – nothing to be scared about- really.

I'm very pleased with my acquisition which will shortly be replacing my well loved ML7 which has been used to build a Minnie traction engine. I have owned the ML7 since 1969, I was the second owner, it was manufactured in 1964, and from what I gathered, the first owner realised that model engineering was not for him, so he sold up.

The ML7 will be packaged with the Myford cabinet stand, deep-tray and raising blocks from the S7 purchase; (I have a purpose built stand in the workshop for the ML7 ready to receive the S7) the ML7 has a counter-shaft clutch, moveable index-dials, lead-screw hand-wheel and a very useful Cowell rack and pinion feed tailstock, I've also adapted a DRO for the cross-slide which should be possible to move to the S7.

It is the tail-stock attachment I am most attached to, it is brilliant for all drilling, tapping and reaming, being free to move with the progress of the work. I'm toying with swapping the tail-stocks on the machines to retain the Cowell rack and pinion feed tailstock facility. I expect that the S7 will see me out, so potentially devaluing the S7 is not really an issue. What do you think?

[Oompa LumpaParticipant @oompalumpa34302]

Posted by Howard Lewis on 13/08/2014 19:56:13:

Re Graham's Bright Blue Boring Machine.

It needs knobs for the quill downfeed, why not make them? It will make a change from buffing, filling and rubbing down.

If you have a radius turning tool, they could be ball shaped

Just a suggestion.

Howard

I take on board your suggestion but I am going to be buying some black knobs (52p each BTW) as I had thought about making some but it was originally fitted with black ball knobs, as are the other levers and I just think that it would look out of place. Personal preference I suppose.

graham.

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

Panic at work as the girl pulled a bag of foam chips down off the storage shelf, a dead mouse came down with it! Ha Ha.

Had to go buy 2 traps and I went up and had a look, lots of droppings and another dead mouse. There is nothing up there to eat so no wonder they died.

Clive

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Met a bloke in a carpark last night and came home with these, should keep me out of mischief over the winter. 1/2 scale Gade hit & miss engine together with the cart kit. Also got a couple of US Postal service boxes winging there way to me with a Hired Man inside

J

Ps the Bloke also has a 1/2 scale Domestic Stovepipe kit looking for a new home if anyone wants to try their hand at a hit & Miss engine

[Author]

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