What did you do today (2015)

[jason udallParticipant @jasonudall57142]

Today?…
Feed the Troll

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Saw the tractor and the heavy farm machinery he has modified these farmers are handy lads all the machines are put to work not show pieces.

He said modern machinery is so boring to use with satelite and all the other electronic gadgetry.

More farmland being used for large housing development he will have to move to another farm in a few years.

We depend so much on food imports what if that is reduced maybe due to World disasters etc. how do we feed ourselves?

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

Unless I misunderstand, it looks as if Andrew Johnston has just made his 2000th post (yesterday). Nothing posted today yet, presumably getting his breath back!

Happy 2000th post – keep them coming!

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Spent a while this morning picking up poo from the village green ready for the fete tomorrow.
Then got free cake at the Curate's leaving do and ran into a friend for whom I have been looking for a free motor for his Myford for a while but in further discussion today it turns out to be a Bantam. Upped the requirement a bit.

[Anonymous]

Well I was going to post in another thread before doing so here, which would have made this my 2002th post. And that would have been neat as it is a numeric palindrome. However, t'other thread seems to have been closed?

Not so much getting one's breath back as going flying in the small glider, after a quick hack at the grape vine this morning to let the sun get at the grapes. Not a bad day, some stonking thermals and dead smooth, just like going round on rails. The best climb, 7.2kts on the averager, was while flying straight and level. However, some parts of the sky didn't work that well, and quite a few clouds didn't work, or disintegrated just as one got there. There was one sticky patch near Milton Keynes, when I definitely wasn't going to get back unless I found a climb. I took comfort in several other gliders milling around looking for climbs too, and even better they were lower than me. So an enjoyable 4 hours, and as a bonus I didn't get hit by any rockets from the launch site at Elsworth, a few miles up the road from the gliding club.

Andrew

[Another JohnSParticipant @anotherjohns]

Well – doing A axis CNC machining for some links. Tried program with Brass first – it worked ok, but I forgot to add the step that took the 90 degree and 270 degree axis material down to 2.1mm. A simple "add operation to machine step" will take care of that. You can see the results on the top surface, left hand side, where it meets the arc. Oh well.

For steel, material will be better centred, but this sure beats drilling and milling and reaming and especially marking out on a manual mill!

[Martin WParticipant @martinw]

There is a short video on the BBC here about the restoration of the Flying Scotsman locomotive.

Martin

[Anthony KnightsParticipant @anthonyknights16741]

Finished my rotating tailstock chuck today

[Anthony KnightsParticipant @anthonyknights16741]

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Anthony, good idea, crummy chuck(no offence ment), the chucks with a solid steel body rather than the pressed steel of your one have a greater gripping power. Most of my chucks are Jacobs no 34, 1/2", the other two are 5/8", Jacobs clones.

Ian S C

[Ed DuffnerParticipant @edduffner79357]

Posted by John Alexander Stewart on 18/07/2015 23:16:41:

Well – doing A axis CNC machining for some links. Tried program with Brass first – it worked ok, but I forgot to add the step that took the 90 degree and 270 degree axis material down to 2.1mm. A simple "add operation to machine step" will take care of that. You can see the results on the top surface, left hand side, where it meets the arc. Oh well.

For steel, material will be better centred, but this sure beats drilling and milling and reaming and especially marking out on a manual mill!

Hi John,

How do you hold such tiny pieces for CNC milling?

Ed.

[Another JohnSParticipant @anotherjohns]

Posted by Ed Duffner on 19/07/2015 15:18:39:

Posted by John Alexander Stewart on 18/07/2015 23:16:41:

Hi John,

How do you hold such tiny pieces for CNC milling?

Ed.

Ed – this one came out of a bit of 6.35mm round brass rod (1/4" in old money). The rotary table ("A" axis in CNC parlance) is pointing down the left/right axis of the mill (the "X" axis for CNC)

There's quite a bit of overhang, but these links are not that precise, and will be basically out of view, so if they do not work out perfectly, so what… Saying this, link #2 in steel broke my 1/16 end mill during the parting off procedure, which is cutting the arc on the forked side. Yes, the parting off procedure will leave a little pip that will need filing off.

Had two 1/16 end mills – now down to one – and another link is being cut out right now. In order to NOT get too much deflection, I've programmed it to take very shallow cuts, and take its' time, but so what? At least the washing up in the kitchen and the gardening is getting done!

John.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I changed 14 out of 16 valves on an Astra.

It's been sitting waiting for a few weeks, and I finished stripping it down yesterday. This morning I got a new valve spring remover, which turned out not to be able to reach the middle four valves so I put in some extensions. if I had known I'd need to do this I could have just made a suitable ring, longer arms and welded that to my existing valve spring compressor. Still, it looks like my stick welding is almost getting respectable…

As for the valves… I thought 14 out of 16 were bent. With the head off it looked like 4 were OK, but after pulling them out I wasn't so sure and a test with the valve paste showed all 16 gone. Some VERY gone!

I may be able to skim the two best valves in the lathe – the four least bent don't have any detectable distortion in the stem. I did this some 15 years ago when I found myself one valve short, and it was a success.

I was very pleased with myself for discovering a neodyminium magnet makes a great 'handle' for valve grinding, much better than a sucker on a stick. Unfortunately the exhaust valves aren't magnetic, although the inlet ones are (same manufacturer).

Neil

[Bob Brown 1Participant @bobbrown1]

Neil,

If this is the result of a broken cam belt then check the piston heights as there is a very good chance there is at least one bent con rod, been there, engine lasted a couple of thousand miles before it decided to drop a rod through the crank case. By eye they may all look the same but needs a clock gauge to be sure, built a few Vauxhall engines including a trick 2 litre 16v rally engine producing 270hp non turbo.

Bob

[Douglas JohnstonParticipant @douglasjohnston98463]

Good grief Neil, that is a real horror, these valves should be on display in every garage to warn people to change their cam belt at the right time. I am amazed the engine survived at all.

Doug

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Neil the valve I use in my steamer came from similar disasters on Rover K series engines the local engine repairers used to give me the damaged valves and could find some not too bent to machine to required size.

Paul

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

 

A great day being taken by a young enthusiast and future metal muncher to Newby Classic Car Show one of the top do's in this neck of the woods.

Will be helping him come to terms with his new small lathe.

Next week been offered a lift in a 1930's Vauxhall by an ex workmate to Ripon classic show will have to burn the midnight oil to get the steamer ready for Kingsbury next month and try to keep it on the water.

Edited By Windy on 20/07/2015 02:01:10

Edited By Windy on 20/07/2015 02:08:10

[Russell EberhardtParticipant @russelleberhardt48058]

Nice car. I've been trying to identify it but can't see enough of the radiator. Singer Le Mans perhaps? Let us know pls.

Russell.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Russell Eberhardt on 20/07/2015 09:47:51:

Nice car. I've been trying to identify it but can't see enough of the radiator. Singer Le Mans perhaps? Let us know pls.

Russell.

The plaque confirms your guess

Neil

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Here is the front end plus another few cars

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Windy on 20/07/2015 13:

Drool….

[BowberParticipant @bowber]

An ex work colleague of mine spent many years doing up a Le Mans, I think he finished it a year or two ago. I'm not sure what was special about it maybe an ex works one? Or are they all ex works?

Steve

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

I used to have a genuine works Raleigh moped. Must have been a works one as only Raleigh made them.

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Just getting ready to go to my speed heaven Elvington and have spoken to the main organizer about possible record attempts I look forward to meeting old and new acquaintances.

Hope a lad from my past same age will be there Pete Williams with two face a Hayabusa powered machine his original two face was a double engine Triumph he managed his first 200mph last year.

Another person who creates he has a gas turbine machine he is building.

**LINK**

This 12inch to the foot modeling certainly gives me inspiration you never know what might come out of my tiny workshop now.

Hope to get some high speed bike photo's today.

Paul

Edited By Windy on 21/07/2015 08:49:42

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

Here's a different Pete(r) Williams, of a similar vintage and also still active in motorbikes. He's been promoting a monocoque type construction for some years now (since the 70s) and has a long association with Norton dating until very recently. I met him at the Low Carbon Vehicle event at Millbrook a few years ago presenting some hybrid vehicles I'd developed there when I was working at Ricardo. He's still going strong and recently set up his own company to make replica Norton monocoque bikes.

I see Guy Martin is planning to attempt the 400mph barrier on a Triumph 2-wheeler with 1000bhp, also a 2-facer. Whether or not it's actually a motorbike as such is an interesting question! Rather him than me, either way.

Murray

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