What Did You Do Today 2020

[Cornish JackParticipant @cornishjack]

Neil – your Gt Grandad's Oxfordshire dialect would not have been out of place in my Grandad's Herefordshire village. The 'rubub etc.' etc. conjures up instant recollections of a genuine 'cottage garden' with a 3 hole privy, apple, pear and medlar trees and an old enamel bucket with the bottom missing inverted round the 'forced rubub'. Nostalgia!!

rgds

Bill

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

it felt right strange for me.

If I am not caving on a Saturday I usually spend the day at the W&DMES track and club-room, but they are out of reach behind locked gates (school grounds) for the duration even before any decision by the society itself.

Ah well, no excuse for not cutting steel, and after my all-too-usual round of mis-measurements and confusing sides on handed pairs, I completed much of fabricating the boiler-mounts for my steam-wagon.

Now, when I say "caving" it's actually a long-term "digging" project our small team has, to work a way through a very deep mass of limestone and conglomerate boulders to find the cave we believe and hope lies beyond – 150ft deep so far and no sign of breakthrough yet. We generally go underground for 3- 4 hours then retreat, mid-afternoon, to the Club HQ for showers, Tea and Cakes.

Clearly, whilst any outdoor pursuits or even meeting the team socially are presently out of the question, one still has to uphold the niceties, so naturally, I retreated mid-afternoon to the domestic HQ for Tea and Cakes.

Helps me remember it's Saturday.

Only afterwards, I did climb back into the overalls and return to the fray, stopping finally when it became too dusky and cold to work on something standing outside the workshop.

Whilst partaking of the tea & cakes, I enjoyed the play on the radio – a dramatisation of Jules Verne's The Mysterious Island, the sequel I had not previously known he'd written, to 20 000 Leagues Under The Sea.

[Ian ChildsParticipant @ianchilds37813]

Hi Nigel,

At least your knees got a week off!

I started work on the bogies for my new riding truck. Now realised I don't have quite enough material to complete both, for want of 12 inchs of bar. Surpiorsed how much I am using my new to me mill. Dead easy design modified due the small wheels. Got to decide if I can risk a trip to the metal store to get the bar given the local police are new stopping people.

Maybe if I go via the boat I can call it a work trip!

Didn't know about the Jules verne play, will try to download it on the player thingy

Ian

Edited By Ian Childs on 28/03/2020 23:01:04

Edited By Ian Childs on 28/03/2020 23:02:22

[Roger HartParticipant @rogerhart88496]

Did a bodge repair on a fan motor. This seized the bearing bush after a sintered bronze bearing had cooked its oil. But motor had kept going and rotated bush inside the self aligning housing. Worked for a while then gone sloppy and finally stalled.

My usual source of spare parts – boot fair/junk yard is closed off due to CV and I sold off my lathe last year. So a rummage in junk box for a brass bush. A few minutes work with a sharp new file and calipers took it down to size and after some plain and fancy cussing back in business.

Doubt it is a permanent fix but long enough to procure a replacement. Message – don't get rid of your lathe and do buy new files now and again.

[Peter SpinkParticipant @peterspink21088]

Plenty of time on my hands self isolating in the workshop so making progress with the bottom end of the Lynx

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

Two more wooden racers, these for the twin grandchildren Jim & Nina coming up 18 months.

Further one is cherrywood, nearer one kambala, plus brass and black delrin.

They're only 4 miles away, but I dunno when I'll get it to 'em in the current conditions…

[Johnboy25Participant @johnboy25]

I'm using this time to catch up on some jobs that I've been putting of as there's always more interesting jobs to do in the workshop like tidying and cleaning the swarf from the lathe and mill which hasn't been done for a while or re-arranging my spare taps and dies in the drawers!

So today I've set to making miniture flange gaskets for my refurbished Clack Valves. After a practice attempt which went better than expected, I got the gaphite coated Klingersil sheets out and prepared two 1" square pieces and carfully cut the centre hole out with a pair of dividers that have been shapened specially for making gaskets.Then trimming the outside diameter of the flange using a surgical bladed scalple. Keeping fingers well out of the way of the cut as I didn't fancy pushing my luck down at A & E. They've got more urgent things to do at this horendous time.

A moment of admiration and gratitude for the staff in our National Health Service.

My small job done ready for assembly. Now to put them a safe place where I can find them when required and to find something else that ive been putting off!

John

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Johnboy: –

Hear! Hear! To the moment of admiration.

My workshop and home are full of safe places. Trouble is, they are automatic ones and don't allow me to know their locations.

Anyway. What Did I Do Today?

Progressing with the steam-wagon's boiler-mounts. The boiler is a good deal smaller than the chassis, so needs two longitudinals within the main frame for the firebox lugs to sit on. It's a lot of extra metalwork, all the while trying to think ahead enough to head off potential problems like inaccessible fastenings, obstructions to fitting other components and losing the plane surfaces which hold the footplates and bunker floors. .

[Ed DuffnerParticipant @edduffner79357]

Making some progress on the GWR 5 Plank wagon, CAD model, in O-gauge. The resin 3D prints aren't coming out so well for this one.

Ed.

[Colin HeseltineParticipant @colinheseltine48622]

Started a new project making the Rotary Controller designed by Steven Ward (World of Ward). Bought the ready made button assembly and the controller electronics and display from Steve. I bought the NEMA 23 stepper and the TB6560 stepper driver several years ago but never got round to building it up. At that point in time I was going to go the Arduino route but as the creator of that software is unfortunately no longer with us I decide to go Steve's route.

Bits are loosely wired up on desk awaiting some power in order to test.

I spent last night making up a co-ordinate list to be able to mill out the holes in the front panel. Tested them on a piece of 1/2" MDF. All okay so machined the lid.

All okay.

Colin

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, I made a couple of bespoke nuts from plastic with a 6mm thread, these will be fitted into a round wooden block and the flat part will sit in a recess to prevent them turning, the blocks will then be glued on the inside of a wooden cabinet.

I wondering if anybody thinks I'm cheating with my set-up for machining.

Truth is, I was too lazy to change the 3 jaw for a 4 jaw, just to do two items and then having to change them back again.

Regards Nick.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Nice piece of work Nicholas, but though I would not call that "cheating" I would not like to try turning anything, even soft plastic, with all that overhang!

Assuming material available I think I'd prefer to make such an item from round rod and cut the flange square, but I realise you made have had only square stock to hand.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Steady (ish! by my standards of progress) on the steam-wagon, completing the two longitudinals to support the boiler. At each end is a short of piece of angle bolted along it, over-stepping and screwed down to, a cross-member . (Vertical firebox, 7" dia outside, horizontal shell 6" dia; distance between chassis rails 12" increasing aft past the boiler.)

These are to be trimmed in height for appearance, leaving a low flange for stiffness, but it occurred to me that if cut to the appropriate shape and size they would also make ideal lifting lugs for the boiler; an awkward problem I have yet to solve satisfactorily…..

…. Later thinking revealed they would not. Plenty strong enough but not the right way to go about it for other reasons.

At least thinking is free, unlike metal and electricity, and still legal!

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi Nigel, thanks for your comments. The overhang wasn't any problem as it was supported with a live centre. I do have some larger round rod, but it is different type of plastic and I would have had to remove almost four times as much material, the piece I used was an off cut and happen to have a slightly oblong size that suited the job exactly.

Regards Nick.

[Nathan SharpeParticipant @nathansharpe19746]

Stood in line for my prescriptions with many other people all spaced at the correct distance. It took 45 min with 20 min of that taken up by a 30+ YO who was asking how to manage his. He left red-faced when told the dispensing date is on his Med's and all he had to do is count and that his prescription had been ready to collect 6 days ago!

Makes you wonder.

Nathan.

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi Mick B1, like your wooden racers.

Regards Nick.

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

Posted by Nathan Sharpe on 30/03/2020 23:40:24:

Stood in line for my prescriptions with many other people all spaced at the correct distance. It took 45 min with 20 min of that taken up by a 30+ YO who was asking how to manage his. He left red-faced when told the dispensing date is on his Med's and all he had to do is count and that his prescription had been ready to collect 6 days ago!

Makes you wonder.

Nathan.

I work part time delivering medication for a local chemist, I share the job with another gentleman and split the week between us doing approx 20 hrs a fortnight in the afternoons, it amazes me how difficult customers are and out the back of the shop are boxes and boxes of medication which has not been collected by customers, this can be reused by the chemist but they are so busy with current prescriptions they havent the time to restock, the delivery side has increased but its annoying when i deliver meds to people who answer the door are only yards frm the shop and fitter than me, I love the job though as a lot of my customers only see me and nobody else.

Martin P

[John HinkleyParticipant @johnhinkley26699]

Having a bit of a break from the engineering side today and taken up camera (phone actually) weilding. I decided that I'd publish a video on YouTube of my workshop and some of the toys I have accumulated for your and other's amusemant and derision!. I don't think Steven Sleilberg need have any worries! I intend adding to this series of one from time to time by presenting workshop projects that I have completed over the years, either in a group if small projects or singly if more complicated.

Anybody interested?

Link to video

It's only the second time in ten years that I've used a video editing program – that's my excuse.

John

[Anthony KnightsParticipant @anthonyknights16741]

Had an easy day today, finally made a basic carriage stop for my mini lathe. Cut the "V" on the milling machine using a tungsten carbide bladed router cutter. I will make a proper locking handle for it tomorrow.

Edited By Anthony Knights on 31/03/2020 23:07:04

[Paul LousickParticipant @paullousick59116]

A carriage stop is something I have been telling myself to make when I get a round-tuit. Now that I am forced to isolate myself in the workshop, I have no excuse.

Paul.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Anthony –

What you've shown suggests a use for one of those old, small Vee-blocks that have long lost their partners, and seem to appear from I know not where. Without affecting the Vee itself, too.

Not long ago I needed a carriage stop "now". I simply drilled a hole in the middle of a bit of steel bar and held it to the bed with the clamp-bolt and plate borrowed from the fixed steady not itself needed for the particular task.

It does need tidying up to make it look the part, but it solved the immediate problem.

Its one drawback is that swarf trapped between the bar and the carriage retards the stop point, though at least that error is on the curable side. A quick waft with a brush sorts that.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Had a little break from making steam-wagon bits, to carry out a couple of catch-up tasks –

Placing an order by telephone for fasteners.

Tidied the workshop. So that's where the dividers went!

Then started to make a lifting cradle for the boiler, which is a heavy and awkward thing to manipulate.

[Paul LousickParticipant @paullousick59116]

Nigel,

I made a cradle on wheels for the boiler which made it easier to move. Mine is 10" dia and heavy. It could be set with the boiler at the height of the finished engine and be used to assemble all of the associated parts. Firebox, smokebox, hornplates, etc. The boiler could be rotated in the cradle, making it easy to assemble and weld plates and fittings.

Paul

 

 

Edited By Paul Lousick on 01/04/2020 01:38:54

[Jeff DaymanParticipant @jeffdayman43397]

That'll save your back Paul! Nice job.

Mick, love the race cars! The kids will have fun with those.

John, I tried camera/phone welding a while ago but there just wasn't enough heat from the flash………………oh it was we i lding!

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, yesterday I dug out my Hobbymat to turn a scrap piece of 2 X 2 wood for my bespoke nuts, having first sawn off the corners to form an octagon, which reduced the number of passes needed.

It was then turned for an easy fit in a bobbin.

A couple of pieces were then cut off, faced off one end and a 6.5 hole right drilled through the centre. They were then turned around and the other end was faced off to length and the hole was opened out to 1/2" for the depth of the nuts. The nut was then pushed into the hole and marked for the recess, this was then bored out to depth of the nut base, to the narrow dimension.

The recess was then finished by hand using my Dremel and a couple of suitable cutters.

The nuts were then fitted.

They are now ready the be glued onto the inside of the cabinet.

Regards Nick.

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