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2017 POTD Thread Archive
- Thread starter jpfabricator
- Start date
Spent Saturday reworking my plow mount to v3.
v2:
Cut apart into pieces:
Welded all back together:
The changes between v2 and v3:
Needed to raise and widen the spacing for the caster mounts, as I went from 6" solid casters to 8" filled-rubber casters, as the smaller casters had problems getting on my ramps and with rounded curbs.
Switched from having posts above each caster wheel, where I installed conventional round lifting weights on, to using 2 55 lb cast iron weights that came with the bagger I bought for the mower (didn't need it for how I mounted the bagger), you can see the end of one of them mounted vertically across the front, the second one is horizontal underneath the front. Not quite as heavy as the round weights (110 lbs vs 140 lbs), but mounted lower and slightly more forward. Also makes it look slightly less cobbled together.
Raised the mount for the winch to clear the weight mounted in front.
Now I need to find a couple of hours to install it in place of the mower and see how it all works.
And I need to make a removable mount for the winch switch, so I can operate it with my thumb while holding onto the controls, as it was annoying to have it mounted off to the side last winter.
v2:
Cut apart into pieces:
Welded all back together:
The changes between v2 and v3:
Needed to raise and widen the spacing for the caster mounts, as I went from 6" solid casters to 8" filled-rubber casters, as the smaller casters had problems getting on my ramps and with rounded curbs.
Switched from having posts above each caster wheel, where I installed conventional round lifting weights on, to using 2 55 lb cast iron weights that came with the bagger I bought for the mower (didn't need it for how I mounted the bagger), you can see the end of one of them mounted vertically across the front, the second one is horizontal underneath the front. Not quite as heavy as the round weights (110 lbs vs 140 lbs), but mounted lower and slightly more forward. Also makes it look slightly less cobbled together.
Raised the mount for the winch to clear the weight mounted in front.
Now I need to find a couple of hours to install it in place of the mower and see how it all works.
And I need to make a removable mount for the winch switch, so I can operate it with my thumb while holding onto the controls, as it was annoying to have it mounted off to the side last winter.
B
British Steel
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A 1960s Testa 2U Universal mill (not a Dormac, as I had thought) - it's off the trailer now and in place in the Garage of Danger
I've fitted two 415v outlets so I can run other machinery when I get it...
3HP spindle motor, 1HP feeds/rapids, 1/4HP suds pump, so otherwise would need 2 or 3 VFDs, rotary seemed like less work! Also, so far I have about £150* in parts for the rotary convertor, so less than a decent VFD?
I'm using a 9KVA continuous- / 11KVA intermittent-rated welding transformer's dual-voltage primary winding to get from 240 to 415v, a 5.5kw/7.5HP 1400rpm motor (and have another 3kw motor I can add in if it's not enough), so I hope it'll do the job...
The controller has a lot of "safety features" built in, interlocks between start, run and output contactors f'rinstance, and fault alarms and detection to shut it down if there's input over-current, motor over-current or output over-current or earth leakage. I'm aiming to reduce, not increase, the Danger Level in the Garage!
Dave H. (the other one)
*EvilBay is my friend, and I'm a hell of a scrounger with a deep-dumpster-diving cert'!
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British Steel
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It turned out to be a bit bigger than I was expecting, not as big as I was fearing - another EvilBay bargain, bought on the strength of the photos! (for quite a bit less than a secondhand Chinese mini-mill...) I'd put it at equivalent to Kearney & Trecker 2CH or similar?
Unloading it was fun on my own, must weight a ton and three-quarters if it's a pound - but no lives were lost nor animals harmed in the process
Dave H. (the other one)
I've noticed that around here, the bigger used stuff, say 16" lathes and up, is really, really cheap. Dunno if that's just because of the limited demand or because they are totally clapped out.
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British Steel
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I'm pretty sure it's down to demand, commercial production shops that would be their natural homes will (other than a few "family" job shops) be spending their money on CNC as that's how to make money in a disposable age, hobbyists are scared of moving bigger machines (pretty easy when you apply sound mechanical principles!), don't often have the space for them nor 3-phase to run 'em. The clapped out machines barely fetch scrap prices, for not much more you can get something usable with full features - it may need a good servicing, paint, etc. but it'll be accurate enough unless you're building aerospace parts or race engines!*
An example, glancing at EvilBay, I see "model engineers'" lathes, e.g. Myford ML7 or similar going for more that e.g. a Colchester Student or Bantam, which would be much more capable BUT they can't be lifted onto a bench in an old guy's shed.
I don't know about the US, but here in the UK hobby engineering is increasingly an old man's game, kids don't get to experience the pride in actually making something at school like we used to (heaven forfend they should go near nasty dangerous machines) - and what use would that be to 'em if they're destined for either banking or flipping burgers on a zero-hour contract?
Dave H. (the other one)
* Does run-what-ya-brung count as racing? If so, I guess I will be building race engines...
An example, glancing at EvilBay, I see "model engineers'" lathes, e.g. Myford ML7 or similar going for more that e.g. a Colchester Student or Bantam, which would be much more capable BUT they can't be lifted onto a bench in an old guy's shed.
I don't know about the US, but here in the UK hobby engineering is increasingly an old man's game, kids don't get to experience the pride in actually making something at school like we used to (heaven forfend they should go near nasty dangerous machines) - and what use would that be to 'em if they're destined for either banking or flipping burgers on a zero-hour contract?
Dave H. (the other one)
* Does run-what-ya-brung count as racing? If so, I guess I will be building race engines...
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2012
- Messages
- 109
I've been working on my production run of 20 miniature valve spindles these past few nights. You can see the finished product a few posts back of the prototype.
I've whittled the old M16 studs down to 10mm diameter, and started on the one end. I pushed the lathe for the first time and managed, IMO, a fairly aggressive depth of cut, about 0.07", which allowed me to take the studs to 10mm in 2 passes (first pass was lighter because of the threads).
More to come...
I've whittled the old M16 studs down to 10mm diameter, and started on the one end. I pushed the lathe for the first time and managed, IMO, a fairly aggressive depth of cut, about 0.07", which allowed me to take the studs to 10mm in 2 passes (first pass was lighter because of the threads).
More to come...
E
ecdez
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Just finished making a small vise. Didn't quite turn out as hoped but I should be able to get some use out of it and best of all I learned some stuff.