2014 POTD Thread Archive

[johnnyc14]

I've been using my recently purchased Vertex super spacer quite a bit lately and although I quite like it, it is hard to move from the bench to the mill since it weighs 170 lbs. I cut a piece of melamine and put it on top my dad's old Craftsman tool box so I can put the heavy mill accessories on it and roll them up to the mill. My goal was to make the mill table the same height as the top of the tool box but even with the adjustable legs on the mill at full height it was still 3/4" short. I decided to use rubber mounts under the mill legs made from hockey pucks. I put the 4 pucks in the freezer overnight to make them harder and used the lathe to turn a 1/4" deep pocket in each one 1.5" in diameter to fit the feet on my mill legs. Now the top of the tool box is level with the mill table so I can slide the Vertex very easily from one to the other. The mill seems smoother with the rubber feet and I'm liking the extra height too. I got it nicely levelled afterward, I'll check in a week to see if it stays level with the rubber mounts.

 

[JimDawson]

Machined an adapter plate for a friends project car, this allows one to use a Volvo front wheel drive 5 cylinder or 6 cylinder engine and mate it to a Ford T5 transmission to be installed in a rear wheel drive car.

Thought it was going to be a one-off, now a few more Volvo fans want one...

Do you have any problem with the length of the input shaft?

 

[jumps4]

Steve, that sugar mill sure has a lot of parts. You must have already spent lots of hours on it. Nice to see how it's coming along though. And it's looking good, keep it up.

I have been working on this for over 6 years, I bought a lathe and mill in 2006 and this was my second engine project. I'm not a machinist so I had to learn everything from the internet as I moved along. I didn't have anyone to ask how to do things. the first parts were all made by hand and I had to make my tools to make the parts including the gear cutters. I made my vises, angle plates, rotary table, index for cutting gears. I didn't have any money for materials or tools so I melted down aluminum to get the materials I needed at first and cast the items. the cylinder was machined out of a square block I cast. I stink at mold making. but now most work is done cnc. this project is why I went to cnc, I really suck as a machinist by hand and my health wont let me stand for long times. I work on this in short bursts and burn out. It may sit for months before I get back to it.
thanks for your reply
steve

 

[Mike94531]

Do you have any problem with the length of the input shaft?

Good question and something I'll have to ask myself in case I want to go this route myself in the future. I shall ask!

Using the Ford T5 with the older cast iron block Volvo engines* has not been an issue with regards to the input shaft length (I made my own adapter for that as well) So we might be in luck.


*the adapter above is for their aluminum block series engines, known as Whiteblocks , older cast iron known as Reblocks, in the "white" bare aluminum and painted red.

 

[Rapscallion]

I have been working on this for over 6 years, I bought a lathe and mill in 2006 and this was my second engine project. I'm not a machinist so I had to learn everything from the internet as I moved along. I didn't have anyone to ask how to do things. the first parts were all made by hand and I had to make my tools to make the parts including the gear cutters. I made my vises, angle plates, rotary table, index for cutting gears. I didn't have any money for materials or tools so I melted down aluminum to get the materials I needed at first and cast the items. the cylinder was machined out of a square block I cast. I stink at mold making. but now most work is done cnc. this project is why I went to cnc, I really suck as a machinist by hand and my health wont let me stand for long times. I work on this in short bursts and burn out. It may sit for months before I get back to it.
thanks for your reply
steve

Wow, talk about jumping in at the deep end. You sure took on a challenge. All the best with it. Any end in in sight yet?

 

[jumps4]

Wow, talk about jumping in at the deep end. You sure took on a challenge. All the best with it. Any end in in sight yet?

not in the near future I have all the pipes and fittings to make and install 560 rivets in the boiler...
steve


rivet pattern to wrap around the boiler

 

[The Landshark]

Good question and something I'll have to ask myself in case I want to go this route myself in the future. I shall ask!

Using the Ford T5 with the older cast iron block Volvo engines* has not been an issue with regards to the input shaft length (I made my own adapter for that as well) So we might be in luck.


*the adapter above is for their aluminum block series engines, known as Whiteblocks , older cast iron known as Reblocks, in the "white" bare aluminum and painted red.

You can easily machine an extension on a lathe if its too short, this also can be used to get around the problem of different size toe bearings.
The easiest way is to use the input shaft from the gearbox that originally fitted the engine(or one from a broken box from a breakers yard), cut it to length and bore an interference fit hole in the end to press in the new gearbox shaft,
just be careful which bit of shaft the clutch rides on, i have done this on several motors(Assumption here that its a manual box, ive never done an auto cos they're rare as hens teeth here)

 

[jumps4]

I'm still making pipe fittings and tiny parts.
this is the pressure safety release valve.
thank for viewing
steve

http://www.hobby-machinist.com/showthread.php?t=6463&p=202859#post202859

 

[jumps4]

today I drilled 516 holes
steve

http://www.hobby-machinist.com/showthread.php?t=6463&p=202859#post202859

 

[Don B]

today I drilled 516 holes
steve

That's cool, it reminds me of something that was around when I was a kid, spirograph I think it was called, dam I haven't drilled 516 holes total yet on my CNC, I'd better get at it.)