Recent content by MRA

Apologies if this refers to something already discussed - but the site below, which I found out about via this forum, is good on making your own rack-form hob (video 2 above looks similar). I've made one for making Boxford (USA - SouthBend 9") change gears, and the method works well. At a push...

That's what happens (central crank seal, not supercharging!) on the Jawa twin 2-stroke motorbikes I am familiar with. I've ever had to do it, but I assume changing the central seal means pressing the crank apart. This unusual engine (East German IFA BK350) gets around that problem by using a...

Hi Dave We see some SB lathes here in UK, but more Boxford clones. An 'A' (with gearbox) goes for £500-£750 here at the moment, and AUD ('underdrive', motor beneath in cabinet) for maybe £1k for a clean one, maybe a little more on a good day, maybe a little less. SB versions go for a bit less...

Gosh, there are some serious people on here :-) My (cast iron) plate came out of a pile of scrap,and was very rusty. I got it flat-ish with two other questionable plates belonging to others (because I read you had to rub them in threes) using valve paste, and now it has to live under a...

In case it is useful - I use an 80-63 pair on my Boxford (like a SB9") which I made. There's a thread here (which takes a while to get going!) on making the 63t gear...

Sure, although this is complicated by my failure to own a smart phone. I'll see what I can do regarding borrowing one, and get back to you. If you like the engine in your OP with the crosshead, perhaps Mirrlees no1 would suit you best, or maybe a model of the one which runs would be more...

Interesting to see! This is very similar to our Mirrlees engine at the Anson museum, right down to double-acting barring gear, compressor on the end of the crank to work the air-blast injection gear etc etc. (Although - our single is on a later conversion to 'solid injection'. If we ever get...

In a similar situation I find it easiest to do most of the work free-hand with a skinny disk in an angle grinder - especially where you find a really knackered one, and have to cut 10mm off and start again with all the back relief etc. Then your sharpening fixture is only needed for the...

Hi folks For those in the UK (or those thinking of visiting the UK!) I thought it would be nice to bang the drum for our Museum - the Anson, at the back on Poynton to the SW of Stockport which itself lies just SW of Manchester. We are on an old (closed 1930s) colliery site, very near Hazel...

To the OP - that seems like remarkable value for money. I have come by a couple of treadmill motors (one free, one nearly so) but finding a DC controller which can work at high voltage (in my case 110 and 180v respectively) and high current, can get expensive. I happen to have an old 8A variac...

Make them out of whatever bit of pipe you have which is nearest to the size you need? :) (Well, unless it's nylon pipe, I guess). I'm not taking the mickey; that's what I would do, it's not going into space and from the sounds of it something else will wear out pretty soon anyway! Or - pull...

I ummed and ahhed before putting an 8" (!) 3-jaw chuck on my Boxford (SB 9" copy for US readers). It's too large, and too heavy - but it has a wacking great hole in the middle which makes holding and centering larger stock very easy. I don't run it very fast, and I have to watch that the jaw...

Goodness. That's something I can follow because you were bothered to work it out...and put hours of work into the video...but I don't think I would have had the patience! Well done, really lovely teaching presentation. I think I'm rather glad that youtube was not a thing when I was teaching...

If you are sure you are going to machine the missing teeth, you might find this useful. It's an effort to make the rack-form (not helical) hob, but it works - I have done it for Boxford change gears. I hardened mine with Kasenit in a small pot left in the woodstove for the evening...

Flipping Heck, that sounds cold. I live in the middle of a city in Northern England - the warm concrete means we rarely get a freeze, but when we do we find out how ill-prepared we are. Seen a few blue tits about this morning, 45F (in your money :) ) outside, neighbours snowdrops coming out -...