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To be honest, although it is basically similar, I don't really believe that it was copy of anything, it was more of a design exercise which was only an idea and still in it's infancy. I do feel that it was started prematurely without a lot of understanding of all the principles involved, maybe...

If you use a steel suitable for nitriding, (and there are quite a few), there will be little or no distortion, - this is a much lower temperature process and is equal to or better than normal case hardening and may not even require grinding afterwards - the parts which don't require hardening...

TOM. I have worked on a lot of two stroke motorcycles and agree with most of what you say, but I also worked with other types of engine. Eg. - Tecumseh two stroke lawnmower engines and the old Johnson Iron Horse engines (to name two of many types) used needle rollers for their conrod big end...

I have found that the holes produced by drills can be highly inaccurate, caused by a multitude of cutting conditions like lubrication, materials, cutting speeds, feeds, and of course the big one - sharpening, how many people can sharpen a drill accurately? - not many! Always drill undersize and...

The crankshafts on small Briggs engines (flathead lawnmower type ) have been made of nodular cast iron (SG Iron) since Adam was a boy. This is bendable material (but it is cast iron nonetheless) and quite often people try to straighten the crank using a gas torch - this is a no no, and like all...

Just one more observation I would like to make before I leave is that if you look at manually operated lathe and mill operations and imagine them as new innovations in today's society and environment, - do you think that we would be allowed to introduce them? - not a chance! So, I think that we...

When I used to work in a machine shop, "common sense" was the most important phrase, - "by the book" often infuriated us. We were often visited by safety inspectors who just wandered around looking for something to jump on. One guy came across to me and asked why the linisher belt did not have a...

Here ( "Down Under") in Australia and New Zealand we have to be prepared to work with whatever system is thrown at us and most engineers/tradesmen automatically work with both systems as a matter of course. People of my age (70 or so) were trained in the imperial system then the country...

Remember, the feed rate, lead angle,rake and depth of cut especially are all very different when rewinding (guess thats what you are meaning). Most brass will crumble if you are turning using zero rake or negative rake and normally zero rake is best for brass and cast iron - at least that's what...

That steel you have cut appears to me to be some sort of free cutting grade which will probably crumble anyway. Also, if you used the tool (as at the attitude shown in the photo), the angle or attitude to the work which the tool is set at is a little wrong, as it is pointing into the work...

What is the finished work look like? First things to check out are tool height (important) and the clearence under the tool cutting edge,- it could be caused by rubbing, often caused by the tool being too high. Also check the rigidity of the toolholder and work.

There were many occasions when I had to make some patterns and coreboxes for iron castings and found it really very interesting, so I can say that this is a fine achievement for you - also being the first time! Wooden patterns in themselves look like works of art when they are finished and I...

I believe that there is more lost technology in this earth than we could ever dream of, much of it seems to have been lost and plundered by stupid people during wars and revolutions or in great climatic changes. This Greek computer was only one of many mysterious things of course - my pet...

Always the same ratio (2:1) - I'll accept it if you prove me wrong!

Brian, I got that idea from watching the animation, - if you watch one of the legs on the spider carefully, it will move from one end of a slot to the other end of that slot (in one revolution) so that means the large wheel (slotwheel?) will have turned thru 180deg. So, 2 revs of the spider = 1...

Brian, I haven't studied it a lot as yet but I guess with this type of mechanism, whatever the number of legs are on the spider (with slots to suit), the reduction will always be 2:1 or 1:2 (depending on which one is the input) ?

Thanks you BRIAN, DNALOT and JWCNC, - sure helps to fill my mind with ambitious projects again now that I've just got a decent size lathe, - I think that there is enough stuff here to see me out!

The difference between the petrol engines as opposed to steam and electric motors is the type of torque they produce, electric motors and steam engines have high torque from almost zero revs whereas the torque of the little four stroke falls away rapidly at low revs. Horsepower (torque x rpm) -...

Probably you are just trying to wind us all up, but in case you're not, here's my take on the subject! :o It is probably possible of course, in fact I did think of driving an old lathe I acquired using a small 4 cyl. car engine (ie when I was much younger), but I soon discarded the idea. The...

If you are stuck with the particular grade of aluminium you are using then the above remedies will work, except that it would be preferable to have at least a continuous trickle going on to the tool. However, if possible try to use the 'free cutting' grades of aluminium and you'll have no...