Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
Theodore Roosevelt
I see a lot of post and info by those that know what they are doing. Me thinks its a bit intimidating for those like me, recently retired and have chosen the pleasant Thump Thump sound machining metal makes to occupy time away from the honey-do list. Perhaps some deeply buried bizarre desire to climb back into the womb, but, be that as it may, Im not beyond taking a trip without a road map. Ill just figure it as I go.
So as to the What to build next choices always drifting to beyond my abilities Im thinking Try and make a Crankshaft just for the heck of it should occupy my mind for a while. So shall see if I tease out the crank hidden in the stock
This plan focuses for me the task of cutting out a crankshaft with nothing more than the little old 109. Dont have a mill and the drill press is, well, not so good at drilling holes where I want them. First on the agenda is turning down to rough dimension the crankshaft blank, or wishful thinking, try and hack out of stock a crank as depicted in the drawing.
Now I need to make the jigs to hold the crank for the turning of the throw. I turned up some small chunks of stock in the lathe to get em as identical as my skill level allows. Heeding the advise of kf2qd
Made a little holding fixture that mounts to the tool post, gave the surface a light fly cut to square it up with the chuck and located the blanks that will be the holders for the crank. Only method I could devise to ensure some accuracy in the placement of the shaft and throw center lines was to use the DIs on the lathe. Kinda learning as I go, will it work? Time will tell.
Next was the actual drilling of the 2 holes, first a ½ inch thru hole, (drilled a ¼ pilot first, then one slightly undersize, and finally full size). Moved the slide 0.375 and using a center drill, popped the second hole for the lathe center (which will be the crank rod journal). As I attached some tool stock to the holding fixture (a dab of Loctite) locating the second jig was just a matter of drop in and clamp.
Well after some 12 hours so far I have this in hand.
The flat on long side of fixture is equal in distance from the crank blank by a tad under 0.001. as checked with the DI. These fixtures are doubly attached, one set screw each on the short end and the long end which will hold the driven pin was drilled and tapped thru into the shaft itself. A short set screw engages both the jig and shaft. It should hold position throughout my further what nows to whittle the crank out of the hunk of I dont know what kind of steel it is, I just found a 12 foot hunk of it laying around.
After another 12 or so hours of guess work Ill show and tell again
Theodore Roosevelt
I see a lot of post and info by those that know what they are doing. Me thinks its a bit intimidating for those like me, recently retired and have chosen the pleasant Thump Thump sound machining metal makes to occupy time away from the honey-do list. Perhaps some deeply buried bizarre desire to climb back into the womb, but, be that as it may, Im not beyond taking a trip without a road map. Ill just figure it as I go.
So as to the What to build next choices always drifting to beyond my abilities Im thinking Try and make a Crankshaft just for the heck of it should occupy my mind for a while. So shall see if I tease out the crank hidden in the stock
This plan focuses for me the task of cutting out a crankshaft with nothing more than the little old 109. Dont have a mill and the drill press is, well, not so good at drilling holes where I want them. First on the agenda is turning down to rough dimension the crankshaft blank, or wishful thinking, try and hack out of stock a crank as depicted in the drawing.
Now I need to make the jigs to hold the crank for the turning of the throw. I turned up some small chunks of stock in the lathe to get em as identical as my skill level allows. Heeding the advise of kf2qd
the need for an accurate jig will be required later on. Problem is when a jig has to be made to make a jig.make one side of the fixtures the same distance from the centerline of the 2 holes so you can lay it on a surface plate and make sure everything is parallel before you put it in the lathe - other wise you might have ever so light an angle between the throw and the shaft.
Made a little holding fixture that mounts to the tool post, gave the surface a light fly cut to square it up with the chuck and located the blanks that will be the holders for the crank. Only method I could devise to ensure some accuracy in the placement of the shaft and throw center lines was to use the DIs on the lathe. Kinda learning as I go, will it work? Time will tell.
Next was the actual drilling of the 2 holes, first a ½ inch thru hole, (drilled a ¼ pilot first, then one slightly undersize, and finally full size). Moved the slide 0.375 and using a center drill, popped the second hole for the lathe center (which will be the crank rod journal). As I attached some tool stock to the holding fixture (a dab of Loctite) locating the second jig was just a matter of drop in and clamp.
Well after some 12 hours so far I have this in hand.
The flat on long side of fixture is equal in distance from the crank blank by a tad under 0.001. as checked with the DI. These fixtures are doubly attached, one set screw each on the short end and the long end which will hold the driven pin was drilled and tapped thru into the shaft itself. A short set screw engages both the jig and shaft. It should hold position throughout my further what nows to whittle the crank out of the hunk of I dont know what kind of steel it is, I just found a 12 foot hunk of it laying around.
After another 12 or so hours of guess work Ill show and tell again