Author Topic: Building Wildings Tower Clock (Read 46269 times)

raynerd · « **Reply #25 on:** December 13, 2018, 05:29:58 PM »

Great find! Thank you. I’ve ordered.

Chipist1 · « **Reply #26 on:** December 15, 2018, 06:11:51 AM »

How about using a drawplate?

chipenter · « **Reply #27 on:** December 15, 2018, 03:02:03 PM »

Pinion steel is hardened and tempered to a similar hardness to alan keys .

raynerd · « **Reply #28 on:** February 03, 2019, 07:04:26 AM »

Slowwwww progress! I expected to be blasting this over Christmas...I ended up playing with the kids and then being ill!

Blurbillon · « **Reply #29 on:** February 05, 2019, 05:30:58 AM »

Nicely done so far.

A word of warning though, all the blue steel wire that I've bought has been very hit and miss. The sizes aren't super accurate and especially the hardness varies a lot. A few hundreths of a mm won't make any practical difference in a clock this size, but I'd be more worried about the heat treatment of the wire.

A lantern pinion won't be ideal no matter what you do, but it certainly is good enough. However it is important that the wheel tooth form is corrected and the depthing done properly to ensure as smooth engagement as possible.

WeldingRod · « **Reply #30 on:** February 05, 2019, 08:29:17 AM »

Have you thought about using drill blanks for your pinion wires?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

awemawson · « **Reply #31 on:** February 05, 2019, 08:49:27 AM »

Quote from: WeldingRod on February 05, 2019, 08:29:17 AM

Have you thought about using drill blanks for your pinion wires?

And stupidly it is cheaper to buy the actual drills and use their shanks than buy specific drill blanks

WeldingRod · « **Reply #32 on:** February 05, 2019, 09:04:48 AM »

If your pinion is small enough that the shank works; I don't know how much you need.

https://www.mcmaster.com/2900a219 will get you a hardened and ground blank. I don't see anything longer, though. Sorry!

smiffy · « **Reply #33 on:** February 05, 2019, 01:18:38 PM »

Drill blanks are available here https://www.drill-service.co.uk/products/drills/drill-blanks/blk-hss-drill-blanks/

Another alternative and useful source of small size quality steel is sewing machine needles
Mike

raynerd · « **Reply #34 on:** October 09, 2019, 05:38:33 PM »

A small delay...but a little progress

raynerd · « **Reply #35 on:** October 09, 2019, 05:39:28 PM »

raynerd · « **Reply #36 on:** November 19, 2023, 08:27:20 PM »

Well that was a long break - nearly four years! My wife opened a shop and with two small children as well, I ended up with no time at all for my workshop. The shop closed in summer (which is a very positive thing believe it or not!) and so I’ve been getting back into the workshop on a regular basis. I’ve finally finished reorganising and tidying (the shop stock and machining quite literally took over my workshop!) and I’ve now restarted the clock.
I’m enthusiastic and have my old spark back for machining. Hopefully there will be more updates as I intend to really push on this coming winter.
In this Part 10, I’ve drilled the frame for the main wheel and barrel arbor, made the bushes and fitted them to the frame.

Building a Tower Clock - pt10 Main Wheel Bushes and Fitting the Main Wheel Arbor

philf · « **Reply #37 on:** November 20, 2023, 04:38:22 AM »

Welcome back Chris!

Joules · « **Reply #38 on:** November 20, 2023, 05:07:01 AM »

Never mind the clock and the rest of lifes BS, it's just nice to see you back Chris.

vtsteam · « **Reply #39 on:** November 20, 2023, 10:15:47 AM »

Hi Chris!

BillTodd · « **Reply #40 on:** November 20, 2023, 12:13:14 PM »

Sometimes a break is good for productivity....

that's my excuse ;-)

raynerd · « **Reply #41 on:** November 20, 2023, 04:06:38 PM »

Thanks a lot PhilF, Joules, BillTodd and vtsteam!

Nice to see some of the old names still posting on here. Glad to be back and glad to be more relaxed and doing what I enjoy. I’m still rubbish and learning as I go but it’s all good fun! I’ve just build a new World of Ward rotary divider module so I’ll post about that when I get chance.

Chris

raynerd · « **Reply #42 on:** November 26, 2023, 05:10:12 PM »

I decided to go ahead with the CNC machine to cut the flat stock parts. So whilst I was on the machine I drew up quite a few and got them all done. I used v-carve to draw the parts which took a long time for me - probably others would have done this much faster. Many of the holes are cut for location and I’ll cut these to size later. I ended up doing the pendulum support brackets, quadrantal plate, back cock and bearing cocks.
I’ll move to working on the bearing cocks next, turn the bearing bushes and make some of the arbours. Quite a bit to do to make the next instalment I expect. Thanks for watching:

i=jrvYx0tgpzpSxit2

philf · « **Reply #43 on:** November 26, 2023, 05:42:13 PM »

When did you get that CNC Chris?

I use Vectric Cut 2D for parts like that - drawn first in 2d in Autocad.

Did you leave a small (0.1 or 0.2mm) cut to finish the edges? Cut 2D lets you leave whatever you like for a final cut. You tend to get a really nice finish with a climb-cut clean-up cut.

raynerd · « **Reply #44 on:** November 28, 2023, 12:52:47 PM »

Hi Phil

No - that would be an excellent plan. I’ll check but I'm not sure how I’d do that in v-carve other than generate separate vectors to follow and account for the finishing cut in the measurements.

What cutter do you use on brass. I’ve realised that picking the appropriate cutter is more than half the battle. I used a single cut 4mm cutter for most of the work and it ended up with a half decent finish but it will need hand polishing. The finish is better than I expected. It’s quite a big CNC machine and didn’t expect it to cut as well as it did. Most of the work I’ve been doing on it was plastic over covid. We purchased it then when my wife was struggling with her work and it paid off at the time. Now it’s just another tool in my workshop. Although in a small workshop it does take up a lot of space but I wouldn’t be without it. Are you still using the converted machine / was it a pantograph? I knew it blew me away when you used it to cut those wheel cutter profiles!

For anyone who has built this clock, @smiffy or anyone else. Have you any pictures of the back of this clock, the pendulum assembly and back cock, crutch? I appreciate it’ll be against the wall but any pics would be really helpful even at an angle if it is against the wall and you can’t get directly behind it.

Thanks a lot
Chris

philf · « **Reply #45 on:** November 28, 2023, 02:40:00 PM »

Hi Chris,

In Cut 2D there's an Allowance Offset setting which will leave whatever you enter for a final cut. Or there is a Do A Separate Last Pass setting which does more or less the same thing but (bizarrely) doesn't work with lead-ins and lead-outs. (I queried this with Vectric and they did try to explain why but I couldn't for the life of me understand their reasoning.)

The lead-ins and outs mean that you don't get a witness mark where the tool plunges into the work.

So I leave an Allowance Offset of say 0.1 or 0.2mm and then do another toolpath with zero Allowance Offset.

With free cutting brass you may ne better with straight fluted cutters. I haven't got any except for woodworking router cutters.

Yes - I'm still using the converted pantograph engraver. I'll be doing some engraving of badges and trophies for our cycling club in the next week or so. Over the years I've saved them £100s.

Phil.

smiffy · « **Reply #46 on:** November 29, 2023, 03:07:08 PM »

A few pictures of my Wildings turret clock

raynerd · « **Reply #47 on:** December 03, 2023, 07:28:39 PM »

Thank you so much for the pictures! Really helpful.

Another question for you. Is the lantern pinion on the 2nd wheel arbor fixed on with loctite. I presume so as I can’t see how else it’s attached and I’ve read the book countless times. I’m certain it must say it somewhere but I’m missing it!
Chris

raynerd · « **Reply #48 on:** December 08, 2023, 07:50:38 AM »

Afternoon all, I’ve just been working on the lantern pinion and 2nd arbor:

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Author Topic: Building Wildings Tower Clock (Read 46269 times)