Another Paddleducks build log

[spuddevans]

Today's update:

I started on shaping the crossheads. I used a plunge-cutting-rounding-over mini-router bit from my dremel-clone to shape it.



Then after centering it I cut it down both sides and the middle.



Then the other one, and then I marked them both up for milling.



Mounted in the vice on some parallels and cut down both sides of the fork.





Then I milled out the centre of the fork, opened out one hole from 3mm to 4mm, and then rounded off some edges and then spent a fair bit of time in smoothing out with 360, 600, and then 1000 grit wet-n-dry, and then re-reamed the deep 4mm holes for the crosshead rods and tapped the M3 hole.





And here it is next to the unmilled crosshead block.





As you can see on the unmilled crosshead, I've drilled 2 6mm holes in order to get a nice curve profile between the upright guide portion and the fork part.

I had been toying with the idea of milling a couple of, say 2mm slots to expose part of the crosshead-rods, but I didnt have a 2mm or smaller cutter and I wasnt sure if it would negatively effect the crossheads themselves.

That's all that I was able to get done today, the shaping took a little longer than I thought, but I didnt want to rush at it as it would be a real bummer to mess up on one of these crossheads. I'll work on the 2nd crosshead over the weekend.


Tim

[sbwhart]

Lovely job Tim

Good use of that dremel router 
 



Have fun

Stew

[CrewCab]

Nice going Tim, really enjoying your exploits 

How did you go on using the router cutter, I know John (BS) is a fan, and to be fair on brass and ally I can't see a problem; must get round to giving it a try .......... Oh well at least I can get in the workshop now, things are looking up 

Looking forward to your further adventures  you put it over well and it makes enjoyable reading, thanks   

CC

[spuddevans]

How did you go on using the router cutter, I know John (BS) is a fan, and to be fair on brass and ally I can't see a problem; must get round to giving it a try ..........

I found them just great to use. they are quite small, 3.2mm shanks and from 3-9mm in diameter. I ran the plunge-rounding-over bit at about 2000rpm ( I say "about" because I dont have a tach' on my mill )

I took cuts of about 0.5-1mm per pass. It cut very easily. Actually this is the first time I've ever used this mini-router bit set, I've had it for about 8 years !! I think it cost about a fiver for 10 HSS cutters. I reccomend everyone to pick a set up, they cut great on the softer metals 

Looking forward to your further adventures  you put it over well and it makes enjoyable reading, thanks   

Thanks CC, I'm enjoying these adventures too 


Tim

[CrewCab]

I say "about" because I dont have a tach' on my mill

Neither do I, so I bought one of these

for the money they are pretty good, you need to practice a bit and learn when the readings are "a bit off" ........... but I find it a useful tool for little cost 

CC

[Darren]

Nice demo on the crossheads, you're really flying with this build...

You must be spending every spare moment....

[spuddevans]

Neither do I, so I bought one of these

for the money they are pretty good, you need to practice a bit and learn when the readings are "a bit off" ........... but I find it a useful tool for little cost 

I have one of those, I just havent got to grips with using it, I select a spindle speed based on how it sounds when cutting and how small the cutting tool diameter is, the smaller the faster.

You must be spending every spare moment....

Pretty much every spare moment, I've had a slack week regarding my secular work ( clear wall maintainence engineering) and so have had a good run.

At the moment I'm trying to resurrect an older laptop to perhaps form the controller for a CNC conversion for my X2 mill that I plan for later on in the year (or next year, depending on how the other projects stack up ). I'm just gathering the various bits and pieces at the moment as I see them on offer.

I hope to get some time in the workshop this afternoon to work on the 2nd crosshead's shaping.


Thanks for the encouragement guys, and for following my efforts in crafting hacking smaller lumps of metal out of somewhat larger lumps of metal.


Tim

[bogstandard]

Tim,

The crossheads are the most complicated bits to fashion on this build. Everything else is just straight machining with a few accurate bits thrown in.

Seeing what you have done here, I don't think you will have trouble with everything else.


Bogs

[kellswaterri]

Hi Tim,

''I started on shaping the crossheads. I used a plunge-cutting-rounding-over mini-router bit from my dremel-clone to shape it.''

Regarding the above, is this router you are using originally a ''WOOD'' cutting tool and does it have a shaft size of approx. 1/4'' in diam...I ask because I have a set of routers for my Bosch machine and have often thought of trying them on the softer non ferrus stuff.
All the best for now,
                            John.       

[spuddevans]

Hi Tim,

''I started on shaping the crossheads. I used a plunge-cutting-rounding-over mini-router bit from my dremel-clone to shape it.''

Regarding the above, is this router you are using originally a ''WOOD'' cutting tool and does it have a shaft size of approx. 1/4'' in diam...I ask because I have a set of routers for my Bosch machine and have often thought of trying them on the softer non ferrus stuff.
All the best for now,
                            John.       

Hi John, actually mine are 3.2mm shank ( about 1/8" ) shank, but they are originally designed for "Wood". They are HSS router bits. Your 1/4" router bits should work on non-ferrous metals like brass and ali'. Try them and see, take light cuts and see what the finish is and how the cutting sounds. On smaller diameter cutters make sure you are using a high speed.


Tim

[bogstandard]

John,

I have been using the larger tungsten router bits for a while now, and I can verify that if you can get the speed up with a fine feed, they do cut rather well. I would use a lube with them though, the cutter profile isn't the same as you get with normal metal cutting bits, and so the swarf can't be cleared as fast, the lube will help prevent the swarf sticking to the cutter.

I am looking at using them as profile cutters on the lathe as well. I have yet to do any longer trials, but initially it looked very promising.

John

[spuddevans]

This afternoon I got started on the 2nd crosshead. It is amazing how much quicker you can make a part when you know what you are doing ( well I sort of know what I'm doing  ) This one went quickly and I managed to get a bit better finish of the tool on this one.

Here's the 2 finished crossheads.



Now, the observant of you may have noticed that when I made both the top-caps and the packing glands, I didnt drill them for mounting holes. Well after I finished the crossheads, and feeling a little left out of the whole "I-made-a-jig-to-drill-these-parts" party, I made a jig to help drill these parts. 



The idea is to drill one hole through the relevent top plate or packing gland, insert brass pin into newly drilled hole and release vice and rotate 90degrees, retighten the vice, drill again, and then from then on just take out the pin, rotate the topcap 90 degrees insert pin again and drill.





The jig made it very quick to drill the holes in alignment. The jig didnt take long to make, the centering of the square block of ali' in the 4jaw took the longest.


So here is a pic of all the parts I've made so far.


As you can see, the topcaps are a little rough looking, so I may remake them at some later stage.


Tim

[bogstandard]

Nice one Tim,

You have discovered the time honoured way of easy indexing, using the adjacent hole as the jig. This method works perfectly for straight bar as well, if you have to have many equi spaced holes along it.

You're flying along on this build.

John

[CrewCab]

Looking good Tim, I'd get it running then worry about "bling"  ................... but that's just my opinion, it's your engine 

Nice work 

CC

[spuddevans]

Looking good Tim, I'd get it running then worry about "bling" 

I hadn't thought I was "blinging" it yet  I've just been trying to get a nice finish on the parts as I make them.

I do have some "Bling" plans for it when it is built and running though 

Tim

[CrewCab]

Steel is always more difficult to get a nice finish on, would they work in aluminium, that would also give you the contrast but easier to polish ................. just a thought 

CC

[Darren]

Steel is always more difficult to get a nice finish on,
CC

I'm glad you said that Steve, I was begining to think it was just me   Some steels do seem better than others though....

Sorry Tim, I'm leading it  

[spuddevans]

Steel is always more difficult to get a nice finish on, would they work in aluminium, that would also give you the contrast but easier to polish ................. just a thought 

CC

I think the problem is with the junk piece of some unknown variety of steel that I used to make the topcaps from. The 2nd one was much more consistant to cut, but the 1st one was a real swine. There was like little bands of really really hard stuff, so hard that while just taking a cut of about half the width of a gnat's hair the unknown steel just chamfered my sharpened and honed Hss tool, and after re-sharpening the tool the steel just laughed and did the very same again.
It's funny that the second topcap turned from the very same steel bar cut much easier with no tough spots or blunting of toolsteel. Maybe I'll try and make another and hope that the steel is kinder to work with.

If that doesn't work I'll probably make them out of brass, although when ( or if ) my blinging is done either brass or steel would do for achiving what I have in mind.

Sorry Tim, I'm leading it 

Makes a refreshing change from me leading it  myself 


Tim

[bogstandard]

I think you have got the wrong end of the stick when it comes to blinging bits of scrap.

If you think my bits come off the lathe all nice and shiny, you would be a long way from the truth.

It takes longer usually to polish a part than to make it. Files, emery cloth, wet and dry, plus loads of finger aching flatting and elbow grease, and that is just to get it to looking almost nice. Every machining mark has to be removed and the surface got to a flat satin like sheen before you can proceed any further and start to polish. Otherwise you just end up with what looks like a bit of polished up scrap.

So don't think that getting a good finish by machining is the hard part, it is nice to get a good finish, but that is only the first bit.

The little wobble engine I have just blinged up could easily have been finished in a day. It took me another four days smoothing and shaping to get to the finished product.


Bogs

[CrewCab]

I'm glad you said that Steve,

Who's Steve 

CC 

[spuddevans]

It takes longer usually to polish a part than to make it. Files, emery cloth, wet and dry, plus loads of finger aching flatting and elbow grease, and that is just to get it to looking almost nice. Every machining mark has to be removed and the surface got to a flat satin like sheen before you can proceed any further and start to polish. Otherwise you just end up with what looks like a bit of polished up scrap.

So don't think that getting a good finish by machining is the hard part, it is nice to get a good finish, but that is only the first bit.

That's what I thought Blinging was.  

I fully expect to spend a long time carefully sanding and buffing after I have got it running.  What I'm endevouring to do at the moment is to get just a relatively decent looking finish as I make each part, I know that I'll be doing it all again when it comes to the "Blinging" of the build, but it gives me a great sense of achievement to spend a little time removing the worse of the machining marks.


Tim

[bogstandard]

Tim,

Flat surfaces and flatting and rounding sticks are what you should be using, fingers are no good, they distort the surfaces too much.

Here is the finished blinged up engine of mine. A little different to what you are making, but still basically the same engine.





Maybe a little over the top, but it does show what a few changes can make to the overall look of the engine.

Get yours running first, then strip it down and do all the shiny bits afterwards. Then you know you are not wasting your time.


John

[spuddevans]

Flat surfaces and flatting and rounding sticks are what you should be using, fingers are no good, they distort the surfaces too much.

That is very true, I've found that putting a sheet of wet+dry on my granite plate to be a good means to flatten and polish up flat and even convex shapes, and using different sizes of drill shank ( not the cutting end, the smooth round end ) for concave shapes to be good too.

Your blinged up engines look really nice, it looks like you have milled out a seperation between the 2 cylinders, square on one and rounded on the other?

Tim

[bogstandard]

It is rounded on both Tim, and then I recessed the sides to take a little bit of colour.

But that shaping wasn't done until I knew the engine would run. Why waste time and effort on a none runner.


John

[CrewCab]

All Hail ..........  King of Bling



   CC