Monitor Steam Engine

[b.lindsey]

Zee, get you a pair of these and keep them in your toolbox. No more wrath...in fact T might want a pair of her own.

www.PockeTweez.com

Bill

[mklotz]

hm...rod that goes in the side to help turn the die,

Often called "tommy bar(s)"

 and I want to knurl the body.
I haven't checked if my knurler will go to that size.

If you're grasping it when it grabs, you might not be so enthused about knurling.

I marked my text to display in red but apparently it didn't work.  I don't understand why that failed.

[crueby]

I realized the other night that I don't have a die holder for the 1/2-40. It's 1 1/2" diameter and my die holder takes 13/16 or 1". So I sacrificed the spare stock I had in case a cylinder went bad (which could still happen)...

Better keep the 2 cylinders out of the sun, dont want them to go bad....

[Tennessee Whiskey]

Alright now,  you're getting in the spirit,  making tools to help with the build  . There may be hope yet.  Marv,  sorry,  I forgot the accent on the  "fi"  If I were being graded or was in the boardroom,  I would have most certainly used "finale " , Just typing how Cletus would say it,  however,  by you noticing,  it shows you still care  . It does appear that the series has helped rescue the poor aristocratic family that was endowed the estate now know on the telly.  PBS did a great "behind the scenes " of the estate's history and how it's been interwoven into the series . See,  y'all thought that I thought it was "foo-foo" , I don't,  however,  quality time I don't call it: just watching TV is what I call it.  So OK Mr.  Wizard,  what's the next part? BTW, after all indecision,  banter,  and BS, all off the pieces look really nice, just saying.

Cletus

[zeeprogrammer]

Thanks Bill. I like those tweezers. Maybe get two and give one to T for Valentine's day. (We don't do flowers and chocos here.) I am a fortunate soul.

Thanks Marv. 'tommy bar' came to mind (I remember us talking about them before) but I wasn't sure it applied here. To your point, I can always knurl later if I think it would help.

Better keep the 2 cylinders out of the sun, dont want them to go bad....

Not a problem. I'm in the basement. And generally in the dark anyway.

Thanks Eric. At least that part that says "look really nice" 

I made a decision! Just now! I decided to have another 'stinking hoppie'. It's Friday!!!
Oh! And another decision! I decided that after that one I'll decide whether to have another. 

[Tennessee Whiskey]

Now see,  that sounds like a good country song  . So,  just wondering,  when is the  next actual machining episode?   :shrug:I will need to bake cookies.


Cletus

[mklotz]

To your point, I can always knurl later if I think it would help.

I prefer fluting to knurling but that's me.  If you do knurl, take a light cut over the finished knurl to knock the sharp points off the little pyramids you've formed.  Your hands will thank you. 

Sharp knurling is fine for something one handles infrequently and gently, eg, a micrometer barrel, but can get really annoying on larger items.  Knurls on die stocks or large tap wrenches are particularly annoying for me.  You'll note that quality ratchet wrenches almost never have knurling on the handles (and if they do, they're not "quality" in my perception).

[zeeprogrammer]

Marv...32nd degree curmudgeon is an astounding achievement!
Granted, I may not have met 1st degree in your eyes...but I'm being measured by my family. 
And to some extent...a curmudgeon is a curmudgeon in many peoples minds. Nyah.

Eric...what? Are you poking at me? You're one to talk. 

So here's the die holder...

I squared the rotary to the spindle and then used the edge finder to come in the (my) desired distance...



I used a trick I saw in a past thread to find the point close enough to center...



Drilled and tapped. Note the machinist jack. A tool I made when I first started learning!!!  Nyah.



And done, sans knurling. Which I'll wait and see. It shows the 'tommy bar' in place and the die holder holder?



Isn't it amazing how you when you repeat things, you get better?
I wish that were always true. At least T does. 

Yeah you guessed it. I'm taking a run at the cylinder glands.

[crueby]

Yup  must be a geezer. Took the 32nd degree comment from other thread to confuse the others here!   

On my die holders, I made holes for the tommy bars (sounds like someplace a cat would drink) every 45 degrees around so I could hold the chuck and turn the die for finer control. Just a preference thing. 6 one, 13 the other...!

[zeeprogrammer]

Yup  must be a geezer. Took the 32nd degree comment from other thread to confuse the others here!   

 

On my die holders, I made holes for the tommy bars (sounds like someplace a cat would drink) every 45 degrees around so I could hold the chuck and turn the die for finer control.

Good point. I went by the purchased die holder I have. Actually...have not had to use the tommy bar on that.

[Don1966]

Well we actually have some progress and a good job of it too Zee. Nice work buddy and are you going to knurl or flute it?

 

Don

[b.lindsey]

Nice job on the die holder Zee. don't think it will need the knurls unless you just want to add them. The tommy bar is much better for leverage. Another nice too to add to the box. Good looking jack too, I don't remember seeing it before.


Bill

[zeeprogrammer]

Thanks Don and Bill.

I'm not going to knurl or flute it at this point. I suspect I don't need to do anything. We'll see.

Bill...the jack is from when was I first starting this hobby...4 years now? Maybe 5. T got stationed in Brussels for a year so it was an opportune time to think about a hobby.
I've talked about this before. One of my fears is my Uncle Ernest. Sitting on the front porch watching the world go by...waiting to die. I made lists of all my interests and looked for the common denominator. Machining dropped out. Looking back at my life...it totally made sense.
You all understand the joy of making something with your own hands and having the ability and equipment to solve those everyday problems that crop up.



I got that book and made some of the projects.
The jacks...which, at the time, was scary because it involved steel. I've used them...but seldom.
The machinist clamp...also steel but scarier still...I had to blacken it by heating and putting into oil. I've used on occasion. I'm fairly proud of that one.
The hammer...I use all the time to release the collets and chuck in the mill. Not a good job...but it's my favorite memory.
I also did the triangular part (not shown, discarded as useless for me)...and you may recall, that resulted in two holes drilled into my mill table. 

I found the book really helpful and it got me pretty excited into this hobby. It has a few typos in the tables in the back of the book.
You'll note the cover has a picture of a Sherline.

Most helpful has been the support and encouragement from you lot.

After, or during that time, I joined the 'previous' forum and met many of you. That's resulted in some good friendships and a lot of fun.

My first engine was the PM Research Model #2.

I caught a lot of flak from several of you (especially Marv  ) in starting my first engine with a casting.
But I'd also gotten a how-to video for that model and managed to get it running. (If I recall...I had to order two more sets  due to 'learnings'. I hadn't known I could just order the individual parts I'd ruined.)

So that's part of the story. And now I'm stuck with you all. 

As they say back home...it could be worse.

Ah. Almost forgot. I have a decision to make. You can guess what it is. 

[Don1966]

Zee, no matter how small or large a project you make is a step towards the goal you seek. You should be elated at what you have achieved. The biggest mistake you could of make is not trying. If you don't try then you will never know your limitations. There are those whose sit on the sideline and say "I wish I could do that." Those are the ones who will never be able to, because wishing gets you nothing. No matter what it looks like and no matter how bad it may seem, it's a start and that's all that counts. We can always do better as we learn and set our goals higher. I commend you my friend for all your efforts and banter.

 
Don

[b.lindsey]

And BTW, your work shows your efforts too.

Bill