Chris's Marion 91 Steam Shovel

[crueby]

Lots of cranking later, the hinge slots on the first side of each part is done, and I am halfway through the double ones on the second side of each part. Another day or so should see the slots complete, then can mill off the wider areas at the ends. I am glad that these hinges dont run all the way across the tracks like the Lombard ones did, that would double the number of slots.

[Johnmcc69]

 
 Excellent work Chris.

 
John

[Tennessee Whiskey]

I can’t help it but all I can think of is:

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GhnV-6lqH8" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GhnV-6lqH8</a>

Whiskey

[crueby]

 Excellent work Chris.

 
John

Thanks John!

[crueby]

I can’t help it but all I can think of is:

[youtube1]https://youtu.be/5GhnV-6lqH8[/youtube1]

Whiskey

That is great! Great song, and seems so appropriate - first got me a bucket, then a crowd engine valve....
 

[crueby]

One piece at a time....

The last of the track segments has had the hinge slots milled in, after lunch I can start cutting the wide areas off the sides of the hinge sections...



Oh, and those two parts on the table in front of the bin are the botched ones...

[Ye-Ole Steam Dude]

Hi Chris,

That pile has to look real good to you now, all that work completed.

Have a great day,
Thomas

[crueby]

Hi Chris,

That pile has to look real good to you now, all that work completed.

Have a great day,
Thomas

Sure does! That is the last of the heavy milling, the cuts get lighter from here out.
 

[crueby]

Burp...  Good lunch!
This afternoon started on the wide areas at the side - with the part held vertical, set up to take off the wide area at the side of the hinge fingers using a number of passes. Then flipped the part over and did the same on the other end along the same end. The second side will need less off the end, so that will be a different setup after all the first sides are done.

Here is the first part test fit against another:

[crueby]

I've been cranking away (  ) on the ends of the hinge sections the last couple days, between some times outside enjoying the nice weather. One thing I decided was that the work was going too slow, with the parts held vertical and taking slices at them to take out the end sections - needed to take too many thin slices. I did a test, and found that if I laid the parts down horizontal again, and just used the side of the end mill rather than the side and end, I could take a much more aggressive cut and remove a lot more material per pass, meaning a lot fewer passes. It will require putting the parts up vertical again to square up the inside corner, but that can be done in a single pass so it will go fast. In the long run, this will take a lot less time.

Also, the Loc-Line clones showed up today - rather than the name brand ones, I found a bundle of 8 on Amazon for the same price that included 4 with a cone end and 4 with a fan end, and a shutoff valve at the other end of each one. For blowing out chips with air, the cone ones seem to do a better job than the fan ones. They hold position very well, and are working nicely with air from a high volume aquarium/hydroponics pump - could also be run from a compressor, but mine has a small tank and it cycles a lot for this use, the little air pump is a lot quieter and takes up less space in the shop. Below is a shot of them in use - I put two onto a one-to-four manifold that I had (stock item for air lines, I use it at shows, has the same NPT threads). The manifold is heavy enough to stay in place on the bench, with the nozzles positioned to blow the chops out of the cavity on the jig, so I dont need to spend time brushing or vacuuming them out between parts - the air nozzles just blow them a couple inches, not enough to be a hazard, just enough to get them out of the way.

As you can see, hogging out these end sections generates a lot of chips, am stopping every 10 or so to vacuum them up to keep the piles under control. I have about 15 more to do, then will position the jig vertical again to square up the inside corners.

Also, I took a little time to draw up the sequence of operations in Fusion, both for my own reference use to know what to do next, and also for the article this build will probably turn into later on. I have attached a pdf of that if you are interested.

[kvom]

You also get better finish with the side flutes than the end flutes.

[crueby]

You also get better finish with the side flutes than the end flutes.

Does it matter much what diameter mill you use for side cutting? Both for finish and depth of cut? I was surprised how much deeper a pass it would do when just on the side flutes compared to having the bottom involved in the cut.

[rspringer]

Larger diameter generally leaves a better finish and are stronger.  They have a little less flexing thus allowing a deeper depth of cut per pass but must be run at a slower speed.   Of course I have never used a small mill before,  only full size Bridgeport, so your mileage may vary with less horse power.   

[kvom]

The more flutes the better the finish.  Plus with side flutes you can cut high on the tool reducing the stickout.

[crueby]

This morning I got the last of the track segments roughed in at the ends of the hinges, and started milling the inside corners square, with the jig back up vertically. This is going much better than doing the bulk removal and squaring up the corners at the same time, like I started out doing. In this shot, the far side has been milled, the near side is still rounded from the roughing in step. Since they are at different heights, they will be done in seperate steps, so I can whip through one side all with the same settings.