The Hedley beam engine Cambridge.

[steam guy willy]

The web parts are now sawn from the bent metal ,it is 1/2" by 1/8" brass and with very accurate sawing i can get 3 bits per length, so i need to bend up 5 lengths and i might have enough to do them all. I had the idea of bending them at 8 AM this morning,jumped out of bed found the brass and the steel former, bent it up and saw it worked, had a cup of tea opend up the pooter and there was this post from Crueby !! Great minds think alike  they say........ more pics of work so far!!

[steam guy willy]

The bottom round part is now turned and glued to the bracket ready to be drilled and screwed on. The webs have to now be filed very accurately to fit each other with the minimum of gaps. the side bolting lugs also have to be turned up and attached ready for silver soldering. I have measured up the bending former,ex scrap bin, thanks Edward Hines skip !!. The inside diameter of the webs are 3.3" and the diameter of the former is 2.984". This is the first entry for my new (Cold bending ,back spring, relative tables,Brass')

[steam guy willy]

I have bolted on the top and bottom parts and have made a jig to locate the side bolting lugs in the correct place and alingment.

[steam guy willy]

The top bracket is continued ,the lugs are turned up and drilled with the archimedes drill after gluing together with loctite. The jig is used to locate the parts whilst filing the slots. The bracket is now drilled in the template and tapped ten BA to screw the lugs on prior to silver soldering all together. The webs will be fitted and soft soldered later. I use a magnet to hold the small vise in place when drilling small holes.

[sco]

Willy,

This is fascinating to see you craft the bits in the raw as it were - please keep posting the progress,

Simon.

[mike mott]

Willy I am curious as to why you used the Archimedes drill and not the drill press for the cylindrical parts?

Mike

[steam guy willy]

Willy I am curious as to why you used the Archimedes drill and not the drill press for the cylindrical parts?

Mike

Hi Mike ,the reason i use an archimedes drill is that when i am fashioning a apart in the vice and need to drill a hole accurately i can mark out where the hole should be and centre pop it,then, when you come to use the A drill you can start to drill and if the hole is not going in the right place you can pull the drill over at an angle and bring the hole into the right place. also when the part is worked on in the vice and a hole is required ,instead of transfering it to the drill press you can drill it straight away and the A drill is allmost as quick as the drill press. it also is quite slow so does not heat up. The A drill also uses spade drills that are of a more desirable form to use on brass, and, is easy to keep sharp with a diamond lap, and , the square shank holds securely  in the A drill chuck. I may put a short video showing how i use it one day

[mike mott]

Thanks for the explanation Willy, I have the same type of drill that I use sometimes, the bits I have are quite small mostly watchmaking sizes. I have made the same type of bits and they can be very useful in situations where one needs a very long reach. I would like to see a video however. Hint, hint.

Mike 

[ths]

I'd like to see a vid as well, also an explanation of the spade drill bits: do you make them, or where do you get them.? Hugh.

[steam guy willy]

I'd like to see a vid as well, also an explanation of the spade drill bits: do you make them, or where do you get them.? Hugh.

Hi Hugh pics of the Archimedes drills and the spade drills. one can get them on ebay occasionally but i get mine from the carboot sales and second hand shops....as nails !! also a car boot find , a Great Northern Rly Co item by Spagnolette and Crooke
..........I think it might be part of a portable semaphore system they used in the late C19. they used them in threes for the alphabet, but i need to do more research

[steam guy willy]

More on spade drills.........A w0oden box with numerous numbered spade drills inside,including, sewing machine needles and a compass needle included. Some of the drills have the numbers embossed on them possibly when the ends were flattend in a press........

[steam guy willy]

Back to the engine........The bottom bracket is drawn and the constructional details  added, The bracket is silver soldered to the bottom lugs that is in one piece. the middle part is then sawn away afterwards. This bracket is not bolted to the frame but sits on two pins,one at each end, and relies on gravity to stay put !!

[mike mott]

Your drawings have a refreshingly original style that reminds me of the linen ones by Robert Stephenson I looked at at the Science Museum in London many years ago, while doing some research for a boiler for the John Bull.

Mike

[steam guy willy]

The bracket outer parts have now been screwed on with brass screws and nuts and silver soldered. the screws have been removed and the webs filed up and soft soldered in position. as this is the first one it will be positioned on the inside so it won't be seen !! they will now be retained with rivets so they don't fall off when it is turned over to solder the other ones on!!

[steam guy willy]

Your drawings have a refreshingly original style that reminds me of the linen ones by Robert Stephenson I looked at at the Science Museum in London many years ago, while doing some research for a boiler for the John Bull.

Mike

Hi Mike, thanks, I learnt Technical drawing 50 years ago when in the army and these are my versions of CAD   Colour added drawings !! I have been looking at your posts and the work is looking good and very professional.....I have a mill that is allmost identical to yours exept mine is an imperial/metric machine, !! The label says The Alpine complex milling machine built i 1979 by Graham engineering co ........it has mm on the X Y axis and .002" on the Z axis and yes quite complex!!