Todays Project - What did you do today?

[EdK]

Finished the rear scale bracket for the lathe cross slide DRO. All the parts are done, I think, so I just need to assemble and adjust.

Ed

   

[DaveH]

(07-15-2014, 10:43 PM)dallen Wrote: made a bunch of chips to find this part hiding in a hunk of 2 X 4 inch 1018 cold roll
used the black cast iron on as a pattern, rod eye for the lift cylinder on a tractor front end loader. don't think mine will break as easy as the cast iron one did.

DA

Big chunks of metal can come in handy
Nice job

DaveH

[DaveH]

Ed, did you make that from solid?

DaveH

[PixMan]

Good work, Ed. It looks to be aluminum, hard to judge the size but based upon the paper towel pattern I'm guessing it's only about 1"x 2" x 1-1/2" or so. That's real short work if you'd used the 2" Walter F4041 cutter I sold you.

Say, if not going to use that, may I buy it back?

[DaveH]

Gee Ed, you have some fancy paper towels

DaveH

[EdK]

(07-19-2014, 03:27 PM)DaveH Wrote: Ed, did you make that from solid?

DaveH

Yup, didn't have any angle aluminum that thick.

Ed

[EdK]

(07-19-2014, 04:48 PM)PixMan Wrote: Good work, Ed. It looks to be aluminum, hard to judge the size but based upon the paper towel pattern I'm guessing it's only about 1"x 2" x 1-1/2" or so. That's real short work if you'd used the 2" Walter F4041 cutter I sold you.

Say, if not going to use that, may I buy it back?

Good guesses Ken. It is aluminum and the size is .734 x 1.25 x 1.375.
I thought of using the face mill but I already had the end mill set up in the mill so I used that. It sure took a long time to remove about .5" x 1.125" x 1.375" of aluminum with a 1/2" end mill taking .020" off per pass.

Sorry Ken, but no way in hell do I want to sell it. I had it set up in the mill ready to use for a project when I had to tear down the setup to do some milling for a test fixture for work. Once I get this lathe all up and running again, I'm going to return to that project. I made shields to mount on the mill vise for that project because I know the chips coming off of the cutter are going to be smoking hot and get thrown all over the place and make a big mess.

If I ever decide to get rid of that cutter, I'll let you know. Don't hold your breath.

Ed

[EdK]

(07-19-2014, 05:09 PM)DaveH Wrote: Gee Ed, you have some fancy paper towels

DaveH

Only the best, Dave.

Ed

[Micktoon]

Hi All , I have been fixing a 1980's ride on mower for an old lady I know who still uses this mower to do her lawns at the age of 83. The first problem was a rattle which turned out to be a bearing on the cutter deck blade. When I went to do the deck the front wheel was also leaning right out as she had clipped a tree stump and the box section axle has split, I then noticed that the other front wheel was wobbling all over the place once it was off the ground. So the offending bits were stripped off which left the mower half stripped as one bolt that had to come out up over to get the axle off needed the whole front engine cover grill etc to be removed then the engine itself to be loosened to raise it to get this one bolt out.
Anyway these are the bits, the axle is thin box section welded in places and had just spilt, letting the wheel flop all over.



This is the damaged side that has spit.



I then noticed the other side looked different , it looked as if its been repaired in the past for the same problem. It had been plated up to make it stronger.



I hammered the distorted area back into shape around a bit of scrap box section.



Welded up the splits , then tacked some more heavy plate around the area.



Welded up these new plates, it will not be this are that bends next time !



Note the air bubbles in the factory weld !!!!! its like an aero chocolate bar !


The wheel that was very slack on the shaft was caused due to the bronze bush being worn away to the point of falling to bits.



I had some bushes the right outside diameter but too small inside so bored them out to match the axle on the little Chester DB8 lathe, this fixed the wheel, the other one was fine so may have been replace at some time ?





Right thats the bit that had nothing wrong with it last time I saw the mower fixed now for the main job. The cutter deck has rusted through in a few places and been bodged before badly as usual, then the bearings in the shafts for the blade also eeded replacing on bpth sides.

This is the state of the tinwork and previous repairs.



This is what was left of the bearings on one side and the other was not far off this but still in oe bit. I was surprised but nothing was too seized so they replaced ok. I have just ground off all the nuts and bolts as they were rusted beyond ever coming back off and are just M8 bolts.



The plan with the cutter deck tinwork is to make do with what steel I have lying about, I have made cardboard patters and will do it in several sections from the outside so it looks decent once done, I have cut the cardboard templates out here and will then fit steel sections inbetween the central gaps then weld a strip around the whole thing like a skirt once this top section is on.

This is the cardboard templates , its worth spending a bit of time and getting these right as its easier than messing about altering the steel a few times.



Spot the difference, this is the same two sections in steel , its about 2mm thick so will be good to weld the skirt on to.



This is as far as I have got up to now so still plenty to do .
Cheers Mick.

[Hawkeye]

Nice work, Mick. When you're done, it'll do her for another 35 years.