07-26-2012, 12:59 AM
Hello Tom,
Glad to see this thread has been split into two, I don't like horning in on someone else's, but sometimes it happens unintentionally and the original thread gets sidelined, so sorry for that. I had to go the EDM way, A. To keep one step ahead of the 'Hoodie' with the scythe, and B. My machines are too small, being desk top size. The action alone is 1/4 of the length of the mill table, so there's not enough room. I would have liked much larger machines but I haven't the space for them. When I first started I had access to a fully equipped workshop belonging to a friend. I went away for a couple of weeks and when I came back he had passed on. His distant relatives had decended like a flock of vultures and had sold the machines and workshop before I even got back home, it was like he had never existed, even his house had been sold. A great shame. Then I had no choice but buy small machines I could get into my house. (See photograph 103 on page four of my photobucket pictures for a look at my Mill).
My greatest regret is leaving this until so late in my life. I've wanted a Borchardt since my teenage years and did my initial drawings and sketches over 50 years ago. Oddly Borchardt are very rare here and I have only ever seen one, and that was just an action. That's now being rebuilt back into it's original Creedmoor configuration by the owner. The Creedmoor actions were lightened by removing a lot more metal that the standard Borchardt action, just to make the weight limit of the competition rules. I have a reasonably good set of machine drawings now, they were made by an American Draftswoman who regretably did make a lot of dimensional errors, most of which are obvious, fortunately, even before you start cutting chips.
The springs are wound close coiled and then stretched to the correct turns per inch, the little milling machine does them in seconds, it actually takes longer to stretch them than to coil them. I think my method is a little safer than winding them on a mandrel on a lathe. It's surprising how much wire is used up just making one spring, even a small one. lol.
Harry.
Glad to see this thread has been split into two, I don't like horning in on someone else's, but sometimes it happens unintentionally and the original thread gets sidelined, so sorry for that. I had to go the EDM way, A. To keep one step ahead of the 'Hoodie' with the scythe, and B. My machines are too small, being desk top size. The action alone is 1/4 of the length of the mill table, so there's not enough room. I would have liked much larger machines but I haven't the space for them. When I first started I had access to a fully equipped workshop belonging to a friend. I went away for a couple of weeks and when I came back he had passed on. His distant relatives had decended like a flock of vultures and had sold the machines and workshop before I even got back home, it was like he had never existed, even his house had been sold. A great shame. Then I had no choice but buy small machines I could get into my house. (See photograph 103 on page four of my photobucket pictures for a look at my Mill).
My greatest regret is leaving this until so late in my life. I've wanted a Borchardt since my teenage years and did my initial drawings and sketches over 50 years ago. Oddly Borchardt are very rare here and I have only ever seen one, and that was just an action. That's now being rebuilt back into it's original Creedmoor configuration by the owner. The Creedmoor actions were lightened by removing a lot more metal that the standard Borchardt action, just to make the weight limit of the competition rules. I have a reasonably good set of machine drawings now, they were made by an American Draftswoman who regretably did make a lot of dimensional errors, most of which are obvious, fortunately, even before you start cutting chips.
The springs are wound close coiled and then stretched to the correct turns per inch, the little milling machine does them in seconds, it actually takes longer to stretch them than to coil them. I think my method is a little safer than winding them on a mandrel on a lathe. It's surprising how much wire is used up just making one spring, even a small one. lol.
Harry.