Building The Steven's Favorite

[TomG]

It's not the most exciting project, but I got started on the cat heads tonight. Got 'em rough turned and parted off. The steel I grabbed turned out to be medium carbon so it took a bit longer than expected to whittle them out. Next they get counter-bored to fit the nose and the outboard end of the spindle. The one for the nose also gets a taper and key to mate to the Hardinge spindle nose. Each head then gets four 5/16" set screws to hold the barrel and the outboard one gets three more to mount it to the spindle.

The rest will have to wait because small game season just opened and I'm heading up north with my wife and the dogs to hunt grouse.

Tom

[DaveH]

(09-13-2012, 08:04 PM)TomG Wrote: The rest will have to wait because small game season just opened and I'm heading up north with my wife and the dogs to hunt grouse.

Tom

Tom,
Have an enjoyable trip and time up north, and a safe return to you all.

DaveH

[EdK]

Hi Tom,

I was just designing an outboard cat eye for my lathe during a slow time at work today. I'm thinking of making it out of aluminum if I don't have any steel large enough. Do you think aluminum will work in that application?

Oh, and good luck grouse hunting.

Thanks,
Ed

[TomG]

(09-14-2012, 03:44 PM)EdK Wrote: Hi Tom,

I was just designing an outboard cat eye for my lathe during a slow time at work today. I'm thinking of making it out of aluminum if I don't have any steel large enough. Do you think aluminum will work in that application?

Oh, and good luck grouse hunting.

Thanks,
Ed

Hey Ed,

Aluminum should work fine for occasional use, but if you plan on using it a lot I'd opt for steel. One thing you could do to toughen up an aluminum version is to Heli-coil the set screw holes.

Tom

[EdK]

(09-14-2012, 08:17 PM)TomG Wrote:

(09-14-2012, 03:44 PM)EdK Wrote: Hi Tom,

I was just designing an outboard cat eye for my lathe during a slow time at work today. I'm thinking of making it out of aluminum if I don't have any steel large enough. Do you think aluminum will work in that application?

Oh, and good luck grouse hunting.

Thanks,
Ed

Hey Ed,

Aluminum should work fine for occasional use, but if you plan on using it a lot I'd opt for steel. One thing you could do to toughen up an aluminum version is to Heli-coil the set screw holes.

Tom

Excellent suggestion Tom!

OK, I just went and checked. I do have some steel large enough so steel it will be. That's going to be a lot of boring in steel. I think the largest drill bit I have is 3/4" and I need to bore it out to 1.57" IIRC.

Ed

[Rickabilly]

Hello Ed,

You might have a spindle bore of 1.57" but you unless you are intending to use it with that diameter stock I would design it to suit a 1.57" inch bore and then only bore it to the biggest size that I would be likely to use at the moment, that way if a big job turns up you can always bore it out to suit, but won't be wasting the time if that job never turns up.

Just my 2 pennies worth.

Regards
Rick

[EdK]

That's a good idea Rick. I think I can get away with a 3/4" bore on it for now.

Ed

[TomG]

I had an hour to kill in the shop tonight so I bored the taper in the spindle cat head. The compound was set to the correct taper by indicating the spindle nose for a perfect match to the 8º included angle. It still needs a locking pin and a hole for the spanner to remove it from the spindle.

Tom

[Mayhem]

I had the pleasure of seeing this project in person yesterday and I must say that the pictures don't do it justice. The Chevelle isn't bad either

[TomG]

Thanks Darren, we enjoyed your visit!

Tom