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  1. #16
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
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    Far West Wimmera
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    63
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jekyll and Hyde View Post
    I especially like the second last photo in the first post, that demonstrates how carefully the number of bolts and their tension has been selected in order to allow the perfect amount of float in the axial alignment of the drive coupling.... Must have taken hours and hours to get that adjustment just so.
    You noticed that too. It was a special piece of engineering.

    how carefully the number of bolts
    Spot on. Unbelievable amount of calculation required here, also balanced by

    their tension
    which in some cases was calculated to be very low to acheive the required result.

    This process was of course made much more complicated by the fact that tha plate the pump is attached (is that the right word) to had to have a large bend put in it. I think the pump mounting is some kind of floating arrangement. Very clever. Beyond my understanding. Actually everything I see about the "engineer extraordinaire" who made this is beyond my understanding.

    The same care was taken in placing the bolts used in the beam clamping for the knife slide. I did not get a shot that shows them properly, but their positions show exceptional care in calculating the clamping pressures required. No simple straight lines here. The knife picture shows a side on view, but to get a proper appreciation you need to see the bolt pattern face on.

    Dean

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    moonbi nsw Aus
    Age
    69
    Posts
    364

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    Dean I hope you are going to give this master piece a coat of paint.....how much can a coat of paint disguise? Who knows the paint may make it look.....
    Just do it!

    Kind regards Rod

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Oatley NSW
    Age
    69
    Posts
    257

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    I don't think there is enough paint in the world to make it look good.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
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    Far West Wimmera
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    63
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    Quote Originally Posted by chambezio View Post
    Dean I hope you are going to give this master piece a coat of paint.....how much can a coat of paint disguise? Who knows the paint may make it look.....
    Me? No! Its not my problem. I will just get asked to get it going if it has problems as it is used by SWMBO's friend who has just managed to get rid of the engineer (hubby) who built it, at long last and won't want him near the place in case he takes root again.

    I have enough problems with my own splitter. I have discovered that the hydraulic fill / dip tube which is about 350mm high has developed cracks around the weld. It is welded to an LPG cylinder (18kg?) which is sitting horizontal. As the tube is welded to the now top edge of the cylinder and the oil is less than half way it does not leak oil except for a tiny bit that must splash up somehow. Obviously the tube has been vibrating too much for many years. I had a lot of trouble trying to weld it originally. It just kept burning holes. That was before I had a mig and I am hoping it will be easier this time.

    My splitter did get a coat of paint when I built it. Heritage green I think it is. I have some other structural improvements to make at some time and it will get a fresh coat then, maybe, if I have some paint. Maybe I can do it in Dance Studio Blue. (Shaper).

    Keith has the right idea.

    Dean

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Oatley NSW
    Age
    69
    Posts
    257

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    I too am having some problems in sorting out some hydraulic problems.
    In a job I have on I am trying to switch a hydraulic line on a swaging machine using a two position three port valve with a roller actuator at 700bar, problem is a valve at this rating and getting the spooling right. Next few days will be rigging up a trial before main build starts.
    Job before that was a Punch Machine to bend a 4mm tab down and convex in shape on a rail, 30 ton ram traveling 35mm, all custom made. Here is a picture in the building stage and finished stage at customers.

    Keith_W.c.jpgPunch.jpg

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    NSW
    Posts
    537

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    That's the thing splitting big blocks can be dangerous and that machine could just blow apart at some point in the design . Not very safe to use but seems to have done a lot of work . If you could get it for nothing and use some of the basic parts it would be possible to build a good functioning machine but the ram would need rebuilding inside and possibly the motor is worn also . Probably not worth the hassle .
    The volume of a pizza of thickness 'a' and radius 'z' is given by pi z z a.

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Far West Wimmera
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    63
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    Which bits were you thinking of retaining? The towing drawbar looks to be in good shape, but I would not trust the coupling. The left wheel from behind is angled so the axle is bent. Tyres are total mismatch. The mast looks like a new bit of H section and is reasonably solid.

    I started doing some work on my splitter yesterday. I want to strengthen the mast to prevent it twisting. It is 250mm I beam with 6mm flanges and probably 5mm web. Not really thick enough. I had a lot less experience when I built it and this bit was the only piece I could find at the steel merchants. They wouldn't supply cut lengths at that size. Some years ago a mate suggested boxing the top and adding some bracing to stop the twist. I did this. The bracing is 100mm x 6mm plate about 1800mm long. As soon as I used the splitter after this I realised I had put the braces on the wrong way around. Yesterday I cut these off. My intention is to add some 75mm x 55mm (cut to size) x 700mm angle to the inside of the mast where the knife slides. This will need a 6mm strip between it and the web to clear the radius of the I beam. All welded in securely. I will then box the ends of this length in with 8mm plate then put the bracing pieces back on, the right way around.

    Dean

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Emerald Central Qld
    Posts
    349

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    Easy to be critical , I have seen both the overly neat exquisit designs and a pile of steel held together with chicken poo .

    However the all seemed to work .
    I do agree that some of it could have been done better , however some of the hidden gems produced by necessity have lasted for years , even if the safety guru's would freak when they saw them.

    Michael

  9. #24
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    Jan 2011
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    Far West Wimmera
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    63
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike4 View Post
    Easy to be critical , I have seen both the overly neat exquisit designs and a pile of steel held together with chicken poo .

    However the all seemed to work .
    I do agree that some of it could have been done better , however some of the hidden gems produced by necessity have lasted for years , even if the safety guru's would freak when they saw them.

    Michael
    Have you actually looked at the pictures? This total piece of junk is missing even the chicken poo. It is a total piece of %#!*. I know the guy who built it, much to my dismay. He is the sort of person you don't want to be near. He is slimy, sleazy and anything else you want to mention. On a disabled pension, works full time and cuts firewood as well. We got an old quad bike from him. It had no brakes at all and he fitted useless bald tyres on little car wheels that had a slightly bigger hole pattern than the bike. No problem he had a hammer. The worst thing was our 15yr old grandson was coming for a week. Great this guy said, he can ride the bike around. I also got a tractor off him. The diff lock was locked on so it did not like turning corners. He said it was the right brake jamming. He hasn't got a clue.

    Nope. No matter how bad it seems, the reality is really much worse.

    Dean

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Emerald Central Qld
    Posts
    349

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    Point taken.
    Michael

  11. #26
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    Jan 2011
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    Far West Wimmera
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike4 View Post
    Point taken.
    Michael
    Ha ha. Sorry, but he tends to get me like that. SWMBO is a good friend of his now ex-wife and I was constantly regaled with stories of the latest stupid thing he had done. Several times he pinched the battery out of her car because his was flat, and disappeared without telling her that she no longer had transport to travel 125km to an essential appointment.

    Now he has moved out there is a lot more peace and quiet from that department. I would guess he is a Sociopath. Does not care about the consequences of his actions to other people.

    One picture to look at is the hydraulic pump and mount. Yes it is missing bolts and yes the bolts are not done up tight. In post 6 is a picture which shows a socket extension with some heavy baling twine type cord which is rather frayed. This is the starting rope he left for his ex-wife to start the thing.

    I could go on all day. I will resist.

    One parting shot. He rang one of his 3 daughters for her birthday. Not my birthday dad. He rang the next one. Not my birthday dad. Funny thing that. They are twins.

    Dean

  12. #27
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    Sep 2011
    Location
    Emerald Central Qld
    Posts
    349

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    You can't fix STUPID !!!!!.

    But unfortunately they breed

    Michael

  13. #28
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    Jan 2011
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    A couple of days ago I visited the home of this splitter. SWMBO had to feed the cats for her friend so I drove her around there. The first thing I noticed was the small creek running down the driveway. The driveway is the section between the shed and the road although it would be hard to tell otherwise. I wanted to have a look to see how much of "his" junk he had removed since he had moved out. Not much. Only the stuff he has needed. There is a small fortune of power tools lying around. Maybe 10 angle grinders. I picked up a Metabo 9" as it was laying on the wet (not damp) ground. I found the source of the creek. Lots of people would love this setup. A creek running thru the back of the shed, filling a section without concrete and then meandering on thru the front section and down the drive. I could hear the tinkle of water in the shed as it worked its way under the back wall. There is an old race car sitting in the filled section. Sort of a water feature I guess. Big long tangled extension cord laying all over with some loops lying in puddles of water. It was under shelter tho so it is alright. I did check that the power was turned off just in case.

    Dean

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Charlestown NSW
    Age
    65
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    1,669

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    Gentlemen.
    I do believe you are all looking at this incorrectly. The constructor of this edifice is obviously an aspiring sculptor who is working in the pre cnc, post war industrial rugged look area. Hasn't quite made it to Steam Punk.
    With the correct marketing and in the right areas of Sydney, Melbourne or Cantberra, the arty farty brigade would go weak at the knees when presented with this. There could even be spilt coffee latte's in the scramble to get their platinum credid cards out to buy it.
    It is obviously worthy of a place in a prime location in the foyer of a major art Gallery.

    peter

  15. #30
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    Jan 2011
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    I cannot deny the possiblity of your vision. I can tell you that he is certainly an artist, but usually the preceeding terms are something along the lines of "BS" or "con". Perhaps everyone just doesn't understand him. I know I don't. I have no desire to either.

    I mentioned moving an angle grinder to get it off the wet ground in a previous post. A couple of days ago I had another look at his water feature and noticed running water flowing over the spot the grinder had been laying. The water feature had grown considerably. It was quite a stretch to get into the shed over it. Anyone building a shed should give this idea some thought.

    Dean

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