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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Location
    Boonah Qld
    Age
    82
    Posts
    24

    Default Three major projects under way

    I have three major projects under way all at once because each depends on the other for part of the construction.

    Project 1. Milling Machine.

    I need a lathe to work on the restoration of a 1922 tractor. But to build a lathe I need a milling machine. Of course to build the mill I need a lathe and so on. So I have recovered a heap of bits from a big old industrial drill. I set this up to what I refer to as stage one of the mill. It is all constructed but in place of the quill I have set up an angle grinder. This allows me to put 12 mm plate steel in the vice on the X Y table and grind the oxy cut edges smooth and parallel for the lathe. Despite the very solid upright of the drill it is not likely to be vibration free so I have strenghtened it. I made a very heavy steel base to support the X Y table and vice. These I purchased. The rest has been free from friends including 3 very heavy 6 and 8 mm RHS 250 x 150 mm and each 2 metres long. The drill had a gearbox with it and this I will use once I can build a quill that is much stronger and with tapered bearings.

    Project 2. Lathe.

    I wanted a rather heavy lathe with an 8 inch chuck and 1.2 metre bed and a swing of 9 inches. I used some of the RHS above as the bed and legs. I bought a chuck etc. I also bought a cheap 2nd hand head stock which was cheaper than the shaft and tapered roller bearings if I was to make my own. I have the remnants of a small cheap pedestal dril with a No. 2 morse taper that I will use as a tail stock. The lathe has taken much much longer to build but less effort to design than the mill. So far I am at the test assembly stage of the bed and legs. But I want a swarf/oil tray before I can weld the legs on. The lathe bed and legs are heavy so much so the even turning them over to weld I have had to use an engine hoist. Perhaps too heavy but I have to use what steel I have been given. If I was to buy new steel it would be cheaper to buy a lathe. To build the tray I need a sheet metal press and it has to be 1.8 metres long.

    Project 3. Sheet metal Press.

    At the design and collection of bits stage. Nothing will be new except two lenghths of C section as a mould and some heavy flat mild steel as a die. The lot is being pressed by two (but hopefully) 3 hydraulic rams from porta powers that I either have or have been given. I have to build this next as I want it to build the swarf tray. That is what I am waiting on to continue with the lathe.


    I have found the designing and imagineering of these projects is great fun. Progress is slow but so far I have made no major mistakes that have caused me to have to reverse what I have done.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Location
    Boonah Qld
    Age
    82
    Posts
    24

    Default

    Yessir I knew you guys would want pictures. I always have trouble getting them small enough for these forums.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Location
    Boonah Qld
    Age
    82
    Posts
    24

    Default

    Note all the dust on the floor from the dozens, yes dozens, of angle grinder discs I went through cutting the 8mm thick steel. Milling machine photo soon. I have a plasma cutter but it wouldn't look at it and the oxy was too rough on the big bits that I couldn't get into the mill.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Location
    Boonah Qld
    Age
    82
    Posts
    24

    Default

    l finally got to take a photo of stage one of the Milling machine. The angle grinder lets me square off and clean up oxy cut plates for the lathe. Once the lathe is finished I will turn up a quill. I purchased the mill vice and the X Y table but the rest came free from friends scrap heaps. I purchased a new Chinese 2 hp electric motor for $99 plus $26 postage.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Norwood-ish, Adelaide
    Age
    59
    Posts
    6,540

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Flocar View Post
    I always have trouble getting them small enough for these forums.
    Depending what operating system you are using, there is resizing software available. I run Windows 10 and use a thing called image resizer which is simple to use (as I'm an e-luddite at heart). Other guys use a thing called irfan - able to do more but more complicated.

    Michael

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    York, North Yorkshire UK
    Posts
    6,436

    Default

    Hi Guys,

    Unless you are a Linux user, there is no point in telling you what I use, is there
    Best Regards:
    Baron J.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Athelstone, SA 5076
    Posts
    4,255

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Flocar View Post
    I always have trouble getting them small enough for these forums.
    the forum does the resizing.. i just click the upload button on any size picture and presto, its all done

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Location
    Boonah Qld
    Age
    82
    Posts
    24

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by eskimo View Post
    the forum does the resizing.. i just click the upload button on any size picture and presto, its all done
    Yes, so I discovered.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Location
    Boonah Qld
    Age
    82
    Posts
    24

    Default

    Ok a photo from project No. 3. The sheet metal press is now sort of finished. At least far enough that I know it will work to do my swarf/oil tray for the lathe. It still needs a couple of welds and paint. I have only fitted one hydraulic ram for the test and it easily did a small sheet. so I think I might get away with two rams for the full 6 feet. The die in this case is a lenght of 1/2 inch steel and the mold I have built is adjustable from zero to 2 inches wide. In theory I should be able to press a 2 inch wide box section with an appropriate die or with a piece of heavy tubular steel a half round up to 2 inches wide. It will allso make angles from a few degrees up to about 300 degrees. Changing the mold and making an appropriate die - there are many other options. The work on the projects will be put on hold for awhile as I need to paint a car and replace all the rubber bits for an Easter rally.
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  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Murray Bridge S Aust.
    Age
    71
    Posts
    5,942

    Default

    Neat set up. What will you use to bring down the 2 rams, same pump, 2 pumps or a hydraulic power pack?
    Kryn
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Location
    Boonah Qld
    Age
    82
    Posts
    24

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by KBs PensNmore View Post
    Neat set up. What will you use to bring down the 2 rams, same pump, 2 pumps or a hydraulic power pack?
    Kryn
    Well perhaps the same pump with a T piece to one ram and an elbow to the other. But if I needed more rams then an electric hydraulic power pack. Actually one pump will do really as it will only be used occaisionally and not commercially so pumping time and effort is not an issue.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Murray Bridge S Aust.
    Age
    71
    Posts
    5,942

    Default

    Just wondering if you'll run out of fluid using the pump on 2 cylinders. Good luck trying to find an electric hydraulic power pack, been looking around for one myself, for a similar job, without spending nearly $2 grand.
    Kryn
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Location
    Boonah Qld
    Age
    82
    Posts
    24

    Default

    You may be right. I have a small oil pump off my tractor that I changed once thinking it was faulty, it wasn't the problem. It would run with a suitable electric motor and an oil tank. It runs three large rams on the tractor plus the three point linkage. So perhaps that is a possibility. There are Chinese oil pumps on ebay for less than $500. One is from a hoist and looks like the one on my hoist that has two large rams. There are a few options.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    1,105

    Default

    yeah Chinese pumps can be bought very cheaply these days and quality actually looks pretty decent.

    https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Electric...c184:rk:1:pf:0

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Location
    Boonah Qld
    Age
    82
    Posts
    24

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Com_VC View Post
    yeah Chinese pumps can be bought very cheaply these days and quality actually looks pretty decent.

    https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Electric...c184:rk:1:pf:0
    They were one of the ones I looked at.

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