David Taylor
Western Thunderer
About an hour ago would have been about right!
I've had some Ultrascale gears sitting around for ages and thought it was time to try making a gearbox for them. I have some 3/6" ID ball races for the axles, some 2mm ID thrust washers with ball races for the worm, and bought a chunk of aluminium to make the prototypes from. I figured this was softer and cheaper than brass.
After one false start yesterday I spent more time thinking and measuring and had a plan. I'd mill a block of aluminium to size, drill holes right through in the corners 10BA tapping size, and slit the block at a point where I would have one piece thick enough for the gears and one axle bearing and then a side plate for the other axle bearing, perfectly registered by the pre-drilled holes.
So first of all I drilled three holes really carefully and got a bit impatient with the 4th. And broke a brand new #54 drill leaving some of it in the hole.
Hoping 3 holes would be enough and that the slitting saw would either handle the drill or pass under it, I start slitting. And I find the slitting saw arbor won't pass over the vice jaws meaning I'll have to sort of cut around the edges and then figure something else out. Of courseI carry one. And I hit the drill, blunted the teeth on the slitting saw to rounded bumps, AND twisted the head off screw which secures the cap to the arbor which holds the saw on, with the bulk of the screw still in the arbor. A high tensile screw, no doubt.
I hack-sawed through the block the rest of the way and was about to face it off with an end-mill to tidy up when I was called in to look after the kids for a while. Probably a good thing or I guess I'd have broken a cutting edge on the drill stump still in there. I better just file that corner away.
What a relaxing hobby.
Anyone else got some workshop tales of carrying on when perhaps discretion would have been better?
Regards,
David.
I've had some Ultrascale gears sitting around for ages and thought it was time to try making a gearbox for them. I have some 3/6" ID ball races for the axles, some 2mm ID thrust washers with ball races for the worm, and bought a chunk of aluminium to make the prototypes from. I figured this was softer and cheaper than brass.
After one false start yesterday I spent more time thinking and measuring and had a plan. I'd mill a block of aluminium to size, drill holes right through in the corners 10BA tapping size, and slit the block at a point where I would have one piece thick enough for the gears and one axle bearing and then a side plate for the other axle bearing, perfectly registered by the pre-drilled holes.
So first of all I drilled three holes really carefully and got a bit impatient with the 4th. And broke a brand new #54 drill leaving some of it in the hole.
Hoping 3 holes would be enough and that the slitting saw would either handle the drill or pass under it, I start slitting. And I find the slitting saw arbor won't pass over the vice jaws meaning I'll have to sort of cut around the edges and then figure something else out. Of courseI carry one. And I hit the drill, blunted the teeth on the slitting saw to rounded bumps, AND twisted the head off screw which secures the cap to the arbor which holds the saw on, with the bulk of the screw still in the arbor. A high tensile screw, no doubt.
I hack-sawed through the block the rest of the way and was about to face it off with an end-mill to tidy up when I was called in to look after the kids for a while. Probably a good thing or I guess I'd have broken a cutting edge on the drill stump still in there. I better just file that corner away.
What a relaxing hobby.
Anyone else got some workshop tales of carrying on when perhaps discretion would have been better?
Regards,
David.