To are Site Hosts

[Old F]

To are Site Hosts

Would a Shop category  be useful?

After seeing some of  Frank Gs casting in a resent post.

I was wondering if a Shop category  were  shop tools and methods  could be discussed would be useful.

There is a large pool of knowledge on this site to be taped .

Wile not directly related to wind or RE.  It would be a place for tips and projects that would used in there building.

Just a thought

Old F

[nothing to lose]

That might be useful. There are already forums for machine work, lathes, milling machines, etc... but most of those people are not into RE like here. It might be usefull to have a catagory like that for how to best turn a rotor or armature etc.. for a gennie, things most normal machinist people would not be doing. That is why I bought my machine, tired of machinists argueing things would not work, instead of just doing things I wanted done and me pay them for it. Rather it works or not is my problem if they do the job correct they get paid for. And WE all know here that we CAN cut down an armature, mount neos, and have a gennie

 Then again most such work is general machine work and what's not normal is often covered pretty well in a post about the gennie anyway. Like Zubbly's aluminum housing for many smaller round neos. Not realy standard normal work for the other machine forums, but pretty well covered in Zubbly's post on his gennies.

 Alot of the work for blades might fall into a shop type catagory also where a normal wood smith could not help that much, like how to carve the proper airfoil. Much of that is already covered also though.

And for Windstuffnow's stirling engine stuff, I got interested in such things and perhaps a shop catagory would be usefull in learning some stirling or steam engine machine work also, instead of cluttering up other areas?

It's a toss up really I geuss, might be nice catagory to have, but most things get covered anyway in other areas when needed.

[richhagen]

After seeing some of the parts Ed and the Dan's and others have made, I just aquired my first lathe, an old Atlas 10 incher.  (I had an idea for building a yaw bearing similar to an extended wheel spindle, only upside down and hollow so you could run the cable through it) I don't have more than a basic idea of how to use the lathe.  It would probably do me good to find a course around me like the one that Mike is taking up there in Alberta where he made the cannon.  In the mean time I'll have some plastic bar stock to carve up and hopefully not hurt myself in the process.  I've been reading other forums and sites to gain basic knowledge of the tool.  This site and the projects I have seen and read have resulted in the purchases of milling machines and other tools, specifically so that I can build bigger and better mills and parts.  I actually enjoy building stuff on those rare occations when I get the chance.  Now all I need is an electric kiln so that I can melt aluminum and brass to cast for those parts I can make with those materials.  Then there's a cuppola furnace, but I think the neighbors might complain about the smoke from that.  I need a big shop like OldF's or the Dan's.  Do you see what this site has started? . . . .   Rich

[rotornuts]

Rich, try this link for some usefull info on using your lathe.

http://www.americanmachinetools.com/how_to_use_a_lathe.htm

Mike

[richhagen]

Thanks Mike, I found that one and read it while googling the subject today.  It has good info on the types of machines, tools and cuts.  Rich

[elvin1949]

Thanks Mike

 I needed that.

later

elvin

[inode buddha]

I would second that idea and support it. I already spent my whole life doing shop work, but I still have to google for things like tools and supplies that I see here. Wouldn't it just be a lot nicer to have all that in one section with links, like the stuff from everybody's diaries?

[nothing to lose]

Hey Rich,

 If you have the room, build a charcoal maker like in my diary, filter and cool the gas and use it for a gennie or furnace? Use the charcoal for your aluminum casting then.

 Easy to build a 10LB smelter for melting aluminum. Helped several people build them from things like old well blader tanks or old freon tanks etc..  They work nice.

 Build stuff for others then I don't have my own

I had/have alot of plans (too big) for my total system here and never finished it. Got busy, travel, busy, and now I don't live here much. So needless to say my full scale system never got finished yet. Yet is the key word though.

If you use wood heat and build your own outdoor furnace like I planned here, making charcoal heats the house, gas is a plus, and best hardwood charcoal you can get. All one easy process basically. Course I have cheap and free oak available to me also.

[nothing to lose]

Some things that might fit well into a shop catagory?

How to taper a spindle?

Thread a spindle?

Cut and thread a nut?

Turn a hub to fit a bearing race?

Find exact centers and bolt spacings.

Couple junk yard parts and some lathe work trailer hubs might not be needed and various  type/sizes could be made.

I for one know I have the parts out in the yard to build 50 gennies if I started scrapping out cars and vans. Actaully these are too good to scrap, but I can get scrap ones dirt cheap, so can most people if they look. So what about those nice axles under the rear of a mini van? Parts for 2 mills right there? $70 for 2 trailer hubs?

 Alot of machine work perhaps to make 16" rotors to fit those 5 bolt hubs or spindles.

[Drives]

NTL:

Speaking of shop tools, what is the review on the Harbor Freight Mill/Lathe Combo?  How has it been performing?  Do you like it, and would you recommend it?

P.S.  Check your email.

[nothing to lose]

HUH, NO would be my answer there on HF.

First I did not buy the one from HF, it was out of stock at the time I wanted it. I did alot of talking to the person when I called to order it and got tech person or such.

Seems it did not come with a vice, was metric table, they did not even sell a vice for it, etc...  What info I got was not that good.

I bought mine then from Grizzly. I do like it very well, though it's the only one I ever had so I have nothing to compare it too. The one I got came with vice, follower rest, steady rest, vice, etc... a few things I think that are well worth some money to have. I think those items were not included at HF for theirs, not certain.

The grizzly model did cost me about $200 more I think, I drove up to springfield to pick mine up. They made changes to the model since the catalog was printed or website updated, changes are for the better. I saw the older model in the showroom I geuss. It only had like a 6' or so cross travel, kinda dumb for a 16" lathe, mine has the full cross travel. Very important as that's where you run your cutter bit in and out, center  to outer radious. Not to easy to face turn a 16" disk if you only have 6" travel or less. Also makes a big diffence in how far you can mill an item.

 I like mine alot, and would probably buy another I think if I were to do it again.

Oops, got to run pick kid up from game. I was going to look up the model number I bought, but no time now. It was about $1,400 I think, so if your looking at grizzly.com they have several sizes as combo units and the one closest to that price is probably the one I have, 16" swing for lathe and 36" bed length.

[Speo]

I think it would be also interesting to have the most important information organized by the admin in articles under intuitive menus, not only in postings or diary (like an FAQ section organized like a tree).

Speo

[nothing to lose]

 Found my unit on grizzly.com

http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.aspx?itemnumber=G9729

I made a couple errors in the above post about mine I see.

16 1/2" swing

Distance between centers: 31"  (I was thinking 36" )

Cross slide travel: 3-3/4"

(ok that was the one I said was dumb. How could you face a 16" disk with only 3-3/4 cross slide. the one in the showroom only had the 3 3/4", the screw rod was only threaded that far, I was going to make a new one for mine, but mine has full travel as it should, not sure actual cross slide travel but around 8" or more at least I would geuss, as it should be for face turning a 16" disk. )

Currant price $1,450 plus shipping and taxes.

[richhagen]

NTL, unfortunately for me, my location is very urban, and even the charcoal maker would likely draw undo attention (you can't burn even leaves here).  For that reason I figured that "when I get the chance", I would build an electric one like the popular "lil bertha" designs.  Seeing as to how I already have too many open projects, it will have to wait for a little while at least though.  While I have a little space, I don't have the freedom to do to much here as there are many neigbors and they are close at hand.  That is why I can't build a big mill for myself here, and only have the small ones and solar for now. If you pass through Chicago on your many travels, you'll have to let me know and drop by so you can see my predicament for yourself.  Someday I'll buy the farm, (well hopefully just a farm or some sizable land) and then I can build bigger.  In the mean time I get to live a little by watching all the neat projects going on here.  Rich Hagen

[Old F]

Rich

Here is a link for casting supplys.

 http://budgetcastingsupply.com

Old F