The Home Machinist!

Vactra #2 is what we used on our big Cincinnati hydrotels when I was working doing forging dies.

In retirement, I use it on my home shop lathe and mill.

One of the best 3-jaw chucks available is the Buck Adjusta-Tru 3-jaw. Very pricey, but they can be made to be as accurate as you would want. Concentricity to within tenths! Look up Mr. Pete on Google and watch his YouTube all about Buck Adjusta-Tru 3-jaw chucks. He also gives quite a few tips on get...

I also had to turn the OD of the aluminum smokebox casting when I built my Allen ten-wheeler almost forty years ago. Depending on your experience and machining capability, this is how I did the job. Go ahead and machine the flats on the INSIDE of the smoke box halves and fasten these together. Then ...

Gary, I have the pattern for the wheels. I would have to get them cast as the 24 I just got from the foundry I am using. I will have to see what they cost. Ken Thank you Ken. Much appreciated. Tim Wheeler (above) just purchased an old Lew Soibelmann Project Baldwin a few months ago and I'm giving h...

I built one last winter and am presently building 3 more. I was able to obtain a set of plans from a friend. I made patterns for the journal boxes, wheels and bolsters. I also have the auto-cad drawings presently at the laser cutters doing 3 bodies for me with all the rivet holes laser cut along wi...

Why not have a "dual-boot" system and partition the drive? OR you could also use freeware called VM Ware, that will allow you to run your computer as two separate machines. The Virtual Machine software will still recognize the dongle and Rhino will run just like it always did. I use MasterCam V9 (20...

Gene was a true gentleman and one heck of a craftsman. Not many like him then or now.

There aren't many folks around who knew that Gene was the Chief Engineer on the WWII victory ship S.S. Lane Victory moored in Long Beach, CA and was deeply involved in the restoration of that ship's engines.

A member of Los Angeles Live Steamers now owns Doug Alkire's 5300 President Washington. This member brings the engine to the club anytime there is a 1" scale "Steam Meet". STILL a beautiful model after all these years....very well maintained .

Christopher, I buy all my rivets (for my 1-1/2 inch stuff) from Hansen Rivet in Pacoima (local to both of us). The smallest solid rivet they carry is 1/16 in diameter with a .101-.122 diameter round heat and about .045 high (copper or steel. Should be pretty close for a 1" scale tanker. Painted blac...

Steve, When I first started in the trade (tool and die), I ran one of these planers (just like the one in the first photo you posted). It looks like that particular machine is missing the bed and ways on the other side of the main column. These things were huge and took up a lot of floor space in a ...

I have been doing this for over two years now. I work with Marty Pinkston (FairWeather Foundry in Kent, Ohio). I design parts in MasterCam and Marty does the 3D printing for the pattern for the sand casting. It works great. So far only aluminum castings. But we are going to be doing other types of m...

Railroad Supply Corp. caboose marker lights are the best. I have them on my wood caboose (built in 1980) and on all seven of my Baldwin/Westinghouse P.E. 1600 series freight motors. The new lights are easier to build now because of the one-piece bronze casting. The 35+ year old lights were multiple ...