The Home Machinist!

George, If you are going to have someone waterjet it, ask them what file format they want - you may not need to convert the file to g-code yourself. I would think you just need to sketch it in 2D, then extrude the thickness and then export the whole thing in a dxf format (again it depends on what th...

I moved a 1" LE 040 from Milwaukee to LA using Craters and Freighters. I prearranged dropping it off and they build a crate with a floating/sprung base on a custom pallet as I instructed. Specified that the straps go through the frame and not over the top of the boiler. It showed up a week later on ...

Well, I did mine a bit different than everyone else, but they seem to function correctly. The procedure that I wrote down was for my Allen Consolidation and goes like this. Mount driver face out in 4 jaw chuck with inner edge of the rim centered as well as possible. This will define the cleanup groo...

Which surface does the glue not stick to? That's a surface preparation problem. Removing oils and roughening the surface may help.

Or does the glue break? Then you need a stronger adhesive. Try a 2-part epoxy.

SteveR

I rented a full size Ford Expedition last October in Philly and strapped down a 1" LE 0-6-0 and tender to a piece of track on a piece of plywood in the back. Used Home depot tie down D-rings bolted to plywood with straps over the top and through the drivers/frame. Added 8 steel drivers and castings ...

Build something that you can expect to finish in 1,000- 1,500 shop hours. You'll learn a super-huge amount about machining, fitting parts, welding, etc... on the smaller locomotive. All of that learning will translate into building your dream locomotive later on. Then in just 2 or 3 years or so, yo...

I'm currently building the Consolidation so I can speak to it by looking at the 10 Wheeler web pages. Couple of comments and questions: 1) The 2-8-0 lead truck is equalized with the rest of the rigging - it it also on the 10 Wheeler? If no, then the 10 Wheeler is easier. 2) The 2-8-0 Baker valve gea...

Idea for a poor man's VTL: Put a VFD on a rotary table and put on a mill? You would have to run oil coolant through it instead of the normal oil at least. What would the tooling be? Stationary fly cutter?

Thoughts?

SteveR

Dave's work shown here (and that chucker is a real beauty) isn't really a good comparison to what CNC really brings to the table; the ability to run multiple axes simultaneously. In the video here, we see the lathe cutting in a single axis each time. On a manual mill, we (I) cut one axis at a time. ...

Troll. Agree with Bill.

SteveR

Radient energy is a force we can't feel or see or measure with normal instruments because it's perfectly balanced, and yet it occupies all of space and has massive power potential just by unbalancing it a little. OK - but if we can't measure with normal instruments, we need some kind of gizmo to in...

What Fender said. If you haven't used a roughing end mill, do this first. A high benefit/cost ratio.

SteveR