The Home Machinist!

Hi rmac,

Yes thanks, that's the right thread. There are two more threads that show some of the things I've made with the machine. One is the one for Big Boy and the other is the one for the 3 1/2" gauge couplers.

Thanks for looking it up.

Richard Trounce.

Hi, As Harold pointed out (another one of the many on this website worth listening to), I forgot to mention about the climb milling advice only applying to CNC, not conventional milling because of the backlash in standard lead screws. I looked up your mill and I found out that its a Grizzly with abo...

Hi,

I missed the fact that you already have a CNC mill which you are slowly learning to use. Perhaps you can tell us more about it and its capabilities. With CNC especially, weight and stiffness are both important.

Richard Trounce.

Hi, What all the others have said is very true. As a hobby machinist, you will get a lot more bang for your buck in the second hand machinery world, but given your background, you would need someone with experience to front for you. I would recommend that you take a look at the Sherline website, not...

Hi, One thing I haven't seen mentioned in this thread is that when machining a chuck back plate to match a lathe spindle, for accuracy it is important to fit the back plate to the lathe spindle face and diameter behind the threads. When done properly, the back plate threads are a bit sloppy on the s...

Hi, The amount of radiant heat varies as the fourth power of the Absolute temperature (degrees Rankine or Kelvin) so the hotter the bars get, the better they will work; a white heat would be best. Play with the height of the bars above the flame to get the best results (hottest temperature). A thin ...

Hi daves1459, You might also try something different. They used to use grease fittings on automotive front suspensions and our locomotives also run in a dirty environment, so a similar setup would make sense. Drill a hole in the end of the axle with a cross hole in the middle of the bearing so when ...

Hi, CBrew is right, but instead of sandpaper, use polishing paper because it is thinner. I use 400 grit, but while it works, something finer would be better and I use it on a surface plate (because I have one). If you don't, glass is a good substitute. While it may be obvious to most, make sure the ...

Hi, Since you say you have a couple of 7.5" gauge locomotives, does it make any sense to run with 3 rails; 7.5" gauge for the locomotives and 12" gauge for the passenger cars? This would give a lot more stability for the people carrying cars. I've been to the Burnaby track (back in 19...

Hi, Going back to the original subject, you don't open out the bearing fit between the axlebox and the axle over what is required for the wheel and axle to turn smoothly so that the locomotive can go around the track without derailing. What you need to do instead is work on the fit between the axleb...

Hi, Most of us just make parts that fit one another the way they used to make guns long ago, where each flint or cap lock mechanism was unique and parts from one lock could not be interchanged with another. However, with proper dimensioning and tolerances, you can make interchangeable parts that wil...

Hi Dusty, "Have you run your turbine generator yet?" If you read everything I posted about Bill's turbogenerators, you will see that I didn't make them, Bill Huxhold did and they work well in all 3 sizes. The output on the 1/16th size is not very high, but it works and will power several l...