The Home Machinist!

Very cool.  Of course, when you finally run it, it will be very hot. 

You may find the attached useful as you plan your work.

Bill Shields wrote: ↑Mon Feb 26, 2024 10:25 pm Sometimes keyways are dimensioned in odd manners...

Y’mean like cutting a 3/4" wide keyway in a 5/8" shaft? 

KellyJones wrote: ↑Sun Feb 25, 2024 2:01 pmDoes anyone want to buy the drawings?

I might be interested, but only if the drawings are in DXF, which is the “universal” format for exchanging mechanical drawings between different otherwise-incompatible systems.  PDF is page-oriented and has no concept of drawing scale.

Just gotta be careful with deceleration. If you set it too high, can overload and pop breakers Another potential problem is if a lathe has threaded spindle, excessive deceleration might unscrew the chuck or faceplate and deposit same in your shirt pocket.  :shock: BTW, the language is referred to a...

Bill Shields wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 6:33 pmWOW

Have you done any torque/current load calculations for the unencumbered loco on level(ish) track?

I suspect when running light, this loco is going to be a real hot rod. 

So set up to accomodate two 7” dia forklift traction motors... Do the traction motors have wound fields and if so, are they brought out on separate terminals?  If so, you could conceivably arrange the control circuits to produce transition for increased efficiency when motoring.  Also, if the field...

I became unhappy with the bump style knurling tool that came with the lathe. I searched the internet and found pictures of a "Hemingway" style scissor knurling tool. I liked it so much I designed my own from the pictures... Nice piece of work, and it doesn’t look too difficult to fabricate.

...but why would I want a 1000 w unit, versus a 350 watt unit? The bigger unit will, in theory, recharge the batteries more quickly. That said, lead-acid batteries can be damaged if the charging rate is excessive.  The electrolyte may start “boiling,” which will cause a loss of water from the elect...

One ran away in MA many years ago. Owner got off with it parked and prime mover idling. Being held by "hydraulic balance" of the spool in spring loaded neutral and no brakes. It took off and was headed around the track, nobody on board. Even at idle, was going way too fast for anyone to c...

You can get stopped, but it is not the best way to get there...but better than nothing...and is what many of the designs being sold rely upon. I can see a potential lawsuit waiting for the builder who elects to not provide mechanical braking in his/her units.  All that would be needed would be a ru...

Not sure how we would run out of fluid ? In the scenario described by Bill, the pump, being held stationary by the not-running prime mover, will look like a blockage—the pump’s inlet and outlet are sealed from each other—and the motor will “suck a hole” in the oil, possibly entraining air into the ...