The Home Machinist!

With my new-to-me V-10-P lathe in 1991, I built my own QCTP plus about 32 tool holders, because I could not justify the expenditure for same at that time. Of course I used the socket head cap screws for tool clamping, and I got to dislike these screws in that application immensely. At a flea market ...

Just make sure it is a "centre off" switch, ie. a switch with a "middle off" position where nothing is connected.

Agreed that it is better to make any bench a few inches too low than too high. You can always jack 'er up, easily done if the bench is fitted with threaded levelling feet. I made the mistake of building my bench at exactly the height I wanted my lathe. Unfortunately my son liked it a few inches lowe...

Of course if you had a functioning turbo-generator on your locomotive, no wiring to the tender would be necessary. Unless you wanted lights on the tender...

I bought a used Emco 6 inch rotary table that also has small dividing plates and a sector so it can function like a dividing head. It's a 40:1 ratio so I can use it ok, but I would like to get copy of the manual for it. I can't find a model number on it, can't even find a picture of it on the inter...

My policy was to use one of the parts on the opposite side of the vise, always at the extreme end to assure the part being machined was being firmly clamped. Yes, that's a great idea if you have that second part. Sometimes a remnant from whatever stock you started with can also be used the same way...

If it is a boiler you are soldering, use copper or tin bronze screws. As stated above, brass and related "bronzes" are subject to dezincification which leaves a porous, leaky, mess. Considering the money spent on material and time to fabricate what is probably an heirloom artifact, it is f...

Thanks for the hints, Wolfgang. I looked at your video, and I think your engine is a (heavily!) modified version of the one published in Popular Science back in the 1960s. Is that correct? I'm not especially interested in lots of output power, so I don't run my engines red hot! -- Russell Mac Yes i...

For Stirling engine hot ends, austenitic stainless steel is hard to beat, at least for the model builder. I have experience with the following types: 1) Type 304L austenitic. Better than carbon steel, copper, brass, etc. Relatively short life if run at red-hot temperatures. 2) Type 316L austenitic. ...

If you can lay your hands on it, type 310 stainless steel is fairly easy to machine and is extremely hear resistant. I found a piece of 3" dia still tube from a refinery that was 310 SS. We cut off rings and straightened them to make grate bars. These grates have lasted for over 30 years now on...

Clearance with loose tolerances is the order of the day for this area. Seen too many locos built with tight tolerances in this area that would run on roller blocks but not navigate a real world track. Again, that's not true. You are clearly confusing tolerance with clearance, and sending the wrong ...

Thanks for the responses. That is exactly what I was looking for, leads on books and terms that I can search for. Found this video of the Gleason 104 running. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTlo6bIIieE Seems simple enough. Should have one scratched built in a month of Leap Days. :-D Thanks for tha...