Alternate ways. Gettin it done without alot of machine shop

Where users can chronicle their builds. Start one thread and continue to add on to it.

Moderator: Harold_V

User avatar
steamin10
Posts: 6712
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2003 11:52 pm
Location: NW Indiana. Close to Lake Michigan S. tip

Alternate ways. Gettin it done without alot of machine shop

Post by steamin10 »

I just received a long awaited set of castings for a dream locomotive of mine. It is a bare set of iron castings for a truck for a diesel. I was thrilled at their receipt, only to find the box was damaged in shipping, and one journal box was missing. No matter, the shipper has decided to forward another journal, and we move forward with my set of castings to build the first truck for a Diesel outline switcher. Along the way somewhere I will settle with the Postal service, and the shipper, and we will move forward. My dream, has advanced from fantasy, in a very real way.

This seems to be the tone of any build: Decide, build parts, overcome natty obstacles, enjoy the fruits of your creation. Weather the experts that make comments on how they did not do what you created. (Everybody is a critic!)

AT risk of being criticized for a know it all, I am going to put forward my hack work methods that most handy garage types can do without a lot of machine work, welders and all the basic stuff, a well equipped shop would have. So to the purists that have a garage full of equipment, make it your way. I hope to show some 'cheats' that are creative thinking to get a simple locomotive on the rails, with home handy guy stuff, that may be purchased at pawn shops, and low cost sources. This is a hobby, and has many ways to enjoy the lore of railroads, and the gleam in children's eyes, us old guys too, as we go down the tracks. In many ways it is about teaching goals and getting there. Some buy their way through, others create with their hands and knowledge. What I offer is a simple way of thinking, without a lot of machine technology. I*f you have machines to do the work, all the better. Some home hacks will get by, and other things can be hired out. The help of a Club is stressed, as that is the community we belong to, and run on club tracks, and support the motions of fun in a small union of spirits.

If you want someone to give you train rides, I would ask where is your founding? Be a support to the movement, or just pay your way, and walk away. This is WORK, and commitment, and for me, better than crashing expensive planes. (Did that in my circle jerk-er days.). Or racing cars. (TREMENDOUS money, dont ask.) So are BOATS, (break out another thousand!)

So, check back, and see what a hack can do. By the by, I have 3 SB lathes, a small school Rockwell mill, and Enco mill drill form the early 70's, call it a Wrong-fu-yung 30 round column, blast cabinet from a fridge, large air compressor. 4 welders, 3 crucible furnaces, and more hand tools than I care to count. A serious Rust Junkie for sure. Lots of wod working tools. The point is, many things can be done without the fancy rotary, grinder, milling, blah-blah. If you have it, fine, use it. But the smartest thing is building a sundial will give you the time of day the same as a watch. If you know how, you will have many ways to skin a rabbit and enjoy the ways of creating your things. I promise to exploit the home angle as much as I have learned, and submit the content for your education, and enjoyment. Dave.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
GS14403
Posts: 275
Joined: Wed May 11, 2011 8:58 pm

Re: Alternate ways. Gettin it done without alot of machine s

Post by GS14403 »

Dave,

Looking forward to your reports. Some of the nicest work I have seen have come from the simplest of tooling. In the long run it is the craftsman that makes it all happen.

Donald
6491
Posts: 184
Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2009 6:57 pm
Location: Bribie Island.

Re: Alternate ways. Gettin it done without alot of machine s

Post by 6491 »

It sounds like my kind of build. :)
This is what I call my milling system, though I must admit that there is also a hack-saw and angle grinder.

Image
Have a good one....John.
"MALCOLM MOORE LOCO & THE 100 FOOT RAILWAY" on Facebook.
chooch
Posts: 567
Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2013 11:58 pm
Location: East Central Florida

Re: Alternate ways. Gettin it done without alot of machine s

Post by chooch »

Tools don`t make the Mechanic. The Mechanic makes the tools.
Good luck Dave. Now Git-er Dun. :-)

chooch
User avatar
Steggy
Posts: 1973
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2011 9:19 pm
Location: JB Pritzker’s Hellhole
Contact:

Re: Alternate ways. Gettin it done without alot of machine s

Post by Steggy »

I've managed for years with little more than a horizontal bandsaw, drill press, belt sander, assorted hand tools, and help from friends who do have a lathe and/or mill. In this hobby, ingenuity and horse trading often more than make up for a lack of machine tools. It helps to be patient and persevering as well. It also helps to design things that you can make with the tools available to you, which I mostly try to do.
Last edited by Steggy on Thu Oct 22, 2015 9:45 pm, edited 2 times in total.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Music isn’t at all difficult.  All you gotta do is play the right notes at the right time!  :D
Patio
Posts: 1369
Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2010 3:14 pm
Location: Centralia Wa

Re: Alternate ways. Gettin it done without alot of machine s

Post by Patio »

Dave, I will be watching this post with great interest. I have been hacking away, repairing things, with what I have for some time. Only in the recent past have I ever had machine tools. Some day I to may make a toy from scratch. :)
Best of wishes to you, on your new adventure.
Live for the moment!
Prepare for tomorrow!
Forgive the past!
User avatar
Dick_Morris
Posts: 2838
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 2:09 pm
Location: Anchorage, AK

Re: Alternate ways. Gettin it done without alot of machine s

Post by Dick_Morris »

Dave - I've spent quite a bit of time recently watching Youtube machining videos. Although I have been using machine tools on and off for 50 years, everything has been self-taught except for the basics I got from shop class and a very short stint working in a machine shop. Sometimes the videos validate what I do, sometimes I question the methods, and sometimes they give me one of those "Aha!, why didn't I think of that" moments. I'm looking forward to your build to see what I can learn from it.
User avatar
steamin10
Posts: 6712
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2003 11:52 pm
Location: NW Indiana. Close to Lake Michigan S. tip

Re: Alternate ways. Gettin it done without alot of machine s

Post by steamin10 »

WOW! I just posted the idea for a thread and got this accord already. Nice.

Right after I posted to the board, Rose called me on the home phone to tell me she Destroyed the '02 Ranger. Just after dark, a deer jumped out of the road ditch, and she hit it on the passenger side. The head and small rack did in the rt part of the grill, and removed the light assembly. The shoulder and body wrapped around the side and caved in the area between the wheel and door, trapping the rt door, in a closed position. Nice butt print with hoofs on the door. That makes 4 deer, taken by my Fords! ( I wonder what the DNR would say about me driving like mad across a field? Should I tell 'em I am huntin a deer to run over?)

I told her to call the county mounties, and look for the deer, it probably didnt go far after a solid hit. She was beside herself, but I wanted her to stay put until the adrenaline, and emotions calmed down. They called and asked if it was an insurance report, no, it is on me, but the deer is supposed to be counted as a road hit, and sure enough, he lay dead just a few yards away, being down from the head punch. She just did not back up far enough in the dark to find him. So, we got venison, with my most effective weapon, a FORD. Its so easy too, no prep, just drive, PLUNK! Call and they deliver a tag, and help you load it in the truck, couldnt be easier. She got home and went through the boo-hoo's, but I told her machines can be fixed or replaced. How could I replace her? So what part of this thing is her fault? I'll take the '02 to my friend, a body guy, and he will help me look for deep damage. At least we missed the radiator. :? I drove him out back, and gutted the six point out, and stuffed two ice bags in, before covering him with a tarp. He will go to a local processor in the morning before noon. He seems to be about 2yr old, very healthy, (except for being dead) about 110-120 lbs, as these are corn fed 'deer-hogs'.

So, I do the Bartman, two steps forward, and three steps back. This will put a dent in my timetable for sure. Stay tuned, this could be fun anyway.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
User avatar
steamin10
Posts: 6712
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2003 11:52 pm
Location: NW Indiana. Close to Lake Michigan S. tip

Re: Alternate ways. Gettin it done without alot of machine s

Post by steamin10 »

So before the interruptions, and putting dinner together, I wandered out to the mess of a garage, that from herforth will be imaginatively be called a 'shop'. I have a Taiwan band saw there with that rediculous 6x6 add on table, but started trimming by eye. The truck frame cross pieces have a bit of gating attached on each end, so picking up the mark between the part, and the runner, I sawed them square as my saw will get it. Now this can be done with a hacksaw, in a vice, and then worked over with a mill file to get the dips and teeth marks gone. I have no drawings or prints, so that is as far as I am willing to go, until the rest of the parts are cleaned up. (These are shot peened and very clean with the orange peel surface from the bb's that did the work. Much like course sandblasing).

*Important! Never cut on a casting without knowing where you are going. You can cut three times, but adding back is really hard, ask me how I know. So this is a cleaning operation, NOT a sizing operation. All the sprue/runner material has to be cleaned up, before the fitting up. All castings wont be the same for various reasons. Slight pattern shifts, draft angles, shrinks, and many things make a blob of metal that is not always true. So we clean the garbage off, and then take a hard look at how it works, and then how it fits. More on 'reading' the casting and layout later.

So I move on with my pile of ferrous puzzle parts, and select the bearing covers next. They have a cute tri -lobed face, with this flag from the casting sprue hanging off an inch, where they sawed it off the runner. I recommend you saw these off close to the known part edge, as tapping them off with a hammer might break it into the casting, and adding putty to all our parts is to be avoided. Cast iron is hard, putty is not, and we are building a working machine, that has to be sturdy, not dainty, or it wont last. I have seen a lot of busted parts on working engines, and nothing will screw up an outing and long trip, than a broken whatsis. So take care in the trimming, and keep an eye to dimensions. (I have no drawing, so I am flying without a net) Next I attack the journal boxes, and saw what little of the sprue there is off. The little left will be massaged with a hand held belt sander, in preference to a disc grinder, or bench grinder, as it will give a softer finish. For the purist, sand paper and w wood block will work along with your elbo grease. So while the purist is thinking of how much fun this can be, I bought 2 eclectric belt sanders for $12 each at the pawn shop. Everythign connected to a cord is supposed to take the work out of things, but trust me, when I tell you fine polish, and trick sticks wont ruin a job as fast as a grinder, or belt can. You can build callous on your fingers,or if wreckless scabs with electric. Even small nicks are no fun, so being colorfull is not doing it right regardless.

*Before any operation with your parts or tools, stop ,look, think. Glasses always with power tools. How can I slip and grab my shop apron? (strings?) sparks , wires flying? Sollvents too close? Make your area safe first, then play.

Ok, half way through the part box. Next time.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
User avatar
Fender
Posts: 3084
Joined: Wed May 02, 2007 8:33 pm
Location: Chattanooga TN

Re: Alternate ways. Gettin it done without alot of machine s

Post by Fender »

Dave, I applaud your approach to this.

Historically, many British model engineers have built fabulous models without a plethora of tools. I seem to remember hearing the story of one respected builder whose "lathe" and "drill press" was actually a breast drill mounted in a fixture! His milling machine was a set of files. I have a book on the history of Baldwin Locomotive Works, which discusses the fact that, in the 19th century, most of the operations to build a locomotive were done with hand tools. Samuel Vauclain started off his career at Baldwin by chipping out a main rod from a forging with a hammer and cold chisel!

There is a continuum of options between time, money and dedication that builders can choose from. More money can allow the purchase of fancier tools, pre-finished parts and high-quality materials, which saves a lot of time. More time and less money may require more dedication, improvised methods, use of hand tools or well-worn equipment, and a hunter/gatherer procurement strategy. Some jobs may require the use of a friend's larger lathe. If you have the aptitude and desire to make your own castings, costs can be dramatically reduced since many parts begin as scrap.
Dan Watson
Chattanooga, TN
User avatar
NP317
Posts: 4551
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2014 2:57 pm
Location: Northern Oregon, USA

Re: Alternate ways. Gettin it done without alot of machine s

Post by NP317 »

Fun reports.
Pictures would enhance the story. Possible?
~RN
User avatar
ironhorseriley
Posts: 193
Joined: Fri Apr 05, 2013 12:02 pm
Location: Rogers, AR

Re: Alternate ways. Gettin it done without alot of machine s

Post by ironhorseriley »

Dave,

I am glad to see the your new post and the project is up and running, ah pardon the term! I think the deer stopped running.

You have inspired me more than anyone in the group since I first joined and I hope to be following along soon with a project. I am in the same boat as you, shop and tool-wize, and probably much less. My approach is pretty much similar to yours.

Good stuff!


Jim
Jim, Former railroader, fascinated by wood working & “all things engineered”.
Post Reply