Beginners LE 4-4-0 American

[Pipescs]

Link Bracket No. 1 is done. The other three are still in the square with all the holes drilled but not tapped yet.

I shaped this one using a qtr inch round headed end mill and then a motor tool.

The fancy little flute down the vertical side is a screw up on my part as I miss counted my turns and miss red the plans. Caught it and now will add the fancy flute to the other three.

And old woodworking friend told me years ago "It isn't screwed up till you can't fix it anymore"

[Pipescs]

Thanks Fender for the lead to Enco on the Olite Bushings.

While I am still working on the Link Brackets (I have finished the two left hand and only need to do the cosmetics on the other two) I have purchased the bar stock to make the journals from and the bushings from Enco today.

Journal boxes as drawn

I will be boring them to .75 and pressing in the Olite Bushings.

I assume the same clearance rules apply for pressing in a bushing as a roller bearing?

[Bruce_Mowbray]

You will only need .0003-.0005 interference on a bushing that is 3/4" OD. Oil lite bronze crushes very easily and if you have too much interference, you will not be able to get your axle through the hole. As a minimum reference, your bearing hole size will get smaller by the amount of interference you have in the press fit. Especially on thin walled bushings.

[kvom]

Wouldn't it then make sense to bore the bushing after pressing?

[Fender]

If it were me, I would just make the bushings a sliding fit and loctite them in place. If you choose to make a press fit, and then need to bore them later, remember the admonition to use very sharp tools so you don't wipe the pores closed on the oilite.

[Bruce_Mowbray]

I can answer the past two questions.

Unless you use micro sharp (extreamly) tools, the boring tool will smear the surface of the bushing, making the "oil" part of the oil lite bushing less effective by closing the tiny pores in the surface of the bushing..

Loctite does not work well with Oil lite bushings because of the -well- "oilyness" of the bushing makeup. Using the cleaner for loctite washes a portion of the oil out of the bronze and allows some loctite to take it's place. This may reduce the effectivness of the oil part of the bushing. Granted, one could be carefull only to get a small amount of cleaner on the inside of the bushing and ones could soak the entire assembly submerged in oil to reload the bushing after assembly.

[Fender]

Valid point about the oiliness. However, the bearing only needs to be retained in position. It's not like you would need the strength of a wheel/axle fit. A set screw could also be used, or you could machine a step on the outside of the bushing so it could only go in the hole a certain distance.

[Bruce_Mowbray]

Or,
A retaining snap ring...

[Pipescs]

I am giving thought to making the bushing a light press fit then drill up thru the bottom of the journal box to use a brass set screwto come up into the olite and keep it centered. the screw would end just short of the inner facing of the bushing.

Any thoughts on this.

[Fender]

Sounds like a plan!

[Pipescs]

Well the job is taking me out of state again. Not to get home prior to Feb. Hope to hook up with LE East as I will be working near them.

this is the state of the front truck. I have the last Link Bracket ready to dress up and hope to do that in the morning before I leave.

[Bruce_Mowbray]

The set screw idea is perfect. You could even use a steel screw for added strength.

Are you coming up to the Cabin Fever show next weekend? You will not be too far if you're going to be near Lancaster, PA.