MLA Filing Machine

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jeanluc83
Posts: 117
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:02 pm
Location: Connecticut

MLA Filing Machine

Post by jeanluc83 »

I have wanted a filing machine ever since I saw it on the Clickspring YouTube channel. After watching the Metal Lathe Accessories castings for a couple of years I finally decided I needed to make the plunge.

Andy Lofquist was a pleasure to work with. After a couple of emails the castings were shipped out very fast and arrived looking great.

The basic kit includes a set of drawing, a piece of bar for the table support and castings for the main body, cover plate, table, and yoke. Andy also offers a hardware kit, bronze for the bearings and a casting for the pulley as add-ons. I got the hardware kit but opted to not get the bronze or the pulley casting.

MLA filing machine castings
MLA filing machine castings

The other builds that I found used a milling machine to machine the body casting. My Atlas horizontal mill could have been used but I lacked some of the tooling I would have needed so I'll do the bulk of the machining on my lathe.

I started with the main body since everything else mounts to it. So far I am most of the way through machining. I have the vertical bores for the file rod done and the counterbore for the back cover done.

Main body casting partly machines
Main body casting partly machines

Machining has gone pretty well on my 9” Logan. The castings were well designed.

The main thing I would have done different is before facing the bottom flat drilled a center on the drill press. It was just too hard trying to get the bottom of the casting to running true and square at the same time with it hanging out from the chuck so far.

The bottom really only needed to be square so I focused on that. The result was a but of a wobble while machining but nothing functionality wrong.

I ended up having to make the back cover about 1/8" oversized from the plan so that the tapped holes don't break through the inner edge of the casting. Andy says in the build notes that it is not uncommon for the core to shift slightly during casting making the inner cavity is off center. There is plenty of extra material on the cover casting that this is not a problem.

Facing the bottom of the casting.  I found later that the counterweights were not really needed.
Facing the bottom of the casting. I found later that the counterweights were not really needed.
Drilling all the way through the body casting for the file rod bore.  The hole was then bored to size
Drilling all the way through the body casting for the file rod bore. The hole was then bored to size
Machining the counterbore for the back cover.
Machining the counterbore for the back cover.
jeanluc83
Posts: 117
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:02 pm
Location: Connecticut

Re: MLA Filing Machine

Post by jeanluc83 »

I made good progress on the back plate. I left the center of the back since it might be useful later.

Front of the back plate casting faced and turned to size.  I got some chatter on the outside that I just couldn’t seem to get rid of.  It’s hidden and won’t affect function so I’m not too concerned.
Front of the back plate casting faced and turned to size. I got some chatter on the outside that I just couldn’t seem to get rid of. It’s hidden and won’t affect function so I’m not too concerned.
Back plate reversed to machine the back.
Back plate reversed to machine the back.

I located the mounting holes using a paper template. It is not the most accurate but I’ll be match drilling the body any way. I’ll just need to match mark since it will likely only fit one way.

The drilling and conterboring of the mounting holes was done in the lathe. I had to use a 5/16 endmill to counterbore and didn’t really have a better way to rigidly hold the plate. It meant having to re-center the piece for each hole but it worked quite well. Sometimes you have to work with what you got.

Locating one of the mounting holes in the lathe
Locating one of the mounting holes in the lathe
Countersinking one of the mounting holes
Countersinking one of the mounting holes
Back plate done for now
Back plate done for now
jeanluc83
Posts: 117
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:02 pm
Location: Connecticut

Re: MLA Filing Machine

Post by jeanluc83 »

I was able to get the holes from the back plate transfered to the body, drilled and tapped.

The back plate mounted to the body.  I need to machine a bit off the back so that it sits flush with the body
The back plate mounted to the body. I need to machine a bit off the back so that it sits flush with the body
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Harold_V
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Joined: Fri Dec 20, 2002 11:02 pm
Location: Onalaska, WA USA

Re: MLA Filing Machine

Post by Harold_V »

I'd like to comment on your tenacity. The way you've approached the machining of this kit is remarkable. Of special interest is the way you drilled and counterbored the back plate.

Well done!

H
Wise people talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something.
jeanluc83
Posts: 117
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:02 pm
Location: Connecticut

Re: MLA Filing Machine

Post by jeanluc83 »

I’m just hoping my tenacity doesn’t leave me with a door stop at the end of all this. Fortunately the scotch yoke mechanism is pretty forgiving so I shouldn’t have any problems.

I really like the challenge of making the tooling I have work but this experience has definitely made me pine for a vertical milling machine.
Body bored to final size for the shaft bearing
Body bored to final size for the shaft bearing

I have most of the machining done on the body casting. The shaft bore was also machined on the lathe. It took a lot to get the casting aligned but it looks like I was successful. The base flange meant I had to have the bar sticking out much farther than I would have liked. I got some chatter until I had a continuous cut but after that it was manageable.

My 3/4" boring bar sticking out a long ways
My 3/4" boring bar sticking out a long ways
jeanluc83
Posts: 117
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:02 pm
Location: Connecticut

Re: MLA Filing Machine

Post by jeanluc83 »

I moved on from the body for a little bit to get some of the other parts done.

The hat, so named for its appearance, was made from a block of steel I had in my scrap box. It probably ended up costing me some time in machining but it got rid of a chunk of steel that I had no other real use for. There was about 20% of the material left by the time I was done.

A block from the scrap bin chucked up
A block from the scrap bin chucked up
Machining just about done for the first chucking
Machining just about done for the first chucking
Re-chucked to machine the excess of the bottom and complete the machining
Re-chucked to machine the excess of the bottom and complete the machining
Hat just about finished a hole for the set screw still needs to be drilled and tapped
Hat just about finished a hole for the set screw still needs to be drilled and tapped
Bottom of the hat showing the counter bore for the file shaft and the relief to reduce weight
Bottom of the hat showing the counter bore for the file shaft and the relief to reduce weight
SteveM
Posts: 7763
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 6:18 pm
Location: Wisconsin

Re: MLA Filing Machine

Post by SteveM »

Nice work.

I had thought MLA had disappeared.

Did someone buy it and bring it back?

Never heard anything but good things about their products and the quality of their castings.

Steve
jeanluc83
Posts: 117
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:02 pm
Location: Connecticut

Re: MLA Filing Machine

Post by jeanluc83 »

The website changed domains a couple of years ago but MLA is still under the original owner as far as I know.

http://mlatoolbox.com/MLA-18.html

Not much progress to report. I've been plugging away at some of the smaller parts. So far the only part that is done-done is the hat. I'm starting to get anxious to get back on my Clishay so I'm hoping to get some time to get this done soon.
jeanluc83
Posts: 117
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:02 pm
Location: Connecticut

Re: MLA Filing Machine

Post by jeanluc83 »

The crank assembly just about done. I still need to drill the hole for the 1/16" roll pin which I'm not necessarily looking forward to.

I started off with a block of steel cut from a disk I had on hand
I started off with a block of steel cut from a disk I had on hand
I chucked it up in the 4-jaw and turned and bored to size
I chucked it up in the 4-jaw and turned and bored to size
The piece was flipped and the extra material faced off. Once it was the right thickness re-chucked to drill and ream for the crankpin.
The piece was flipped and the extra material faced off. Once it was the right thickness re-chucked to drill and ream for the crankpin.
The shaft was pretty straightforward.   I cut the keyway in my Atlas horizontal mill.  The plans called for a woodruff key but I went with a regular key since I don't have a cutter.
The shaft was pretty straightforward. I cut the keyway in my Atlas horizontal mill. The plans called for a woodruff key but I went with a regular key since I don't have a cutter.
All the pieces (mostly) done
All the pieces (mostly) done
Thr crank disk was loctited to the shaft.  The drive pin is loose since it still needs to be trimmed to length.
Thr crank disk was loctited to the shaft. The drive pin is loose since it still needs to be trimmed to length.
jeanluc83
Posts: 117
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:02 pm
Location: Connecticut

Re: MLA Filing Machine

Post by jeanluc83 »

I'm still chipping away at the small parts. I got the file rod done. Next up is the yoke casting.

File rod and hat done
File rod and hat done
Yoke casting
Yoke casting
RSG
Posts: 1541
Joined: Fri Feb 04, 2011 9:59 am
Location: Ontario, Canada

Re: MLA Filing Machine

Post by RSG »

Very cool!

Must have experienced some weird vibrations with that casting being so heavy on the one side in the lathe.
Vision is not seeing things as they are, but as they will be.
jeanluc83
Posts: 117
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:02 pm
Location: Connecticut

Re: MLA Filing Machine

Post by jeanluc83 »

Actually it wasn't too bad. You can see in the first few pictures where I tried to counterbalance the casting but I found that I really didn't need it. I kept the RPMs low enough that the offset load wasn't a problem.

When I did get chatter it was more due to the interrupted cuts. Once I got the full surface clean they went away.
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