ewal
Part of the e-furniture
Happiness is a good wife & a steam engine.
Posts: 293
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Post by ewal on Nov 9, 2007 21:23:13 GMT
 This is how I cut expansion links on the jig borer, when I'm set up I make a batch. ewal |
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Post by Shawki Shlemon on Nov 11, 2007 8:49:27 GMT
Correct if I am wrong that the radius could be different for different engines not mention the width of the slot and thickness of the plate. Do all these these have the same radius ?
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Post by drjohn on Nov 11, 2007 9:22:19 GMT
Not only that, Shawki, but the quality of the slots is very poor - the same effect I got using a slot drill. That's why I ended up using a 4 flute end mill.
And as you say, unless you're producing a batch, why have a load with the same radius? And no milling of the outside bits of the links.
I have a pic somewhere in the Simplex section of my website with the hand operated jig I made for doing the expansion links.
DJ
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ewal
Part of the e-furniture
Happiness is a good wife & a steam engine.
Posts: 293
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Post by ewal on Dec 18, 2007 20:46:56 GMT
Having been off line for a while I hadn't noticed the replies. In response Shawki The batch of engines I am building have the same size wheels & stroke so the same radius.
Doc the quality of the slots isn't bad but I do separate them by hand on the bandsaw.
ewal
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ianmac
Part of the e-furniture
Posts: 308
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Post by ianmac on May 16, 2008 1:48:06 GMT
I am probably wrong but the way i did mine was to soft solder the blanks together along with a wider longer piece so that i could bolt it to the rotary table and cut them that way.
Turned out really nice.
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waggy
Statesman
Posts: 744
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Post by waggy on May 17, 2008 3:06:33 GMT
Ian,
If they turned out well, how could you have done them wrong?
I do mine the same way but solder them to a disc that bolts to the rotary. I also finish the sliding surfaces with a 3/16 end mill, having milled the majority of the slot using a slot drill with a smaller diameter than the slot width. I make several passes with the small mill until nothing is coming off, not even dust! If the slot ends up a little larger than planned, make your die block to suit.
Waggy.
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ianmac
Part of the e-furniture
Posts: 308
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Post by ianmac on May 26, 2008 21:58:00 GMT
I often think that i am doing something wrong but i am self taught. I guess with time comes experience and there probably is easier ways to do things that have taken me hours.
I was using a 1/8th cutter and that was slightly over size. ;D
If i had my time over i would have built a 5 or7 1/4 loco. easier to find tooling but then again there would be all other problems like finding materials
Ian
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