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craftsmankitcollector
Engine Wiper
USA
126 Posts |
 Posted - 09/06/2010 : 2:56:11 PM
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I began with this piece of machinery just like I had on the lathe. I separated all the pieces out and went through and matched them up with their appropriate number on the parts list/diagram. The parts were easier to identify since they were not as similar to each other as the myriad of handles on the lathe. One thing that was a little confusing though was the identification of the “column”. On the diagram it is indicated as one piece but in actuality it is two pieces, the column and the cross member. The cross member does not have a separate part number. At first I thought that the pieces had been broken but after further study of the instructions I noted that Bret speaks of reattaching the pieces and using the wire to make sure that the alignment is accurate. Perhaps Bret can post and let us know the reason for breaking this piece up and then having to re attach it.
Column and cross member as they come in the kit, unattached.
What they will look like after they are reattached
Speaking of wire, there are four different sizes of wire that are used in this kit. Bret has three of the four in a separate bag called “wire parts” but the fourth and smallest is in the same bag as the parts for the drill. It is the size of a human hair (0.006) and is very easy to miss so be careful and don’t miss it!
This kit has a fair amount of drilling to do so as I went from piece to piece cleaning and filing off what small amounts of flash there were, I looked for holes and then studied the plan to determine what size drill I would need for each hole.
The sizes that I used were:
#67 for the 0.32 wire
#77 for the 0.20 wire
And #80 for both the 0.15 and 0.006
As I was cleaning I was also test fitting all the parts and ran across the biggest casting problem that I have had so far with either kit. When I started to clean up the piece called the drill head I found that the flash on the back was pretty extensive and rendered the piece unable to attach onto the dovetail. After looking at the pictures to make sure that I was right and not redoing something that I was just misunderstanding, I used my files and hobby knife to clean out all the flash and redo the grooves on the side that lock it onto the dovetail.
Note that these pictures were taken after the repair and that the drill head is not glued on the dovetail. It slides up and down and is held on by the grooves on the sides of the drill head “wrapping around” the diagonal edges of the dovetail (which is permanently attached to the column).
As I was cleaning up the problem on this casting, I really took my time and made sure to constantly be checking to make sure that I only took off enough so that it would be a snug fit.
Back of Drill Head casting after clean up and restoration.
It only took about 30 minutes to fix the problem and it works just fine now. With the kind of quality control that I have seen so far I am sure that this was a rarity that others are unlikely to encounter.
I finally got everything cleaned and drilled so the next step is: Blacken it and buffing with the Dremel tool. |
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wesleybeks
Fireman
South Africa
2215 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2010 : 09:19:05 AM
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Hi Rob
Looking good so far. Do you use a buffing compound with the dremel? |
Regards
Wes.
Dont leave for tomorrow what you can do today. |
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Frederic Testard
Engineer
France
16455 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2010 : 1:32:22 PM
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That should be another interesting thread, Rob. Looking forward for the next posts.
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Frederic Testard |
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craftsmankitcollector
Engine Wiper
USA
126 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2010 : 11:03:19 PM
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| Wes and Frederic, thanks for the kind words. Wes, I did not use any compound when buffing. |
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craftsmankitcollector
Engine Wiper
USA
126 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2010 : 11:22:42 PM
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I went ahead and plunged everything in the Blacken It and was careful to use an old paint brush to make sure that no bubbles formed which can cause the darkening to be uneven.
Parts all blackened up and ready to be buffed.
I decided to try something a little different than last time on the buffing. Last time I just held the Dremel tool in one hand and the casting in the other and went to it. This time I decided that I would use the assembly of this kit as an excuse to go ahead and get the Dremel vise that has an attachment to hold the tool. This way I could use both hands to hold the castings while I buffed them. I ordered the vise and got it all set up and ready to go.
This setup worked just great. Really easy to control the buffing process this way.
Here is the bottom of the base plate after Blacken It but before buffing.
Here is the bottom of the base plate with half of it buffed. The buffing really does result in a wonderful finish on these castings. Although it is pretty tough on the buffing pad!
Next step: beginning assembly. |
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Frederic Testard
Engineer
France
16455 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2010 : 6:42:13 PM
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Your two last pictures are impressive, Rob. It seems incredible that the buffing of this casting can wear the pad out this way.
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Frederic Testard |
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ETinBH
Fireman
USA
4242 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2010 : 7:43:15 PM
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| Neat start to another cool thread - thanks Rob |
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craftsmankitcollector
Engine Wiper
USA
126 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2010 : 11:30:30 PM
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Well, it’s time to attack the gluing of the cross member to the column. I made sure that I had filed the two attachment points of the cross member so that they mated as closely as possible with the column. I wanted as tight and clean a fit as possible. Then I needed to figure out a way to hold everything in position while the epoxy dried. I ended up taking one of my right angle blocks and laying it on its side. That allowed me to lay the column flat on the dovetail but still allow the curved end of the column to hang over the edge. I put a piece of double stick tape down to lay the column on. That helped to keep it from sliding around while I fiddled with it. I then used the wires through the appropriate holes as Brett recommends in the instructions and a very small amount of epoxy at each attachment point. I made sure everything was lined up and as straight as possible and used whatever was at hand to hold everything still while it dried. I let it sit for about 24 hours.
Let me reemphasize what Bret mentions in the instructions. When the gluing is done, be very careful with the finished assembly as it is extremely fragile.
Then it is time to paint some of the pieces. I did thinner coats this time and had better luck than on the lathe.
In this picture none of the pieces are glued together yet. This was just to begin checking out how everything was fitting together.
The next thing to assemble was the counter weight rope which is looped under the drill head and attached to a small hole under the top of the column. This is a very tedious process since the wire is extremely fine.
The drill head is not glued into place yet. It’s just wedged into place until the twisted ends of the wire are glued into place.
Next step: disaster! |
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UKGuy
Fireman
USA
5428 Posts |
Posted - 09/09/2010 : 07:52:35 AM
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The paint job looks very authentic, and 'thin'. Ingenious suports on the glueing stage, I'd have trouble leaving it alone for 24hrs though..... I'd keep picking it up or 'wiggling' it to "see if it was dry yet".... 
This is going to be a terrific build. Gonna mark it for reference along with the lathe thread.
Karl.A |
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Frederic Testard
Engineer
France
16455 Posts |
Posted - 09/09/2010 : 5:01:08 PM
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Even under these extreme close-up views, your paint job is very thin and shows no wrong texture. Hat's off.
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Frederic Testard |
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craftsmankitcollector
Engine Wiper
USA
126 Posts |
Posted - 09/09/2010 : 11:37:45 PM
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After all the work that I did to make sure that the cross member was positioned correctly on the column, I accidentally broke it off…right after the counter weight rope came loose![:-banghead]
Here is where I went wrong. Before I painted the assembly, I had taken the tip of my X Acto blade and cleaned off the residual amount of epoxy that had gathered around the mating points of the cross member and column. It wasn’t much but I wanted it to be as pristine as possible. This meant that there was a very small amount of epoxy holding the pieces together.
As I was test fitting the different shafts in place and testing how the column aligned with the counter shaft bracket, I noticed, to my chagrin, that not everything was lining up like I wanted. The shafts were not as straight as I would like and the column and cross member were not lining up effectively with the counter shaft bracket. As I was tinkering with it, the cross member broke off! Now, with hind sight, that was a good thing as it allowed me to redo the attachment where everything lined up better. But at the time, I was NOT a happy camper.[:-censored]
I went ahead and filed off the paint and epoxy from the general area of the mounting points (I did get too carried away with that and should not have filed so indiscriminately but I was really annoyed. Note to myself: do not file when annoyed) and reattached the cross member, this time with gap filling ACC. The fit was much better this time.
As I was busy with the repair, the counter weight rope came loose![:-weepn] I drilled out the hole and reattached it and it held for awhile but came out again![:-timebm]
I decided to just wait until I finished with the drill and see if I could get it glued back in place as the last step.
Next step: assembly finally proceeds |
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railman28
Fireman
USA
1726 Posts |
Posted - 09/10/2010 : 12:27:44 AM
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Man, I feel your pain. All the walking I've done to work off the frustration would of worn out a few pairs of shoes. I have learned never to work when I'm upset. I'm never happy with the result and then I get more ..[:-banghead] so I go for a walk.
Bob |
It's Only Make Believe
Bob Harris |
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Nelson458
Crew Chief
USA
810 Posts |
Posted - 09/10/2010 : 4:13:45 PM
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| I agree, although it can be a very upsetting thing to destroy a model you are working on (I sat on my wooden building, Bulger's Garage, which many might remember), all I did was pretend it didn't happen, walk away, make a cup of tea, and come back to put the pieces on a board as if it was a kit I had to put together without instructions (I am also known not to get upset about anything too, might be a good thing, I don't know). As you found, in hind-site, it turned out to be a better model after I finished with it. Sometimes it is best to just put it down and walk away or start on something else for a while. |
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craftsmankitcollector
Engine Wiper
USA
126 Posts |
Posted - 09/10/2010 : 11:19:36 PM
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I inserted the spindle shaft and the bearing gear. Then I installed the drive shaft with its assorted bearings, pulleys etc. Be very careful to note that the direction of the hubs on the gears should be facing the front of the drill.
Next I installed the feed gear assembly and its assorted parts.
I then deviated from the instructions a little. I glued the column in place to the base and countershaft bracket before installing the table elevating gear assembly and screw.
Next step: final assembly |
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UKGuy
Fireman
USA
5428 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2010 : 08:17:42 AM
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Wow! Thats a detailed detail !!!! Excellent work.
Karl.A |
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Rick
Administrator
USA
17742 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2010 : 09:47:49 AM
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Robert, this is one machine I didn't assemble for use in the engine house.
Looks like it might be the most difficult of the set to assemble.
You're doing a good job of it and have put together an excellent thread on it's assembly. |
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Topic |
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Sierra West 36" Vertical Drill build thread
