Experimental Flash Steam and others

[BaronJ]

Hi Ken,

I use Q4OS, try this link and download the live CD image. It runs entirely from the CD, I believe that you can also run it from a USB key/thumb drive.

Just note, you will not be able to access the CD drive from either, so you won't be able to read the printer drivers disk. However you will be able to access the "Package Manager" and get your printer working that way. Also Konqueror is your file manager and if you want to use it a web browser, though I never use it for web browsing, much preferring Firefox.

HTH.

Hi Ken, Guys,

Curious how the link that I posted has disappeared from my post !

Anyway here it is again for the benefit of those perusing this thread

Q4OS - desktop operating system

And this is the version that I use

Q4OS Centaurus, Trinity, live - 64bit / x64 ... 719 MBytes

The information file is at the end of this line.

I will start a new thread "Linux" Q4OS.

Thanks Guys.

 

[BaronJ]

I've never used a Debian based platform. 30 years ago I tried Red Hat and some others, but I liked Suse best. I'll try this Q4OS. Any suggestions?

Hi Richard,

I've started a new Thread entitled "Linux Q4OS".
It seems that my link has disappeared from my post in Post 80.

I used to like and use SuSe but when Kde4 was introduced things went downhill, and when Kde5 came out that was the end of the line. I moved to supporting "Trinity" ! Since then it has gone from strength to strength.

 

[Richard Hed]

I have a problem that maybe someone can give me some advice on:

I am making some plates for an ER-40 & 50 for a D1-5 spindle nose. This has six pins. The original pins have M12-10 threads and I was going to make them the same for interchangability, however, I realized I don't need to do that. The tooling, that is, M12-10 taps (don't need dies, as I can cut the trheads) are very hard to get for a reasonable price. I realized that I can make 7/16-20 which are a small amount smaller than the M12s. It doesn't matter because the M12s are for regular chucks which will have larger pieces in them but the ERs will have much smaller pieces in them so 7/16ths are plenty adequate. So, my problem is that the pins have a halfmoon cut in them and holding the pin in such a manner as to scoop the half moons out is a problem since I have no mill. I could put them in a 4 jaw with one jaw removed or probably better, I could put it on the plate. I would have to make some special tie down holders for that but it's possible. A third option, and not one I relish would be to make a cutter on a center mandrel and cut the moons that way. I thimk the best option is the plate.

Any ideas?

Here is a rough drawing of the pin (and disk)

 

[Steamchick]

I have a problem that maybe someone can give me some advice on:

I am making some plates for an ER-40 & 50 for a D1-5 spindle nose. This has six pins. - (I have no idea what this is describing but the drawing of pins and plate helps.) So, my problem is that the pins have a halfmoon cut in them and holding the pin in such a manner as to scoop the half moons out is a problem since I have no mill. I could put them in a 4 jaw with one jaw removed or probably better, I could put it on the plate. I would have to make some special tie down holders for that but it's possible. A third option, and not one I relish would be to make a cutter on a centre mandrel and cut the moons that way. I think the best option is the plate. (The fly-cutter is the way I would go... K2).

Any ideas?

Here is a rough drawing of the pin (and disk)

Hi Richard,
I would use a half round file, and some marking blue to check against round bar of the correct size for the radius of the half-moon (22.5mm diameter?), plus vernier to check thickness of bar at the thin point. A bit of work, but the skill is developed by all apprentices in their first days.... so perhaps time for you to develop skills if you haven't already got them? (I am sure you have). It is easy to forget the tools that existed before power was added, and that sometimes careful hand-work suits the time and need.
I have an ancestor called Filer... who was making tools (files) back in the 15th century. I still have some from my grandfather's toolbox - going back possibly to when he was on ships back in the 1900s? But only the sharp ones have been kept, including a nice 1" half-round. Good tools outlast people. Skills can easily be lost if we don't practice them.
However, another way to make the half-moon cut-outs would be to mount the bars in the tool-post - pointing across the axis of the lathe, and using a fly-cutter mounted in the 4 jaw chuck. Progress the work along the main travel slowly to cut the half-moons. The exercise will teach you the use of a fly-cutter - with work-piece mounted on the travel - but that is basically what you say you don't want to do?
I am fairly sure that another method will end in tears: I.E. mount the pins on the plate - mount the plate centrally in the chuck, Bore the half-moons carefully while the pins bend and/or break-off and fly everywhere! - Then decide that wasn't the best way to do it. Unless you are very careful and the pins and plate "robust"? Then you can prove you are a better machinist than I - No ignore that last comment - I know from your posts you are a much better machinist than I. - Which is why I would use a file...
Anyway, cut the half moons on the uncut bar first, then size from the centre of the moon to your shoulder when turning to size for the thread.
Today I shall sign myself "Luddite" - as this is a machining website, and I am advocating using hand-tools... (K2)

 

[BaronJ]

Hi Richard, Guys,

Get a piece of steel big enough to drill a hole in for the length of the pin. Cross drill it with the size of drill to suit the scallop and in the right position for the pin length and width. Insert the pin then clamp the whole lot in your drilling vise and drill through, carefully ! You need to clamp the pin so that it cannot rotate, which if you make the block a few thou's smaller than the length of the pin and use a bit of cardboard to pack the block, you will be able to produce them production line style.

Easy peasy

You have already got a drawing for the pin. Just put it inside a steel block.

 

[goldstar31]

Hi Guys

The 'scallop' in a cotter pin is essentially cut with a boring head or a drill. Holding the 'in' so that it does not rotate normally uses a lip or flange at the other end( the non threaded) end of the pin. The boroinf_ I will come to that but the holder can be WOOD!
The absence of a boring bar gravitates us to a the faceplate or the independent 4 jaw chuck which can create an adjustable movement for 'widening'. There are numerous variations possible but that will hold a normal lathe tool as an alternative to a properly ground boring tool.
In the absence of a drilling machine, the faceplate or something suitable can be attacked to the poppet part of the tailstock. Again, adding a crank avoids losing a tailstock setting.
The Division plate- or absence thereof suggests a gear wheel will in stipples of 6- in this case o.e. from 6 to 120 for practical purposes. Of course 120 gear will give degrees for grinding or plotting and 3, 6 and 9 degrees will suffice for home ground lathe tools and 60 teerth can be urilised to do American and Metric screwcutting tools. Findi ng Half degrees is a bit triccy but- splitting 3 degreeated and adding, is perfectly feasible.
Digressing, square and rectangular blocks with a hole drilled in does the classic 90 gegrees et seq whist a bit of hexagon works wonders. Again Propping a 3 jaw chuck with a 'bit of wood.

Of course it is all a development from the Propositions of Euclid and rarely taight by maths masters. Mine was a facetted gem who taught me to train like StPaul or Saul to have two jobs.

So my little bit more is the NINE tools which correctly employed will enable a master builder to create a --------cathedral. When I am having a good night on the malt, I mentor in such things

Now to put my new wood bandsaw together

 

[Richard Hed]

Hi Richard, Guys,

Get a piece of steel big enough to drill a hole in for the length of the pin. Cross drill it with the size of drill to suit the scallop and in the right position for the pin length and width. Insert the pin then clamp the whole lot in your drilling vise and drill through, carefully ! You need to clamp the pin so that it cannot rotate, which if you make the block a few thou's smaller than the length of the pin and use a bit of cardboard to pack the block, you will be able to produce them production line style.

Easy peasy
View attachment 123873
You have already got a drawing for the pin. Just put it inside a steel block.

My son suggested something like this too. His suggestion was to make a holder for TWO pins, space them just right then put that in the 4 jaw. I thimk this, (as you suggest) is what I will look into.

K2, I haven't had my coffee, I can barely read anything people are suggesting. Worse, I can't even understand each word. I had to read Baron's post twice before I got what he was saying. I've already read YOUR post twice and still haven't woken up enough. However, there is enough that I understand that I need to explain a few details: It's silversteel (drill rod), 3/4" which I needs to cut out that moon to the depth of about .25". It has to be smooth and (I thimpfk) quite exact or else it will not clamp well in the D1-5 and for all I know, it may damage the internal clamps of the D1-5 nose. Altho' I COULD file away at that, there are six pins and I plan to make a few, probably a minimum of three so that I can make two ERs (a 40 and a 50) and have a blank for future needs, which means I will need 18 pins. I REALLY dread thimpfking about filing away for weeks on that many pins, (Im sure I would quit after the first one). Your other idea (I've had to read your post 3X, now) of mounting the part in the tool post would only work if the pin was placed in such a manner that the peice was above or below, or the front or the back of the flycutter. This might be possible with a milling attachment which I do not have set up yet for my larger lathe. (The smaller one, I thimpfk, is not powerful enough nor ridgid enough to do the work without breaking something.)

I thimpfk Baron's idea and my son's idea together will have to be the way. If I make a holder to hold two pieces, (necessarily quadrupling the difficulty of getting each piece correctly placed), with a grub screw at one end to adjust the depth of placement of the parts, I could mass produce them quite easily and also have the pin holder left over to make more later if needed. Hmmmm, Thanx guys, I'm on to something that might work. Now to design the holder. It has to be precisely positioned in two degrees, or one anyway, can adjust with a grub.

 

[BaronJ]

Hi Richard, Guys,

The scallop is not that precision. A few thou either way won't make a lot of difference. You can screw it in or out by the TPI of the thread, that is why they use a 1 mm pitch. Its is more important that all the pins are the same. Drilling will work just fine, if you want to be pedantic about it use a slot drill.

Making a jig that allows you to make two at a time will work but then you do have to ensure that neither pin can move in the jig. Now it gets complicated, making a single pin secure is relatively easy, securing two pins at the same time isn't.

All the jig is doing is guiding the drill, assuming that the jig is set against positive stops.

I think it would be harder to ensure that a 2.5" inch long 3/4" inch diameter hole is square to both faces of the jig at both ends and the same diameter at both ends. You wouldn't believe how many times I've seen that happen !

 

[Richard Hed]

Hi Richard, Guys,

The scallop is not that precision. A few thou either way won't make a lot of difference. You can screw it in or out by the TPI of the thread, that is why they use a 1 mm pitch. Its is more important that all the pins are the same. Drilling will work just fine, if you want to be pedantic about it use a slot drill.

Making a jig that allows you to make two at a time will work but then you do have to ensure that neither pin can move in the jig. Now it gets complicated, making a single pin secure is relatively easy, securing two pins at the same time isn't.

All the jig is doing is guiding the drill, assuming that the jig is set against positive stops.

I think it would be harder to ensure that a 2.5" inch long 3/4" inch diameter hole is square to both faces of the jig at both ends and the same diameter at both ends. You wouldn't believe how many times I've seen that happen !

Yes, my son noticed that the moon is NOT an exact arc, that one end of the arc has a bit of extra machining. I will hav to chek all the other pins to see if they ALL have that bit cut out or if it is just one. The radius of the circle will be smaller than what I have on the drawing. ANd yes, the thing is not that precision, Ithimpfk that even MORE than a few thou--the pins are loose and rattly on the chucks so that they will easily fit into the nose. It's all tightened up when you wrench the D1-5 camlocks. By the construction, I thimpfk I could have the moon off quite substantially in one direction and correct it by machining, but not in the other direction. Also, aftr all is over and done, these pins, being drill rod, are supposed to be hardened. I 'll have to look into just which type of hardening that will have to be according to the type of drill rod.

Thanx for the advice on keeping the two holes parallel, I know this will not be double the "fun" but more likely quadruple the "fun". Everthing will have to be VERY precise. On the other hand if two don't work together, I can always use the same fixture and only do one at a time.

 

[Steamchick]

Hi Richard,
I think you have better suggestions than mine. Just indicates what a "Luddite" I really am...
K2

 

[goldstar31]

Hi Richard,
I think you have better suggestions than mine. Just indicates what a "Luddite" I really am...
K2

No, Ken, you are NOT a Luddite
A Luddite was a employee who was afraid( and was probably right) that his Master would put him out of work by installing machinery. Consequently, he attempted to destroy the new fangled things.

So you are probably the despised Good Samataritan whose aim in lefe is as St Augustus mentioned==

to give and not to ask for any reaward.
So to contimue the theme
Well done thous good and faithful servant----

'For I always knew Thee as an awful taskmaster'

Sun is shing, this is the verminal Equinox-- enjoy.

N

 

[BaronJ]

No, Ken, you are NOT a Luddite
A Luddite was a employee who was afraid( and was probably right) that his Master would put him out of work by installing machinery. Consequently, he attempted to destroy the new fangled things.

So you are probably the despised Good Samaritan whose aim in life is as St Augustus mentioned==

to give and not to ask for any reward.
So to continue the theme
Well done thous good and faithful servant----

'For I always knew Thee as an awful taskmaster'

Sun is shining, this is the vernal Equinox-- enjoy.

N

I learn something every day, I always thought of a "Luddite" as an unintelligent moron. Which Ken obviously isn't.

 

[Richard Hed]

I learn something every day, I always thought of a "Luddite" as an unintelligent moron. Which Ken obviously isn't.

I always get Luddite, Jacobite, and some others mixt up all the time. I prefer the word "sabbot" which is French for "shoe".

 

[goldstar31]

'Shoes' in French are chausures whilst 'sabot' is a wooden clog which was used as sabotage by jamming one in the points to derail trains.

There is still an English expression about' putting the clog in'
I wore clogs at schoolduring WW2.

 

[Steamchick]

Thanks guys, your history of language - and many other things - I find fascinating.
My misinterpretation of Luddite was a reference to my preferring the "old stuff" - more generally - as I feel I have a "natural" fear of learning the "new" stuff....
(Ha, Ha! - wrong text for this post!) - re-written now...).
What I meant with my suggestion of "filing" - apart from the obvious: that if you can achieve the result with a file it may be the quicker and more practical solution... - was really rhetoric - "Is the lathe just made for turning round objects, or can it turn a tool which can machine curves?" - So thinking in reverse, put a tool in the chuck - rotating as would a milling machine - and make some adapter to mount the parts where the toolpost would normally go...
Without knowing your lathe or set-up I can't work it out for you.
Anyway, I mis-used the phrase "Luddite" - but surely they were advocating the use of "old tools and methods" - even though recognising the labour intensive nature of those tools.
Perhaps I am not looking to develop any particular "machining" process to do lots of things "because it can", but as one of many ways to achieve and end-point - in this case, make something that is simple, and relatively expensive to buy.
e.g. Recently I gave-up struggling with a set-up for micro-drilling from the tail-stock using a combination of home-made M1 taper and M1 to M2 tapered sleeve. I bought an M2 tapered adapter for the tail-stock chuck so I was using "factory accuracy" instead of "home-made". In 10 to 20 years it will be cost effective against the cost of broken drills and material - but in terms of frustration and speed of making the bits I want to be making it is the better solution.
And sometimes a few hours graft with hand-tools is the right solution compared to spending many hours making lots of tooling "for a one-off". Not always my choice, I am just saying it is a possible solution.
So Richard, when you consider various solutions - and eliminate those you do not like or are impractical - you'll find you have the "best" solution with the one you "least reject".
K2

 

[BaronJ]

Hi Ken,

I would not have recommended installing Q4OS as a first attempt, too many gotchas involved. Using a live CD and booting from that would give you a working system. MS also has spoilers built in making things difficult. I also know that there are a number of machines that are quite deliberately programmed so that you have little chance of running any other OS.

 

[Richard Hed]

Well, guys, I can't believe what happened. I was making a tool to make tools when I discovered I didn't have a wrench, not even an adjustable one to fit the nut. Lucky for me, I managed to find an old left hand monkey wrench!-Those left hand monkey wrenches are really handy as they open really wide. I kept the wrench around more as a keep sake from the dark ages--never thot in a bundle of ages that I would ever actually use it. I had to use my right hand however.

 

[Steamchick]

Hi Richard, I guess the left-handed monkeys are 1/4 of the monkey population if normal genetics apply to sinistral beasts? Obviously then they are harder to find than the right-handed critturs. But finding the appropriate LH wrench is great! Must be worth a fortune for the rarity value! I would try and get one for my wife - she is sinistral. But not being a monkey, she wouldn't want it or have much use for it. I would probably end up wearing it sticking out of my skull....
K2

 

[goldstar31]

I've just taken delivery of another bottle of Monkey Shoulder.

Slange va

Norman

 

[Richard Hed]

Anybody know anything about this:
Small Herreshoff mill type steam engine


Here is a link to a triple expansion: Herreshoff Triple Expansion Steam Engine, 1904 – New England Wireless & Steam Museum

I'm looking for any plans for this.