Poor Man's Dividing Head

[Brian Rupnow]

Amazing stuff, Gus.--You are doing very very good. ----Brian

 

[CrashedAgain]

Nice gearbox, Stub Mandrel.
What's it for?
How did you make the splines?

 

[vcutajar]

Very nice gears Gus.

Vince

 

[cfellows]

Nice work on the dividing head, Gus. I admire folks who can make nice things out of spares they have laying around the shop. I try to do that as much as I can.

Chuck

 

[gus]

What a coincidence, last week I was 2 streets East of there in Shanghai St with a mate. We found a nice little engineering tool shop, a pleasant surprise for that area. My mate bought a couple of ER collets he needed to complete his set.

What great yarns you can tell about your working life. Very interesting.

Just thinking about the gears I have cut... I have read lots of books, M.E. magazines and various forums, but don't recall seeing climb milling mentioned. I have always got the best finish, especially on aluminium, by climb milling with a light cut, only a thou or two, for the final cut to size with a fine feed (and sharp cutter). I've cut quite a few gears and always semi-finish all teeth first, allow to cool if needed, then index and climb mill through every tooth space for the final size. It can also induce less vibration if the set up is not as rigid as it should be. Just a thought...

Regards, RossG
radial1951
_____________

Hi Radial,
Climb Milling is a new term to Gus. Guesed that is down cut in British as taught by the Engilish Workshop Instructors that came to teach trade school way back in the 50s and 60s including the De Lasalle Brothers.

Just discovered down cutting aluminium in the final last thin cut with Tapmatic gives a fantastic finish.

As for the gear cutting,I got so engrossed and did not remember using up cut or down cut.

Will cut the cam today with the DIY Rotary Table. Same table will be reworked for further improvment. And the handwheel graduated.. A new hand wheel will be made.

Thanks for the support and listening to my yarn spinning. When my scout master used the term--------''spinning yarns'', he got me running to the dictionary looking up spinning and yarns and got very confused. What has campfire gathering/singing scout songs got to do with spinning cotton/wool???
Ha Ha The Scout Master was a volunteer from the Bristish Air Force based in Colonial Singapore in the 1950s. Here goes my yarn spinning again.

Regards,

Gus.

Fishing last sunday not so good but landed 2 fish.Rain water dampens fish bites in the Straits of Singapore.:wall::wall:

 

[Philjoe5]

Nice work Gus and lots of great photos too! You've got me inspired to try gear cutting.Thm:

Cheers,
Phil

 

[Stub Mandrel]

Hey Gus,

I always thought fishermen were the experts at 'spinning a yarn' about the 'one that hot away'! I don't suppose you get confused when spinning a lure? ;-)

@CrashedAgain the gearbox is for the 1/4 scale Forson Model F tractor which increasingly feels like a retirement project (maybe 2029???) The splines were cut with a 'Stan Bray' slotting tool (see his book in the Workshop Practice Series) but I cheated by fitting bronze bushes to the sliding gears to fit the O/D of the shafts so the bottom of the slots between the splines can be an easy fit on the shaft.

Neil

 

[gus]

Hey Gus,

I always thought fishermen were the experts at 'spinning a yarn' about the 'one that hot away'! I don't suppose you get confused when spinning a lure? ;-)

@CrashedAgain the gearbox is for the 1/4 scale Forson Model F tractor which increasingly feels like a retirement project (maybe 2029???) The splines were cut with a 'Stan Bray' slotting tool (see his book in the Workshop Practice Series) but I cheated by fitting bronze bushes to the sliding gears to fit the O/D of the shafts so the bottom of the slots between the splines can be an easy fit on the shaft.

Neil

Hi Neil,
Too many big ones got away.Nearly all fishermen are yarn spinners.
Gus is totally hopeless with lures. But a mate taught me to use mini 10 gramme metal jigs. Caught some fish with this jig but they can cost S$20 for a sure fire jig. When the fish won,we lost S$20. Good jig and good bye fish.
It is true the cheap jigs don't work so well.

Neap tide this weekend and different species to go after.

Took a bunch of "high hoper" friends fishing last Sunday and how do you explain to them.They caught nothing and Gus landed 4 whoppers.
Tried explaining to them,their rods were to light and hard to spot cast to look for fish. None want a return match. Ha Ha ha:wall::wall:

 

[rodw]

Gus, do you have any fish up there that eat wood?

A friend at work makes fishing lures as a hobby and I gave him some nice Queensland Maple timber and he said he would make me a lure from the timber I gave him.

So now I have this masterpiece here and have no idea what to do with it. I asked him what sort of fish it would catch and he told me it would be one that eats wood!



The photo I took with my phone does not do it justice!

 

[gus]

Gus, do you have any fish up there that eat wood?

A friend at work makes fishing lures as a hobby and I gave him some nice Queensland Maple timber and he said he would make me a lure from the timber I gave him.

So now I have this masterpiece here and have no idea what to do with it. I asked him what sort of fish it would catch and he told me it would be one that eats wood!



The photo I took with my phone does not do it justice!

When you see the sea boiling with bait fish,cast this lure and give a series jerks.If the biggies are there they will slam on the lure. Be prepared for hell of a fight. I have seen it and done it but I lost the expensive lure and my pride & ego.:wall::wall::wall:

 

[gus]

Nice work Gus and lots of great photos too! You've got me inspired to try gear cutting.Thm:

Cheers,
Phil

Hi Phil,

The Module 0.8 and 1 gear cutters from CTC cost US$25 per set of eight.

The D.Head and Tail stock Centre were left overs. The China mini chuck was the most expensive----------S$80 as compared with the leftovers.
Word of advice.The chuck concentricity is not world best and you need the tail stock centre and mandrel to centralise.

Am looking forward to cut some more gears for other pr0jects. The mini Traction Steam Engine require a gear train refit. For now traction engine runs
too fast and temperamental.

Also planning to upgrade D.H. with worm&wheel and divider plate as per Harold Hall's prints.Will post WIP progress.

Next week Gus in Osaka,Japan shopping at the TokyuHands Hobby Shop.
Both the Fishing Equipment Shop and TokyuHands will do severe damage to my bank account.

 

[Goldflash]

Gus I am Envious of you going to Tokyuhands
The first time I went there I thought I had woken up in a disneyland for hobbyists.
I could have spent a small fortune there.
Next time I ever go there I will make sure I am alone and have plenty of money.
Ralph

 

[jwcnc1911]

Gus, don't feel bad about not understanding the Kentucky language. Some of it is rather obscure. I was raised among Kentuckians and consider myself fluent in their language, but sometimes hear a dialect that gives me problems.

I swear some of them speak a totally different language. Dad thought maybe it was Welch. He might be right.

Bill

HAHAHAHA! Ever been to Louisiana? I swear, that's not the King's English.

 

[gus]

Nice gearbox, Stub Mandrel.
What's it for?
How did you make the splines?

Hi CrashedAgain,
The splines were accidental byproduct of test cut on the aluminium bar. Purpose was to test the entire setup.

 

[gus]

Gus I am Envious of you going to Tokyuhands
The first time I went there I thought I had woken up in a disneyland for hobbyists.
I could have spent a small fortune there.
Next time I ever go there I will make sure I am alone and have plenty of money.
Ralph

Hi Ralph,

You are correct. One can spend a fortune at TokyuHands. This trip will buy no Module 0.8 and 1.0 gears since I have the CTC gear cutters and the Dividing Head and can cut my very own gears.
The Chinese Handtools are of very high quality and only slightly cheaper than the Japanese make.
Hopefully Gus won't go broke since he has bought most of his wants/needs.
The Nachi Twist Drills are very good buys.
Carpentry tools too are of high quality.Bought some Wood Planers and they cut very well and far superior to the Chinese make.

Will post my trip to TokyuHands.

 

[Stub Mandrel]

I'm not sure what's fasionable in the UK now, but I used to blow plenty of money on lures, but the cheaper ones always worked best - especially simple the bent metal ones and the plain coloured feathers used for mackrel! Bringing in three mackrel on a light spinning rod and then cooking them over a smoking fire within a few minutes

I have some ancient plug lures my brother made somewhere (he uses balsa for floating lures) - I never used them I couldn't bear losing something he made like that!

I'll see if I can find one to photograph.

Neil

 

[Philjoe5]

Gus,
I'm waiting for the involute 1 cutters from CTC tools. Here's my setup"



The tailstock was made from a block of aluminum. There's a dead center in it. The slitting saw won't cut gears but it's there so I can check setup clearances. The gear blanks will slip on the keyed arbor for cutting. The arbor will be shortened once I get the cutters and can check clearances.

Thanks for the "Gus' Gear Making" tutorial

Cheers,
Phil

 

[CrashedAgain]

The Module 0.8 and 1 gear cutters from CTC cost US$25 per set of eight.

$25 for the set!!! Wow. Best price I can find is $136 on ebay.

If I could get them for that price maybe I would.....

No, probably I wouldn't. I just like "made it myself" too much.....like the flycutter cutting the gear in the photo of my dividing head above.

 

[Philjoe5]

I think Gus meant $125...I hope so 'cause that's what I just paid for a set from the same vendor!!!

Gus, did you give the guys at CTC Tools some of your fresh fish for that discount??

Phil

 

[CrashedAgain]

Gus, I have sent you a private message.......