Stuff you have made today

[bricol]

So we're saying the years, decades even, of my now 83yr old mother, getting down on her knees every morning and every night, to read the meters in the under-stairs cupboard, making a note in her dairy diary, so she can then swop two digits on her electric bill where they ask for a reading one month, then read it correctly the next, so they undercharge the first time, then over-charge the next time, leading her to argue with them for several months they got it wrong and according to her diary readings, they are wrong, has all been a waste of time?

I still think she doesn't believe me when I showed her the figures she submitted had transposed digits to the ones in her diary . . .

Me . . . I just read the meter, pay the bill I get if it looks right . . .

 

[DennisCA]

have one here if you want to borrow it, small hotwire . You sort postage there and back, and you can borrow it easily enough. Old analogue scale, airflow developments TA6000 but works fine.

let me know if that's of interest.. .

Thanks for the offer but I think it would be cheaper for me to rent one from a local store. I am also given to understand it should be a specialized model that can cover the entire vent on one side, like a funnel.

 

[Red'n'Black]

Years ago I took a spare 'pre-payment' coin meter that I had removed from a bed sit that was in the house when we bought it in 1984, gutted the coin mechanism and put an opto sensor on the disk. Then the buffered and opto-isolated output from this was wired to an interrupt input on a microprocessor development board (years before PCs!) . I wired this meter in series with the boards meter and for many years plotted electricity (and water) usage with this system.

That extra meter was still in place when we sold the house in 2007 and never once was it's presence questioned despite numerous meter readings, electrical condition reports and surveys !

One of my back-burner projects is an optical pickup for our spinning-disc meter, to use with an Arduino or similar. But then a guy at work told me how he had done the same thing and had a hard time convincing the meter reader it wasn't some sort of cheat device...

 

[MCKDAVID]

@DennisCA aye a capture hood is always more efficent, but if you want more precision, drill test holes in any decent straignt length of duct and do a pitot tube travers with a micro manometer. Way more accurate than any anemometer readings as the results are more stable, aneomoeters tend to bounce around.

 

[Dr.Al]

Today I made this:

Yes, that's right: it's a small notch in a random bit of 3 mm steel I had lying around. Impressed? I was.

It might not look like much, but in order to make said notch, I made this over the last week-ish:

More pictures:

In case you haven't worked it out, it's Harold Hall's filing machine. I hate filing with a passion, so this should be quite handy. So far I've only prepared a square file, a "tri-square" (why can't they just call it "triangular"?) file and a flat file, but more will come over the next few days.

The "variable stroke mechanism" (adjustable eccentric bearing) is a beautiful design. Here are a couple of videos of it running with somewhere near maximum stroke length (first slowly, then a bit quicker):

I'm feeling rather chuffed with that.

Oh, and if anyone decides to make one of these filing machines, the hold-down mechanism drawings specify two of each of items 1, 2 & 6. It only needs 1 of each. Let me know if you want to make this machine and I'll send you the extras I made (assuming they haven't made it into the bin by then).

 

[DanZac]

I'm feeling rather chuffed with that.

As you should be.

Looks like a nice little project.

 

[minimutly]

Today I made this:

View attachment 325515

Yes, that's right: it's a small notch in a random bit of 3 mm steel I had lying around. Impressed? I was.

It might not look like much, but in order to make said notch, I made this over the last week-ish:

View attachment 325517

More pictures:

View attachment 325518

View attachment 325520

View attachment 325522

In case you haven't worked it out, it's Harold Hall's filing machine. I hate filing with a passion, so this should be quite handy. So far I've only prepared a square file, a "tri-square" (why can't they just call it "triangular"?) file and a flat file, but more will come over the next few days.

The "variable stroke mechanism" (adjustable eccentric bearing) is a beautiful design. Here are a couple of videos of it running with somewhere near maximum stroke length (first slowly, then a bit quicker):

I'm feeling rather chuffed with that.

Oh, and if anyone decides to make one of these filing machines, the hold-down mechanism drawings specify two of each of items 1, 2 & 6. It only needs 1 of each. Let me know if you want to make this machine and I'll send you the extras I made (assuming they haven't made it into the bin by then).

I don't see any grease nipples?

 

[Dr.Al]

I don't see any grease nipples?

There aren't any (in the design or the reality). Should there be?

The rotary motion uses bearings; the up-and-down motion uses bearings running on ground steel shafts and cast iron "bushes" (if that's the right term) running on a ground steel shaft. I'll probably use oil here and there, but otherwise rely on the sealed bearings. It's not as if it's a machine that's going to be running constantly for years.

Do say though if you think I'm missing something

 

[minimutly]

There aren't any (in the design or the reality). Should there be?

The rotary motion uses bearings; the up-and-down motion uses bearings running on ground steel shafts and cast iron "bushes" (if that's the right term) running on a ground steel shaft. I'll probably use oil here and there, but otherwise rely on the sealed bearings. It's not as if it's a machine that's going to be running constantly for years.

Do say though if you think I'm missing something

It's your choice. Either way a useful bit of kit. Well done.

 

[MattF]

Cast iron is classed as self lubricating, so an occasional dash of oil on the bushes should be plenty.

 

[MCKDAVID]

There aren't any (in the design or the reality). Should there be?

The rotary motion uses bearings; the up-and-down motion uses bearings running on ground steel shafts and cast iron "bushes" (if that's the right term) running on a ground steel shaft. I'll probably use oil here and there, but otherwise rely on the sealed bearings. It's not as if it's a machine that's going to be running constantly for years.

Do say though if you think I'm missing something

wouldn't worry about it, not like it's a production tool for 8 hours a day, like you say regular oiling will be fine. Any grease would just collect and build up with the filings, the thin oil will "flush" out the bushes better than a grease.

 

[Arc Tourist]

I'm feeling rather chuffed with that. ...................................

That's a great addition to your workshop.

 

[RichardM]

As all the hydraulic guys seem to be on holiday until after New Year, this afternoon I made a big lump of scrap aluminium into smaller lumps of usable aluminium.
The big flange is 48mm thick and the boss another 48mm on top of that - with the help of my Aldi bandsaw of course.
Now to start facing it in the mill.

 

[selectedgrub]

Hi @Dr.Al I like your machine.
Do you hand work the piece your filing into it?
Or if your filing a key hole for example would you thread the file through a precut hole?

Thanks for sharing, Have a Happy new year.

 

[highseas]

A @Munkul inspired 8mm boring bar sleeve. It was interesting to get a 7mm bar to cut a tight 8mm bore. Using up some en3b as I dont imagine the grade making any difference for this.
I just found a peice of 27mm cast iron, I cant think of any better use and I need to make a few more, 8.4, 10, 12 and 13mm.
View attachment 321823

Can I be dumb and ask the use of a boring bar sleeve? I will assume it’s a sleeve that slips over the bar with the correct OD for the hole so stope rattle/ flex of the bar??

 

[Kram]

Sleeves are used in round bore holders instead of the normal slotted holders. Advantage is that you can swap sleeve or boring bar and they should be on centre height with no adjustment. The other reason is my tool post standard holders are only 14mm high, my modified ones are 25 and 32mm.

The flex issue is almost gone if you use carbide shank bars. I can have nearly 200mm stick out on a 20mm bar for light cuts, 100-120mm for heavy cuts with no chatter.

Reminds me I never finished the sleeves, two need boring and all 3 need cross drilling.

 

[selectedgrub]

Instead of milling this from one piece with my WE 15-125 I just bolted and clamped it to stainless and filled up the cavity. Then plugged the 2 bolt holes.
It's dirty but it works as it is only small detail.

 

[Kram]

My push knurler doesnt want to work on delrin, just tried to bend it. Cut grooves instead. Small file handle. I bought some beech handles but even a 3" the hole is too big for the 3mm tang.

 

[Olderisbetter]

More installed the made, finally plaster boarded where the new boiler and utility space is going, new everything basically and the picture is taken from what will be another toilet and sink will be after I build the stud wall.

 

[henry Kadzielski]

Well a lot of you are showing off what you have achieved, so I thought that I may show something that I have achieved.

Had the fan for about two years, had made the alli fan adaptors 18 months ago, had the unistrut, all that was needed was the flex duct, that arrived late last week.
Why does it take so long to get something done, well it is for myself. Finally the fume extraction system is almost completed.

The fan position doesn't line up with the plasma table suction connection so something had to be done. A wide ratchet strap attached to a purlin and she's apples fan is three phase 2pole and 3kwI think. All I know is when it powered it up it shifted some air . Could blow a dog off a chain .

All that is left to do is connect the VSD I got for it so I can slow it down, as heaven forbit, don't know w hat would happen if I speeded it up and move the plasma to a more appropriate place. Plasma off the ground so the floor is easier to clean