Machining Steering Columns

[bill-e-boy]

In another post I was going to use an aftermarket ally steering column but the hub length was too long. The after market column is a nice unit which is made as one whole piece. This lead me to thinking about machining one up. I have a Unimat 3 lathe so this should be an easy project to acomplish.

I remember reading in one of the Gerald Wingrove books where he explained how he broke down major assemblies into smaller pieces then assembled everything to make the whole item.

My thinking was therefore to machine the hub and for the shaft use regular ally tube - in this case 2.4mm (don't remember the inch size but as I work mainly in mm it does not really matter) as I was applying GW methodology to my project.

In the following I make no excuse for using tech talk when describing machining operations 

So first order chuck some 5mm ally bar in the lathe and machine to major size and face off - I made two - one at 3mm and the other at 3.5mm

Next I spotted the end with a centre drill for drilling out to fit the tube

Then drilled 2mm deep with first a 2mm deep drill followed with a 2.4mm drill bit - I have recently splurged on drill index 1-5.9mm in 0.1mm rises

Next up was turning the taper - the compound slide was set over to 5deg and a short taper machined to leave a step at the junction with the boss

A simple operation. Next was clean up and polish with Autosol for Aluminium

Next was parting off leaving a tit for the steering wheel to fit up to the column

Then fitting the tube up to the hub(s) - to be glued together with superglue back at the bench

And fitted to the steering wheel

This was an easy project that took about 45 minutes from start to finish and I ended up with a spare column for another project. I often make duplicates as you get set up with all the tooling etc and more importantly the mindset. I recently needed a coil so I made up four - unfortunately I did not document it

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[crazyjim]

Very nice columns.  Will you drill a hole for a turn signal lever?

[CabDriver]

Nice work Bill - looks great!

[StevenGuthmiller]

If you're planning on painting your columns, they're pretty easy to make with various sizes of plastic rod and some drilling and sanding.

No lathes required.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

[CabDriver]

⬆️ Steve does nicer work without a lathe than I can do WITH one ⬆️

😁

[bill-e-boy]

Thanks for the kind word guys

The reason for machining in ally was I am building a billet hot rod 

Steve - your work is outstanding - I too have made columns from plastic when I need to paint them, but yours are way ahead of what I  have done

Having a lathe has added more dimension to my model building - its the small things that when machined make a difference to the process of building models

[StevenGuthmiller]

1 hour ago, bill-e-boy said:

Thanks for the kind word guys

The reason for machining in ally was I am building a billet hot rod 

Steve - your work is outstanding - I too have made columns from plastic when I need to paint them, but yours are way ahead of what I  have done

Having a lathe has added more dimension to my model building - its the small things that when machined make a difference to the process of building models

Absolutely Bill.

 

There are times that I wish that I had a lathe for making various parts, but for me, it would be another piece of equipment that I would never be able to find room for.

Just thought that I'd offer up an alternative for those of us that don't have the option of a lathe.

 

 

 

Steve

Edited December 15, 2021 by StevenGuthmiller

[peteski]

Nice tutorial Bill, but "ally" is not a word I'm familiar with here, on the northern hemisphere of our world.  Aluminum?  Since this forum is for for plastic kit modelers, maybe using machinist terms is not the clearest way to do tutorials.  Just sayin'.

[SfanGoch]

"Ally" is Brit/Oz/Kiwi shorthand for aluminum (a-LOO-mi-ni-um), guv.

[peteski]

9 hours ago, SfanGoch said:

"Ally" is Brit/Oz/Kiwi shorthand for aluminum (a-LOO-mi-ni-um), guv.

Ok, thanks for the explanation guv, but it was not very clear to this Polish Yank.  Sometimes using shorthand is not in the best interest of clarity.  I also roll my eyes whenever I see "dizzy".  DIZZY?! Gag me with a spoon, fer sure!

[Rick L]

An Emco unimat lathe is very convenient to have. I’ve worked with a larger model for years. Easy to set up, accurate, low maintenance and durable. 

[bill-e-boy]

I apologise if I used any unclear words or phrases but I include the following:

"In the following I make no excuse for using tech talk when describing machining operations "

But yup I suppose we Kiwi's do use words or phrases different to people from other countries and backgrounds

Just you guys in the northern hemisphere are living in a world upside down to us LOL

 

[Ace-Garageguy]

19 minutes ago, bill-e-boy said:

...Just you guys in the northern hemisphere are living in a world upside down to us LOL

A lot of things here look pretty upside down from our perspective, too.

Nice machine work, by the way. The Unimat 3 is a nice little machine.

I have an original Unimat from around the mid 1960s. It converts to a mill, making it very versatile.

[peteski]

43 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

'mericans.......nothing but a bunch of bleedin’ wankers! 😄

I resemble that remark!

[wrenchr]

Very cool, I installed a tilt IdidIt column in my 1:1 65 f100 this past summer. I want a lathe. 

[Oldmopars]

Very cool. I really want a lathe, but room and budget are holding me back. Right now I am working towards converting my WW2 era Delta drill press into a lathe/mill. It will have the most basic of functions, but should allow me to do simple stuff to add depth to my buids. Most milling will be done in Renshape type foam, most lathe operations will be plastic or aluminum/brass. 

Also collecting parts to build a CNC router. 

[Bugatti Fan]

I have an Emco Unimat 4 and it has been one of the best investments I have ever made for turning small pieces. As machines go, further versatility is obtainable by adding the milling/ drilling attachment. The little Sherline lathe made in the US is very similar to the Unimat in concept, being able to add a milling/drilling attachment like the Unimat.

I go through loads of plastic rod, tube and other extruded shapes for my modelling projects as well as brass and aluminium tube and bar. Often, I need to make multiple lengths of tube or bar to the same length. An easy way to do this is set a stop in a chuck in the tailstock. Put a parting off tool into the tool holder. Once the stop is correctly positioned and the tailstock holding the chuck is locked, it is just a matter of keep pushing the material you want to cut similar multiple lengths from through the chuck against the stop, close the chuck, part off and keep repeating until you obtain the number of similar length parts you require.

Another tip. If you do not have a centre drill, put a small drill into the chuck with about 2 to 3 mm (1/8 inch) only protruding to keep the drill bit rigid and this can substitute as a centre drill to start a hole.

Edited December 19, 2021 by Bugatti Fan

[Chariots of Fire]

There's aluminum and then there's aluminum.  Aluminum rod that rings when you tap it is good for turning.  If the sound is dull then it is not.  All aluminum stock is not the same.  Wish I could remember the classification number for the best stuff but I cannot.

[1930fordpickup]

4 hours ago, Chariots of Fire said:

There's aluminum and then there's aluminum.  Aluminum rod that rings when you tap it is good for turning.  If the sound is dull then it is not.  All aluminum stock is not the same.  Wish I could remember the classification number for the best stuff but I cannot.

6061 is aircraft grade as they say and is a bit gummy when machining. We use 7075 at work as it is harder and machines better.  

[peteski]

5 hours ago, Chariots of Fire said:

There's aluminum and then there's aluminum.  Aluminum rod that rings when you tap it is good for turning.  If the sound is dull then it is not.  All aluminum stock is not the same.  Wish I could remember the classification number for the best stuff but I cannot.

Here is a good website describing properties of many metal alloys. Just expand the section you are interested in.

https://www.onlinemetals.com/en/product-guide

[Bills72sj]

I would not have thought about making a steering column. I did get myself a mini lathe last year. I have used it sparingly to make custom wheel hoops for my Day 2 builds.

[Bugatti Fan]

There are so many grades of aluminium, steel and brass that engineers have to often look up the best type for what they are designing or making. As an engineer myself I have been brought up with grades of materials. But many model makers starting out machining do not have the benefit of that experience.

From a non engineer perspective, asking for free machining material is the safest way to go.I

Generally the brass and aluminium bar stock sold in hobby store racks is machinable material.

[bill-e-boy]

Noel

Those hoops look amazing

The are on my to do list but it will happen

I googled the Unimat 4 and it looks like a re-motored Unimat 3 with a different paint job. If as good as the "3" an amazing machine

I have re-motored mine with the smallest 3 phase motor I could find and an inverter - instant control of speed from zero to 8000rpm - max hertz set at 80hz

No changing belts/pulleys - I now use the original motor on the milling attachment

 

[Straightliner59]

On 12/18/2021 at 3:42 AM, Bugatti Fan said:

I have an Emco Unimat 4 and it has been one of the best investments I have ever made for turning small pieces. As machines go, further versatility is obtainable by adding the milling/ drilling attachment. The little Sherline lathe made in the US is very similar to the Unimat in concept, being able to add a milling/drilling attachment like the Unimat.

I go through loads of plastic rod, tube and other extruded shapes for my modelling projects as well as brass and aluminium tube and bar. Often, I need to make multiple lengths of tube or bar to the same length. An easy way to do this is set a stop in a chuck in the tailstock. Put a parting off tool into the tool holder. Once the stop is correctly positioned and the tailstock holding the chuck is locked, it is just a matter of keep pushing the material you want to cut similar multiple lengths from through the chuck against the stop, close the chuck, part off and keep repeating until you obtain the number of similar length parts you require.

Another tip. If you do not have a centre drill, put a small drill into the chuck with about 2 to 3 mm (1/8 inch) only protruding to keep the drill bit rigid and this can substitute as a centre drill to start a hole.

I have been using high speed printed circuit board bits. I like them because no center drilling is required. There are sources on Ebay where I get assortments of sizes, or a box of individual sized for $25, shipped. I have bored holes in. 030" plastic rod with a .0197" bit. They're brittle,  but, in a lathe, mill or drill press,  they're the cat's meow!

[iBorg]

20 hours ago, bill-e-boy said:

I googled the Unimat 4 and it looks like a re-motored Unimat 3 with a different paint job. If as good as the "3" an amazing machine

I have re-motored mine with the smallest 3 phase motor I could find and an inverter - instant control of speed from zero to 8000rpm - max hertz set at 80hz

No changing belts/pulleys - I now use the original motor on the milling attachment

 

The Unimat 3 was discontinued when the Unimat PC was introduced. The PC was a nice machine with some weird idiosyncrasies. The PC was designed as a hobbyist lathe that could be easily adapted to CNC using Emco's proprietary software. It was rather pricey. Overall the PC was a more robust machine than the 3/4. The power feed was very well engineered. The biggest failing was a bespoke VDO motor that was nearly impossible to swap for another motor. The Sherline blew it away in the marketplace.

The Unimat 4 was pretty much the same lathe as the 3 but introduced after the PC pretty much failed in the marketplace. If I remember correctly, the 3 was made in Europe and the 4 in Taiwan. It is disappointing the PC failed. It was a very nice piece of equipment that with a few engineering flaws.