Ognib

Cool project. Check out south east gassers on u tube.

subtle insight into whats actually going on here...

Progress.

Ya, first usable part. Drill chuck on the machine won't secure the small bit for the bolt holes. Have to drill those with the dremel. Need 2 more just like this one.

I spent 2 full days on the setup...measure 14 times, cut once...you know... Cut another hub. Happy with this one. Average on the total runout is .0015. Learned some stuff. Got the bolt hole positions dimpled with a centering bit.

And, that's where it's at...the "juice"...the feeling that you're actually doing something mechanical. I've never encountered a pocher in person, but I know from the pics I see, I'm most impressed with the wire wheels they produce. That lil red car, above, is a good looking ride. Bill, you mentioned a deuce in the op...just gonna leave us hanging on that...??

Good advice, Bill. Thanks. Sometimes I find I overlook the obvious... Rigid now.

Added another dial indicator to the collection.This one has a lever activator which allows me to reach into & read runout on the center bores of my rotating fixtures. Has a slick dovetail mount...nice.

I'm becoming aware that a significant part of becoming a good machinist is learning to do a good tight setup. I've read where guys will say they frequently spend more time in setup than they do in the actual machining process. I'm ordering this today. It will allow me to move in & do my setup off of the inner bore of each of the fixtures rather than the outside diameter...closer to the center line...runouts should be smaller...allowing a tighter setup... Diggin the learning process.

Read through the thread. Very nice work! I admire your logical & systematic approach to building. Really dig the house!!

I jigged up another block & found the results I got...interesting. Both blocks cut from the same piece of stock. Both shaped with the same bit. By the time I got this far on the second piece, the quality of the finish had deteriorated to the point that there is galling & actual shards of aluminum stuck to the sides of it...almost like the material is being torn rather than cut. Talked to a guy I know in the trade & he made a couple of suggestions. Going from a 3 flute bit to a 2 flute...stepping up in size to a 1/2" bit...trying carbide vs hss. It's interesting, the amount of thought as well as the type of thought that has to go into successful results in this type project! Diggin it!!

Took the part off the machine so I could get on it with the caliper. At one point, the wall thickness on one side is .010" greater than is the wall across from it. Going to set up the dial indicator again & start at the bottom...re-read everything...get the setup tightened up to where I want it. Ordered a slitting saw & arbor, yesterday.

Time to source some small bits for drilling the bolt holes...also need to order a slitting saw blade & arbor to separate the part from the stock. I can see it's not perfectly concentric around the bore...it's ok for my first piece...aaand there'll be a brake rotor in front of it, sooo... But do need to tighten up my setup skills.

Thanks, guys. Scott, eyes covered & full face on top of that. I worked in metal shops all my life & have had metal chips dug out of my eyes on a couple of occasions. Not fun at all!!

Indeed!

I can't get in there with my calipers to read the wall thicknesses. Eyeballin it says that both sides are close to being the same thickness. This tells me that my setup was pretty tight & well lined up. Probably not rocket science tight...but I'm ok with it for my first attempt.

Swapped out the centering device for a drill bit & bored the center hole for the part. Then swapped the drill chuck for a collet & cutter bit & started rounding off the corners. I'm getting a beautiful polished sheen to the machined surfaces...dig it!!...light cuts & moderate feed rate, as I begin to get a feel for the machine & it's capabilities & limitations.

At this point, with the chuck centered on the rotary table, I needed to center the chuck under the spindle. The center bore on the chuck is 3/4" & I used a 3/4 countersink as my locator device & moved the tables around till it drops cleanly into the center bore. Locked the X & Y tables at this point & mounted my work piece in the chuck jaws, centering it visually as closely as possible. With the fine point of the countersink on my center mark in the layout, I rotate the table & observe the runout away from the center mark. Loosen one jaw & tighten the one across from it, thus moving the workpiece a couple thou at a time....back & forth...round & round...tighten/loosen...until the pointer stays on the mark while the table turns. This type setup is vital if the rest of the work performed on the piece is to be concentric around the center of the part being shaped.

After squaring the rotary table & bolting it down to the machine, I set up the dial indicator for centering the 4 jaw chuck on the table. Just eyeballin it in place, first rotation was .018 or so out. After scooting it around a bit & some gentle taps with a nylon hammer, it's reading .0025 out now. Like to get it down to .001 or less.

Thanks for looking. Since I'm going to start with these two pieces, the first setup will be the rotary table. Front bolt hole is under the table & is accessed with it in a tilted position. Had to rotate it 90 deg, as this way had the crank wheel on my left & I'm a righty. I'm a noob at this mill work stuff...any of you guys reading this with experience at it...would welcome your critique of my setups & proceedures...want to learn the most effective ways to do this. As always, I'm an honest reporter...I'll show my mistakes as well as the successes.

I fabbed this prototype collar out of short pieces of rod & tubing along with a washer & some super glue last nite. Prototyping enhances my visualization/design process by allowing me to see the concept in 3D. Visual proportion, balance & symmetry are very important to me in this! The axle stub will have a flange to hold the rotor for the inboard brakes. Scratching my brain over how to configure the mount for the caliper. Also need to consider how the rear end will fit into the frame & design mounting points for this as well. This is a very worthy challenge!!...& I'm diggin it

The milling machine is on the truck. It will be here Tues! A shipment of accessories sent by UPS has arrived. It contained some step block clamps, T slot nuts & a selection of R-8 collets in sizes to match tooling shank sizes that I already have.

Watching & learning & enjoying. Empathetic sympathy over the loss of the other build!