Table of contents for November 2023 in Model Engineer & Workshop

New Forum Software By the time you read this, it is hoped that new software will be up and running for the forum at www.model-engineer.co.uk. The old site will have gone offline the day we go to press (5 October) and a holding page put up. All being well the new site will be up and running by 12 October. Updates will be posted here: www.mortonsdigital.co.uk/blog/2023/10/02/model-engineer-model-boats-forum-migration-updates/ When the new site goes live, you will need to log in with your email address and password. If that doesn't work, you can do a password reset. We have tested password recovery, so as long as you can access the email address associated with your account you should not have any problems recovering access if you lose your password. This is partly a…

Dial test indicators, DTIs, are available second hand but are often sticky, i.e. not moving cleanly (most of mine were). This is simple to rectify with gentle oiling at the correct points. I felt that a complete dismantle and service was not necessary because DTIs are only occasionally used, unlike clocks and they were all very clean internally. The tools are illustrated in photo 1 and are: • Superglue, medium viscosity • Pocket watch oil • Oil pot small lid will do the job) • Foldback clip, small vice or similar to hold the DTI • Watchmakers' screwdrivers • Pegwood or fine toothpick • Watch hand remover • Pliers • Small screw driver (1/8” blade or so). The only items unlikely to be in an engineer's tool kit are the watch…

Alec Issigonis Many readers of MEW will be familiar with Sir Alexander Issigonis, photo 1, as the designer of the most iconic British car of all time – the Mini. Issigonis's family was of Greek origin, but his father had naturalised as a British citizen as an engineering student in the last years of the 19th century. After his father's death he and his mother moved to the UK in 1923. Despite struggling to complete his engineering degree, he went on to be an engineer and designer at Humber, Austin and then Morris Motors, where he worked on the suspension for the Morris 10 and the Morris Minor. Autin and Morris merged to form the British Motor Corporation and it was there that he designed the Mini, although the simple…

I have to admit to a fascination with using alternative or unusual techniques and technologies in my workshop projects, not just traditional metalworking skills. I'm particularly interested in 3D printing, but I use a much wider range of techniques. A nice example of a project using many different techniques is an equatorial platform I built for my large 10” Dobsonian telescope. At nearly six feet long and over a foot in diameter, it's designed to site on a rotating platform and be ‘nudged’ to follow targets as they move across the sky. The equatorial platform automates this process and is much smoother allowing the telescope to be used for astrophotography and making observations much easier. The basic design is a flat board that pivots on a spindle aligned with the…

Our friend Neil asked me for an article “off the beaten track”. I'd say you can't get much farther from the beaten track and still keep the workshop in sight. So, here goes… The way you frame a document, be it a manuscript, drawing, watercolour, print or whatever, on paper or parchment, may seriously affect its fate and the enjoyment you derive from it. What I intend here is to give you a few hints on the not-to-do things that are often not avoided when you have the work done inexpertly. Seriously, it's the detail that counts, if you want to prolong not only the “life” of your document but its “youth” as well. A very important ground rule is always to use materials that may be easily and completely…

Making this indexer, photo 1, also gave me the opportunity to have the dividing plate at the opposite end, keeping the dividing holes free of swarf. My 5C indexer has a swarf guard plate fitted, photo 2. The indexer uses a commercially available ER16 collet chuck with a 16mm straight shank that is 150mm long. This leaves plenty of material to play with. The one I bought is quite tough, but it is possible to open the through hole to 10mm if drilled slowly with cutting oil. That way you can get long pieces of work in. Aluminium has been used for the main body components, with bushes fitted to the main shaft to prevent wear. The dimensions for fixing to the machine bed are to suit my mill but…

I have a Warco WM18 milling machine which stands against the back wall of my garage. My garage has no windows, so all lighting is artificial. I have a four foot fluorescent strip light mounted high up, behind the milling machine, but as you would expect there still remains a shadowy area cast directly in the work area by the milling machine column and head. I decided that this could be improved. I also decided that the solution should not require the milling machine to be machined in any way (i.e. no tapped holes, machined flats etc). While undertaking the family shop at a certain supermarket that has various offerings ‘in the middle of’ I found some under-cupboard LED lighting strips complete with transformer unit and on/off switch. This seemed…

I hoard things as far as my wife is concerned. I don't totally disagree with her, but I don't consider that selecting materials which are often discarded as scrap and storing items away for future use which might one day be suitable for my hobby, is hoarding. Over the years I've repeatedly claimed that they will be useful one day and a money saver. How is that relevant to engineer's metalwork file storage you ask? Well, stick with me and all will become clear as we get deeper into this because I consider that I do prove my point. I may deviate from the primary subject once or twice but persevere please, it's all relevant. In this article, I will touch on several different aspects of engineering, from 3D-CAD, to…

Beginners' Workshop ALTHOUGH OBTAINABLE in variety, commercial clips for circular sections do not meet all needs --- either because of size or type so, on occassion. it is necessary to make such items. The widest variety in commercial clips is, perhaps, those for rubberjoints and one of the best known is the “worm drive” type. This consits essentially of a band with consists essentially of a band with shallow teeth on the outside; one end is fixed to a small housing and the other is pulled through the housing by a screw or “worm” engaging with the teeth. In another type of clip the band is much thinner making two turns; the free end passes through the slit of a substantial split pin and tightening is effected by rolling the…

Allen Key Organisation TIP OF THE MONTH WINNER! This month's winner is Mike Matthews from Kent with his approach to solving Allen key confusion (Allen wrench for out transatlantic readers). Just an idea for your readers tips. I was recently using a mixture of Imperial and Metric Allen Keys and got heartily fed up with picking the wrong ones! To identify different types I put heat shrink sleeving on the Imperial keys as illustrated. If it is shrunk on around the bend in the key, it won't come offand individuals can develop their own colour code. Pretty trivial, but my goodness does it save irritation. We have £30 in gift vouchers courtesy of engineering suppliers Chester Machine Tools for each month's ‘Top Tip’. Email your workshop tips to neil.wyatt@mytimemedia.com marking…

Model engineering emerged as a hobby in the 19th century, Skilled factory workers wanted to use their abilities to make things for themselves, and oft en the designers and supervisors in the factories wanted a creative outlet as well. Even in the early 20th century, electricity was the exception, rather than the rule so most workshops would be powered by ‘foot power’ or the fortunate might have a steam or IC engine driving an overhead shaft from which several different machines could be powered. Our picture, photo 1 shows a romanticised early modeller's workshop painted by H. R. Millar. On the left is a treadle powered lathe of quite large capacity, with a much smaller miniature lathe in front of it. Next to the lathe is a hand-cranked whetstone grinding…

Readers! We want to hear from you! Drop us a line sharing your advice, questions or opinions. Why not send us a picture of your latest workshop creation, or that strange tool you found in a boot sale? Email your contributions to meweditor@mortons.co.uk. Lathe Speed Sensors Dear Neil, Keith Fisk makes the valid point regarding the use of Hall Effect sensors for lathe speed monitoring in that they are of rugged design and immune to contamination from dirt or fluids. Those that we are likely to use on lathes will have been designed for use in the engine bay of motor vehicles so can easily cope with the heat, vibration and oils we have in our workshops. However, I do not think that we should be unduly worried about the…

These gears as they stand have no backlash. In order to create backlash, or play in any gear train it is just a simple matter of cutting the teeth slightly deeper. As a very rough rule of thumb for every extra 0.025mm in depth this gives 0.08mm of backlash. Years gone by the commercial gear cutters used to come with the depth of cut etched or stamped on the side, in the form of “D+f”. Where “f” is the extra increment to give the desired backlash. Sadly these days, given we have laser printing, this information has been omitted on those new cutters I have purchased. One other point to make about the designed gear form is that this is the correct form for that particular gear. This is as…

The new Autumn-Winter Machine Mart catalogue is out and ready in time for Christmas! The 492-page catalogue is full to the brim with tools, machinery and equipment for your workshop, whether you're a hobbyist, DIY enthusiast or professional tradesmen. This latest edition of the catalogue, the 71st in total, includes over 1,000 price cuts and new products. With over 5,000 products in the catalogue, and over 15,000 ‘Xtra’ products online, you'll be sure to find what you need at Machine Mart. So get your free copy of the new catalogue! Simply go online to www.machinemart.co.uk, visit one of Machine Mart's 65 superstores nationwide or call 0844 880 1265.…

For turning medium to large concave and convex radii, another radius turning attachment is required. Several have been described in this magazine over the years. I hope that a few photographs of my attachments will suffice. Photograph 1 shows the most-used attachment set up to turn a concave radius on a safety valve bonnet. The attachment features a body into which a bolt is secured with retainer, the unthreaded portion of the bolt turning in a pivot hole in a ¼” thick bright mild steel plate bolted to the cross-slide. A tool-holder can be bolted to the body in one of several positions, depending upon the radius required. A bright mild steel “handle” can be bolted to the tool-holder. A 1/8”D hole in the top surface of the bolt can…

When faced with a half inch quarter round splicing job, (I've done this before), I found it very difficult to drill into each side and have the halves line up, photo 1, (a new floor). Last time I need to splice, I drilled the long side, as close to centre as I could, then kept drilling the short side, until they lined up well. I use 3/16” dowel pegs, photos 2 and 3. This time I would take the time to design and machine a fixture! Figure 1 shows the details, the device is shown in use in photo 4. I used a short piece of one-inch electrical conduit, and some 6mm × 1.0mm license plate screws, provided by my ‘Jif peanut butter’ hardware and parts collection. My old boss…

Save a stamp! You can now place your classified ads by email. Don't waste time scanning the form, just send the text of your ad, maximum 35 words, meweditor@mortons.co.uk, together with your full name and address, a telephone number, whether it's a for sale or wanted and stating that you accept the terms and conditions for placing classified ads – see below. Please note, we do not publish full addresses or website links to protect your and other readers' security. www.model-engineer.co.uk/dassifieds/ Tools and Machinery ■ Engine crane, max capacity 1,000kg. Only used for moving workshop machinery. Near new condition, £50. Collect only from DN3 area. T. 01302 835174. Doncaster. ■ Warco 2F floor standing pillar drill (purchased 2009), 12 speed 180- 2770 rpm, 240V, 750W, little used, plus robust 100mm…