Forge blower repairs

I recently discovered the snowthrower impeller shaft bearing, a compact and inexpensive self-aligning bronze bushing that could be useful for repairs or cobbling up machinery from scrap.

-jsw

Interesting ... but hard to use in this application . I've been out in the shop making a new shaft for the hand crank . The shaft runs in the cast housing and is badly worn . The new shaft is a tad larger in diameter , I have reamed the housing to clean up the holes and fit the shaft to it . I'll turn the crank end down to fit the crank and bore the gear out approx. .030" to get a very light press fit so the keyway won't wear too much . Which reminds me , I need to order an 1/8" end mill , the only ones I have on hand are ball end .

I spent the morning fitting an oilite bushing and close-fitting pivot pin in the worn traction control handgrip of my newly acquired 1995 snowthrower.

Is there a preferred way to repair and perhaps improve a worn control shaft pivot in outdoor equipment? This thing had a few Nyliner flanged bushings which disintegrated but mostly mild steel shafts running in punched holes in sheet metal, with little hope of lubrication. Since the holes tend to wear oval they can't always be drilled larger without moving. In this case the handgrip was small enough to clamp and bore in the mill and the snap clip on the pivot pin will retain the bushing if it loosens.

-jsw

Tack weld a (thick) washer with the proper size hole on both sides of the worn hole . For the flanged nycrap , I usually machine one of bronze/brass and glue it in with JB . I was just out in the shop boring the new fan shaft bushing about .030" too big on the lathe ... but that's OK , I changed my mind about my choice of bushing material , decided to use the last bit of Ampco45 al/bronze instead of mild steel . Original was CI , and if I had a chunk that's what the new one would be too . I'm trying to decide how I want to mill the key slot in the new input shaft . I can use the mill to either slot it with a slitting saw or mill with an EM . The other option is to chuck it in the lathe with the quill locked and machine it with the Dremel using that same end mill . Either end mill option will require cutting one direction only and withdrawing the cutter to return due to cutter deflection . The saw option has the advantages of not only no side deflection , but it's the most rigid . Drawback is fixturing it on the mill .

Woodruff key cutters are nice for milling slots between clamps or on short projections from the edge of the vise. I make the key fit the slot rather than vice versa since key stock easier to clamp and mill, or throw away and start over. I haven't had a problem with stepped keys connecting different-width slots, transmitting up to 5HP.

-jsw

I ordered 10 1/8" end mills a couple of days ago . The easiest way to do this is to get the vise back on the mill and use an end mill from above . The slitting saw is a .125 , which is why I considered it - but it's 3" in diameter which will have me slotting further than I need . I also have to match the keyway in the gear .

Why do you think you have to match the two keyways?

-jsw

Well , I know I don't HAVE to ... but it's easier if I do .