Now that the workshop is approaching the point where it could do with some working machines in it, I have started to think about some of the machine rebuilding work that needs doing.
The head tilt, swivel and traverse on the Beaver mill are operated by a handle that fits on a 16 point triangular splined shaft. Of course, I don't have such a handle. Before I set to with a triangular slotting tool in the shaper and an indexing head, does anyone know of a source for such handles?
I can't help with the handles, but I've been following this Herculean task since I got on the group a while ago and I haven't had my fix of new progress pictures for 3 weeks. Now, where can I complain to.........
Over the last couple of weeks I have done very little visible work on the workshop. I have moved:-
The Beaver Mk1 VBRP mill A Hardinge DV59 A Meddings Pacera drill press An Axminster drill press A BCA Mk2 jig borer A Jones & Shipman 1400 surface grinder
into the workshop This took two whole weekends even though the tools only needed to be moved about 45 feet... The gantry crane weighs a pound or two and that needs moving with the tools. The 12" slope up to the workshop means that things have to be moved in stages by raising one end of the gantry higher than the other, then lifting the item up, sliding it along the gantry, lowering it down, then moving the gantry. The mill was moved as three separate parts since I need to completely strip it down and re-build it. The grinder was successfully moved as one piece (25cwt).
Today I fitted wood planks to the door end gable end of the roof, moved five wheelbarrows of (frozen) ballast from the front garden to the back to use to make the concrete for the last two pit covers tomorrow (one of which is visible in:- ). I also lowered a couple of ammo boxes of spanners and a cabinet down into the pit to get them out of the way.
Tomorrow I hope to rivet up the last of the pit cover frames and pour the concrete for the covers. It's a bit of a pain at the moment because there are two bloody great holes in the floor to navigate round. I'll use a propane torch ticking over until the bottle runs out and a dehumidifier to absorb the condensation in the pit underneath the covers to keep the concrete above freezing point until it's set.
There may be some more photos if the photographic department thinks that I have done anything worth bothering with. I have already passed the complaint on to her...
That would be very useful. I could examine it under a glass and confirm that the included angle of the splines is 60deg (it looks like that by eye). I may be able to get a more accurate picture using a scanner.
Before I relieve you of one I need to check whether the power cross feed control lever will fit onto the splined shafts. It looks as if it might.
We have had to postpone putting our own Beaver into the workshop as we have two Pantograph engravers to move in first, and space being a bit short at present, we haven't got that open space to start with to move one piece, then that leaves another space and so on, like those little hand puzzles with sliding squares.
We'll have to move a big chunk of stuff up to the farm storage, and that raises even more problems as most will be electronic stuff and won't like the damp etc.
Get round to it one day...
Speaking of cold weather, we have been on site at a new rail depot adjacent to Wembley Stadium this past week, and it has been below freezing most days inside the building. Should be finished Tuesday hopefully.
Peter
-- Peter & Rita Forbes Email: snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Web:
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