Miniature Tools

[OilyRascal]

I want to know where you're going to get the horses to hitch     

[Art Rafael]

Hi, Oily.

 I've got some traps set out now in hopes that I could wrangle a couple of squirrels for the job. 
Someone told me that they can be trained to be good draft animals.  : )

However, I have a ways to go to figure out the blade mechanisms.

Ralph

[turnnut]

Ralph, you will have to keep an eye on the squirrels, they will steal the nuts off of the grader.

looks like you carefully thought out that front truck setup.

Frank

[Art Rafael]

Hi, Frank.  Since I'm making it up as I go, from memory and pictures, everything requires careful consideration and measured approximation.
And still I had to build almost every part at least twice to get it right.

Back to the hand wheels.  I had hammered two perfectly round wheels from 1/8 inch round stock and turned two (actually, several) hubs.






and practiced drilling 1/16 inch holes on straight 1/8 round stock





Then drilled four 1/16 inch holes at 90 degrees to each other around the wheel (whew!)
and drilled and tapped the hubs for spokes and set screws and put the hubs, hand wheels and spokes together.





.


These required about as much precision as I have ever encountered, and I erred a few times, but they are done.
Now for the worm gears . . .  After several attempts, there is still nothing that works to show.

[Lewill2]

Art, for your worm gears can you spiral wrap some of your 1/16 rod on a hub to act as your worm gear? I realize it won't look quite right but the end result might be workable.

[Chillylulu]

Art, for your worm gears can you spiral wrap some of your 1/16 rod on a hub to act as your worm gear? I realize it won't look quite right but the end result might be workable.

Square or triangle cross section was my thought.

Chilly

[Art Rafael]

Thanks for the hints, guys. 
I'm still pondering solutions and so far have only a growing collection of rejected parts and a pile of swarf.






I'll work on other parts while some incubate.
Ralph

[Lewill2]

Swarf, I remember the first time I heard that term I was working on a project in the UK. I was heading up the on site installation as well as being the Project Manager for the entire project. The customer's safety guy inspected our work area when we weren't there. We had to work nights the rest of the warehouse worked long days. The safety inspector gigged us for leaving behind swarf in our work area. I had to ask what he was talking about. My contact was an American female engineer/Project Manager and she didn't know either. She had to ask the safety guy to explain it to both of us. Brings back memories.

[turnnut]

WOW, how many times in my life I had left "SWARF", and never knew that was what
 I was leaving !

 is a swarf leaver a Swarfer ?

yes, I just had to look it up.

never heard the word until here on TOOL TALK.

[Art Rafael]

Yea, "swarf".  I'm not sure that it is even a real word; it's not in my dictionary, and the spell checker doesn't recognize it.
And I'm not even sure what the word means but have heard it used referring to lathe and mill metal "tailings" -- also not in my dictionary.

Well Frank, I guess that I am a real prolific swerfar, but I'm not a tailor.

Ralph

[rusty]

It seems the original meaning of swarf was the grit that wore off a grindstone when sharpening cutlery. It has evolved into any metallic debris that isn't supposed to be somewhere (eg swarf in an engine). The aircraft folks use it often to describe filings from manufacture that end up somewhere bad, like in a (clogged) fuel filter. There seems to be a tendency now to use it for stray debris in general these days...

(It has the sound, to me, of a mangled Scottish word..)
Edit: Oxford says mid 16th century: either from  Old English geswearf 'filings' or from Old Norse svarf 'file dust'

[john k]

I must have run across the term somewhere, as I already had it cataloged in memory as F.O., or D.F.O., meaning Foreign objects, stuff that doens't belong, or Disastrous Foreign Objects, such as the wiping rag I found in an oil pan one time.

[Art Rafael]

Good job, Rusty.  Thank you.  Yes, that's what I meant.  That clarifies things thoroughly.  I now need a dictionary like yours.

Les once commented on the apron (a fitted paper plate :)  )  I use around my vise to catch valuable silver (and sometimes gold) filings. 
These days I use the apron to catch all "swarf" and keep it off the floor.   Ralph





On my little old Delta lathe it sometimes piles up after heavy use.

[turnnut]

I like your plate idea Ralph.

dictionary;  try using this one on the computor, I keep it in my favorites.

http.//myunjumble.com/
put in your word, click, then click define.

swarf; noun,  an accumulation of fine particles of metal or abrasive cut or ground from
work by a machine or grinder.

origin; "old norse"

Frank

[Chillylulu]

Worm gears are easy - they are just threaded pieces........

Chilly