The Sherline Miniature Machinist's Newsletter
Number 23,
Sherline Workshop Project of the Month
Half scale
Briggs & Stratton engine in progress/George Baisz
The head begins to take shape on George’s Sherline mill. At the right is
the half size head next to the real thing.
George Baisz is taking on the project of making a running scale model of an engine that is hugely popular but rarely modeled. There are no casting kits out there to make a miniature size lawn mower engine. Though many kids may have gotten their first powered ride in a home-made go-kart powered by an engine in this family, you rarely see them honored in reproduction form at model engineering shows. George has changed all that.
The camshaft and gear are shown in full and
half size. At the right is the nearly finished block and head. This is all
machined from billet—no castings were used.
George is machining all the parts for this engine from billet stock. He has recently completed the valves and springs and is starting on the crankshaft next. When the engine is completed this project will be featured in the “Workshop” section, where many other completed projects can already be seen.
Shop Tip of the month
An easy to make On/Off switch extension/Graham
The late Graham Taylor was an engineer at
General Motors, a regular at the NAMES show and contributed to several designs
that Sherline put into production as accessories. Here is his take on an easy
way to make the speed control On/Off switch easy to find in a hurry. This was
the first tip we published when starting the Sherline web site in 1996.
This simple extension makes it easier to hit the
On/Off switch on your speed controller. By simply cutting a 7/8" length of
3/8" rubber tubing which has a 1/8" inside diameter and slipping it
over the ball end of the on/off switch, it just takes the flick of one finger
to operate the switch instead of having to search for it. A short length of
3/16" diameter brass or other material pressed into the open top end gives
the switch extension a professional, finished look.
This
and more than 50 other helpful tips for Sherline machinists can be found at www.sherline.com/tips.htm.
Product Spotlight
Work holding accessories
This month we feature a number of ways to hold work on the mill. Each has its uses and advantages.
P/N 3012, Hold-Down Set, $25.00
This is the first hold-down set Sherline introduced and it is still in the line. It is simple and economical and uses a Carriage bolt as an adjustable riser. The round head sits on the table with a washer under it to keep from denting the table. The other end of the clamp is pulled down using various length socket head screws through the slot in the clamp that go into T-nuts in the table T-slot.
P/N
3013, Step Block Hold-Down Set, $40.00
The step block set is a miniature version of the most popular kind of mill hold-down set. Steps in the back of the clamps engage steps in the angled blocks for quick height adjustment. Various length threaded rods go into the T-nuts to put you in the right height range. The nuts that tighten down on the clamps have a convex bottom, and the washers have a matching concave top, so the nut always pulls straight down, even when the clamp is not sitting level. Though a little more expensive than the 3012 set, it can hold taller parts and is quick and easy to adjust.
P/N 3551, Mill Vise, $75.00
The mill vise is more than just a drill press vise. The rear (moveable) jaw is pulled down and in at the same time by the tightening screw, which keeps the part being held from being pulled upward by the forces of milling. The fixed front jaw has a vertical and a horizontal groove to help align round stock, and both steel jaws are replaceable. The vice is held down using two angle clamps in the grooves around the edge, and two sets of clamps and screws are provided with the vice.
P/N 3559, 90° Angle Plate, $60.00
This anodized aluminum plate has two T-slots running the length of both the vertical and horizontal surfaces, making it possible to clamp parts vertically that are not square on the bottom. This is a handy fixture for the Sherline or any mill or drill press. It is 10" long with two 4" wide surfaces. Included are six sets of 10-32 socket head screws and T-nuts for mounting to the mill table.
P/N 3560, Mill Tooling Plate,
$60.00
A tooling plate serves several purposes. 1) The additional ½" of thickness stiffens your mill table. 2) It protects your mill table in case you mill or drill too deep accidentally and 3) The multiple hole pattern makes it easy to clamp down fixtures in many locations. It is made of a 4" x 10" piece of cast tooling plate, so there are no internal stresses to cause it to warp if you drill more holes in it to make custom fixtures of your own. Additional holes are provided to accommodate the Sherline mill vise and rotary table.
P/N 3561, Short 90° Angle Plate,
$60.00
A shorter 4" long version of the P/N 3559 angle plate, this fixture can be handy in tight setups. Suggested by Sherline’s lead toolmaker, Pam Weiss, this fixture can come in handy in many work situations where holding something vertically is required. Included are four sets of socket head mounting screws and T-nuts.
P/N 3750, Tilting Angle Table,
$110.00
Hold your mill vise, rotary table or any part at any angle from 0° to 90°. A fixture is also included to attach any 3-jaw or 4-jaw Sherline chuck. A laser-engraved scale on one of the steel side supports indicates the angle. Four socket head screws and T-nuts are included for mounting to the mill table. The stress-free cast tooling plate table table can be drilled and tapped for mounting additional fixtures or clamps. In the 90° position it mounts the P/N 3700 or 8700 rotary table at the same height as the 3701 90° Angle Plate, so the optional 3702 Adjustable Right Angle Tailstock will align with the center of the table.
Did you know?
• Sherline now assembles its own CNC computers in-house. This offers Sherline and our customers several advantages: 1) We control the quality of each component, 2) Having parts in stock allows us to replace components on customer computers if needed during service instead of sending the whole unit back to the manufacturer, 3) Running changes and improvements can be more quickly incorporated into the line, 4) It provides work for Sherline’s American employees in these tough economic times instead of paying outside labor, and 5) It gives our technical support and service people a thorough understanding of “what’s in the box” and access to each component for evaluation and testing if need be.
•
The Sherline web site home page at www.sherline.com
has had over 2,350,000 visits since
• Do you tow a trailer? Sherline makes a sturdy, inexpensive hydraulic scale just to measure tongue weight and another to measure hanging weight up to 5000 pounds. To learn about Sherline hydraulic estimating scales CLICK HERE.
Upcoming
Shows
•
The Cabin Fever Expo in
•
The North American Model Engineering Society (NAMES) will host its next major
exposition in
Joe Martin Craftsmanship Foundation News
•
Donations this month include two vintage Russian model airplane engines
from Richard Mack and 55 back issues of the NAWCC
Bulletin magazine from Michael Molitsky that filled in many gaps in our library collection.
One of our finest donations also was received a few days ago—a magnificent
brass miniature model of an 1835 locomotive called the Adler. It was made by
Polish craftsman Szymon
Klimek and blurs the line between model engineering and art. In September,
Mr. Klimek was given a Special
Achievement award by the foundation, and seeing his work first-hand really
reinforces the fact that we made a good choice in the award. The model,
displayed in a glass goblet, will be a featured exhibit at the Craftsmanship Museum
in
•
Due to low attendance on our first Saturday of each month hours, after the
first of the year we will be open on any non-holiday Saturday by appointment
only. Any group of 8 or more that wishes to visit on Saturday should contact
the museum at least one week in advance, and we will make arrangements to open
up and host a personal tour for your group. The museum will still be open
Saturday, December 5th from
•
The Joe Martin Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization
and can offer a tax deduction for the full value of high quality miniature
metalworking projects, tools or books donated for display. Contact
Director Craig Libuse for details at (760) 727-9492 or craig@craftsmanshipmuseum.com.
Don’t let your fine work end up in a
swap meet or on eBay if something should happen to you. Make plans for peace of
mind.