How To machine one piece axle box

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flavinny
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How To machine one piece axle box

Post by flavinny »

I have some old Little Engines castings for their large Northern. I have them posted for sale on this forum because I do not think I can build another engine. BUT if there are no takers, I am considering working on them as a project even if I am not able to complete the engine. With that said I intend to start with the axel boxes as I see them as a challenging part of the engine. The HOW TO part of that challenge is what I enjoyed in this hobby.
Prints are still available (two sheets) from LE. Before getting them, I can see where there will be difficulties, getting both ends concentric and aligned etc. I thought about mounting them on the lathe carriage an use a boring bar between centers or making a fixture to use in the chuck. I would chuck the part do one end then turn the casting around and use a fixture to mount the casting using the surfaces previously machined.
Any suggestions on how to approach machining these?
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AxelBox_rotated.jpg
Last edited by rmac on Tue Dec 27, 2022 3:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
JasonA
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Re: How To machine one piece axel box

Post by JasonA »

I'd machine them on the mill. For holding, One way would be to mount a 4 jaw chuck on the table and go from there.

I would need to see the prints to see what needed to be done before I worked out the process in my head. I actually go through each step in my head before cutting on pieces that really aren't basic. I've actually bought lathe chucks for holding purposes for specific jobs.

Jason
flavinny
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Re: How To machine one piece axel box

Post by flavinny »

The problem I anticipate is turning the part to do the other side and getting the surfaces to line up.. One solution would be to do it in one setup such as mounting it on the lathe carriage.
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LVRR2095
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Re: How To machine one piece axel box

Post by LVRR2095 »

Could you bore the center from end to end, then mount on a lathe mandrel between centers, to machine the bearing recesses?
hoppercar
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Re: How To machine one piece axel box

Post by hoppercar »

I have machined quite a few of these old axle boxes in the past. I still have all my fixtures and tooling I made to do them....the way I did them was, to hold them in a 4 jaw, bore and thread one end.....then bolt an aluminum slug to a face plate, and turn the slug, to a slip fit in the bearing bore......clamp the axle box to the face plate, and finish the second end...this is about the only way you can be assured, both ends will come out concentric....don't overthink it with fancy fixturing.....the slug on the face plate works well
Last edited by hoppercar on Tue Dec 27, 2022 8:06 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Greg_Lewis
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Re: How To machine one piece axel box

Post by Greg_Lewis »

flavinny wrote: Tue Dec 27, 2022 7:29 pm The problem I anticipate is turning the part to do the other side and getting the surfaces to line up.. One solution would be to do it in one setup such as mounting it on the lathe carriage.

Just noodling here, but what about making a fixture with known reference points and keeping the part attached to the fixture until it's done.
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
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Bill Shields
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Re: How To machine one piece axel box

Post by Bill Shields »

Amen to the above.

Clamp it to a square fixture, stand it on end and do it in a mill.
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
hoppercar
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Re: How To machine one piece axel box

Post by hoppercar »

How are you going to tap the large thread, for the bearing adjustment nut, with it clamped in the mill?...I'd have to get my drawings out to remember, but I think it's about a 3 inch diameter threaded adjustment nut, for adjusting the timken bearing cone.?.......much easier to just chase them in the lathe, instead of using that large of a tap
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Bill Shields
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Re: How To machine one piece axel box

Post by Bill Shields »

Once the box is finished and all square, threading becomes a tertiary operation
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
FKreider
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Re: How To machine one piece axel box

Post by FKreider »

This is an unsolicited opinion however I would give this some thought before proceeding with any machining, the castings may become worth less in some folks eyes if they have partial machining operations completed. Many of us have had the not so wonderful experience of having to fix or re-work someone else's mistakes or simply it was not done to the new owner's liking. Just food for thought if your ultimate goal is to sell the castings.
-Frank K.
James Powell
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Re: How To machine one piece axel box

Post by James Powell »

Or, if one has a CNC mill, one can thread cut in the mill...

Over on Traction Talk, the guy building the Devonshire in the US did exactly that.

https://www.tractiontalkforum.com//show ... hp?t=45771
(it's in the bit about the water pump, on page 7. I think you have to be a member of TT to view the posts, but there is a fair amount of overlap with here, just a UK road steam focus)

Just because "that's how we used to do it" doesn't mean that it's how we HAVE to do it now. Bill is right as well, though, because once one has two II surfaces, then the operations between them become a bit more secondary than primary, because you have surfaces to reference to get the axle boxes back to a known position.
flavinny
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Re: How To machine one piece axel box

Post by flavinny »

I don't have the drawings yet but the procedure hoppercar described above is what I was considering except I was going to chuck the slug. Mounting it on the faceplate is probably a better idea and more secure. I did my drivers this way by using a chuck arbor in the spindle and turning the Jacobs end to fit the driver I was then able to clamp it to the faceplate and turn remailing surfaces,
Can a thread be turned on the slug so that the axel box can be tightened up square to the slug and is this strong enough to support the remaining work to be done?
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