ROADSIDE AND GARAGE.
Page 37
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A Page for Drivers, Mechanics and Foremen.
An Ingenious Steam Wagon Repair.
The sender of the _following communication has been awarded the extra payment of 6s. this week.
(2240) " (Dewsbury) writes :— "We had a double mishap the other day in connection with two of the vehicles belonging to our fleet. A petrol
lorry was reported. as having broken down some 13 miles from home, and I :-went out to bring it in, taking a 3 ton steam lorry. After having accomplished half of our journey home, the steam wagon, too, broke down, the mishap in this case occurring in connection with the valye rod of the high-pressure cylinder, which broke off just above the point at which the rod emerges from the guide in the crankcase. It broke precisely at the end of the threaded. portion of the rod, so that it was impossible to join the two parts by means of a nut. At first the case seemed hopeless. It did occur to me that it might be possible to make the spindle work semi-automatically in the same way as the valve in the petrol engine, but what was net so obvious was how this was going to be effected.
" However, there.is on the high-pressure valve spindle on this type of Terry a collar, this is one end of the lever which drives the mechanical lubricator. We were, therefore, halfway towards
achieving our object. The next thing to do was to find the spring. Fortunately, I remembered that the pedal by which the tipping gear of the wagon was operated was supported by means of a coil spring. This I removed, . and found, fortunately, that, by lifting the steam valve up into its highest position, I was able to thread the spring ^ over the spindle. I then replaced the collar of the pump driving lever, pushing it up against the resistance of the spring as far as I could, and then secured it in place by means of a setscrew. As sohn as this was done, and the spindle released, the spring naturally forced the spindle downwards into close contact with that part of it which still remained in the guide, and which was coupled to the eccentric. The device preyed perfectly satisfactory, and we ran along home with it in good shape."
A Breast Drill Fixing.
(2241) " (Guisborough) writes:
—" There are many small garages which cannot afford tbe,,expenditure necessary for a sensitive drill, quite apart from the fact that in many cases the available work is not sufficient to justify the initial outlay which such t machine would involve. The breast'. drill, which is the only alternative is rather tiring if two or three holes have to be drilled consecutively. The accompanying sketch shows a method whereby much of the labour involved in the use of a breast drill can be eliminated. "The sketchitself is almost selfexplanatory. The angle bracket shown may be made by any blacksmith; the one which I have was built up of flat steel bar II in. wide and 5-16 in. thick. The dimensions naturally, vary somewhat according to requirements. In my case the vertical portion which bolts to the wail was 7 ins, long, and this also was the length of the horizontal part. The feed screw is an ordinary in set screw
7 ins. Jong. It is tapped into the bracket, the lock not underneath being merely to prevent its entire removal. If the top of the brace is of wood; it will have to be reinforced by means of a
piece of sheet iron hammered to shape and secured by two or three screws. the head of the brace is metal, then all that is necessary is just. to drill a; small hnle in the centre of the head with which the tapered point of the feed screw can engage.
"-The drill should be. located at some convenient position over the bench on which work of all sizes can be packed up for drilling. It will be better still if the drill can be arranged to come over a vice."
Lamps Alight.
On Saturday, June 18th, light your lamps at 9.47 in London, 10.14 in Newcastle, 9.59 in Birmingham, 10.27 in 10.10 in Liverpool, 9.57 in Bristol, and 10.53 in Dublin.