HOME-MADE MACHINE TOOLS.
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Useful Hints Contributed by our Driver and Mechanic Readers.
MANY of our driver and mechanic readers appear to take a delight in designing and making small but very useful machine tools tor _ use in the garage. Invariably these tools are constructed of material from the scrap-heap, so that one may readily say that their cost is limited to labour alone, and, as they are no doubt put together in the mechanic's spare moments during those periods which must occur from time to time in every garage when there is no legitimate job with which the employee may busy himself. Typical examples of tools of this kind are furnished by the two sketches, depicting a, pair of grinding machines, which appear on this page, and which are excellent in their way, and can be put to a thousand uses in almost any . garage worthy of the name. Except as regards the actual emery wheels they are made entirely from scrap material, and " H.H.," of Highgate, N., who sends us the sketches and a brief description, and to whom we have this week awarded the 15s. prize, is to be congratulated on his originality.
The larger machine is shown mounted on an old axle casing as a standard. This is not, of course, necessary, as a substantial bench would serve satisfactorily as a foundation.
On the top of this standard, or on the beach if it be used, is secured a piece
of steel plate, which serves as a base for the machine. Two connecting rods serve as bearings, and it may he found desirable te rebush the small ends for this purpose. The grease cups are almost certain to be discoverable—if noton the scrap-heap, at any rate in some odd corner of the shop or upon some old.
partly dismantled chassis. The pulley may be turned up either from a block of hardwood or a piece of bar iron. It is secured to the, spindle—which may conveniently be a length of brake rod— by means cf a grub-screw, as shown.
• A length of brake rod is particularly suitable for this purpose, because it will generally be possible to select .a pisce which is screwed a left-hand thread at the end. As a left-hand thread is essential for one wheel, and few garages possess dies for this thread, the point is important.-There is little more to add, except, perhaps, that the washers which support the emery wheels should be of large diameter, not less than 3 ins.; and preferably 4 Ms. The distance-piece hetween -the two pillars is a piece of gas tubing, with a bolt right through it, There is little about the smaller machine which calls for remark. The pulley in this case, it will be noted by reference to the sketch, is secured by a grub screw located in the end of the shaft. The distance-piece between emery wheel and bearing is secured by
a taper pia, which must be driven in until the head is below the level of the surface of the sleeve, when the hole may be burred over as security, as it is most essential, in a high-speed revolving part such as this, that there;be no6small projections.
" A.E.A.," of Balham, found himself one day with four keyways to cut, and nothing but his bare hands, as one might say, with which to cut them. Equipment the shop had, in the ordinary course, but it so happened that the day the work came in (and, of course, it was wanted at once) the machinery was being moved to a new shop.
However, everything had not gone; there•was still a. small sensitive drill in working order, and our contributor made excellent use of this in a manner which is almost completely e_x_plained,by the accompanying sketch. He: removed line work table from the drill and substituted for it an olchlathe !saddle, on to which, in the place usually occupied by the tool, he clamped The shaft to be keywaved. A suitable milling cutter was secured " in the drill chuck, and the job satisfactorily completed.
Lamps Alight.
On Saturday, May 20th, light your lamps at 9.18 in.London, 9.40.in Newcastle, 9.29 in Birmingham, 9.53 in Edinburgh, 9.39 in Liverpool, 9.28 in Bristol, and 10.22 in Dublin.