Mystery Project. Guess What It Will Be?

[GrowleyMonster]

Just fooling around with the cheap Chinese mini-mill, making something for the boat. Material is 6061 Aluminum, 2" x 2" x 12". I have been finding it, as well as the 7 x 14 mini lathe, to be very handy for making little custom doodads for the boat. Last project was a flange to fit the outside of a porthole with a weathertight seal, with a scoop on the outside to keep rain out, and inside, the exhaust hose for a stand-up portable air conditioner. Much nicer than a piece of plywood and a bunch of "Great Stuff" foam in a can. I was going to do a compression test on the Westerbeast, but decided since it is capable of near instant starts when there is no air in the lines, and the exhaust is nice and clear with no sheen on the water, my compression is probably pretty good. Still, I will end up machining an adapter for a compression meter at some point, since the injectors are held in the head by a stud and saddle arrangement instead of being threaded in. I may machine a pulley for a backup electric drive belt some day. The diesel is in good shape, it seems, but hey, it is 50 years old. Plus I just like EP! And this big tank can carry plenty of batteries, certainly enough to come alongside or into the home slip.

Anyway maybe as I go along, this will inspire others to do their own light machining. Between boat projects, car projects, house, lawn and garden equipment projects, I figure the lathe and mill have just about paid for themselves. Unfortunately all the tooling I have bought has probably tipped the scales back to the deficit side a bit, but that is partly because I bought a lot of stuff ready made, such as collets, 1-2-3 blocks, clamps, parallels, 4 jaw chuck, R8 drill chuck, lathe gears, etc. But end mills I have bought plenty of, and broke plenty of, particularly smaller sizes when working on hard stainless. Liveaboards obviously can't expect to have welding and forging equipment, lathe, mill, band saw, grinders, etc but for those who live on the hard, a small machine shop can be a great enabler.

So, pics, from the first steps in the mystery project. Oh, and you won't guess it yet, even though the immediate initial objective is kind of obvious, so just watch as I go.

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...1&d=1691243589

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...1&d=1691243589

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...1&d=1691243589

[carlosproa]

How about posting pictures of the other projects?

That is a big thick bar so it could be anything from a main sheet track to something you are planing to slide around

[GrowleyMonster]

The next end mill I need to use is metric, as was the slot cutter last used. I was able to use an SAE collet to hold that one, but the next tool I thought I could hold with a half inch collet but the difference between a half inch and 12mm is just too great, so I am waiting on an R8 collet in 12mm size, arriving tomorrow night. The next day I will finish phase one. I have a chuck that would hold it but chucks are not very precise. The precision of the cuts are not critical here, but I don't want any chattering. I'll post again when I finish the cut.

[Spot]

Track Car? I need one so everything looks like one

Nice to see the DIY Growley.

I am casting 'not available / supplier won't call me back' parts for our small boats from cast aluminum tooling plate scraps from work. Started with an Amazon special propane furnace and some Ebay Petro-bond sand and homemade wooden flasks. Lots to learn at one time (pattern making, molding, melting, pouring) but very satisfying to see a part coming out of the sand looking like the pattern and fitting the application.

Below is a replacement/upgrade to an Omega 14 masthead to allow for a full-line halyard instead of a half wire one. It took two castings, one before and one after a major revision to the pattern to make it work. I just need a sheave and then I can drill, bolt, and install.

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by Spot

Track Car? I need one so everything looks like one

Nice to see the DIY Growley.

I am casting 'not available / supplier won't call me back' parts for our small boats from cast aluminum tooling plate scraps from work. Started with an Amazon special propane furnace and some Ebay Petro-bond sand and homemade wooden flasks. Lots to learn at one time (pattern making, molding, melting, pouring) but very satisfying to see a part coming out of the sand looking like the pattern and fitting the application.

Below is a replacement/upgrade to an Omega 14 masthead to allow for a full-line halyard instead of a half wire one. It took two castings, one before and one after a major revision to the pattern to make it work. I just need a sheave and then I can drill, bolt, and install.

Right on. When you have a picture in your head of something you want, but nobody else wants to see it, let alone make it, DIY fabrication is a real sanity saver. There is definitely some casting in my to-do list, but not for this project. I got a bunch of beer cans, like a whole lawn and leaf bag full, so enough to smelt out maybe 3 lbs of aluminum. I want to eventually cast some bitts, as they are much better than cleats for oversized mooring lines and stuff. Maybe some mast steps, too. Thinking about a track on the mast, and just a few steps sliding up and down the mast, instead of 45 or 50 fixed steps. I hope to start welding aluminum soon, so I can make a nice dive ladder that two over the hill types like me and Mrs. Monster can use to get back into our big ol boat from the water. I might also start making boarding ladders, which are in big demand in our marina, for sale.

[Divemasterflipp]

I'm a newbie to this forum. I hope I can help y'all. I'm a disabled Journeyman Tool/Diemaker. I have an extensive mechanical engineering education. I also have faaar to many extra tools and perishable tooling. If I can be of any assistance feel free to ask. I will also tell you. "I DON'T KNOW" If I can't be sure of the correct answer. Im not rude or a "know-it-all". So "Caviate Emptor".

I'm Flipper... "Swims better than Walks"

[Divemasterflipp]

@Growlymonster. Aluminum t-track is cheep on Amazon. It comes in a large variety of styles, shape and sizes. The AL, 6160 2×2×12". My cost is $50+-. 4pc 48" length 3/4x3/8 throat is $45. It's heavy duty and anodized in many colors.
Just another suggestion. Get the Machinists Handbook, I have 45th version. Newer is better but same information has been revised a pinch �� I hope you find me useful. Or handy as Red Green said...

[Divemasterflipp]

On the Casting thing. I won the 2nd place in the Michigan industrial arts competition. For a Casting. Wait for it... 1982. Yup I'm that old. The Casting pic I saw looked good, very good for a picture. But a ruler in the shot helps to give perspective. A pair quality set of calipers is a worthy investment. At .010+- accuracy. Better accuracy means micrometers, and telescopic snap gages. .0001 accuracy will double the tools cost. I'm being extremely careful with my word use. For the best understanding by the DIY guys. I don't want to sound condescending. I truly want to be a useful part of this terrific community.

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by Divemasterflipp

@Growlymonster. Aluminum t-track is cheep on Amazon. It comes in a large variety of styles, shape and sizes. The AL, 6160 2×2×12". My cost is $50+-. 4pc 48" length 3/4x3/8 throat is $45. It's heavy duty and anodized in many colors.
Just another suggestion. Get the Machinists Handbook, I have 45th version. Newer is better but same information has been revised a pinch �� I hope you find me useful. Or handy as Red Green said...

Right on. Thanks, Flipper. Here's the link for the two pieces of 2x2 6061 I bought.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/361424597545
so $77 and change for two pieces and I thought it was a pretty decent price. And nah, I won't be machining any T track. You are right, that stuff is too cheap to spend time making on a Chinese mini mill, even marine grade stuff. I only have about 12" of X axis travel, presently.

I have my eye out for a not too ancient edition of Machinists Handbook for a good price. Meanwhile I have this on the way, but this isn't the book you mean. I think it might be relevant though, as I'm not talking Atlas, Bridgeport, etc here.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/35495790707...Bk9SR7KksvO4Yg

Are you referring to Colvin and Stanley's "American Machinist's Handbook"? I see a lot of 1940 editions going cheap but not sure if a technical book over 80 years old has enough relevance to what I am doing. I see a 1940 and a 1945 edition, and then there is a 1955 "New American Machinist's Handbook" based on the Colvin and Stanley work. I don't see anything more recent than that.

I am also seeing "Machinery's Handbook" and I just made an offer on the 23rd Edition, printed 1984. Is this the book you mean? A search for "Machinist's Handbook" gives these three different books but none with the exact title of "Machinist's Handbook".

I will be sure to address technical questions to you and I am glad to have someone willing to share his knowledge. As for tooling, I hope to start making more of my own, apart from end mills, drill bits, and such. I might even make myself a rotary table. Everything I can afford has really crappy reviews. Then again, my mill and lathe get a lot of rocks thrown at them, too, but I still find them usable for my purposes.

I was just about to hit the submit reply button and thought I would check my offers first. So my offer was accepted and I got the 23rd edition of Machinery's Handbook", the already mentioned and ordered "Home Machinist Handbook", and a nice looking copy of "American Machinist Handbook", 7th (1940) edition just because it was in great shape and at a good price, and that browser tab kept calling out to me. That pretty much busted my 2023 book budget!

[Divemasterflipp]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/305053898029

[Divemasterflipp]

This is the one I have. 24th Edition of the Machinery Hanbook. Sorry for the misleading info. If you bought the 23rd. Edition that's just as good. The important parts are the thread pitch dimensions. The index in the back is your best friend. Imma call it your"Index Wingman". Use the proper words, and like google, the answer will appear as a page number. Dont get overwhelmed. If you find it impossible, take a community college course. The speed and feed charts are somewhat accurate. S/F is something that's trial and error. Ultimately, this book will be your GUIDE. Like a Sherpa on Everest. It will teach you the right words to use in your searches thru the world of machineries and engineering.
The price you paid for the 6160 was a purty good deal. The answer you gave about the t-track was what I'd hoped to hear. And it doesn't matter how much time and material costed as long as you learned something. I was an expensive apprentice. I'm so glad you asked, my new friend. Thank you, and you're welcome. [emoji4]

[GrowleyMonster]

God Bless Amazon. My collet due to arrive tomorrow evening arrived just before sundown today. I went out into the shop to tool up, planning to make chips in the morning before the heat gets too bad, but there I was, my part, my machine, my tooling, and already sweating, so I finished my cuts. The first phase of the project is now officially off to a good start. Sample track slides nice. The track it will need to slide on has a slight curve so I have to take it to the boat and see if I allowed enough clearance in the middle for that slight curve.

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...1&d=1691286020

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by GrowleyMonster

... I got a bunch of beer cans, like a whole lawn and leaf bag full, so enough to smelt out maybe 3 lbs of aluminum. I want to eventually cast some bitts, as they are much better than cleats for oversized mooring lines and stuff. Maybe some mast steps, too. ...

The [3] alloys used for beverage cans are not especially suited for casting, the [obviously named] cast aluminum alloys are way better. You find cast aluminum, often, in car parts, such as pistons, other engine parts, and some wheels. Since these are in big chunks, instead of sheets, they won't oxidize nearly as badly, either.
There are real problems w/ both, the alloys used for cans, and the tendency for the can coatings to produce porous castings.
Everything, I've read, on aluminum casting, warns the reader to NOT use cans.

For the body of beverage cans, a strip of aluminum alloy 3004, or aluminшum alloy 3104, is used, both in H19 temper.[1]
For lids, 5182 aluminum alloy strip, in H48 temper, is used.[2]
For tabs, a strip of 5042 aluminum alloy, in H18 temper, is used.[2]

Alloys from the 3XXX series have about 1 percent manganese (Mn) added, but AA3004 also has 1 percent magnesium (Mg) for further strengthening that allows the finished can to maintain sufficient integrity with the thinnest possible wall. The incoming sheet aluminum starts at about 250 microns, or 0.01 inch. After forming with a draw and wall ironed (DWI) operation, beer can bodies have a wall thickness of 100 microns (0.004 in.) at their thinnest point.

The tops need to be stronger to open properly and consistently using the riveted pull tabs. To get the higher strength, it’s necessary to use a different alloy family—5XXX. AA5182 has 4.5 percent Mg and 0.3 percent Mn as the main alloying additions, which provide a balance between high strength and formability. The incoming aluminum stock is about the same thickness as the body metal (250 microns), but does not go through the same degree of work hardening as the can walls do during the DWI process. As such, the part strength and finished thickness of the lids are not significantly different from the incoming coil. To minimize the weight and increase the stiffness, the top of the can body is necked down so the lid does not have to be the same diameter as the majority of the body.

In any case, I don’t think, needing more aluminum for your project, as an excuse, for drinking more beer, can top “Working up the nerve to go confession”.
➥ https://youtu.be/M54YmRnoHRk