Chicago Dreis&Krump Box&Pan brake rebuild

Got some decent shop time in today and with the weather absolutely beautiful, I spent most of the day on the apron.
Got the 5" channel laid out and cut as well as the 3/16" x 3" x 6" tube for the fork pockets.

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Use the 1250 Hypertherm to cut the pocket holes. The pressure vessel has 10 lbs. of desiccant to ensure dry air. The shop has a refrigerated air dryer but I normally don't use it for small cut jobs and just use this unit.
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60 amps allowed for fast travel and all four cuts took under 10 minutes.
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I clamped them back to back to ensure a lineup and fit. The channel had a slight bow in the center after cutting and probably would have been worse had the cut travel speed been reduced.
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Cut a 2" piece to check the slip fit.
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Next was to clean off all the dross and mill scale at all weld joints as well as sand off the green paint on the stand.
I wanted the option to use the pallet jack to move the brake in the shop so I cut some 1/4"x3" gussets to tie the channel into the stands base plate. These too where cleaned off for welding. The channels barely fit so I decided to weld the gusset after the channels where inside the stand.
The channels where turned upside down to weld the gussets. No way to access the weld joint once the channel is in place.

Here you can see the how tight wrestling in the channel was between the stand. The good news is rotating the channels was no problem

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Used el cheapo 123 block to set up and tack the gussets. Once welded, the channel was rotated 180º and tacked in place.
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A quick check with the square and tacked them in. Here you can see the welded gusset in place.
No way to access the overhead weld in this position.
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Heres a shot of one of four weld joints. The gap needed for the pallet jack (PJ) was 3.250" and with the 3" gusset resting atop of the .375" flat bar, It gave just enough room to slide in the PJ.
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Slid in the structural tubing and checked level and squareness once more and tacked those in.
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I used the new Miller 252 to weld her up. Put her through the paces but I did skip weld to control distortion.
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couple of welded joints.
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Rrear fork pocket.
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Up, up and away! Worked out well and a safe way to move/load a top heavy machine.
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Those bottom pocket welds where fun, welding on my side with my neck contorted Hahaha, getting too old for some positions.
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The PJ slid in and worked well too:cool:. Two pumps and the brake was off the floor.
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Not so young anymore, welding in tight quarters and on the floor came with a price:dread:.
Ate some ibuprofen for dinner.

All in all a good day with good results. Thanks for checking it out.

Turn and Burn,
Paco

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Nice welds !!! I never get that stack of dimes look, think I weld too hot or its the trick mix gas I use.

Greg
 
Looking great.
Are you planning to use the "shelf frame" that the channels create for storage (small sheet stock rack?) or leave it open?
 
Nice welds !!! I never get that stack of dimes look, think I weld too hot or its the trick mix gas I use.

Greg

I too weld hotter than the recommended unless I'm dealing with a loose joint. The trick is in manipulation. Truth be told, I would never use this technique for cert welds. Tri-mix should work but straight CO2 would require a reduction in heat setting. I use a "whip" motion pushing, not dragging with 25/75 shielding gas. Start your puddle, move forward just beyond the said puddle, then return to to create the next covering 40-50% of previous puddle, rinse and repeat keeping a tight arc gap and even puddle width. The Pulse mig is another story altogether that requires setting the arc cone but that machine is awesome. Although these welds turned out fine, I was out of position for most of them and NOT in any comfortable position where I could focus my eyes or prevent some cramping in my neck. Comfort is king for controlling a weld.

Looking great.
Are you planning to use the "shelf frame" that the channels create for storage (small sheet stock rack?) or leave it open?

Thanks,
My original plan was to utilize the structure as a shelf, but since I raised it up to allow the use of a PJ, its close to the center portion of the apron bracing. I thought a shelf would be a great place to store unused fingers. I still may do just that. Seem you and I think alike. :)

Thanks for the visit and comments, always good.

Spending the day cleaning up the shop today, I have a roll cage job coming in on Wednesday and have somewhat of a disorganized environment at the moment.

I'm also setting a flag pole in concrete for my 83 year old friend and neighbor down the road.

Take care fellas,
Paco
 
WOW!
Thank you very much, not sure how this selection process works but, I'm very humbled to say the least. So many other folks possess much more talent and knowledge then I ever will. Thats why I'm here daily or as much as time allows.
I like to share and post up photos (probably too many pictures;)) as I lack the writing skills many of you folks possess. Anyway, thank you all for being members and sharing your knowledge on this priceless site. I've made friends with folks I'll never meet in person but feel like I know them.
I have also forged a friendship with Mark (mksj), a friendship I would otherwise never have had without this site and am truly blessed as a result. I look forward to "growing" that list of friends and if you guys/gals are ever in Tucson, Please reach out so I can put a face to my friend.


Fraternally,
Paco Nieto
 
Congrats on the project of the month award. Much deserved.


Thanks for checking in. BTW, how's your mill project coming along?

Got close to finished on the X/Y & knee work. Would have got it done, but do to brain fart, forgot to install the knee screw bearing retainer after placing it specifically where "I couldn't miss it", and had to disassemble again and correct that fubar. Down in PR now doing hurricane cleanup and repair. Got off pretty easy compared to many others. Will do an update on the mill when I get a little time.
Nice job on the forklift points. Cheers, Mike
 
Thank you Greg and Mike, I appreciate your kind words.

Mike, I feel your pain. Seems I forget more the older I get.
I have a close friend in PR going through similar situation, God speed on your endeavor and stay safe brother.

Paco
 
With the last two machining operations on the finger extensions completed, I can officially say they are finally done. It seems like it took a while but when I look at the entire project maybe not so much. I am also happy to report Mr. Bozo:clown: never payed me a visit during the finger project. I don't really consider myself a proficient machinist but I learned a lot on this phase of the rebuild.

Second to last operation was to cut the .125"x 2.5" step for the nose bar and clamp. I took three passes at full depth (.125"). The surface finish was much nicer than the original factory fingers. Used the CNC function to reset to absolute on each finger (14 total).

Used the same 1" 5 flute medium roughing end mill and the same set up to mill +Y (conventional) the wider steps.
First of three passes.
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Here's the third and final pass took about a .500" wide cut.
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I purchased this hand de-burring tool a couple of months ago and finally had a chance to try it. It really works nice and leave a decent chamfer.
The trick is to NOT push down as it will bight in. The handle ratchets while turning for an even cut. I highly recommend this tool.
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Close up of the chamfered hole, literally took seconds to get this result.
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A quick comparison with the only serviceable OEM finger.
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The nose bar and clamp fit nice and secure.
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The final operation as to break the sharp edge on the nose bar angle. Same setup different end mill. Used a 7/16" cobalt regrind I had. 1200 RPM and 10 IPM dry. I only took .050" off each finger but enough to eliminate the sharp edge.
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All done!
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So I learned the use a back splash really helps contain those nasty chips. I used a piece of cardboard to control most of them.
I used a face shield as well. Some of them that did hit the floor stuck to the sealer and required scraping with a dust pan.
Heres a close up of the devils pubic hair :devil:hahah!
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Seriously, these are nasty!
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Spent the rest of the day cleaning and lubing the mill. Back on shift tomorrow so progress will be slower for the next nine days.

Thanks for visiting and Turn and Burn!

Paco

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