- Joined
- Aug 3, 2017
- Messages
- 2,437
SO, I have been working on a small hit/miss engine (see my other thread!) and two of the parts it says to buy are brass gears. However, the place that sells them no longer exists ("Small Parts"?), and googling the model number he gives aren't enough. Additionally, "Boston" gear doesn't have anything that is of the right dimensions either (it requires a sizable 'hub' section). SO, I get to make my own! Travers sent me 2 gear cutters for the 20 and 40 teeth gears, but I don't have an arbor to hold them.
Additionally going through my drawer, I managed to end up with 2 other cutters as time went by (with no way to hold them either!), so I figured I'd try to do all 4 cutters! The centers are: 1.25 (a 3/32" cutter), 1" (the two gear cutters), and a 7/8" (for a 1/8" thick cutter that I just seem to have).
I started with a hunk of 1 3/8" 1140 that I had leftover from another project:
A quick facing cut, then I went to cut down the part that gets held in the collet. I'm aiming for 7/8" for 2 reasons: 1- I'm lazy and it is the largest collet I have in both R8 and 5C, and 2- I rationalized that the bigger this is, the better.
Checking that the collet fits! I then cleaned up this side a bit with some scotch brite and a file.
I flipped it around and put it in the collet chuck. however, before that, I used the bandsaw to take ~1" off of it, which i figure will be useful for the cap. Started with a facing cut:
Then I started to cut the spot for the cutters!
And here is the small 1.25" center hole cutter, and it fits! I used a very rounded over cutter for roughing/smooth cutting, then a pointy one to get into the back so that the cutter lays flat.
Here is my gear cutter on its spot on the arbor!
I missed the 7/8" slot, but you get the idea! I then center drilled and tapped for 1/4-28. Why 1/4-28? Because I meant to do 1/4-20, and grabbed the wrong tap. Such is life:
And this part is done! I had some leftover "presto blue" from the last time I used 1140. However, I gave up on that one for 2 reasons: 1- I spilled most of it, and 2- It didn't react immediately like I see with youtubers. This time I dunked it and gave it some time so it turned black, and I'm glad I did! it looks much cooler!
Tomorrow I'll try to make a clamping cap (or 2 or 3?, maybe one for each size?) to hold my cutter in place. I've seen a coupler of people do these without cutting the keyway, and since my first project is in brass I might skip that part as well. I'll have to see how effective/necessary it is. Though, its easy enough to cut a key (or make drilled/tapped hole for a set screw to act as key).
Additionally going through my drawer, I managed to end up with 2 other cutters as time went by (with no way to hold them either!), so I figured I'd try to do all 4 cutters! The centers are: 1.25 (a 3/32" cutter), 1" (the two gear cutters), and a 7/8" (for a 1/8" thick cutter that I just seem to have).
I started with a hunk of 1 3/8" 1140 that I had leftover from another project:
A quick facing cut, then I went to cut down the part that gets held in the collet. I'm aiming for 7/8" for 2 reasons: 1- I'm lazy and it is the largest collet I have in both R8 and 5C, and 2- I rationalized that the bigger this is, the better.
Checking that the collet fits! I then cleaned up this side a bit with some scotch brite and a file.
I flipped it around and put it in the collet chuck. however, before that, I used the bandsaw to take ~1" off of it, which i figure will be useful for the cap. Started with a facing cut:
Then I started to cut the spot for the cutters!
And here is the small 1.25" center hole cutter, and it fits! I used a very rounded over cutter for roughing/smooth cutting, then a pointy one to get into the back so that the cutter lays flat.
Here is my gear cutter on its spot on the arbor!
I missed the 7/8" slot, but you get the idea! I then center drilled and tapped for 1/4-28. Why 1/4-28? Because I meant to do 1/4-20, and grabbed the wrong tap. Such is life:
And this part is done! I had some leftover "presto blue" from the last time I used 1140. However, I gave up on that one for 2 reasons: 1- I spilled most of it, and 2- It didn't react immediately like I see with youtubers. This time I dunked it and gave it some time so it turned black, and I'm glad I did! it looks much cooler!
Tomorrow I'll try to make a clamping cap (or 2 or 3?, maybe one for each size?) to hold my cutter in place. I've seen a coupler of people do these without cutting the keyway, and since my first project is in brass I might skip that part as well. I'll have to see how effective/necessary it is. Though, its easy enough to cut a key (or make drilled/tapped hole for a set screw to act as key).