peacock Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 A friend brought me this 25# LG that he had cut the frame off because of a broken dovetail. He sawed it off with a porta-band. I mouned it in my shaper, squared it up. In the coming week I will cut the dove tail and build a sow block. I am putting this dovetail 90 degrees to the die so we can align the dies without shims. this the first time I have done this change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clinton Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Do you use the shaper for the dove tail? Looks like a good project, keep us posted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeatGuy Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I was thinking of do the same for a 50 lb little giant frame that I have so I am very keen on seening this. The anvil is hollow so how much room do you have to machine the new dovetails ? brad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacock Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 I finished the dovetail on the 25#. I'm pleased with the work, not very often you get to see this nice a dovetail on a 100 year old machine. This is an expensive fix but it saves a frame. You have to buy one like this cheap or you will have too much money in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacock Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 This is no simple task. I have a shaper deditcated to working on dovetails. The block has to come off and a heavy angle plate made and installed on the apron. After the frame is on the shaper I have to square up the frame useing the ram guide as a reference. This can be a slow, aggravating process. Start to finish took 7 1/2 hours. but the end result is very rewarding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsloan Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Thanks for showing that Phil. You make me want a shaper. Dave from Diller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan P. Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Thanks for posting these photos, very interesting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dimenickel Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 that is a very cool fix ! ... and what a great looking dovetail !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monstermetal Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 What size shaper are you using? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacock Posted February 6, 2012 Author Share Posted February 6, 2012 It's a 14 inch Gavin line belt machine. Put an old 3 speed car trany and a 1 hp motor on it. I can do 25s and 50s. A 1000 # casting hanging out front has to have a set of wheels under the angle plate for support. I looked at a bigger shaper but the slide was too large to clear the ram guide on the hammers. I try to true up every hammer I rebuild. I also like to widen the dovetail a little so we can use a thicker die key. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E.F. Thumann Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Phil, What amount of step-over are you using per stroke? Just looking at that makes me wince. Try using a much larger nose radius on the HSS bit in the lantern-style holder, i.e. .100" radius. (or just get a bigger piece of HSS with a correspondingly larger holder that will fit your lantern), and increase the step-over 300-400%, that will reduce your time drastically when facing. Also, a trick I just learned is to get rid of the lantern type holder, and get a solid block of steel drilled with two holes and then reamed (square) to fit whatever size HSS you want to use, and mount a double set of HSS bits in the block. One to rough, and the second to finish (typically with a larger nose radius). That way with every stroke you are doing double work. BTW I'm only mentioning this all to help out, b/c I just spend about 21 hours this weekend milling aluminum for a bar twisting machine i'm making, and anything to speeeeeeddddddddddd up machine tools is worth spreading around. Nice work Phil, keep it up:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacock Posted February 6, 2012 Author Share Posted February 6, 2012 Thanks E.F. I understand what your saying but the setup is a little shaky. That large of tool nose and step over is just too much for this set up and tends to move the frame. Once I got it set up I just go slow and be patient. The green shaper (Hendy) in the background will stand up to that kind of work it will take off 1/4 inch square chips. It has a universal head that I use for sow blocks and die work. I prefere it to the mill for that work much cheaper to tool up. PS I'm useing .040 step over & .060 deep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BT Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Wow Phil, that is looking nice. Looking forward to the sow block pictures. One of these days I'm gonna make it by there to see all those toys you have sitting around there in the background. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dillon Sculpture Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Wow, I'm surprised you can hang that kind of weight on there. May have to build a rig for mine, I need to clean up the sow block I welded for my steam hammer. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacock Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 Got a good start on the sow block. Cut off 5 inches of 7 inch round, that stuff is 11# per inch. Put it in the lathe faced 1 end and turned a taper down to 6 inch top. Then back to the drill press drilled 2 shallow holes in the top to keep it from turning and to help index it in the shaper. Took about 1 1/2 hours to cut 1/2 the dovetail for the bottom. The 12 inch Hendey is a nice shaper 8 speeds and 3 axis table gives you alot to work with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Stout lathe to hold 7" in the chuck and make it look "small" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I love blue smoking curly chips. Why taper the block, I thought you would want it as heavy as convenient? Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacock Posted February 10, 2012 Author Share Posted February 10, 2012 Thomas, it's a 20" American Tool Works 6 foot centers 6,800 lbs. It is a work horse will cut 1 thread per inch slowest spindle speed 24 rpm Phil, I taper the sow block so we can get better access to the dies, The working surface on a 25# is 2x3 if you leave the top big it makes some free hand forging very difficult. It took about 6 lbs. off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Larson Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Very interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clinton Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Peacock- I wish we were neighbors you have some cool tools and a wealth of knowledge. Metal shaper is on my list of tools to get, I passed on a few of them about 10 years ago, they were small but would work good for me, my shop space is tight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Shear Tool ENVY++! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacock Posted February 14, 2012 Author Share Posted February 14, 2012 Newest update. Got the bottom dovetail finished. Now I am waiting on the owner to bring me the ram so I can be sure to get the die angle in register with the top die. I am also going to make a new top shaft so I can put the pulley and clutch out back so the clutch and belts can be serviced without removeing the bearing caps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Looks like it belongs there. Very nice. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin K Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Very nice work, Peacock. Getting some shaper time in here too, this week; recutting dovetails on some beat-up hammer dies and making new keys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacock Posted February 25, 2012 Author Share Posted February 25, 2012 I got the ram on Wed. so today I got to work on the sow block. After putting the block in the frame and the ram with die in the guide. I was able to get a line scribed where the dove tail would line up. Put the block back in the shaper and went to work, the pics show the rest of the story. That is finished. Now the owner is thinking maybe he wants me to finish the hammer rebuild. For sure build a long shaft to put the clutch out back and build the brake. More pics to follow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.