Machine shop Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 Hi all. I have had an orphan bit of rail track in the shed that I keep stubbing my toe on so on a wet Saturday I decided to make a swage block out of it. Currently just in the roughing out stage. I am cutting it using indexible carbide tools, but it is pretty tough and so slow going. It will have 3 off 90 deg grooves, 3 off 180 deg radii grooves and a larger radius. I am currently waiting for a carbide ball end mill to arrive in the post for finishing the radii Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stash Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 Lookin good. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 Looks good. I have a chunk of rail I wanted to mill the same way some years back, but my machinist friend came back and said the metal was too tough for his tooling. I deduce that either your rail is softer or your tooling is better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machine shop Posted May 17, 2022 Author Share Posted May 17, 2022 I have chipped a few tips cutting the rail. I think it would just laugh at hss tooling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 17, 2022 Share Posted May 17, 2022 Used track is generally harder than new stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted May 18, 2022 Share Posted May 18, 2022 Work hardened 95 point manganese steel or close to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leather Bill Posted May 20, 2022 Share Posted May 20, 2022 It's always interesting to see people accomplish something like this and now I will reveal how ignorant I am of metal work. In a home shop,would it be feasible to anneal,machine,harden and maybe temper rail in order to spare tooling? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted May 20, 2022 Share Posted May 20, 2022 I can't speak to machining, but it is certainly possible to shape a piece of track with an angle grinder. If you go slow enough, you can even do it without significant changes to the hardness. One could conceivably anneal such a piece before shaping and then harden it afterwards, but even an unhardened piece of track (or one whose temper is "ruined" by overheating while grinding) would be plenty hard -- certainly harder than the metal being forged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 20, 2022 Share Posted May 20, 2022 Rail is only induction hardened a few thousandths on the rail surface and later work hardens in use but its all on the contact surface. It's easy to run it to black heat and bury it to slow cool IF normalized isn't good enough. It's really pretty civilized stuff to work with, treat it like 1085 simple steel and you're in the ball park. Even the "high" manganese Rail steel doesn't have enough to really effect the heat treatment methods. I can't say for rail outside the USA and who knows what little independent rail lines used nor crane rails, etc. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted May 20, 2022 Share Posted May 20, 2022 Leather Bill, the answer is yes. Place said rail on a fire safe serface, build a bonfire and leave it to cook and then cool in the ashes. Make sure to take the coals up over the rail when the fire burns down. Now you should have a fully annexed hunk of rail. you can use hack saws, files, angle grinders etc. to shape the rail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 20, 2022 Share Posted May 20, 2022 "The Complete Modern Blacksmith" Alexander Weygers, describes how to reharden rail after working on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machine shop Posted May 24, 2022 Author Share Posted May 24, 2022 A carbide ball ended slot drill arrived in the post so I could progress carving some radii into the rail. I still need to take a burr and clean the radii up and then polish with some abrasive wheels. The other picture shows the swage block mounted on the anvil using a hold down through the Pritchel hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jobtiel1 Posted May 25, 2022 Share Posted May 25, 2022 Very cool way to make a swage block! I suggest you weld some steel to the feet so that it slots over the sides of the anvil, that will make it unable to rotate on the anvil face, and together with the holdfast will probably make a better hold. I have done this too with a sort of hardy hole since my anvil doesn't have one.\ ~Jobtiel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machine shop Posted May 25, 2022 Author Share Posted May 25, 2022 Great idea, the track is a bit wider than the anvil so this will work well. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted May 25, 2022 Share Posted May 25, 2022 That turned out pretty awesome! How long did it take you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMADDOX Posted May 25, 2022 Share Posted May 25, 2022 Nice work on that piece! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted May 25, 2022 Share Posted May 25, 2022 Great project Machine Shop! Useful size, some swage blocks get really big and hard to maneuver. I wanted to show off a Rail Swage that followed me home a while back. Friend was moving their shop from Oakland to Alameda. I showed up for the garage sale and took home a bunch of scroll jigs and this welded rail swage (I think it's a welded piece of rail) About 12 inches by roughly 5 inches square so movable. Some flat surfaces, a square hole, depressions and grooves. A visiting smith who's a welding inspector was impressed (my welding, not so much) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machine shop Posted May 26, 2022 Author Share Posted May 26, 2022 Wow, that is a bit more advanced than my attempt! So far I am probably 3 or 4 hours in to the project. Still have to smooth out the swage and weld on feet tabs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 Nice... I have a hunk of light rail that needs to become that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted May 27, 2022 Share Posted May 27, 2022 Kinda what I was thinkin too, I just drug home a 3 foot piece of small rail from an auction last Saturday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machine shop Posted May 28, 2022 Author Share Posted May 28, 2022 Quick update, I have now smoothed out the milling steps using a carbide burr. Btw if you have not discovered carbide burrs for die grinders I recommend you do. They are much more suitable for any significant metal removal than the abrasive points traditionally used in due grinding. Clearly these have there place and that is where I will go next to polish up the surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 Not poopoo’n your work MC. I wish I had your toys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machine shop Posted May 29, 2022 Author Share Posted May 29, 2022 I finished the block off today. Welded on some tabs so it registers in the top of the anvil as suggested by jobtiel. 23 hours ago, Charles R. Stevens said: Not poopoo’n your work MC. I wish I had your toys! I am very lucky that I have an understanding wife who lets me haul this old iron and give it a good home! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 30, 2022 Share Posted May 30, 2022 Looks *useful*! (High praise for tools!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machine shop Posted May 30, 2022 Author Share Posted May 30, 2022 19 hours ago, ThomasPowers said: Looks *useful*! (High praise for tools!) Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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