wdavidhicks
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You guys mighta seen my post about looking for a better brake hex for a two disk setup.
https://www.rcnitrotalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12891
There's a woman I've worked with for about fifteen years. I've always known her husband was a Boeing machinist. I've met him on several work-related occasions over the years but he's never been somebody I've hung with.
I took that brake hex into work with the other fitting pieces and asked Sue if she thought Paul could make this. "Sure, bring it on over!"
I went over there last Thursday with the pieces and a twelve-pack of MGD. It was fascinating to sit up in his den with him while he took the old brake hex, the drive cup and a micrometer and plotted points and paths in a CAD program that perfectly defined a new and improved brake hex.
Once plotted we go down to the shop and he put the floppy with the plot into an old computer that was probably a 486-66mhz. A CNC mill doesn't demand a fast computer.
There was a scarred and cut up piece of aluminum stock sitting in the jaws already. Several small pieces had been milled from it. After measuring a corner of the stock he set zero points for X, Y & Z coordinates, directed a stream of a coolant solution with a rust inhibitor at the cutting head, and pressed the <Enter> key.
He mentioned that it's a pretty simple matter to put the commands into a loop and walk away while the mill cuts out as many pieces as you have stock in the jaws for.
He had a job that required teflon and had stock left from that. He jokingly asked if I needed any teflon pieces. "Actually, Paul... clutch shoes!". We didn't go there.
He removed the piece of stock from the jaws and cut off the new piece with hacksaw. He reset the new hex in the jaws and the bottom was resurfaced. The bore of the hex was a couple thousandths too small to fit around the drive cup. Paul chucked a dial indicator into the head of the mill. With this nifty device he could find the x & Y axis zero points again, then mill a bit more material from the bore. Leaving the hex in the jaws he chucked in another bit that put the chamfer in the front of the hex.
It took a couple of passes with the chamfer bit until the back of the hex was flush with the back of the cup when firmly seated.
He then used an edge-finder or "wiggler" to find the point from which to drill the grub screw holes and also the zero point to begin grinding the notches that would clear the dogbone.
Some of you will find this recount boring but I found the whole experience fascinating and educational and had to share it. I wish I had brought my camera over there. I thought about it but then forgot it.
Here's the finished product on the left.
Hats off to all you machinists.
And Paul!
https://www.rcnitrotalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12891
There's a woman I've worked with for about fifteen years. I've always known her husband was a Boeing machinist. I've met him on several work-related occasions over the years but he's never been somebody I've hung with.
I took that brake hex into work with the other fitting pieces and asked Sue if she thought Paul could make this. "Sure, bring it on over!"
I went over there last Thursday with the pieces and a twelve-pack of MGD. It was fascinating to sit up in his den with him while he took the old brake hex, the drive cup and a micrometer and plotted points and paths in a CAD program that perfectly defined a new and improved brake hex.
Once plotted we go down to the shop and he put the floppy with the plot into an old computer that was probably a 486-66mhz. A CNC mill doesn't demand a fast computer.
There was a scarred and cut up piece of aluminum stock sitting in the jaws already. Several small pieces had been milled from it. After measuring a corner of the stock he set zero points for X, Y & Z coordinates, directed a stream of a coolant solution with a rust inhibitor at the cutting head, and pressed the <Enter> key.
He mentioned that it's a pretty simple matter to put the commands into a loop and walk away while the mill cuts out as many pieces as you have stock in the jaws for.
He had a job that required teflon and had stock left from that. He jokingly asked if I needed any teflon pieces. "Actually, Paul... clutch shoes!". We didn't go there.
He removed the piece of stock from the jaws and cut off the new piece with hacksaw. He reset the new hex in the jaws and the bottom was resurfaced. The bore of the hex was a couple thousandths too small to fit around the drive cup. Paul chucked a dial indicator into the head of the mill. With this nifty device he could find the x & Y axis zero points again, then mill a bit more material from the bore. Leaving the hex in the jaws he chucked in another bit that put the chamfer in the front of the hex.
It took a couple of passes with the chamfer bit until the back of the hex was flush with the back of the cup when firmly seated.
He then used an edge-finder or "wiggler" to find the point from which to drill the grub screw holes and also the zero point to begin grinding the notches that would clear the dogbone.
Some of you will find this recount boring but I found the whole experience fascinating and educational and had to share it. I wish I had brought my camera over there. I thought about it but then forgot it.
Here's the finished product on the left.
Hats off to all you machinists.
And Paul!
