The basic shell is done. Now I have to slot the 3/4" square stock to make the arms, install the bearings, and weld on short sections of 3/4" stock to the ring, and I have an incredibly crude steady rest for my lathe:
http://frederic.midimonkey.com/yard/...t/IM002177.JPG

Here's all the pictures if you're interested:
http://frederic.midimonkey.com/yard-...teadyrest.html

Making this is my cheap-bastid approach to avoiding spending several hundred dollars for a used steady rest off ebay or a surplus industrial supplier. So far the materials (including the three bearings) have cost me less than $30 including tax.

 

You are really getting good at this stuf!!!

 

lol, thanks!

Need is a motivator!

I fabbed bracketry to install a small snowplow on my riding mower:
http://frederic.midimonkey.com/yard/...w/IM001995.JPG

I need to actuate the plow vertically, as well as plow angle. After many failed bids on ebay for 12V linear actuators I decided compressed air is the way to go.

Using a lexus air suspension compressor and an upside down disposable propane cylinder, I made a mini air system for the riding mower. Have yet to install it.

Bidding on air cylinders wasn't successful either. The cheap ones are too small, the larger ones get too expensive, so I decided to make them. Nothing more than piece of 4" OD black pipe (sched 40) with a closely fitted piston, a pair of neoprene o-rings, some axle grease, and a 1" diameter rod sticking out one end. Fill cylinder, rod moves out. Gravity brings it back down. Then I don't have to worry about sealing the end with the rod too well which adds complexity.

The first three turns of the ID of black pipe were unsuccessful.

Steady rest will fix that - because the finish on the end of the pipe closest to the chuck is beautiful... and further away is almost like threading lol.

Of course this interrupts my making a milling attachment for this lathe... and my son's car.... and 92 other things.

 

Even with a steady rest the boring bar hangs out a long way. Small diameter inside boring is difficult in itself.

Can you use a cylinder hone on the inside of the pipe, or just one of those ball hones?

Get that car finished pronto, then you can feel better about working on other things.

I have purchased a number of hydraulic cylinders on ebay over the years and they were cheap. Shipping was the highest cost. A regular PS pump could be used for power. Directional valves aren't to bad but like anything else you have to watch the price and shipping.

 

My 1" OD boring bar isn't too bad, as long as I take small cuts. When I was trying to skim off 1/16" at a time that's where I ran into trouble. Also, rounding the cutting tool inside helped tremendously in getting a cleaner finish. Also, oil/lube is necessary. I haven't hooked up my coolant/cutting fluid tank yet and have been spraying oil with a home depot spray bottle, and that's not consistant enough.

It's funny how one project (snowplow) spawns many other projects. Same with the car project (need for milling).

Got my milling attachment dovetail design done, and just have to decide what material I want to use for the shim within the dovetail so I can tighten it like the lathe's saddle and cross slide. I have an old vice on a dovetail which I've had for years, and it's not usable because it has so much wear on the dovetail. I want to avoid that of course.

A friend of mine used an air slide, and removed the small air cylinders and installed an acme screw which he turned, and welded on a small block which he turned a mating thread, onto the back of the slide. Kinda cool. It slides on two 1" diameter, hardened solid rods.

Well, more pictures later in the day or tomorrow depending on progress.

I went with air since I have the 12V compressor, I have a dual 4-way valve "joystick", and plenty of extra 300psi hose lying around. Just seemed to be the lowest cost, quickest solution if I was able to turn the air cylinder body without a hitch

I didn't even think about hydraulics to be honest... I guess it would have been essentially the same process - except I'd need a remote tank style PS pump since the belts on the mower run parallel to the ground - it's a vertical shaft engine.

The mower will be getting some other mods too, just not this year.

 

They make a bronze faced steel material that might work. I have used it but I have no idea where to get it or what trade name it has.

 

I'll check into it. I'm sure one of the machining companies sell replacements to whatever this is called. Thanks for the tip!

 

More progress, more pictures.

Finished one of three arms, including the milled slot:
http://frederic.midimonkey.com/yard/...t/IM002186.JPG

Then had to mill the post I welded onto the ring, as well as a 3/4" wide slot in the ring itself for the arm to pass through:
Milling left: http://frederic.midimonkey.com/yard/...t/IM002187.JPG
Milling right: http://frederic.midimonkey.com/yard/...t/IM002188.JPG

There, a nice finish on the post, and a nice slot for the arm. Was a PITA because where the slot in the ring was I started to hack out with my angle grinder, then a die grinder with a carbide burr, and it was just coming out unsquare and terrible, then it occured to me maybe I'll get lucky and be able to mill this in the lathe - after all, the 3/4" post I welded on does fit into the tool holders for my aloris toolpost, that's how I milled the slots at the end for the bearings and the long slot to adjust the length.

sure enough, it fit sorta. The ring hung off the end so ANY chatter of the end mill was amplified mechanically and acoustically by the ring. I ended up holding the ring with both hands, gloved, trying to keep the ringing from getting annoying. Was a futile effort, but at least it wasn't so loud.

Here is the steady rest with one arm installed. Now to slot and make two more arms, then weld on the two remaining posts, and mill the slots in the ring like I did for this one.

http://frederic.midimonkey.com/yard/...t/IM002189.JPG

Unfortunately I won't be doing that tomorrow, as one of our outside post lamps decided to short circuit and not flip the breaker, so my son who often touches it saying "lamp lamp lamp" got shocked today. He's okay, just was thrown back about 5' and in total shock. Since the lamps were off, it didn't occur to me that he was shocked, so I touched it and zaaaaaaaaap. *sigh*.

Guess I'll be doing that tomorrow. I love digging up the ground in freezing temperatures, putting heat lamps all around so the poured concrete can actually cure. Fun!

 

Sounds like something is not wired properly in those lamps unless there is a switch on the lamp post. That would give you a clue where to look for the short tho.

Typically we used a soft lead hammer for damping out vibrations. When the hammers deformed we just threw them in the melting pot and cast new ones. Lead shot in bags works well also.

 

The lamppost issue is all fixed... seems it was full of water, the wire nuts inside were missing, and the breaker decided not to flip.

Here's how I fixed it in my usual monkey fashion:
http://frederic.midimonkey.com/yard-lampposts.html

Got back to work on the steady rest while my son napped. Welded the two remaining ears, and started milling the slots in the ring. Slow, slow, slow.

http://frederic.midimonkey.com/yard/...t/IM002217.JPG
http://frederic.midimonkey.com/yard/...t/IM002218.JPG

Once I mill the two slots (one is half done...), I should be able to use this tomorrow! I might actually get to make air cylinders for the mower plow project.

 

Seal that coupling with good butyl sealant. Otherwise it will fill the lower part of the lamp post back up with water. Of course you may want to use a rod and knock a hole thru the concrete inside the post. Or you could drill a 5/16-3/8" weep hole in the bottom of the post for drainage and as a wasp/bee house (make sure you hit the wires for additional fun times). Surprised you didn't hit the wires with the screws also, I would have but then you may have drilled the holes b4 you put the post up. Sounds like the post got concreted in too well. Normally dry gravel or sand/gravel mix is placed at the bottom of the hole for drainage before concrete is placed.

For outdoors the breaker should be a ground fault type. On old UF wiring it may trip all the time tho.

The local iron and steel supplier may have tubing specifically made for cylinders. You could call around and find out. Probably $$ tho.

Isn't it nice to have a lathe around to make parts!!!

 

The collar is completely sealed, I just haven't gotten around to putting the pictures up yet. I did use butyl sealant, which also had some silicon in it I think... nasty goop

Actually, I was clever with the screws. I hand ground the ends to a rounded end, so if they hit the wires inside they would just push them gently. Since the ID of the pole is much larger than the wire, pushing instead of poking is possible.

The breaker is a regular breaker. What I did after the fact is replace the receptical in the outside outlet box that all these lights are connected to, with a GFCI outlet, and wire the outside lights on the output side of the GFCI circuit. Not exactly ideal but it's by far better than nothing.

At this point the pole is sealed, primed twice, painted trice, and looks good. I may put in a weep hole now that you mention it - that's a good idea. I can epoxy a small piece of window screen over the hole so that bees can't get in.

Anyway, hopefully I'll have the steady rest done today. I realized this morning while outside having a cigarette looking at how it's chucked in the lathe, and realized it's very unlikely I'll be able to flip it around to mill the slot for the last leg - as the base of the steady rest is more than likely going to hit the bed if I do. Maybe I should have made the ring, arms, and ears first, THEN welded on the base LOL.

I did call around looking for thicker-wall tubing than black pipe, new or used, but didn't find anything too useful other than what I have so I'll just machine the air cylinders out of what I have. I can get a nice finish if I use a ton of coolant or oil, and can keep the tube section from wobbling around at the far end, hence the steady rest. The pistons are also fairly easy... I have round stock for this, just have to machine them to fit reasonably snugly with the final ID of the tubes, and then make two grooves for the o-rings. Already made the cutter to give a rounded-bottom ring land, since I'll be using industrial o-rings. I figured making the depth of the ring grooves match the profile of the o-rings will give them more support and some lifespan so they don't squish funny in the pistons. I'll also grease the inside of the air cylinders, rings, and pistons to help get the best seal I can and possibly help avoid internal rust.

I just couldn't figure out how to make a good seal around the rod... though I guess I could use smaller o-rings and do the same thing as the piston, just in the ID of the top. But it's not terribly necessary based on the design... air pushes the plow up off the ground, gravity brings it down. The angling function has two smaller air cylinders, one to push it left, one to push it right, so the cylinders being double acting isn't that necessary, though it would be nicer, and one less air cylinder to make.

The lathe is cool. Lately I seem to mill more than I turn things, but that's okay. I really need to make the milling attachment rather than collecting vast quantities of parts. Also got a bronze strip from a friend that's suitable for using as a dovetail tightener for that attachment. Though before I go through all that hassle, I have a lead on two pre-existing dovetail slides that are already made, one with a 1.25" OD acme screw with 8" of travel @ 4" wide, the same as the milling vice I picked up, and the other is essentially the same thing with 7" of travel, except it has a big-**** stepper motor instead of a crank. Since pulsing steppers at regular intervals can be done with a LM555 timer and a CD4001 quad nand gate easily enough (i.e., about six electronic parts) with variable speed, I can easily make a Z-axis power feed.

Eventually I will get a floor-standing bridgeport or equivalent, however right now that's not in my price range because to do so, I'd have to upgrade the electrical in the entire house to get real power into the garage and that's not in the cards at the moment. Even though I cleared out a space on the floor for said imaginary bridgeport.

A friend of mine is going to sell me his... as he bought (used) this past weekend essentially the same machine, slightly larger table but not much, with all the steppers and stuff already mounted ready to go, something he didn't want to be bothered with.

 

You may have to impose on your buddy with the mill for that last slot. Or "store" that extra mill in your shop. A rotary converter can be fabricated from a used 3-phase motor. It does take power to run one tho.

A single acting cylinder is called a ram.

For the rod end of the cylinder a simple bronze or nylon bushing can be used with an O-ring seal and some sort of wiper to keep dirt and grit from entering the bearing on the rod. Grit embedding in the bearing can scratch the rod leading to leaks in the seal. A wear band made from nylon or Teflon etc is often used around the piston.

Those slides are a nice find. It is amazing what kind of stuff is thrown away when industrial sites change out machinery.

 

The last slot was milled on the bridgeport I have access to, just because I couldn't do it any other way unless I wanted to use something ugly like an angle grinder and a set of metal files. Bleah!

Here is the steady rest as of this point... base, ring, under-bed support block, and two arms. One more to go!

http://frederic.midimonkey.com/yard/...t/IM002229.JPG

 

Watch for taper when you use a steady rest.