Spokes - part 4

Ok, I'm back in business... the new cutter arrived yesterday, and I was able to finish some more spokes. I also chamfered the  holes in the bigwheel rim.

This is how my spoke - rim setup looks like:

As you can see, the head of the nipple is almost flush with the rim.

Still a lot of spokes to be done...

Spokes - part 3

At last, Friday evening I was able to pick up my M3 cutter in HSS-E version suitable to cut stainless steel.
The difference in ease of cutting was noticeable and I managed to cut the thread in all of the big-wheel spokes and attach the little M3 nut:

Just when I wanted to start with the small wheel spokes, this happened:

As you can see, a big chunk of material broke off the cutter and left me without a job (again). I guess one of the possible reasons could be I didn't use the proper cutting oil for stainless. Will remember to get some when buying a new cutter.

To fill the rest of my Sunday  I started out with a little side-project : a little Sterling engine. I turned the pillars, the working cylinder and the main shaft to begin with:

Bigwheel hub - part4

Busy weekend, and with mixed results.
The bigwheel hub version 3 is finished so far: the flanges have been turned on the outside and spot-welded to the center tube:

No more welding on the inside of the flanges so a more reliable, cleaner and more rigid solution.
I even spend less time overall turning these parts then with the ring/plate configuration.
Next, I will take this hub assembly to the welder so he can proper MIG weld all around.

Bigwheel hub - part3

Ok, so I decided to start from scratch with the hubs. I didn't like the welding so I started out with a piece of solid bar.

I was thinking about the hub-axle connection. In most cases, you would want to use a broach to create a raceway for a key. But that would mean I need a broach, a press and probably a milling machine for a more accurate setup than what I do on my lathe.
Hmmm... I will have to put some more thought into that.

Getting a little anxious

Hello people!
This week, I haven't been able to make any progress. Two main reasons:
1) still waiting for some tools
2) I decided to redo the front hub. I started out with a ring welded to a plate, but I figured out that this is too difficult and complex to achieve. Instead I ordered two pieces of solid round bar which I will have to turn on my lathe to correct specs.

I feel like progress is not going like I would want to. So I'm posting a photo with a little detail of my workshop. Especially for Don: look at the top right. A while ago, I figured it would be great to give the workshop a little touch of contemporary style. The pipe rack is from the first half of the previous century and was quite common in this region of Europe. The little poem engraved in it reads something like: "during days of pain or sorrow, don't neglect your pipe!"

Spokes - part 2

Today, I started out with preparing the spokes.
I had an idea in mind to make the threading easy, because my first attempt to cut the thread on the end of the spokes ended up with an uneven result:

As you can see, the thread is not cut symmetrically mainly because I was unable to keep the spoke steady in the middle of the cutting die. This should not affect the strength of the spoke, because the thread is cut all around the spoke. Still, it looks crappy and unprofessional.
I came up with this setup in my lathe to 'feed' the spoke to the cutter:

Basically, It's a piece of metal with a hole of 3mm centered before the cutter. The cutter is clamped in the chuck of the lathe. I used a little M3 bolt to position the hole exactly in the middle of the cutter.

Unfortunately, this setup did not prove to be practical. So I decided to use my vise clamp to do the job manually.

In the picture, you can see the improved version with pieces of aluminium to protect the spoke from little nicks and scratches. I started out without this protection, but the imprints of the claws were too deep.

A number of finished spokes with the nut attached:

A quick simulation in the front hub:

As you can see, the nuts hide the sloppy welding in the back so it will look nice once completed.