Steam Stoker Engine Restoration 14: Project Update

[@paulgar8]

My father and four of his brothers worked for the railroad, Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis (NC&St.L), where the engine you are working on is from. He remembers the day they rolled it into Centennial Park for its static display period. He was just a Carman (rail car repair) but said the mechanics who worked on the engine at the time, put it into the best running condition they could. THANK YOU for your help getting Engine No. 576 running for Nashville Steam!

[@nashguy207]

I was raised and still live in Nashville I remember playing on 576 as a child at the park. I am so glad it is finally being restored and put back on the rails!

[@MrRailroadrunner]

The guys who put 576 away did a bang up job. If you look at the early videos of the engine being opened, you notice the engine was immaculate internally.

[@nashguy207]

@@MrRailroadrunner Yep I'M watching all the videos about her would love to meet Keith when he comes back to Nashville

[@yqwgjsg]

Yep I played on this engine as child, then my children played on it, then my grandchildren. Never thought I’d be watching this restoration and possibly see the old girl run again.

[@assessor1276]

I think your plan makes sense Keith. As long as you take light cuts, your fabbed-up arbor should work fine.

[@bcbloc02]

That surface where the cylinders mounts should be square and parallel to the crank. It would be the perfect support for holding the case vertical then you could back it up with the angle plate so it doesn't vibrate. I bet one of those angle plates in the barn would do the job. :-) Pretty sure you will have to set that job up twice to do on the Cincinnati horizontal. That vertical head spindle will not be out far enough to get both rails in one setup.

[@wdgreen6612]

Yep, that would work great I bet. Sometimes I wonder if there is not too much thinking going on!?!? Yes, I know, I need to go look at that steady rest for my 36" Monarch that is to tall. I keep getting distracted.

[@bcbloc02]

@@wdgreen6612 Get to it! lol It is easy to get side tracked trust me.

[@andrewmiller2868]

I've just watched the latest video on the steam stoker engine and I just had to go back and watch the playlist again. Thank you Keith for taking the time to share all this. I love to watch how people solve problems, particularly in engineering, construction and just making things, so when I come across problems to solve I have even more options thanks to you Keith and others. The internet has so much to offer with regards to learning.

[@cavemaneca]

Don't let the doubters get to you. You've done your due diligence, and this is really the only way of getting it done. I'm sure it won't be too long before we see this step complete.

[@rpatrick2]

It's easy to be critical if they don't have to do the work.

[@MichaelLloyd]

"If you can call it focusing" UNDERSTOOD! Lord have mercy I have no idea what it must be like to do one thing at a time :D A vertical mill that you can put the steam stoker in is going to be a good video :)

[@briand01]

Hi Keith, I have complete Confidence that your plan will work as intended.

[@DAKOTANSHELBY]

Keith, borrow Adam's fixturing plate he made for that stoker engine when ready to mill in Florida. I would had thought he would have supplied you with his fixturing plate when he returned to you the stoker engine. I'm really eager to see the next video on it. Thank you Keith !

[@july8xx]

That was my first thought when he talked about mounting it.

[@rogerdeane3608]

Keith mentioned the plates Adam has made.

[@RichieCat4223]

@@rogerdeane3608 Yeah but he didn't say he has it from Adam.

[@RobertBrown-lf8yq]

Hi Keith. One possible way to limit chatter on that long shell mill arbor, is to consider an ‘outrigger’. I’m thinking here that you may be able to mimic the setup on a horizontal milling machine that has a bearing hung from an overhead mandrel. Now if a horizontal milling cutter were to be mounted outboard of the support bearing, and then imagine the whole lot transposed into a vertical plane, then that could perhaps be applied to this milling job. So.... if a ‘steady’ bearing were to sit on the long arbor, immediately above the shell cutter, but ‘shallow’ enough to still go under the overhang ( like the shell cutter is intended to do), that might help to limit deflection. The problem then becomes... how to support that bearing ( on the crankshaft side), with an arm/arbor, hanging from the mill’s quill or headstock. Not sure that my horizontal mill analogy is clear, but worth a thought anyway. Good luck, Robert PS I saw a set up like this in the 60’s, but on a horizontal borer, doing a similar ‘deep facing’ operation in a steam isolation valve chest ( valve was from a power station steam turbine). that instance, the ‘outrigger’ was secured to the (locked) chuck on the borer, and the spindle was supported by a plain bush, right out at the cutter end. It did reduce chatter.

[@davelister796]

12:34 Keith "I've got an angle plate big enough to mount it to ..." LOL - yes, I bet you do! - Love your videos.

[@5x535]

The guys restoring that old engine in Nashville sent the stoker engine to the right place, for sure. People who say, "you can't do that" are one of the easiest things to find in life. I never hear anything from them when things are all finished. They have popped up out of the woodwork all through my life. You got this Keith, no doubt in my mind! It is always helpful to have gravity pulling for you and not against you. I look forward to watching you get this all buttoned up.

[@kevinkohler5140]

Thanks for another great video Keith. It IS great to see the stoker engine back in the active project list. I'll look forward to the milling operation. I share both your concern and confidence that you will overcome any obstacles

[@ralfie8801]

I'm really happy to finally see a new post on the stoker engine. I've been wondering why the videos had stopped. I really am anxiously waiting to see the machining video on the crankcase. Thanks for the update.

[@mabmachine]

Its going to be challenging for sure. Looking forward to seeing how it all turns out.

[@bradleywilliams2401]

The Stoker Engine Part u c there Adam Booth aka Abom79 Was Recently Working on this Restoration 2 ! Adam has a series of the Restoration also . Later...

[@bronco1786]

Bradley I watched Adams videos on it as well. Pretty cool stuff

[@jwaterous224]

I know someone is thinking about Tap Magic for that milling opp! Such a massive chunk of iron. Glad your bronze bearings look good with much less invasive milling / boring!

[@aforman1951]

Stoked to see the progress here.... people forget you are doing this gratis. I'm having issues keeping the yard work done.

[@lwilton]

The thing I'd be inclined to do is set up that shell mill on the machine, and then set up some random slab of old rusty cast iron, and try milling that flat. That will give you some idea of the amount of flex and chatter you are likely to see before you start cutting on the real thing.

[@silasmarner7586]

True.. but if it's gonna be a disaster he might as well find out on the real thing. But doing it on a sample is ALWAYS a good idea.

[@gumbykevbo]

Best make that cast iron with a spray welded surface layer. Cast iron is usually pretty easy cutting.

[@lepompier132]

Keith, If you really want to mill these surface, you have to do them on a horizontal mill. That's how they machined these surfaces. When I watch Adam Booth Video and when I saw the milling marks, it was evident that they used at the time an horizontal mill with an 90 degrees angle plate to hold the part. And I hope that horizontal mill use a Cat50 taper holder for rigidity.

[@gebular118]

I truly hope that we get a nice long video of the stoker engine operating before you get it back to it's home and intended function. Thanks

[@petermagoun7457]

Glad to see you back on this project. I am anxious to see each machining step and the final reassembly. I thoroughly enjoy this channel.

[@johannglaser]

As the milling cutter to cut the bottom of the journal, could you use a High Feed Mill? This would direct most of the cutting forces upwards, instead of sideways like the shell mill you have now. That would compensate the lowered rigidity of the long shaft. However, that can't fully clean up the sides, but for these light cuts the shellmill or a long endmill would do the job.

[@toddcumberland132]

I love your projects and thoughtful approach to your projects. Keep it up!

[@kevinreardon2558]

Stocked to see the Stoker moving forward.

[@rexmyers991]

Boy, it sure takes patience sorting out some of these problems Thanks for bringing us along.while you work out these challenges.

[@robertbamford8266]

Undersized bearings interesting - especially after presumed wear. I guess they could be replacements sized for a worn shaft. Thanks for the video! Looking forward to planer completion - and anything else you post.

[@kentuckytrapper780]

That will be the project of the year, can't wait to get started.

[@larryernst6349]

Nice explanation of the purpose of the stoker engine, didn't realize the purpose of it Thx Keith, good videos

[@CraigLYoung]

Thanks for sharing! I'm confident you're making the right decision.

[@donmittlestaedt1117]

Thanks Keith.

[@philipallen8648]

If you assume the extension shaft is as large it can be, other than changing its material there is not much more you can do other than test it. My thinking is that one risk is vibration if the milling action gets anywhere close to the natural harmonic frequency causing resonance of the case or the tool/shaft machine. Changing machining speed, the tools number of cutters may help but having a few small heavy bags of sand or lead pellets to add to the case and having a strobe light or vibration pick up to see what frequency the shaft/case is moving to may be worth preparing for. Good luck and go for it. On the bearing clearance issue, having a number of different shims ready to vary the nip on the bearing and some clearance in the design to hold oil would be worth considering. Cheers.

[@chuckinwyoming8526]

Keith, I wonder if the bearings are worn oval with the load in line with the cross head. The 3 point bore mic may not be the best way to measure the size of the bearing. It assumes the bore is cylindrical. A simple telescope gauge and outside mic may tell you if the bronze bearings bore are cylindrical and their size. Take multiple measurements in line with the cross head and at angles to check if they are oval. Shimming and line boring the split center bearing may not help if the wear is in line with the cross head. To maintain the center alignment with the cross head you are stuck with the distance across the face at the split line as your smallest diameter for a re-bore.

[@HeidiLandRover]

Great to see a return of the stoker!

[@whiterabbit201]

You should see if Continental Field Systems in Savannah Ga. would knock it out for you. I worked for them for awhile and this odd machining project is right up their alley. They specialize in "impossible" machining projects.

[@aussiebloke609]

I would suggest line-boring the centre bearing _with_ the shim installed (unless that already puts you over your nominal 3", of course.) The side bearings don't have built-in shim adjustment, which may indicate that the centre bearing is expected to receive more wear, thus the ability to tighten it up is included in the design. Just a thought - I may be completely on the wrong track, too. Cheers! :-)

[@jamesdavis8021]

I am looking forward to watching this done.

[@glennstasse5698]

Looking forward to seeing the big mill.

[@Toms4speed]

Almost looks like you may have the room to make a support for the extended tool. Like an "L" shape coming down with a bearing. Eather way.. it'll be a fun one, enjoy. Going to take a guess at .002 to .004 depth of cut.

[@chieft3357]

I've got a standard knee mill with a 54in table and I had trouble putting small 4 cylinder engine blocks on it. I believe that stoker engine is too heavy for any machine except for the one you're talking about. I agree, a horizontal mill is out of the question. I know you'll get it done the right way. All the best.

[@alwaysbearded1]

Have you considered a fixture to mount to the rails already there to hold a bearing to support the end of the cutter? Would have to allow you to slide the engine back and forth and up and down but you only need to move it a little up and down so just a long plain bearing. I can see the design taking form in my head. Would be a small project but might give the support needed. Of course that would be plan B if the set up you plan just is not rigid enough.

[@jamesfearing9459]

Fascinating set of problems, I look foreword to watching you solve them.

[@craigs5212]

Kieth, only the last 1/2" or so of that milling area needs the small diameter shank on the shell mill. Why not make a second larger diameter shank to do most of the milling then just switch to the smaller dia shank for the last little bit. Possibly do the last little bit with a 1/2" end mill on that arbor you built. Get it close then hand scrape it to finish may be an option.

[@C2DSolutions]

I was wondering the same... use a larger cutter on a larger arbor and machine as much as you can.

[@motor2of7]

That cutter will work just fine

[@bradyoung6663]

Sorry to say it again, and I'm not trying to give you guff by any means, but could you send the cutter and arbor to the shop where the machining will be done before you go? That way they would have time to do some testing. I'm sure it will work, even if you have to drop to a crawling speed. I've even seen a friend take opposing inserts out to help with chatter. Testing could save you a lot of shop and filming time. Fingers are crossed for you. Love your channel.

[@bradleywilliams2401]

The Variety is 1 of Many Reasons I'm a Subscriber & viewer ! Thanks Keith Take Care B Safe 🇨🇦

[@steveshoemaker6347]

Been waiting to see this deal for a while....Thanks so very much...Keith...!

[@Paulster2]

Would a dial bore gauge be a better tool to use to measure the bearing? It would allow you to check roundness as well as overall size. Just a thought.

[@mdouglaswray]

I suspected you would need to fab a tool/adapter. This is a beast! Looking forward to seeing this journey's end! I think you do pretty well staying on track with all the things you do! I always love to see one of your videos in my feed. Cheers!

[@wmcwings4343]

I guess it's good for people to ask questions, but it's your show and you, Sir, are the experienced machinist and the one working (volunteering) your time on this and other projects. I just don't understand how people can flat out say you are doing something WRONG. Keep up the good work Keith!

[@Jameson4327]

We'll see this project in a year from now. Thanks for the update.

[@hannahmich7342]

Always well thought out.

[@walterulasinksi7031]

Happy to see that you are going to use a vertical milling process for the cross sides. This will be the most accurate in terms of table speed and head speed.additionally you should check the actual travel of the cross side castings as full slide accuracy may not be critical regarding the cylinder stroke distance. To check this, you might need to assemble the cylinder head assembly,the cylinders,minus the rings, the rods and the cross slide casting. In that you are having the crankshaft remanufactured tithe original specs, the reboring of the bearings is appropriate and not need anything for the central Babbitt bearing. The damage to the crankshaft was most likely due to a contaminant in the coal supply, clinker of either a hard rock or a piece of iron ore that jammed the coal feed screw. It would also account for the external bearings being of different bore diameters. Will be awaiting any videos you may be able to make regarding the milling of both the casting and the crankshaft.

[@anair70]

Glad to see this restarting!

[@mbbmidwest3556]

I wonder if there are some positive inserts available for the shell mill. It's going to be light cuts either way, but it may cut a little better and maybe less likely to chatter than a negative insert.

[@bencartee2113]

Keith, I'm wondering if you fabricated something like a steadyrest, or more like a follower rest to add support to the shaft near the cutting head while keeping the meat of the rig out of the way of the obstructions..

[@GeorgeWMays]

A small correction. In Florida the weather is NEVER reported to be over 89 degrees nor over 89% humidity. Your mileage may vary. Thanks for an interesting video and I look forward to the next installment. Appreciated.

[@cyrilhudak4568]

😊 That's Georgia folks for you, always exaggerating.

[@elsdp-4560]

THANK YOU...for sharing. Enjoyed.

[@EdgePrecision]

Keith I don't know if you have a way to mount this on the vertical head of the horizontal mill. Because you have plenty of clearance to the crank side. A steady rest mounted on that side with a half bushing running on the shank immediately above your cutter should work. I have done similar things in long cutters. Just a thought if you have a way to mount it.

[@jobkneppers]

Keith, I hope your plan works and I think it could. But a larger diameter cutter needs more torque to cut. Sitting on a safe distance here and my work done; why not use a one inch cutter and move accordingly? Easy does it still but the torque is lower and the reason to flex your arbor too. Small thoughts on the subject here after work, the Netherlands. Thank you Keith, trying to help, Job

[@TheMetalButcher]

Agreed. I'd probably use a half inch endmill at a much higher speed.

[@alanl.simmons9726]

Thank You for explaining the limit of shaft diameter. 👍

[@ypopnun1003]

Ar We All Stoked for the Stoker!!

[@henrikstenlund5385]

I agree with what most of the other guys said. It is not only the flexing of the shaft but all clearances in the bearings which come to play. You need to have the utmost stiff milling machine to do it as you plan. With a long shaft, the bearing clearances multiply as you can see from the geometry. A five mil clearance with a shaft part of two inches will create a wobble of fifty mil at the other end of 20 inch shaft, as a crude estimate. That is too much and will break the bit. Personally, I might try this job with an accurate grinder stone of proper diameter taking a small layer at a time thus preventing biting. Best of luck with the job.

[@grahamwright6928]

Really looks like a job for Brian Block and his big HBM

[@HawksofOz]

did you not listen to why Keith said that would be impractical?? go back and watch it again this time listening.

[@sparkyprojects]

Could you use a 2 leg bore gauge to measure the width of the centre bearing to check if it's oval ? Also, can the cutter shaft be shorter to reduce chatter ?

[@CraftedChannel]

I am wondering if the original tooling took advantage of the rod journals ro the slide mounting surfaces for some kind of tool steady. Crazy ideas I know.

[@kinotransam]

Man, that .015" journal clearance seems like a whole lot. But then again with the time period that it was made, large tolerances were probably the norm. I know in the automotive world, most journal clearances on the crankshaft and bearings are .001" per 1 inch of journal diameter. Your crankshaft repair guy will probably tell you the same thing. Can't wait to see the finished product!!

[@kennethbean1587]

@Keith Rucker - Vintage Machinery. There’s no wear on those bearings because that locomotive was built late and retired early. That series of locomotive had one of the shortest service time due to the diesel locomotives taking over.

[@jimbeaver3426]

A great update and plan review. Thanks!

[@ronwilken5219]

Kieth, have you asked Adam about the mounting plate he prepared for that casting to fit to his shaper. I believe it was about a 1" plate that it mounted to and then using the t slots on the universal table of the shaper he could manipulate it to his desired position. If you could borrow that it would save having to make one and if luck is on your side the bolt pattern he drilled might even fit you friend's big mill. Just a thought. Good luck.

[@EvanLightner304]

I’m interested to see how that cutter works. Cutting cast iron I really don’t think it’s going to be that bad with taking light cuts with slow feed.

[@mikebarton3218]

Could you stiffen the arbor by fitting a support arm with a bushing, like you sometimes see on the end of a boat prop shaft? You would need points on the milling machine to attach it to.

[@tjofmaine1]

Thanks for the update Keith!

[@kenny5174]

I can hardly wait. I had to go back and re-watch. I have a stupid question. Would a repair shop do a test on the rebuild, with compressed air, instead of having to use steam? I've noticed several of the model builders use compressed air. Thanks again.

[@aserta]

I don't think he's able to generate the air capacity to test it past moving it very slowly. But that's just off the top of my head, i forget the volume his air unit can generate.

[@DonDegidio]

Hi Keith, Did Adam send along the fixture plate he made to mount it to his shaper? If not, maybe he could lend it to you. You and the family stay safe.

[@boldford]

It would almost certainly help Keith.

[@rogerdeane3608]

Keith mentioned the plates Adam has made.

[@tsmartin]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@tsw199756]

He's out touring the country and grilling chicken.

[@bigalhudson]

Put a bearing on the lower end of the milling cutter shaft above the cutter head. Manufacture a slotted guide to match the bearing OD. Brace, hold and align the guide with jack screws on the internal face of the box. This would at least support the cutter transversal to the direction of the guide. Guide could be fixed longitudinally or transversal depending on which way you want to cut. Longitudinal would obviously be more efficient. This would eliminate chatter on one axis at least.

[@bigalhudson]

Complicated but with two guides and two bearings on the shaft (x&y) you could brace and guide the cutter in both axis.

[@bigalhudson]

Basically an adjustable fence positioned with jack screws inside the box

[@dcrahn]

What happened to the mounting plate that Abom79 made? A dial bore gauge is the right tool for measuring those bearings.

[@edwardsilva895]

Thats what I was thinking....Adam had it bolted downtown the shaper table, Keith needs to call him

[@edwardsilva895]

( down to)

[@P61guy61]

Awesome. Thank you for posting.

[@nicholassmerk]

Do the side bearing plates have a reference surface, or are they just sloppy on the bolts? I don't understand how you will line bore it if the bearings will install in a different location every time you tighten down the bolts.

[@normmcrae1140]

Keith - I know you (and everybody else) are concerned about the length of your milling machine attachment. Might it be an option to find a way to triangulate a bushing near the milling head to steady it? Some sort of bearing as close to the milling head as possible with arms to steady it that lead to some part of the milling machine (in a direction that doesn't interfere with the casting, of course) to form a triangle to steady the head and reduce vibration and inaccuracy?

[@oldschool1993]

I wonder how well the spray welded surface will hold up. Generally it is used to build up a bearing journal where it simply gives the bearing a proper fit, but is not subject to wearing action- IE- the spray weld is captured by the bearing race and nothing spins on the sprayed surface.

[@MyLilMule]

I've seen Adam Booth use spray weld on wearing surfaces more than once. I would imagine it depends on the spray weld material.

[@oldschool1993]

@@MyLilMule Can you give a link- I am a long time viewer of Adam, and I can only remember him spray welding shafts onto which a bearing was pressed.

[@waynespyker5731]

What is plan B if the spray weld flakes? Is the bottom wall thick enough to mount a bearing block?

[@oldschool1993]

@@waynespyker5731 My suggestion way back was to mill the original base and then mill the rails the same amount so the slide was a bit deeper- the tolerances on those slides are not very precise and any change in alignment would have no effect.

[@waynespyker5731]

@@oldschool1993 A well planed machining procedure. I was referring to past questioned remarks to mill the wall away to bolt an external patch from the bottom. I can't see that being an option. It was painful to see Adam attempt the various setups for the job, his shaper was simply 30-40% too small to machine the needed results. My experience is 56 years of tool and die maker, injection mold design and building, starting in '58 on a planer, continuing into Bridgeports, then solid modeling and CNC.

[@forbesmathews89]

Keith, I am also worried about chatter, This looks to me to be your classic HBM job. Bolt vertically it to the tombstone and reach right in. (I have the angle plates)

[@arfonjones7188]

Isn't this a case of the tail wagging the dog?. Fab or find a large diameter arbor to do 90% of the milling in good time without chattering issues, Then put the time in to overcoming the challenges of your small diameter arbor for where the casting overhangs.

[@penpilot1]

I am not a machinist. Could a fixture be made to actually use a small router type machine that would fit down inside the case and essentially run on those rails bordering the surface to be decked? Larger machines are the logical choice, but are they necessarily required?

[@brucetuckey7909]

Keith, One thing I don't get about your comments about going vertical with the engine is that the should be a surface 90 degrees to the cross slides which is the surface that the cylinder block bolts to. There are holes to bolt it to a table so I just don't get it?

[@azlandpilotcar4450]

Seeing the use of bearing supports on lathes and mills, I'm surprised that a support arm with a simple babbitt bearing can't be used with your long shell mill extension. Attached to one side of a milling head, and well lubricated during use, there seems to be plenty of clearance around the shaft and in the body. Perhaps the original manufacturer used such an extension on their factory tooling?

[@RichieCat4223]

18:33 Wouldn't using a shim on just one side of the cap make the bearing elliptical or not square to the journal on the crank journal ? Looking forward to see the set up and milling of the case.

[@vettepicking]

Use a carbide shank on the cutter. Silver solder the cutter mandrel on the end and get less flex ......

[@Venge94]

I think a carbide shank long could be liable to snapping, especially with the cutting forces on the very tip, nota only that but I imagine very ver expensive as it would need to be custom made.

[@vettepicking]

@@Venge94 they make and sell carbide boring bars all day everyday. Surplus find on ebay cheap. Please dont reply with zero experience. Thanks

[@Venge94]

@@vettepicking Well sorry if i offended you but theres no need to be rude, we're all on a journey to learn and youre not the only person on youtube with experience.

[@vettepicking]

@@Venge94 i said thanks.

[@sidshel4428]

you said you need to make a hold down plate when you go down to Florida. I was wondering why not borrow the one Adam booth has made. thanks ahead of time

[@gumbykevbo]

Having tried to use carbide insert tooling on my Logan 10 lathe, (not a very rigid machine) ,that carbide insert shell mill gives me the cold sweats. I also worry that the spray-weld is going to me significantly harder to cut than the casting was. It wouldn't be very hard to make a single-point fly-cutter that would have a larger diameter shank and the HSS cutter geometry could be tweaked for lower cutting forces, Note that this would also be very consistent with shop practice when the engine was made. On the other hand (I've got three most days} the chinese mill-drills used to ship with largish insert shell mill, and they seemed to do OK with it despite being about the least rigid machine ever to be called a mill....so maybe you'll be fine.

[@JohnDoe-es5xh]

Didn't Adam already made a plate for fixing it to the big mill?

[@d00dEEE]

I was just going to say, "Borrow Adam's fixture plate!" when I saw your comment.

[@bobvines00]

@@d00dEEE Both of you have made the comment I was going to make. If Adam still has his fixture plate and it's suitable for John's mill, then hopefully Keith can borrow it for this job.

[@warrenjones744]

I have always thought it was most likely built on a HBM initially. Along with the benefits of tooling and fixtures for the job that go with manufacturing (shell mill maybe?). I am sure they built more than one over the years. Regardless that was 60 or more years ago. However I am pretty sure it will all work out eventually, sketchy shop made tooling and all 😁 repair work often calls for such oddities. Cheers

[@willemvantsant5105]

Watched Kurtis at CEE on you tube laying bronze on a excavator steel shaft with a mig welder, good adhesion, might be plan B if the spray weld comes undone. Milling with a smaller diameter cutter might be the answer, less chance to dig in and chatter.

[@aserta]

IMO that cutter would work just fine. It's back to newbie 101 basics, if your machine can't cut, take it slow, take it easy. Look at the (still) visible cuts on the top, they didn't really cut things within laboratory grade performance and the mechanism worked just fine. OUTSIDE talk, were it my project, and my locomotive (and because i'm crazy like that), i'd basically machine flat the entire area, and make insert shoes, thus making that part of the stoker engine a replaceable part. I'm 100% sure that the casting and the mechanics of the existing design could take that kind of a modification without issues. But that's just my personal (mad) take. :)

[@theoriginalDirtybill]

@Kieth Rucker what brand is your shelving? how do you like them?

[@johnwilliamson467]

Well 15.625 thou. tol. allowed and 46.875 ware so what the guess on oil film space need ? Enjoy the channel .

[@yqwgjsg]

I’d go with Brian Bloc. He has that monster mill and experience with milling large castings. Bailey would approve.

[@elmarqo_3448]

Will the plate that Abom79 built to clamp down the engine case work on your friends Cincinnati?

[@bronco1786]

Hey Keith, I do have a question.... is the horizontal milling machine "spindle"(I think thats what you'd call it) that you use when cutting spur gears and/or bevel gears.... is it bent? Every video I've watched of yours the spindle and gear cutter and the spacers seems to "wobble" by maybe ten thousandths.... I understand its old and everything and think maybe its the little bit of clearance between spindle and cutter and spacers causing it to be slightly "off" when it's tightened... but I wasn't sure if maybe the spindle might actually be slightly bent........ I am pretty picky about who I watch cause alot of people get on my nerves cause they don't have a clue what they're doing and somehow manage to get away with it 🤣🤣🤣 but you're great man, keep up with the videos!!!!

[@wdgreen6612]

I have been meaning to comment about this. It could be dirt and grit on the arbor bushing faces. If the arbor bushing faces are off from each other for any reason when you tighten them up it will cause them to make the arbor run out when tightened up. You have to make sure they are clean and the faces mic true with each other.

[@bronco1786]

@@wdgreen6612 ya know, that NEVER CROSSED MY MIND 🤣🤣 BUT..... I have been watching his Videos on the New Haven Metal Planer and around Video #45 He was cutting a bevel gear I think.... and it was about 20 seconds into me writing that first comment asking about that problem and I was watching that video at the same time and he actually made reference to several people asking him the same thing and he said it was because it was old and wore out, but that since he got his "new"(a different mill from the one he has had for a while I'm assuming) mill it hasn't been doing it even though he was using the arbor and cutters off his old mill and said it apparently thw problem was in the old mill. 😁

[@bronco1786]

@@wdgreen6612 The "New" Horizontal Mill that I was referring to is the Milwaukee Model H that He has. I just remembered that. I've been at home for a while sick so I pretty much just watch His videos and thats it so I've watched A TON of them in the past 48 hours 😆😆😆

[@bobvines00]

Keith, when Adam realized that _his_ shaper couldn't make the needed cuts due to clearance, I wondered if it would have been possible on his machine if he had a "pull type" "clapper box" (or whatever this configuration is called) like what Stefan Gotteswinter (sp?) used to have back when he had a toolroom shaper in his shop. Stefan ran his shaper "backwards" to how most run their shapers simply to prevent throwing chips all over his small shop -- the "pull-type clapper box" cut as the ram retracted towards the "column" and _might_ have allowed Adam to gain the small amount of clearance needed to complete the job. Of course, Adam would have had to design & build his own "pull-type clapper box" in order to do this, but never responded to the comment (which he most likely never saw) about whether or not he thought that configuration would have worked in his shop on this particular job. I look forward to seeing your upcoming machining of this engine down at John's shop! Also, once completed, will you test run this engine at the museum or leave that to the locomotive guys up in Tennessee?

[@CothranMike]

A pull-type Clapper box is expecting a pull-type ram and bull wheel to drive it. The differences can be overcome with a push type machine in a pull-type situation but... The original machining done was with a circular cutter. Now, onto a different way to handle the pitting and score marks other than what was done so far. A field repair is different than a depot repair and a manufacturing repair is different than a depot repair. Expediency being the mother of invention many times in the field shops, scoring such as this was roughly scraped and then any pits were levelled with a material that melts at a fairly low temperature much like Babbitt only a great bit harder. A shoe made out of a less hard Babbitt will ride on this surface without galling. All these field or depot repairs were done to get the trains back in service and making money after all you could always send it back to manufacturer and take that item out of service for many many months and it wouldn't be a headache to the depot or the field repair teams. Too many times of cutting the string at one end to make it longer at the other does make it possible for profits to be made at the expense of downtime further down the road. Refurbishment and repair is always a tricky business with Logistics.

[@markhgillett]

I apologize if this is redundant but could you not fashion some supporting guides us the sides next to the surface Maybe make several sizes to accommodate the cutter head and make a sled with a bearing to hold the milling shaft

[@catfishgray3696]

GREAT LOOK / SEE, GREAT VIDEO, [ BACK TO WORK ]...