[Cruiser]

I thought I'd post this in plain view for all to see. I am no stranger here and used to be a fixture and one of the go to guys. I always seemed to have something to say right or wrong !

Fact Is that a few yrs ago I got sick. It took quite a while to find out what the Hell. I have to give cred to the staff at the potland VA hospital for saving my life. I am now vision impaired and don't want to give up yet so I decided to star a project out in the shop.

I don't know how many of the old timers are left who remember me or even care. But here I am with what:s left of my glory.
I just thought I would say hi and how the hell are ya ?

[Shev]

I remember...welcome back...

[bill south]

Hey Cruiser;
Welcome back and good to see you getting around again. Much has happened here in the zone over the past few years. When we started this hobby many years ago everything was about scrounging parts and building a machine of some type using whatever we could get our hands on. Now a bunch of folks (some of them from our day) are providing much needed kits and accessories to the hobby market.There is equipment designed and developed for hobby use and small industrial application. Lordy, what a great world we live in today.
Get your health back to par, jump back in and make a bunch of new friends by meeting folks that are better educated, better supplied, more street smart than we were. But, we did the ground work and that can't be taken from us!
Welcome Back.
Bill

[RustedOut]

Hi Don,

Good to hear you're still among the living...I had feared the worst. Seemed you had disappeared there. Equally good to hear you're out in the shop. Keep at it man.

Bob

[Bubba]

Cruiser,
Glad to see you back and hope to see a lot more of your thoughts on the various subjects that come up. You have been missed.
Glad they finally figured out your problem and hope they can rectify the situation.

Hang in there friend.

[Cruiser]

WOW !

I'm home at last ! It is good to recognize some familiar names. I think that I need to get some catch up.

[Runner4404spd]

good to see you back. keep us updated on your project.

[Cruiser]

Thanks guys for the good vibes. Runner, the project I have been drooling over for the last several yrs. is the rotary sleeve valve engine that is soon to be released from Ageless Engines. If you visit the site there is a link to the build photos and I love the idea of this monster.
This illness thing was primarily vacuities, which severely impaired my sight and did something to my sphincter muscle at the stomach esophagus area that made it impossible to swallow food or even water. I lost right at 100lbs in a big hurry. But like I said the VA saved my life quite literally.
Needless to say I am looking forward to doing something in the shop, but not the difficulties from vision dependence.
So, I am getting back into the groove to some extent making a few special tool holders for the aloris. And trying to recall all the tech that slipped away while I was out of "IT" !
Who ever said "Getting old ain't for wimps" musta been "OLD" !

[jetflatline]

Late welcome back as well. It's also nice to hear a good story about the VA after all the problems my dad and my friends have had over the years.

[handlewanker]

Hi....welcome back.....can't remember if we had words etc, but I've been on here since about 2006 or so.....all of the best.
Ian.

[Fastest1]

If you havent had words with Ian ;-), you will. Welcome back!

[handlewanker]

Hi Cruiser, words are for reading, I have to pick mine carefully to prevent upsetting people........it's true that subjects close to my heart get hotly debated at times, but that's how the World rotates........welcome back anyway, and may you have many many more steps to the workshop while you have fun with your "toys".

If it's not too off topic, and also not too personal.....what actually bit you in the bum and hit you down so to say?
Ian.

[Cruiser]

I probably won't be saying much here as reading is really difficult for me now without a lot of magnification.
Yes HandleWanker, we have had words back during the times of solutions and modifications. Primarily during the belt drive, Z rails, and spindle mods. It seems we were on similar paths and we did share.
Actually, last week I did simple maintenance to the spindle and decided to go full oil. It works and did not puke at 6k, that means the top bearing is in oil instead of grease. I'm happy the oil stays put, I thought it would puke it all over the place.
I remind myself everyday of the old friend that said "Getting old ain't for *****'s" ! In my youth I felt like superman, now guess what I feel like.
later guys

[handlewanker]

Hi, I admire your intestinal fortitude.......some people give up and take to the booze etc.

Having spindle bearings with oil lube means you need good seals.....probably more trouble and maintenance.....6K max should work with grease I'm sure.

Usually on a mill spindle the top bearing(s) is a sealed radial type with twin angular contacts at the bottom end in grease.....sometimes with labyrinth seals.

I built a tool post grinder and spindle to that design a few years back......max speed about 3,000rpm for a 100mm stone.
Ian.

[Cruiser]

Intestinal fortitude ? I think it is more of just doing whatcha gotta doo !
My spindle has single AC top and bottom, with a seal in the bottom that I did long ago, seems I posted all of that here at that time. As for the top, I new that centripetal action from spinning shaft would cause oil to climb out of quill so I made a simple leather baffle to sit on top of nut and then a cap to sit over that as sort of modified lab pressure wave divergent. Yesterday when I spun it up I was fully expecting a full blown spin out of 60% of the oil. Surprise on me, it didn't loose a drop that I could detect, and I filled the quill up to just into the top bearing. I new grease would suffice, but I had to do the maintenance, so Why Not ! Besides, I was bored out of reason at the time.
I have been waiting for the plans to be released from "Ageless Engines" of the sleeve valve radial. That thing is going to be a monster ! and it is getting very close to being released for sale soon. If you haven't already, check it out !
I figure it should keep me occupied for a year, more or less.
later

[handlewanker]

Hi C.......Yeah, "guts" to be crude....LOL.

Having an angular contact at each end does make lubing them a problem.

I built a small lathe back in the 60's and it uses two tapered roller bearings, one at each end......19mm diam spindle etc, mainly for model aero engine work, and the lube for that was by some oil in the bottom of the headstock box and two rings rotating on the spindle that dipped in the oil as the spindle rotated etc etc.

Wow, a sleeve valve radial engine....would that be the "La Rhone mono soup pipe" one?....LOL....... where the cylinders rotate around the crankcase?.......that's gonna take some work.

I've been building a 3 1/3" gauge 4-6-2 Pacific loco for the last 40 years or so....one of the LBSC designs from the UK........not all the time, as I like doing a bit when I feel like it......the main reason is I like messing with machinery and making things, so as I like live steam locos I chose that model to make........I actually rode behind the maker of this same model at the Bristol UK model engineers club run in the late 60's

At the moment I'm clawing my way up the CNC machining ladder as a new hobby in my retirement, so plenty of things to pass the time.

Keep well....Ian.

[Cruiser]

Ageless Engines
Check out this site, He has the rotary Bentley BR-2 But as said I chomp the bit for the sleeve valve design as it is a 550cc or 38ci monster. I too have a love for engines and built a few. I modified and built two inline twins for model RC flying. The later is 200cc's made from chain saw engines. I designed and machined the case elements on my machine, modified the cranks etc. and gave it to a friend for a 1/4 p--51.
I've seen some rail eng's that were realistic, but most were cheated to save work. Only remember seeing one wood or coal fired that ran in engineers back yard. It impressed me.
Try the link above and check out Lee's site. He has pics of the engines going together that are very cool. I've been watching and waiting for yr's now and it is getting ever so close. I'm 66 now and hope I have enough left to build one of my own and run it !
Keep a cool tool
later

[handlewanker]

Hi, had a look at the site.....now those are pretty awesome bits of machinery.....I'm more into steam stuff, but that was a time ago, now it's CNC build stuff.....at 77 the time just passes like water though a rag.

I've got a mill coming from China....one of these days.......it's been almost 2 years in the coming......one of the SKYFIRE SVM-0 builds.......long story.

During the waiting time I decided to start building a 3025 bridge mill or moving table router from square steel tubing able to mill steel etc,........ work area of XYZ 300mm X 250mm X 130mm, mainly to get into the CNC game, but I've got too many irons in the fire to spend continuous time on it.

It's Spring time now down under, so I'll probably get out in the garage a lot more than the Winter months, even though a Melbourne Winter down under is 10 or 12 deg C during the day.......8 deg C at night.

Gotta go, it's 8.30 AM and my cats (plural) are wailing to go outside and dig up the garden.......see ya'
Ian.

[bill south]

Don;
Those are some impressive engines and I like the sample cut instructions. Did you ever build from his plans? When I get caught up (if ever), I'd love to give one of those a shot. I remember the engine Swede (homegunsmith) posted on his website. Damn impressive. I think he also built a jet at one time. I'm 63, getting ready to retire in a year or so then into the toy factory for the duration.
Hope your feeling better these days and keep us posted.