First Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (Full Version)

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Bipe Flyer -> First Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/12/2004 2:27 AM)

This is going to seem pretty lame to you guys who have lathes, but I'm happy with my first project.

It is a prop adapter to allow APC props to fit on a Norvel .061.

Rather than making just a straight "tube" I made a little shoulder to fit the rear indentation of the prop.



ajcoholic -> RE: Fist Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/12/2004 2:34 AM)

Bipe, "lame" or not (I dont think so) its this kind of project that #1 teaches you how to make things, and more importantly #2 shows you how a seemingly small part that looks easy is still next to impossible to make without a lathe! :) Its nice to be able to make stuff aint it?! [:D]

AJC



Digger-RCU -> RE: Fist Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/12/2004 2:36 AM)

Bipe, How much can I pay you for one of those. Seriously man, I need one just like that!!


Very cool!

Randy (Digger) Birt



Bipe Flyer -> RE: Fist Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/12/2004 3:26 AM)

AJC,

Yes, what was very easy to do with a lathe is almost impossible without one. I know it seems like a simple thing, but it really fits a need that I've had for a while.

I've attached a picture of the lead nut that I made (4 of them) for my foam cutter using a drill press and a mill ****. With a lathe I could have cranked these out easily.

Digger, I sent you a PM.



Tim Wiltse-RCU -> RE: Fist Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/12/2004 3:26 AM)

Bipe,

I think that is far from lame! The first part I made with my lathe was a part to fix my lawn mower wheel. I bet you were smiling from earto ear when you were done[:D]


Later,
Tim



Bipe Flyer -> RE: Fist Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/12/2004 3:27 AM)

Can you belive that RCU censored mill b a s t a r d?



William Robison -> RE: Fist Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/12/2004 3:38 AM)

BF:

The "Vulgarity Filter" also keeps you from saying a plane flies like a pushycat. If you spell it right.

Bill.



xanaphyst -> RE: Fist Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/12/2004 3:44 AM)

What's the chance of that...My first lathe project was to fix something on a lawnmower also !!! Good job Bipe ....the adaptors are very handy..



jessiej -> RE: Fist Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/12/2004 4:10 AM)

The "vulgarity filter" must have about the same "IQ factor" as spell check which allows the wrong word as long as that word is spelled correctly, weather or knot it makes cents.[;)]



William Robison -> RE: Fist Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/12/2004 4:22 AM)

Jess:

You're getting the idea.

The "Pornography" filters "They" are trying to make all the public libraries install are equally intelligent. That's why I question the presence of intelligence in the people pushing for them.

Bill.



combatpigg -> RE: Fist Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/12/2004 5:49 AM)

I don't know about you guys, but where I'm from that is not a vulgar word. Congratulations, BIPE, you are now a member of the 1/2A FORUM MACHINISTS' UNION! Dues are payable on the 1st of every month. The part about machining stuff with a fine final finish that really catches me by surprise is how quickly that last .001 or less sneaks up on you!



2fast4u -> RE: Fist Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/12/2004 1:44 PM)

Ok, so why are these not available in bulk. I figure there is a market equal to 2 adapters per Norvel/Cox engine sold out there. Lets see, that would be about 500 units a year......right?[8|]



Dukester -> RE: Fist Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/12/2004 5:13 PM)

You wanna make some money, then make the back longer and add a set screw, then thread the ID for a screw to hold the prop on. The electric guys are always looking for a good prop adapter. I can't tell you how many of the little collet ones I have twisted off making sure they were up to my standards of tight.

Duke



PsychTeacher -> RE: Fist Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/12/2004 5:46 PM)

Great idea! I need a similar adapter for the .020. One of our better internet vendors recently sent me a couple of tiny APC gray razor-blades-of-death to try out but the hole in the middle is more than twice as large as the original 3-48 prop screw in the engine.

PS You guys ought to see some of the PC cr*p [my edit] we have to put up with in public higher "ejukashun."

Regards, Ben Newkirk



William Robison -> RE: Fist Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/12/2004 6:21 PM)

PsychoTeacher:

What do you think when you hear a kid described as "Exceptional?" I realize you know the usage, so that's not a fair question. For the rest of us, we need to remember that while smart kids are exceptions to the majority, the morons are also exceptions. And if we come right out and call Mama's kid an idiot she'll get bent out of shape. So the label placed on the litle cretin is "Exceptional."

This is deliberate deception. When used this way PC may be politic, but it is not correct.

Show me a white man. Or for that matter, show me a black man. There are none.

Vent switch > OFF.

Bill.



Bipe Flyer -> RE: Fist Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/12/2004 10:25 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Dukester

You wanna make some money, then make the back longer and add a set screw, then thread the ID for a screw to hold the prop on. The electric guys are always looking for a good prop adapter. I can't tell you how many of the little collet ones I have twisted off making sure they were up to my standards of tight.

Duke



Good idea Duke. I've been waiting for over a month for some props to arrive from Tower for my electric. Now I can put a decent prop on it instead. (COX 4.5X2)[;)]

I don't think I could make any money selling these unless I sold them for $30 bucks each.[sm=lol.gif]



DICKEYBIRD -> RE: Fist Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/13/2004 3:32 AM)

Cool stuff Bipe! Ya gotta watch it though; lathe work can become addictive. I had a pile of parts cut out & ready to go almost a month ago for a new plane and have glued maybe 3 of them together since I got the lathe! If you find yourself online shopping for cool new accessories for the lathe instead of micro-servos and 1/2A stuff, look out....you're hooked. [:D]



nekked_man_2000 -> RE: Fist Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/14/2004 1:17 AM)

I've kicked around the idea of buying a lathe for this kind of stuff for a looong time. But then it occurs to me that I can buy all of the adaptors I need for far less money. That's not a knock on it, I will get a lathe eventually, I just think it's funny the things we do. A long time ago I invested in my first CAD package, then several more before I settled on one I liked, bought three views, etc. etc., one of my other computer buddies/flyers says to me one day "you could have bought all the plans you wanted for less money", and he was right, but I don't care, that's what I enjoy. Once I get the time to learn to use it right, I will buy a lathe...but until then I will hide my jealousy by pointing out the foolishness of using that expensive equipment to make a $3 adapter.



ajcoholic -> RE: Fist Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/14/2004 2:45 AM)

Nekked man, tell your buddy that's not really true...

Here is my story... and in the past number of years I have invested between $7000 and $8000 (Canadian) into my home metal shop. Believe it or not, I have made more than that back by the following :

#1- making parts myself and saving the $$. Consider even a simple spinner adapter or something similar is $10 to $20 by the time you figure shipping, tax, etc. After making myself countless parts I know I have a lot of $$. When you start making stuff like your own oleo strut landing gears, etc that cost $200 to $300 you quickly realise the savings..

#2- making parts for others. Yup, there are a lot of guys who need parts made that they cannot get made anywhere! I regularly have people contact me (like many times per week) to make them stuff like diesel conversion heads, head buttons, parts for old ignition engines, etc that can run anywhere from a few dollars up into hundreds... I turn away a lot of work also, because I do need time for my own projects... Heck, even with my cox reset tools, I sell probably 4 dozen or so a year, and thats just one example.


But the MAIN reason I got into this is because its just so d@mn COOL to make your own parts, and it sure brings a sense of satisfaction to the soul, knowing there is one more thing you can actually do without relying on someone else, or the hobby shop. Even a simple part like a bushing still gives me a sense of pride and that is priceless :)

Much like saying you can buy a well made ARF plane for less than you can buy a kit and the accessories to finish it, some of us still like to do it the "hard" way... :)

Go for it man, buy yourself a lathe!!! [:D]

AJC



Bipe Flyer -> RE: Fist Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/14/2004 3:18 AM)

If you want to think of it that way, so far the half a dozen adaptors that I've made have cost me $150 a piece. In reality they've cost me a few cents each. Neither of the above prop adaptors are commercially available. There are similar ones, but not that small. I'm also learning a new skill and having fun. What price can you put on that? Purchasing a lathe to make a couple of prop adaptors wouldn't make much sense, but the interesting thing is that now I see things that I could buy and think "I could just make one", and I don't have to wait a week for mail order or drive to the hobby store.



XJet -> RE: Fist Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/14/2004 5:51 AM)

There's something incredibly liberating and powerful about being able to make just about anything out of metal as and when you need it.

Last year we had a turbine fly-in weekend at our field and one guy broke his nose-gear on Friday afternoon. No model shops in the area and it looked as if he'd have to stay grounded -- until I milled him up some new pieces out of solid aluminum.

When I wanted to revive some of my old Cox engines I found I didn't have a ball-joint resetting tool. A couple fo minutes on the lathe and bingo -- I made my own tool and had my balljoints back to as-new condition.

I'm now lucky enough that I've got enough tools that I can make almost any other tool I might need.



Japanman -> RE: Fist Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/14/2004 9:41 AM)

Gee I was looking at a lathe in Osaka...
I was thinking about all those things I have spent !HOURS! stuffing around jury rigging together when they would take so much less time and skill (and sometimes luck!) on a lathe.
However, getting one strong enough to use form tools would be nice. nothing like a ball and socket joint!

J.M



LouW -> RE: Fist Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/14/2004 3:54 PM)

Great job. It may look funny to some people to buy a $400 machine to make a $2 part, but they just don’t get it. It’s not the product. It’s the process. It’s like a fisherman buying a bass boat and something to pull it with in order to catch a mess of fish he could get at the market for $10. Then instead of taking them home to eat, releases them. Making things from metal is just plain fascinating.

The other overlooked advantage is the possibility of making something that just isn’t available to purchase. You can indulge your imagination and make things to suit a particular need. I have had a lathe for many years and have just bought a milling machine. I have no idea what I will make with it and I certainly didn’t need it, but I’m sure that I will have fun and might even make something useful.

It isn’t always about money.



DICKEYBIRD -> RE: Fist Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/14/2004 4:18 PM)

You're absolutely right Lou. It's probably a primal thing that goes back to Neanderthal days when the first machinist dude sharpened one rock with another to scrape the yucky stuff off of mastodon hide to make a coat....or a tent for his sweety to stay warm in. It's in our blood, we have no choice; we just have to make stuff to be complete human beings![;)][:D]
(Insert Tim Allen sounds here)



BMatthews -> RE: Fist Lathe Project - APC Prop Adapter (5/14/2004 4:39 PM)

Yes Lou, you've seen the spirit in action! Yeah, those fishing people are sure silly aren't they... :D

Japanman, form tooling requires a stupidly large machine for what it does for most parts. However for our small model parts you can often form tool the bits using the back gear and LOTS of heavy, greasy like cutting oil. Or for more complex shapes using partial form tools. Another option is a form "bit" and use an X-Y table of coordinates and do it by the numbers. There are sphere talbles and spreadsheet calculations for forming ballends that you can use to do plunge cuts with a round or square end tool of know dimensions. The rough shape of the ball is accurate but the finish needs to be lightly filed and polished. The degree of the roughness is determined by the number of steps in your table. More steps, less finishing. And then there is always the making of a rotating toolbit jig called the ballcutter. Using these tricks you can get away with a smaller machine but it still needs to be solid and rigid enough to make the tooling you need.

Which brings up a good point. When I had my Myford I was very pleased at how it made the little MODEL parts. I was far less pleased about it's ability to make the TOOLING parts though. Small diameter headstock shafts and rigid are oxymorons I'm afraid. I envy the patience of the Myford owners that can do the larger steel jobs by taking only the microscopic cuts that the machine allows. Oddly enough I found that it cuts cast iron in a fine way but steel is another issue. I suppose it's a statement on when the machine was designed and made and the type of work it was intended for. However once I got my Tiawanese 12x36 I knew there was no going back....

.... except it doesn't do very well on the very small parts. I've got a small jewller's lathe that a good buddy let me have but it has its drawbacks as well. I suspect I'll eventually get a small model sized machine like the Clisby or perhaps a Peatol or Sherline. Or maybe I'll MAKE a small lathe to act as a companion to my big one.

Oh yes, there's many an hour to be whittled away when shaping the metal... Isn't there Dickeybird? :D



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