4:15 pm
NWBA Member
November 8, 2010
Grant, I WAS around but I don't remember hearing about the purge~ I would've gladly paid 2$ for your 1$ shaper..;)
Sadly, my machine skills were not what was needed for rebuilding hammers at that time, hence getting bent over by machine shops for work (& re-work) on larry's 3B. How the ram's cushion plug bore was off by .200" few will ever know. Didn't matter since the ram broke anyway and then when the ram was re-sleeved (the first time) it was off 1/8" from top to bottom. wtf? i could list an indictment of local machine shops but that is another topic. However- I have nothing but glowing praise for Harbor Island Machine.
Speaking of timing;
As said once about old machinery- 'It's only worth what someone's willing to pay THAT DAY'. Anything else is scrap metal, sadly.
They only remember you when you SCREW UP~!!!
4:28 pm
March 22, 2010
No truer words have ever been spoken...
You need to make a trip down to the shop Steve and play with the old girl... I just had the ram out and had some more machine work done but It still is sticking at the top end of the stroke.... But Im workin her hard none the less...
Whatever you are, be a good one.
Abraham Lincoln
6:33 pm
NWBA Member
November 8, 2010
True dat, larry. Them's yer words~!
Ram sticking- I had two different cushion plugs made tapered to 1 degree (if i can remember?) Too many different species out there over the years and it seems Nazel was groping for a cure; some brass, some steel, no two alike...
If it's not the plug that's still sticking, I'm beginning to wonder if there is yet some other relationship in tolerances that's not ideal between the ram and the inner cylinder head. What would cause that? possible misalignment from when they bored and sleeved the frame on the front cylinder?? how to check all that when it's bolted together? Geez- i'm having all sorts of flashbacks. The big problem I had with shops was their maintaining parallel over the 2' distance that IS what a Nazel ram is. It's not a ~!#%)* diesel engine. It's got me thinking how to check the parallel relationship b/t the ram/cylinder head/cylinder combo. That's the crux. What was factory tolerance- 20 thou?
It's one thing I had been told; Chambersburg had the cylinder design right (no plug), Nazel had the drivetrain (simple flywheel vs. geartrain).
They only remember you when you SCREW UP~!!!
8:57 pm
March 22, 2010
The ram that's in it is the spare Bruce offered you and it's in pretty poor shape. The inner bore is not round ( I've honed it as much as I dare) it's been flame sprayed and brazed up. It's got a steel cushion plug and a bronze bushing now and atleast out of the hammer they fit nice. It's one of those things that is only a minor annoyance. I can work the treadle and get the ram to suck all the way up but if you just let it chug it stops with a couple inches of die hanging out. I've had it apart a couple times and I'm sure I'll have it apart a couple more before it's fixed
Whatever you are, be a good one.
Abraham Lincoln
9:29 pm
NWBA Member
November 8, 2010
If that one goes- My neighbor has a 25HP Warner Swasey lathe and with the shaper I think a new one could be built from scratch- low tech. Couldn't be any worse than the originals which Nazel said were forged but I swore that (first) cracked ram was cast.
How to build a new ram? Built up weldments or a whole new ram cut from 13" round? I think it could be welded from flame-cut rings and double X pipe if done carefully. I have the UT setup and need the practice on the full-pen welds~.
They only remember you when you SCREW UP~!!!
11:17 pm
May 13, 2010
Why not have one cast? A casting that big one off you should be able to find a foundry to cast a loose pattern. Glue up the two halves then dowel them together, then turn the pattern on the lathe. Cut the flats with a bandsaw and clean up with a handplane or your shaper. The only hard part would be the corebox for the inside. How deep is it hollow?
5:24 pm
NWBA Member
November 8, 2010
2:16 am
March 22, 2010
I thought a video of the ram sticking would explain whats going on better than I could
Whatever you are, be a good one.
Abraham Lincoln
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