Home machining questions

Ok, it's my turn
This question is addressed to those who have a machine shop in their garage/basement/bedroom/whatever, and we'll just ignore those who say it can't be done or think we are idiots
Number one: I'm new at the machining thing.

I'd like to know what you use to lock the cylinder head on the mill table? I don't have a vise large enough, and can't clamp it on the top because I'm using a flycutter.

Second question is, do you use a plate on top of the block to prevent the liners from moving when you bore the cylinders on the mill?

APE Jay/etc can just skip answering, nothing personal but I'm not about to spend the bucks (that I don't have anyway) on a Sunnen or Van Norman boring bar, I'm not working on anyone else's motors, just my own stuff (and I have spares)
Anyone have a decent adjustable hone they can sell cheap

Oh yeah, before people start complaining, I have an 80 KZ750 twin (but I'm also building a GPz750 motor or two). :evil: :evil:

Post edited by: steell, at: 2006/06/10 21:46

If I may ask, what exactly are you trying to *do* to the head?

(....and if you say "mill the head", you're first on my list when I take over here...) :evil:

...it'd help get a grip on how to answer...

well, with a car engine they bolt torque plates to the block while they machine it, might be something similar
when they bore/hone out bike blocks. not sure.

have not tried but...how about

loctite the jugs in
all you'll need is a plate for bottom of block and a mess of clamps to get it square and rigid

Ever seen hard rubber expansion plugs?



Lay up the cylinder block on a set of machined steel spacer blocks to give clearance for the bottoms of the liners, insert the expansion plugs into the bolt holes, and bolt the whole mess to the mill table with 1/4-20's...

Mounting the cylinder block to the table is no problem (T-nuts, step blocks, studs and clamps), I'm just wondering about the possibility of the liner moving around and whether I need to make a top plate to clamp the liners into the block.

I'm using a flycutter to surface the head, problem is mounting it since I need pretty much the entire surface clear. Might be able to find four places to clamp it though, have to take another look.

Some people bore small engine blocks on a lathe, while a twin would probably be do-able, a four would be a little more difficult unless you have a big honking lathe with 20" of cross slide travel, and my garage ain't big enough for one of those

steell wrote:

Mounting the cylinder block to the table is no problem (T-nuts, step blocks, studs and clamps), I'm just wondering about the possibility of the liner moving around and whether I need to make a top plate to clamp the liners into the block.

Well, one question to be asked is if the cylinder has ever been re-lined. Factory liners tend to be pretty snug.

If not, I'd think that accurate spacer blocks equal to the dimension between the bottom of the cylinder and the bottoms of the liners would do.

I'd think that a flycutter would exert more torque on the liners (attemping to rotate them within the block) than compression (trying to force them down and out).

I'm using a flycutter to surface the head, problem is mounting it since I need pretty much the entire surface clear. Might be able to find four places to clamp it though, have to take another look.

Yeah, it'd be kind of tough to "fly" a flycutter between all those clamps...

The flycutter is for surfacing the head, I'll either use a boring bar or boring head to bore the block. I have been thinking about getting a micrometer adjusting boring head, but it would be cheaper to just make my own boring head.

steell wrote:

The flycutter is for surfacing the head, I'll either use a boring bar or boring head to bore the block. I have been thinking about getting a micrometer adjusting boring head, but it would be cheaper to just make my own boring head.

Silly me. I read you wrong.

It's late, I'm bleary-eyed with trying to stay one step ahead of the lynch mob in the other thread and still take the odd pot-shot at a couple of others...

I'll be better in the morning....:blush:

Well if I were you.... Oopps, never mind:laugh:

Jay

APE Jay wrote:

Well if I were you.... Oopps, never mind:laugh:

Jay

No sense in me arguing with a guy that has access to a quarter million dollars worth of tools and machinery, I'm a poor man that can't even afford to look at stuff like that :laugh: :laugh:

But if you want to send a five axis CNC machining center to me, I'll figure out how to run it :laugh:

APE is one of the places I'd almost pay to work at

Post edited by: steell, at: 2006/06/11 22:46

steell wrote:

APE Jay wrote:

Well if I were you.... Oopps, never mind:laugh:

Jay

No sense in me arguing with a guy that has access to a quarter million dollars worth of tools and machinery, I'm a poor man that can't even afford to look at stuff like that :laugh: :laugh:

But if you want to send a five axis CNC machining center to me, I'll figure out how to run it :laugh:

APE is one of the places I'd almost pay to work at <br><br>Post edited by: steell, at: 2006/06/11 22:46

quarter of a million dollars in machines?they spent that much on jays personal bathroom! :S :whistle: :woohoo: