Giles

Absolutely wonderful - a very lovely project, looking great - I can't wait to see it in the flesh, so to speak.... Birmingham Science museum had one of these on display in the '70s, and I was very much taken with it then. ...want to see it run.....

sorry Simon, did you not see the threads on the studs?

Thank you Gents.... i'm very fortunate in the tools I've acquired over time! I must say this has taken some persistence. I finally managed to work out how to do it 'properly' from an stl 3D model, but it broke yet another tool within the first second, so I guess doing it the long way is better.... I also had problems doing this job in Nickel Silver, and for some reason that was breaking cutters left right and centre. So I have gone back to brass with a 0.8mm cutter going slowly. This is the first 'production' one, and it took 50 minutes cutting time, but came out really nicely. CNC cylinder end cover by giles favell, on Flickr

Video of mine in action cutting frames for the little 0-14 steam crane https://youtu.be/I_4pXIxrkFs

Its computer driven Dave, so there's some software to learn.... This is it, though without the spindle (the drilling motor) fitted in this shot. Mine is one of the smallest, cutting up to A3. Most people use them for wood carving and sign making - but they're better than that.... Stepcraft 420 by giles favell, on Flickr

I've had a further play with the Stepcraft mill and persuaded it to do something other than profiling. Because I used a 0.8mm dia cutter, I was very caution about feed rates and cutting depth - so this took over an hour! The finished piece is 6.6mm dia, and the nuts are 0.9mm AD. 2019-04-16_06-03-51 by giles favell, on Flickr

I've been testing the Stepcrafts abilities at things other than profiling. Because I used a 0.8mm dia cutter, I was very caution about feed rates and cutting depth - so this took over an hour! 2019-04-16_06-03-51 by giles favell, on Flickr

Sorry - didn't work!

i'm very much looking forward to seeing this at the weekend!!!

We are at Trainwest this weekend, with more toys than we can possibly justify.... The most recent is this little radio controlled Morris J 2019-03-23_05-22-58 by giles favell, on Flickr and of course the Mechanical Horse, fully operational... 13 by giles favell, on Flickr

Damn fine!!!!!!!

The steps are moulded in, but the arms are separate, and half-lapped in. They are designed for two arms, whereas I only used one.....

I think the Peco ones are quite good.... here's some in use on Denton Brook with the addition of zinc top plate (EZ Line for wires) Denton Brook by giles favell, on Flickr

It takes some doing - but it IS possible to get an even sag across all your wires - I've done it - moreover, they are removable for transport, and go back with the same sag each time. The EZ line is fairly easy to pull to the desired tension, and secure with super glue, and then you just pull the next one to match it - going post by post.

Andy is bang on. I used the green EZ line on Denton Brook Denton Brook by giles favell, on Flickr

This little van is completed, and works beautifully. It has actually been one of the most difficult conversions I've done, simply because its all resin glued in one piece, and I hade to cut bits off rather than work with a separate chassis. It's very small, but quite delightful (I've also corrected the door handles so they're vertical as they should be for sliding doors!) 2019-03-23_05-22-58 by giles favell, on Flickr

i should think they are! But the end id in sight!

I've just finished converting an Autocult resin model of the Morris J van. A surprisingly small vehicle. There's nothing ground-breaking about this one at all, however it did require a different approach to the front axle, due to everything being smaller than the previous lorries. Whereas previously I have fabricated the stub axle assemblies incorporating 2mm dia rod to accept the flanged bearings, this time I profiled them 2D from 1mm brass using my Stepcraft INC mill. This allows a much more compact axle assembly (which was also CNC'd). I've managed to squeeze in a 500mAh battery which should last a full day. http://youtu.be/sZ08JiI5438 2019-03-12_05-18-21 by giles favell, on Flickr 2019-03-23_05-22-58 by giles favell, on Flickr

Excellent! A breakthrough for you there...... Very impressive!

I'm sorry I missed these, Gents! Although my Stepcraft doesn't often get used (there are so many other things to do!) It does get used, and does some jobs remarkably well, although not necessarily quickly. I built much of the 0-14 self-propelled rail crane using the machine to mill components Completed crane in action 2018-11-06_09-10-28 by giles favell, on Flickr Showing modified bearings IMG_1109 by giles favell, on Flickr The whole chassis was CNC cut, which saves trouble! 2018-09-27_05-15-16 by giles favell, on Flickr The cab sheets were all cut with the Seocraft, together with the gearbox plates to drive between axles. I have also just started another radio controlled vehicle. This one is a Morris J - a surprisingly small vehicle, which necessitates a smaller front axle than my previous models. All the axle components were profiled (very slowly) on the Stepcraft from 1mm brass using a 0.8mm dia. D bit. I used a thicker material to avoid having to have the usual round section stub axle for the flange bearings. Instead, I drew up on CAD a rectangle to fit perfectly in the 2mm dia bore of the bearing. It works very well, and streamlines the build process. 2019-03-12_05-18-21 by giles favell, on Flickr 2019-03-12_05-22-14 by giles favell, on Flickr

Thanks Gents - It is indeed an Autocult model - and very nice too! I paid about £50 for it - shopping around internationally on Ebay.

Next up is a little resin-bodied Morris J type van (not an Oxford model). I shall try the little gear motor as shown, but it may prove too fast - it's about 240rpm...... 2019-03-12_05-22-14 by giles favell, on Flickr The other issue with this is the front axle, which needs to be significantly smaller than the lorries I've done in the past. To this end i've done it slightly differently, and CNC'd the stub axle and axle components from 1mm brass using my Stepcraft mill. Slow, but very successful. I used a 0.8mm D cutter, but next time I will split the process into drilling and then profiling with a larger cutter so I can go faster. 2019-03-12_05-18-21 by giles favell, on Flickr

The BBC have an archive that is probably accessible. In the olden days we used to be able to buy LP's of BBC sound effects. Nowadays I should think they're downloadable on line. Love your articles!

I've just commissioned mine - being used (under artistic licence!) - for the transportation of cable drums. 2019-02-23_04-31-19 by giles favell, on Flickr

very good.... one doesn't win all the time - but it's all progress!