Adventures in Pattern Making in 2003 AD |
29 Sep 04 |
Click and go |
I suppose you could describe me as a sucker for punishment. I am a journeyman woodworker and I am an engineer but I had never made a pattern before in my life when I bought a really dead Atlas shaper. See photo below. This thing needed help and it needed it real bad. |
The above will give you an idea of what needed to be done and with what! I decided to start on the drive system for the rachet that moves the table back and forth. Fortunately I have another similar shaper that is complete so I did have parts that I could look at and use for dimensions. |
As received! |
The above shows the original die cast parts and the solid castings that I made to
replace them. It turns out that making patterns is not hard at all and the
rules for doing so are simple. Lindsay Publications sells a couple of
books that will tell you more than you need to know. However you do need
to be quick between the ears and know how to use your hands. The angle plate that you see is my own invention and two of them will allow you to extend the table three inches in each direction. A slot can be cut in each plate if you like. The hardest part was the cover for the drive arm that had a thin curved section that needed a taper on both sides. I used my lathe to get it just right. |
Cutting the taper one section at a time. The part was finished by hand and
then glued onto its base. external tapers can be sanded in on a disk sander.
I minimized coring and just machined out what I did not need. Makes
it much easier on one of a kind parts like I needed. |
The proof of the puddng was the vise. Mine looks like the original and it separated
me from the boys. The core for the inside of the body took a while
to figure out and then it took me three tries to get is the way I wanted it. |
I actually made a core and then built the core box around it. It works real
well. |
core |
core |
All the patterns for the vise and
the castings I received from the foundry. |
swivel base |
jaw |
body |
core box comes apart |
Patterns for the clapper etc and the slide etc that go on the head. Future plans are to make the patterns for the castings for a 1/2 size shaper with a 3.5 inch stroke, Cute and very useful for small parts. And it will not take a lot of room. Design is in progress in sketches and between the ears. Yeah right! . |
A pattern for a special casting that will allow me to swivel the shaper table.
My own design. This takes the place of the table and then
the vise swivels on it. |
. . . . . . . |