Great War truck Posted November 20, 2021 Author Share Posted November 20, 2021 What a truly incredible find. Well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted January 2, 2022 Share Posted January 2, 2022 We've had another find. Not as magnificent as the forge, but useful nonetheless. A Drummond lathe, dismantled, for spares or repair, on our favourite online auction site. It has yielded this: (in the words of a certain entertainer "can you tell what it is yet?") Platform for the electric motor to sit on, also the hand-wheel for the end of the upper lead screw. For this I needed to make a flat key and a stepped collar to control the end float of the lead screw. There was also a drive plate for turning between centres. So that's a few more things scratched off the list. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motleyholt Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 Very nice indeed, superb find. Absolutely lethal and I'm sure they claimed a few fingers in their day! Can you imagine what the HSE would say now🤣. where I used to work the owner of the buildings had a flat belt drive drill and lathe. I was the only person brave enough to use them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andypugh Posted February 1, 2022 Share Posted February 1, 2022 I know you have your lathe, but another has turned (!) up in Facebook marketplace: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/473885824113943 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andypugh Posted April 8, 2022 Share Posted April 8, 2022 On 2/1/2022 at 2:40 PM, andypugh said: I know you have your lathe, but another has turned (!) up in Facebook marketplace: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/473885824113943 And another. 1919 on eBay (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203885725500 ) with a complete drivetrain and motor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted April 8, 2022 Share Posted April 8, 2022 Thanks for spotting these. I couldn't view the Facebook example - I'm not on Facebook. The eBay Drummond is a 7" lathe so too big for the workshop. But a rare beast, it has to be said. If you spot a Luke and Spencer grinder or any of the other equipment that populates the Duxford example, please let us know. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted September 21, 2022 Share Posted September 21, 2022 A quick update on the forge. A few repairs have been undertaken: two of the feet were rusted off so new ones have been bent and welded on. The blower assembly was worn, resulting in the fan grating on the volute housing. To fix this, a new dead shaft was made to accommodate the wear in the fan bearing. After reassembly, all is behaving itself again. All parts have been wire brushed and painted with two coats of blackboard paint. The hope is that, given time, rust will start to come through in some places, making the forge look less "new". 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 Back east again this weekend. The forge was missing a 1/2" Whitworth left-hand threaded nut to lock the crank handle onto its shaft. I considered making one but don't have the necessary tap; neither did our favourite online auction site. They did, however have a nut. Expensive, but considerably cheaper than a new tap. The weather was unseasonably warm and dry this weekend, so we dropped the back of the lorry and stowed the forge. First we lifted it as high as the scissor-lift truck would go before rolling it over the edge into the body. Then back onto its feet and into position. The "long" feet look odd but they are discernable in the Leyland works photographs. They happen to be the ones that were rusted off so we're not sure the exact length. One thing that's for sure is that the forge is inclined to topple over if they are short like the front two. When stowed for transport, the forge, like everything else was screwed down. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Dogsbody Posted October 5, 2022 Share Posted October 5, 2022 Brilliant restoration. Saw the one at Duxford at the weekend. Are there any dimensions/plans available for this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 On 10/5/2022 at 3:19 PM, General Dogsbody said: Brilliant restoration. Saw the one at Duxford at the weekend. Are there any dimensions/plans available for this? I'm not aware of any original plans or drawings having survived. I have a 3d cad model of the basic frame. It's dimensionally accurate, especially in detailing the carpentry joints. Everything else was reproduced "on the fly" by copying what was there. If you would like to use this as the starting point to create a more detailed model, that can be arranged. Its modeled in Solidworks but I can export STEP or IGS if that's any use. Doc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flandersflyer Posted October 14, 2022 Share Posted October 14, 2022 (edited) On 9/28/2021 at 10:20 PM, andypugh said: A YouTube video of an upcoming clearance auction seems to have a drill similar to that from the mobile workshop: https://youtu.be/ojGfR-A_FW4?t=748 The post drill is by the "silver manufacturing co" I bought it together with a beam drill, an early Cunliffe & Croom lineshaft driven slotter and a lineshaft driven Plano-mill by Wm Muir Edited October 14, 2022 by flandersflyer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted May 8, 2023 Share Posted May 8, 2023 Elsewhere, this has been a weekend of heavy lifting. In lieu of a 4 cylinder 8kW Austinlite generator, this 2 cylinder set has been acquired and is in the process of restoration. One of the two cylinders was badly scaled up; this one has a burnt exhaust valve seat and broken valve guide so is away being fixed. With a long weekend, a break in the weather and the neighbour's forklift available, it was time to lift the set into place in the workshop. One of the two wooden pillars had to be removed first. Then the set was lifted into place, supported on blocks. Then by taking the weight first at one end, then the other, we were able to remove the blocks, lowering the set to its final position. 20 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted May 26, 2023 Share Posted May 26, 2023 In a break from tradition I'm not on a speeding train; I'm writing this from the comfort of my armchair. This is the culmination of many weekends work, punctuated by the need for some vital pieces of tooling and waiting for them to be delivered by our favourite online retailer. Most recent in this category were a 1/16" slitting saw and a 12.5mm reamer. Anyway, enough of this rambling... With the 4 jaw chuck fitted to the lathe it was time to start turning brass Next, transferred to the milling machine to drill the various holes After drilling and reaming the holes, it was time for the slitting saw. Next, a quick paraffin wash to remove swarf and cutting compound, then the fun bit: assembly. Now: don't they look lovely! 16 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
super6 Posted May 28, 2023 Share Posted May 28, 2023 For fuse wire? How held/wired up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted May 28, 2023 Share Posted May 28, 2023 3 hours ago, super6 said: For fuse wire? How held/wired up? Indeed. Fuse wire passes through the tubular tufnol body, loops round the brass screws (that also clamp the brass connectors to the fuse body) and is retained by the knurled terminal nuts. Doc. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted May 29, 2023 Share Posted May 29, 2023 Truly things of beauty! Steve 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flandersflyer Posted June 1, 2023 Share Posted June 1, 2023 I'm electrician I like them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rewdco Posted November 9, 2023 Share Posted November 9, 2023 Just found this picture on an auction site. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andypugh Posted November 9, 2023 Share Posted November 9, 2023 The cab roof is set very low, maybe they were sleeping in there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great War truck Posted November 10, 2023 Author Share Posted November 10, 2023 Yes, i think you are right. Makes it quite cosy and the Leyland does not look like it is going anywhere for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citroman Posted November 10, 2023 Share Posted November 10, 2023 They have a forge with other style feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 A quick Austinlite update. The damaged cylinder has had a new valveguide fitted also an insert to replace the damaged valve seat. Cylinders have been honed, water jackets de-scaled and various wrung off studs drilled out and re-tapped. Oh and painted. Dobson's have made new copper-(non) asbestos gaskets and Jon kindly made four new valve caps (the originals were in a bit of a state!) I've also found time to repair the cover plate for the magneto drive. New metal was welded on where two of the mounting lugs had been broken; I turned a mandrel and mounted the plate in the lathe before skimming the face. Afterwards, the lugs were filed to shape. Get "Woolpit Steam" out of the way and hopefully we'll have time to put a few more bits back onto the engine. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtskull Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 (edited) On 5/24/2024 at 5:55 PM, Doc said: A quick Austinlite update. The damaged cylinder has had a new valveguide fitted also an insert to replace the damaged valve seat. Cylinders have been honed, water jackets de-scaled and various wrung off studs drilled out and re-tapped. Oh and painted. Dobson's have made new copper-(non) asbestos gaskets and Jon kindly made four new valve caps (the originals were in a bit of a state!) I've also found time to repair the cover plate for the magneto drive. New metal was welded on where two of the mounting lugs had been broken; I turned a mandrel and mounted the plate in the lathe before skimming the face. Afterwards, the lugs were filed to shape. Get "Woolpit Steam" out of the way and hopefully we'll have time to put a few more bits back onto the engine. Looking good! I read the previous post just before setting off to visit relatives in Hessett, so a visit to Woolpit Steam was a must. It really is necessary to see this close up to appreciate the quality of the restoration. Just sorry that we got there too late to see inside the workshop but there’s always next year… Edited June 4 by mtskull 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted July 1 Share Posted July 1 Not all workshops were fitted with Austinlite generators. Some had sets from the Standard Motor Company, others by Douglas of Kingswood. So what do you suppose has recently surfaced on our favourite online auction site? WW1 Douglas generator engine. Bearing a date - 18th March 1918 and an Army Service Corps requisition number - 3340 The quick-witted amongst you will have peered through the gaps under the cylinders and spotted the curiously-foreshortened base. Unfortunately the rest of the base casting has been cut off. So we are missing the dynamo, fuel tank, radiator, carburetor. Going back to the first image, there's some metal-loaded epoxy filler been skimmed onto the sump to the right of the oil pump. This lines up with a long vertical drilling to the right of the timing case. Any ideas? There's evidence of a magneto stop switch having once been fitted; alas that's gone too. So... if anyone has drawings, photographs, any further details, please post. Doc 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nz2 Posted July 1 Share Posted July 1 Another item out of the hidden depths of a garage. I note it is missing the carb and mag, so aside from those does it turn over and would it run? Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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