Another new reel project

[watatoad]

An early 50's Boxford Model 'A' rear-drive with quick-change gearbox and screw-cutting ability (metric and imperial changewheels), with powered saddle and cross-slide. I bought it 'cheap' for £500. I stripped it, repainted it and rebuilt it. It only needed a new cross-slide screw and nut and some fettling of the gib strips and (most important of all) setting up with an engineer's toolroom level after bolting it to a new, specially prepared concrete floor. I also fitted a new 3 phase motor and wired it through an Omron inverter which gives me infinitely variable speed control, overall speed control via frequency adjustment, forward/reverse etc. etc.

 

In my opinion, restoring an old, smaller 'toolroom' lathe will give you much better value for money than buying a new one!

 

Many thanks for the reply Worms You have made my day...hehehe I have been looking at old Boxfords for about three months now thinking it would be a lot of fun to rebuild one...I guess this is going to push me over the edge...better get the wife another part time job to pay for the new electrics

[Worms]

Worms, do you have any trouble with stress with the HE30? When I was making spools for multis I used to have an awful job getting them to run true. I would machine them in one setting, and they would run dead true....until the next day when they always seemed to have developed a "wobble". Only a few thou, but very annoying.

 

A toolmaker friend sugested leaving them in the chuck overnight and then taking the final skim. Seemed to work

 

Den

Hi Den,

 

I haven't noticed any stress/distortion problems with the HE30 but, when removing large amounts of metal from billet of any sort I do what your toolmaker friend suggested and leave the job in the chuck and supported by the tailstock if possible. I also leave roughly 5 thou per inch of diameter to allow for finishing cuts.

 

The frame had masses of material removed (4 1/4" diameter billet machined to 3 5/8" and bored to give 3/8" thick walls), no wobble at all and goes back in the chuck beautifully. It might need clocking with a dial gauge and a tap with a hide mallet but the material is absolutely true!

 

Because of work and other jobs the reel is a bit of 'an hour here and there job' so part turned components may stay in the chuck for days (or longer!). This might be helping!

 

The grade I am using is 6082T6 which is chemically hardened and artificially aged. This may be helping with potential stress problems. In the UK this has largely superceded 6061 as a quality alloy that machines well as it is significantly stronger/harder..........interesting that a lot of the US and other foreign reels are still being made from 6061!

 

Got any pics of your reels?

 

Nick.

Edited July 1, 2010 by Worms

[poledark]

Best I can do Worms..

 

 

 

As it is legible...I will post page 2 as well..

 

Den

Edited July 2, 2010 by poledark

[Worms]

Keep it coming Den! Looks like it got the admiration of the press.

 

Did you never put it into production?

[chesters1]

strange why copy someones elses design why not make a 24 spoke with built in drag etc

i have the diagram of an unmade intrepid closed face ,now that would be a challenge to make

 

Best I can do Worms..

 

 

 

As it is legible...I will post page 2 as well..

 

Den

i remember it Den! thats why i asked if "he" were you when i first joined and we still spoke

 

i think though the sentence

"We went to a park near Chelmsford" is distinctly 70's

 

i do though admire anyone that can not only use a lathe but to low tolerance as well ,my "near enough is close enough" outlook isnt the best ,my measure twice cut once is keep cutting and hope its not to much cutting when you stop cutting ,i can measure ten times and get ten different measurements ,sad for a guy that could etc pcb tracks to a fraction of a millimetre

 

heres some of my etching ,the guy saying it was "standard" etching was not parly to the difficulty his pcb was to etch ,i did things that were thought impossible using very basic gear ,negative coated PCB board and the techniques of coating them had to be learned there was nothing out there to learn from ,all stopped now any boards no go to outside companies when they get difficult ,i took the technique with me

 

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/pls/portallive/.../1/34469706.PDF

 

the difficulty in etching (rather than laser cutting) is as the etchent etches the board it starts etching sideways under the protective layer the etch cannot penetrate ,even the thickness of the coating or the "negative" (or in my case a positive ) has an effect on the accuracy of a sub .05mm bit of copper being etched

 

the most amusing bit was when a academic came into the workshop all excited like saying our problems were over he had ordered (without consulting me who was going to use it) a pcb mechanical "etcher" ,on arrival this expensive bit of kit was already 2 years behind what i was doing and was obsolete ,it sits unused till this day in a cupboard at the uni , not only was it expensive to buy it used 3 or 4 £16 a time drills for an A4 board and ripped apart the flexible board we were now using for the spacecraft boards for surrey satellites

Edited July 2, 2010 by chesters1

[Worms]

strange why copy someones elses design why not make a 24 spoke with built in drag etc

Because I wanted an old Aerial to match a couple of old rods but couldn't afford to buy one!

 

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery........you can't really improve on the best design.

 

Watch this space at some point for a lever drag 'pin, aimed mainly at the sea sector but also as a lighter model for barbel/carp/pike

[chesters1]

Because I wanted an old Aerial to match a couple of old rods but couldn't afford to buy one!

 

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery........you can't really improve on the best design.

 

Watch this space at some point for a lever drag 'pin, aimed mainly at the sea sector but also as a lighter model for barbel/carp/pike

 

get away from pins go forth into the future young man

Edited July 2, 2010 by chesters1

[poledark]

Can't seem to up;oad page 2, never mind, it only describes the casting distances achieved (190yds)

 

Worms, never went in to production, ABU came and looked, but I heard no more seemed he was more interested in my breakaway lead design , or maybe the adjustable reel fitting? Who knows?

 

Den

[Worms]

get away from pins go forth into the future young man

That's where the multiplier plans come in mate!

 

As for 'pins, a decent quality 'pin with a proper drag/brake that you can operate whist a fish is running, without removing your knuckles on the handles, would be great for shallow water sea fishing. Tope on a pin.....with control!

[Dick Dastardly]

Strange I to remember some brilliant reel developments from tournament casters and so very few were ever taken up by the manufacturers. Den you must have seen the early (homemade) long taper fixed spool spools? and look how long it was before they were taken up!

 

I often wonder if its down to the fact that the manufacturers dont consider the new design/item can be made and sold cost effectively or simply (as in your recent case Den with the captive back leads) get bad advice from their "name" consultants?

 

I understand that we (as here in Britain) only represent a relatively small part of the big tackle manufacturers market (prime example is how long it took ABU to make their own CT reels) but a lot of the advances Ive seen would have surely appealed universally? In fact the whole tackle manufacturing thing (despite my some what limited involvement with it) has always left me confused. In some cases (like a lot of the earlier rod blank manufacturers) the people involved in the design/manufacture didn't actually fish or understand what was actually required they were simply experts in their own field (ie in the case of blanks experts in tubular composites) They took their guidance from their consultants.A lot of these were (IMO) not always that knowledgeable about tackle and in some cases weren't even that accomplished anglers but were known due to their writing. The name on the product being regarded as more important than the actual input no doubt! but I digress.

Edited July 2, 2010 by BUDGIE