Subject: prototype gear box housing in the shop
From: paul lamar
Date: 11/15/2016, 3:50 PM
To: A10-Me-Earthlink



I spent a couple of hours this morning working on the new prototype gear box housing. Here are some pictures.
I wore myself out operating that huge lathe. That takes a lot of muscle to turn those big wheels.


I also discovered a new NC shop a mile or so from the airport.
The machines they have are the most fantastic huge NC machines I
have every seen out side of an NC show. The whole bed the part is bolted to pivots.

They are almost large enough to walk around inside. The billet gear
box housing would be a piece of cake,

Amazing machines.

Paul Lamar


Hi Paul,
     How big and how much $ for that piece of al that is in your lathe right now.
  Oh and what is the grade 6061? I might do mine the same way, saves doing a pattern.
     Cheers Chris.

6" dia by 11" long 60661 T6 $150 US including $15 cutting charge and 8.5% Cal tax.
50 pounds.

BTW Tracy's bolt circle dia. on the adapter plate is too large. It cost a lot more money for 6.25" diameter billet. I will drill a new slightly smaller bolt circle on my adapter plate. I think it should be 5.500" in diameter. His is 5.875".
He used a casting.

The ring gear is 5" OD so that gives us a 1/2 inch wall to work with.
Drilled head 1/4 " 20 course thread bolts can fasten the gear box to the adapter plate by drilling and taping the gear box housing. That's about
6 mm but I don't think I can find them drilled or course thread in the US. You want to use course thread in taped aluminum.

Tracy used long 1/4 inch bolts about 10 inches long. Heavy and expensive
  just drilling the holes :-)

Let me know if billet  it is cheaper in Oz or NZ.

Paul Lamar

Hi Paul,
    Is 6061 weldable ? I will need to weld a flange to it. I will check out the price of 6"
bar stock today but I just know it will be dearer here.
    Cheers Chris. Hoskins

Yes it is weldable.

Paul Lamar



Hi Paul,
   Yes, as expected, bar stock 6"x11" is over twice the price here.
   Chris Hoskins NZ

Well in that case you might trying making it out of thick wall turbing
5 inch ID 6 inch OD.

Paul Lamar

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