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Bill Volna's Retirement Sandbox
 
TARDIS II: Tee Casting
 
Make Core Box
 
Make Pattern
 
Pour Two Castings
 
Machine Two Castings

 

MAKE CORE BOX
 

Fig. 1  Lumber from Home Depot
that's too warped to be sold.

Fig. 2  Warped wood is no match
for a 15,000-lb. squeeze in Bill's desigmed-and-built (100-ton squeeze) hydraulic press.

Fig. 3  Squaring up the glued block.
Note the direction of the alternating end grain for each layer.

 

Fig. 4  Core box fabrication,
main axis.

Fig. 5  Main axis cut
nearly done.

Fig. 6  Main axis roughing cut finished.

 

Fig. 7  Core box: cross axis cut.

 

Fig. 8  Core box:
fillet details.

Fig. 9  The finished core box with silver mold release applied.

 

MAKE PATTERN
 

Fig. 1  Setup for cutting
"pie-shaped" wood blocks.

Fig. 2  Finally, I have cut
350 pieces.

Fig. 3  Gluing "pie" section together.

Fig. 4  Stagger cut for
alternate layer overlap.

Fig. 5  Gluing layers together.

 

Fig. 6  "Fly" cutting the half
pattern match face.

Fig. 7  Two halves make a cylinder.

 

Fig. 8  Elmer's Professional Glue
on flycut face.

Fig. 9  Kraft paper in joint
allows splitting later.

Fig. 10  Last chance to
align pattern halves.

Fig. 11  Putting the squeeze
on in the hydraulic press.

Fig. 12  Steel end plate
provides rugged center hole.

Fig. 13  Shop crane was
handy for loading in lathe.

Fig. 14  Lathe barely big enough.

Fig. 15  .006-in. taper on
first pass was corrected.

Fig. 16  Cylinder split on Kraft
joint, mounted on 1 in. ply.

 
POUR TWO CASTINGS
 

Robert Carity, Carley Foundry engineer,
took the pictures used in Fig. 3 through Fig. 14.

 

Fig. 1  Finished match plate
pattern on 7 Sep 2009.

Fig. 2  Cast iron chills added
at Carley Foundry.

Fig. 3  Sand half cores made
with core box
(see Make Core Box Figure 9)

Fig. 4  Making the mold at
Carley Foundry.

Fig. 5  Lifting the upper mold
half off the pattern.

Fig. 6  Pattern impression in
sand mold.

Fig. 7  Core in mold to produce
a hollow casting.

Fig. 8  Molds ready for the "pour."

Fig. 9  2,500 lbs. of molten
aluminum are ready.

Fig. 10  The "pour" begins
at Carley Foundry.

Fig. 11  Front view of two castings, showing gates and risers.

Fig. 12  Side view of the castings
in Fig 11.

Fig. 13  Cast weight right on
with CAD prediction.

Fig. 14  These castings are
impressive.

Fig. 15  Bob Carity, Carley engineer, handing finished castings to Bill.

Fig. 16  On TARDIS I, Bill
points to the future location
of the casting for TARDIS II.

 

 
MACHINE TWO CASTINGS
 

Fig. 1  First cut on tee casting.

 

Fig. 2  Tool-machine setups for tee casting.

 

Fig. 3  Finished o-ring groove.

 

Fig. 4  Considering options for further machining.