The Bucket Foundry

[husaberg]

One of the Porche electric vehicles has a two speed drive
I cant se a video of it in operation though. ZF make it, is it solenoid shifted? or doe the second gear work of a centrifugal locking clutch pushing out like a inertia starter

[WilDun]

Toroidal CVTs are definitely worth a look. They seem to be a simple solution, but I need to figure out how to grind several matching spherical surfaces. There are other CVT designs that could also work. I do like the dual cone ones. I can grind accurate cones more easily, but the torque transmission looks poor. More research!

Lohring Miller

How about a large ball (from a large ball bearing) - ready made - cut it in half and hey presto - plenty more where that came from too - only problem then will be find the special oil developed to give it grip, lubricate it and cool it as well! - Still worth a try though.

[lohring]

Oops, I posted my thoughts on the ESE thread. Below is the first cut at a design. I'm using a standard ball bearing between two aluminum cones. It rides on a carriage guided by a linear rail and adjusted with a screw for now. There's a slight interference fit between the cones and the bearing. The bearing is in the 1:1 position with an approximately 1.5:1 position close to the other end. The whole thing is a little big compared to a gear box. It has the advantage of adjustability for matching engine and prop rpm at load.

Lohring Miller

[WilDun]

Good start!

[el chupacabra]

Seeing as this forum probably has the most experience on this particular topic, would anyone be able to give me a rough estimate on what it will cost to:

purchase the appropriate sand, prep my own moulds and have two crankcase halves cast
Vs delivering patterns and getting professionals to cast the pieces?

I’ve just priced up a piece of billet aluminium to cnc mill the cases and I’m just exploring options for this project. cnc milling some wood into a pattern would seem like a better option in terms of being repeatable. I’m just unsure of the cost involved.

Cheers, hopefully this isn’t too off topic. I’m just hoping to get a ball park within a couple of hundred dollars to see which is the best way to proceed with design.

[husaberg]

Seeing as this forum probably has the most experience on this particular topic, would anyone be able to give me a rough estimate on what it will cost to:

purchase the appropriate sand, prep my own moulds and have two crankcase halves cast
Vs delivering patterns and getting professionals to cast the pieces?

I’ve just priced up a piece of billet aluminium to cnc mill the cases and I’m just exploring options for this project. cnc milling some wood into a pattern would seem like a better option in terms of being repeatable. I’m just unsure of the cost involved.

Cheers, hopefully this isn’t too off topic. I’m just hoping to get a ball park within a couple of hundred dollars to see which is the best way to proceed with design.

Paging Neil

Dangerous times

[WilDun]

Seeing as this forum probably has the most experience on this particular topic, would anyone be able to give me a rough estimate on what it will cost to:

purchase the appropriate sand, prep my own moulds and have two crankcase halves cast
Vs delivering patterns and getting professionals to cast the pieces?

I’ve just priced up a piece of billet aluminium to cnc mill the cases and I’m just exploring options for this project. cnc milling some wood into a pattern would seem like a better option in terms of being repeatable. I’m just unsure of the cost involved.

Cheers, hopefully this isn’t too off topic. I’m just hoping to get a ball park within a couple of hundred dollars to see which is the best way to proceed with design.

This isn't off topic - it's the Bucket Foundry thread!

I haven't done a lot of casting, but I did build my own home foundry.

It all depends on whether it is for commercial purposes (and professionally done), or you want to build a useful (but cheap) setup! ..... and also how big it is.
If it's only for hobby/experimental purposes then I guess it'll depend on how good you are at scrounging! - I found that the main cost came from the refractory concrete for the furnace and the crucible. - no escape from that - (fixed costs) - probably around $175 - a massive sum!.

I mixed my own sand and I used a common or garden propane cylinder for the heating. - all the rest of the gear (including the burner, crucible tongs and furnace framework etc I made from scratch, designed from ideas I already had in my head or found from browsing the net - plus guesswork and using scrounged material, but the rest was done by browsing / guesswork, wandering through junkyards (no pride involved here!) and hard manual labour! - it was fun and I loved every minute! So I don't think that it would be possible to give a really clear figure! - just hard work and commitment! - when I look back I feel good about it - don't know how I managed to make myself do it, but I did!

All up I guess it came to less than $300 (cheap at twice the price!) - but I feel that you are probably looking at something other than just a hobby home foundry - so I guess this doesn't really answer your question!

[Flettner]

el, not sure what you are asking?

If you have a CNC and are only needing one set and already have paid for the alloy, go for it.

But in my circumstances aluminium blocks are expensive and all you need is one mistake and its in the bin. Mistakes do happen, not just machining something wrong but leaving something out on the model. Start again $$$$.

I tend to machine out a pattern out of armorboard. Then if there is a mistake its easily remedied with glue and bondifil, in situe. And then I can produce a few castings, spares, etc.

Cost? I dont do cost, I just know what Im not willing to pay.

[el chupacabra]

Well long story short is I am a fitter turner/welder by trade and have in the last year learnt to use CAD and then I will learn to use CAM and then I want to make my own engine cases. All I want to manufacture is the cases and the balance shaft (Not too ambitious of a goal) then a frame and exhaust. This has been on my things to do for years. The more I read, mostly on kiwibiker, the more the design Is refined. So I finally got my arse into gear and learnt how to use solidworks to start on this endeavour.

The plan is to convert an optimum MH-28V mill (or similar) with ball screws etc to CNC. As it has the right amount of x and y travel. This will be used to either machine the billet ($1050 shipped for enough to make the two case halves, probably could better select a smaller off cut and save some more $$) or machine some glued together wood to create a pattern. The CAD model will obviously have to change with draft angles and scale to reflect this.

Anyways that’s a long story with probably too much information. What I was asking was, how would the cost compare if I was to just drop off a pattern and have someone do all the work vs dropping off some moulds to have aluminium poured? (If that’s a thing) I don’t think I want to get into melting my own aluminium as time would be chewed up by prepping more gear and learning even more further delaying.

I’ve not got any experience having components cast (aside from a coal and hairdryer powered furnace I used to melt cans into ingots with after school when I was 15) so I wouldn’t even know what a stupid price is if I were to get a quote from someone.
The casting appeals to me as I can cut down machining and make some spare cases in the process.

[Flettner]

I would not bother molding up the sand molds, Id just drop the patterns off an get the foundry to do it. Cost wouldn't change too much and they would know how to run the runners and risers, important to get this right.

Personaly I wouldn't piss around with machining from solid alloy, much better to machine armorboard into a pattern. Try not to go less than two degrees taper and your programe will be able to add 1.5% in size to allow for shrinkage. There, as good as done.

Might we ask what type and size of engine? End use?

[Flettner]

Casting cost? I had three clutch covers cast for me, $90 NZD, so I said go ahead, turns out that was each, bugger it but I guess that gives you an idea.

[el chupacabra]

The plan is to make a good club/track day bike with maintenance that isn’t too expensive or intense.

I plan on using a 72x72mm KTM crank and cylinder with it spaced to change the timing with a 6 speed XC-W gearbox. I want to run a balance shaft similar to an Aprilia rsw125 (not ideal but possibly the easiest way to stop vibration without getting late model parts so I can get things second hand to start with) I plan on water cooling the case and having the cylinder canted forward so the reeds point at the transfer. The crank would be shrouded from the intake.
The frame would be tube steel with a 600 front end with a single disc and a 600 rear end with a 160 tyre. Maybe my own design swing arm.

Essentially a bike that doesn’t vibrate too much with 65-70hp at 9,500rpm, weighing maybe 90kg. Using 95% off the shelf parts but getting a few extra hp by paying attention to detail. Kinda like a poor mans 250gp bike in terms of only doing single cylinder maintenance.

[Flettner]

Sounds like a resonable plan.

My next deveopment. Ive go heaps of half finished projects laying around but my intetest is definitely in this one. Maybe I'll finish this one, at least I know it has a fair chance of success.

[el chupacabra]

What is it? Some sort of opposed piston cylinder?

Half the trouble is doing one thing at a time and when you’ve got a lot of interests. I need to sell a bunch of bikes to stop them from distracting me.

[Flettner]

What is it? Some sort of opposed piston cylinder?

Half the trouble is doing one thing at a time and when you’ve got a lot of interests. I need to sell a bunch of bikes to stop them from distracting me.

Yes a uniflow engine, its kind of my thing, Ive built a few in tha past. They worked reasonably well.