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Post by pkastagehand on May 14, 2010 8:43:57 GMT -5
My latest progress. I was worried about laser cutting the front cab panel first and then having to bend the roof to fit it. Here is the roof after rolling/bending. I don't have the rest of the cab done to show the fit between the roof and the front panel but I'm pleased with it.  Paul |
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Post by dickr on May 14, 2010 13:24:40 GMT -5
Nice work. Looks very professional. Now you have something as a guide for the other parts of it. That should make it easier. I'll betcha even Mr. Hiraoka would accept that. Have you started your boiler yet.
Dickr
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Post by grege on May 15, 2010 7:01:17 GMT -5
Looks great!
Did you form the curves in a roller, or by hand?
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Post by GregMiller on May 15, 2010 19:54:38 GMT -5
Paul,
That looks very nice!
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Post by pkastagehand on May 17, 2010 10:48:11 GMT -5
Nice work. Looks very professional. Now you have something as a guide for the other parts of it. That should make it easier. I'll betcha even Mr. Hiraoka would accept that. Have you started your boiler yet. Dickr Thanks for the kudos. The other cab parts are cut (see my post on page six of the "A3a Switcher" thread). I had them laser cut. I was worried that by cutting the cab front first I would have trouble getting the curves right on the roof but I did OK. I have not started the boiler. I keep getting scared away by copper prices. I've built most of the thing so far (except for the tank on the tender) from steel and cast iron that I could find or purchase fairly inexpensively. Paul |
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Post by pkastagehand on May 17, 2010 10:54:03 GMT -5
Looks great! Did you form the curves in a roller, or by hand? At work I have one of those 3-in-one sheet metal tools (slip roll, shear and bending brake) and used that for the large radius curve. For the edge curves I built a very "quick and dirty" bending jig similar to what Mr. Hiraoka shows in the book. A piece of 3/4" black iron pipe was darn close to the diameter of the round he called for and I had a piece of 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" by 1/4" angle iron for the other side. Welded them to other pieces of angle iron and hung them over the jaws of a big vise. Since they weren't bolted it was a little trickier I'm sure getting everything set right, but I muddled through. Paul |
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Post by grege on May 18, 2010 15:43:24 GMT -5
Thanks for the info on your roll forming.
As I get closer to the boiler I've been trying to decide whether to hand form the boiler barrel or try to figure out getting it rolled.
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Post by pkastagehand on May 19, 2010 8:51:41 GMT -5
Thanks for the info on your roll forming. As I get closer to the boiler I've been trying to decide whether to hand form the boiler barrel or try to figure out getting it rolled. There are arguments for both I expect. On a slip roll you get spots on both sides of the curve that don't go into the rollers enough to be curved. You leave extra and cut off or you hand band the last bit. With the Kozo method you cut the sheet the right size to start with and when you get the ends to meet, if the curve is uniform, you're done. Paul |
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Post by grege on May 20, 2010 6:11:14 GMT -5
I built a smaller boiler a few years ago forming it over a pipe. I had the A3 book and followed Kozo's method including using wood formers to straighten it and riveting the joining strap.  It did work just fine, though I could have gotten cleaner joints if I took more time with it a second time around. I wouldn't mind getting a slip roll machine, but all of the small (affordable) ones don't seem to handle the 14ga copper for the A3 boiler. |
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