Starting handle

[Howard Wright]

Hi Colin

You need quite a big lathe to swing the nose cone, the alternative being to use a fly cutter.  I had neither a big lathe nor the required fly cutter but fortunately someone before me had attempted a repair and left quite a big hole.  Hence the side locating bolts in my fix.  However be careful with getting the repair exactly in line with the starter dog and handle hole otherwise the handle sticks in the dog. (don’t ask how I know this).

Cheers

Howard

[Colin Wilks]

Cheers Howard. I have a small Myford, so will have to hold the work in the cross slide and mount the tooling in the chuck. I had considered a fly cutter, or an end mill, or even mounting a boring head in the headstock taper. I will have to buy the milling hold down gear to mount the nosecone, and don't have any tooling other than HSS tool stock I grind myself, so am looking for a steer on the best tool for the job. Concentricity will be an issue, but is achievable. Whilst I'm in there I intend boring and sleeving the front hole on the nosecone to prevent rattle and the ingress of crud, so am considering making up a boring bar to do both jobs by boring between centres. Lots of options. Experienced advice needed!

[bob46320]

Colin,  don't get too precious about work holding, remove the lathe topside, make up some support in wood which will clamp to your lathe saddle - even tap a couple of holes into the saddle where they won't matter too much (its your lathe and YOU can do what you like to it).  Once the nose piece is supported, you can line bore / spot face the old lugs away, clean up for the front bearing etc.  Just take fine cuts and you will be OK.  The photo shows a Bugatti clutch housing that I machined on my Boxford lathe - all mounted onto a sheet of ply. That casting cost over £800, so I had to take it carefully !!  It shows using an extended drill through the shaft bosses before I line bored right through.


  ClutchHousing.jpg (Size: 78.33 KB / Downloads: 385)

[Dave Wortley]

Dave Dye did a great job on my chummy by welding a new shaped boss inside the nose cone.

[Zetomagneto]

I made a jig to do them on a vertical mill. 2 different inserts needed, long one for the nosepiece that has a nut on the outer end, short one for the later type. As far as I know you cannot get the 29 type handle shaft so my modification uses the later type shaft and handle.
Hope the photos help.
Howard, your nosepiece was bored on my jig.
Mark, can you pm me please re nosepiece.                

[Colin Wilks]

Thanks all, food for thought, and very helpful photos.

[Douglas Alderson]

Depending on how worn the inside of the nose cone is e.g. stays in place but drops going over bumpy road.  It can be fixed by using a Ruby starting handle spring and then cutting to length slightly longer than the current length as this then applies a bit more pressure.

[Roland Alcock]

I feel,the greatest advantage of the handle being reliably parked at the nine o’clock position, whether it was designed to or not, is the handle not hitting a kerb when parking end on. And hence breaking the nose cone. 

Roly

[Zetomagneto]

It also obscures the number plate if just hanging down

[Roland Alcock]

A probable advantage?