Fitting a large propeller to shaft

[jackieschmidt]

Some more

 

[rckendall]

When I was young and starting out working as a draftsman, I worked in an engineering department that designed and the shop built aluminum rolling mills. We took our coffee breaks in the shop where we would see the equipment being built.

One day walking to our break area I saw a man measuring the OD of a large roll, probably 30-36" in diameter. The micrometer was huge and he was careful, getting the right feel for his measurement. Then he put the mic down and measured the opening on the mic with his tape measure. I think I almost laughed out loud.

Richard

 

[Stumpy1]

Wicked Cool Jackie! Thanks for sharing!

Frank

 

[JMayo]

That's too cool !
I wish I could have learned machine work in my younger days.
I'm constantly watching lathe work on you tube.

 

[jackieschmidt]

Am wondering if you have a gauge to check the propeller I.D. Brings back memories of when I machined them at BLH in Eddystone, PA. Thanks for the pics.

When they bore a new prop, they do fit it to a master plug.
However, every time they have to rework the blades, it involves a lot of heating and beating, especially if the blade pitch has to be corrected Or changed. You are moving metal at the blade hub junction, this will warp the bore. That is why they have to be refit to the shaft taper On just about every rebuild.

When we machine a shaft taper, we make it on exact taper per foot, and the correct diameter. We shoot for at least an 80% fit, as required by theAmerican Bureau of Shipping and The Coast Guard.

 

[jackieschmidt]

We also do quite a bit of portable align boring of the Struts and Stern Tubes on Push Boats.

these bares are designed to fit in tight places and move a lot of metal.

here is a video of us align boring the shaft line in a new 110 foot long push boat, and the finished bearings and shafts installed

 

[butchlambert]

We also do quite a bit of portable align boring of the Struts and Stern Tubes on Push Boats.

these bares are designed to fit in tight places and move a lot of metal.

here is a video of us align boring the shaft line in a new 110 foot long push boat, and the finished bearings and shafts installed View attachment 1274007

Jackie, be sure and post this on the Practical Machinist forum.

 

[dfrosch]

We also do quite a bit of portable align boring of the Struts and Stern Tubes on Push Boats.

these bares are designed to fit in tight places and move a lot of metal.

here is a video of us align boring the shaft line in a new 110 foot long push boat, and the finished bearings and shafts installed View attachment 1274007

Jackie - Who machines the props? And what material are they made from?

Looks like many hours worth of work.

 

[Adam in WI]

Then he put the mic down and measured the opening on the mic with his tape measure. I think I almost laughed out loud.

Richard

Lol. Sounds to me like maybe he knew he had an audience. But if he didn't, oof da...

 

[hogpatrol]

We also do quite a bit of portable align boring of the Struts and Stern Tubes on Push Boats.

these bares are designed to fit in tight places and move a lot of metal.

here is a video of us align boring the shaft line in a new 110 foot long push boat, and the finished bearings and shafts installed View attachment 1274007

That type of machining separates the men from the boys.

 

[hogpatrol]

Good pics of those old machine tools. The Carlson radial arm drill presses were beasts. I remember drilling a four inch hole with one without a pilot hole. Used the old water & oil soup mix in an oiler's can. The horizontal was one of my least favorite machines to run but sometimes the only tool for the job.
On the props, are the bores done on a VBM?

 

[Dub]

i'm thinking barrel/ chambering is rather easy for you....

 

[338 Mollett]

How deep of a cut can you take on those lathes ?

 

[jackieschmidt]

i'm thinking barrel/ chambering is rather easy for you....

I look at barrel chambering as just another machining operation. You know what the requirements of the job are, you figure out a setup that is compatible with the equipment on hand, and you leave no stone unturned.

 

[jackieschmidt]

How deep of a cut can you take on those lathes ?

It all depends on the job and the material you are cutting.

The big American Lathe has a 75 HP motor, so power is not a problem.

 

[Randall D]

Saweet!

 

[GotRDid]

Incredible and efficient movement choreography! The almost no look catch of the locking star, then the handoff of the hanging control box was sheer poetry in motion.
Pure art in the mechanical realm.
GotRDid.

 

[jackieschmidt]

Jackie - Who machines the props? And what material are they made from?

Looks like many hours worth of work.

Props are machined by the manufacturers. They are cast from either a high strength nickel bronze alloy or some type of precipitation hardening stainless such as 17-4PH.

 

[Shooter13]

Just WOW!

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Red or blue loctite on those nut threads, Lol!