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Correcting an Incorrectly Broached Keyway

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Peter A Forbes - 10 Mar 2010 18:39 GMT
One of our engines has a new flywheel that we had cast and machined some 10
years ago, but we always suspected that the keyway was not right, but as it
wasn't in use, it was left under its sheet to slumber the years away.

We are just reviving it, and the question of the keyway has been looked into.

What we should have is something like a 1 in 94 tapered keyway, what we actually
have is a parallel keyway.

It's about 2.5cwt  - 3cwt in weight, and 34" diameter.

How does one go about getting it sorted out?  or more correctly, does anyone
know who I could approach to do the job?  The original machinist closed down
shortly afterwards, and as he obviously didn't read the maker's drawing, I'm not
sure I'd want to go back to him again.

I have the other flywheel as a pattern and the original drawing for the item. We
are located in Northants.

Suggestions appreciated.

Peter
--
Peter & Rita Forbes
Email: diesel@easynet.co.uk
http://www.oldengine.org/members/diesel
http://www.stationary-engine.co.uk
http://www.oldengine.co.uk
Mark Rand - 10 Mar 2010 20:54 GMT
>Suggestions appreciated.
>
>Peter

Key for a template, spotting blue for final finishing if absolute precision is
necessary, single bevel cape chisel and a 1 lb ball pein hammer.

How else would you do it?

:-)

Mark Rand
RTFM
Richard Edwards - 10 Mar 2010 21:14 GMT
>One of our engines has a new flywheel that we had cast and machined some 10
>years ago, but we always suspected that the keyway was not right, but as it
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
>
>Peter
I assume the actual keyway in the shaft is parallel sided and so is
the keyway in the flywheel. However the key tapers "radially" and
therefor the "top" of the keyway in the flywheel tapers from outside
to inside. outside dimension being the greater. or am I wrong?

Need to know before I apply the grey matter.

Richard
Peter A Forbes - 10 Mar 2010 22:02 GMT
>I assume the actual keyway in the shaft is parallel sided and so is
>the keyway in the flywheel. However the key tapers "radially" and
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>
>Richard

Yes, something along those lines.

I'm trying to find the drawing of the flywheel so I can check the actual taper.

The keys are about 6" long with gib heads.

Peter
--
Peter & Rita Forbes
Email: diesel@easynet.co.uk
http://www.oldengine.org/members/diesel
http://www.stationary-engine.co.uk
http://www.oldengine.co.uk
Richard Edwards - 10 Mar 2010 22:50 GMT
>>I assume the actual keyway in the shaft is parallel sided and so is
>>the keyway in the flywheel. However the key tapers "radially" and
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
>Peter
Ok here is my two pennorth
Turn up a headed plug to match flyweel bore
Machine a keyway into it (through the head as well) keyway parallel
sides but with the required taper shallow at head end
Make a broach from a piece of gauge plate with lead say .005 - .010"
lower than teeth. Broach long enough to pass teeth through flywheel
with push end still showing Drill and tap three holes in head for some
adjuster screws.
Fit tool to flywheel adjust screws so so broach lead just trapped,
lubricate all. Belt broach through. slacken screws a tad push plug in
pass broach through again, and again and again.

Just what Mark said but a bit of finesse <G>

This information is worth exactly what you paid for it.

BTW how wide is the key?

Richard
Alan Bain - 10 Mar 2010 23:05 GMT
>>I assume the actual keyway in the shaft is parallel sided and so is
>>the keyway in the flywheel. However the key tapers "radially" and
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
>The keys are about 6" long with gib heads.

Whenever I see one of these on an old engine, I am always curious to know
how one is supposed to remove them after they have been in place for
many years.  The only kind of puller I can imagine would be something
like a thick notched washer with three jacking bolts, but I have a
suspicion that it might break the head off the key rather than
remove it!  

Alan Bain
Mark Rand - 10 Mar 2010 23:42 GMT
>>The keys are about 6" long with gib heads.
>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
>Alan Bain

Crow bar :-)

Mark Rand
RTFM
Peter A Forbes - 11 Mar 2010 07:06 GMT
>>>The keys are about 6" long with gib heads.
>>
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>Mark Rand
>RTFM

There is a device with a tapered head that you can use, but for keys that are
well in place, sometimes to have to resort to other means :-))

Peter
--
Peter & Rita Forbes
Email: diesel@easynet.co.uk
http://www.oldengine.org/members/diesel
http://www.stationary-engine.co.uk
http://www.oldengine.co.uk
Roland Craven - 11 Mar 2010 08:59 GMT
> Whenever I see one of these on an old engine, I am always curious to know
> how one is supposed to remove them after they have been in place for
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>
> Alan Bain

The usual tool is a key drift. A slow tapered wedge with the working face
also tapered a few degrees so as to bite into the corner twixt head and key.
Clogged smartly it will usually work. Superior "cow-heel" versions are also
curved to allow use on dished flywheels whose rim is wider than their bore.
Various versions of what you imagine are also used but as they cannot impart
any impulse they do, as you surmise, often rip the head off.
Heating the key with a small tip on the Oxy/fuel-gas, and allowing to cool
fully, improves the chances dramatically.

hth
Signature

Roland Craven
Nr. Exeter, Devon, UK
roland@petternut.co.uk
www.petternut.co.uk

Charles Lamont - 12 Mar 2010 18:02 GMT
>> Whenever I see one of these on an old engine, I am always curious to know
>> how one is supposed to remove them after they have been in place for
>> many years.

> The usual tool is a key drift. A slow tapered wedge with the working face
> also tapered a few degrees so as to bite into the corner twixt head and key.
> Clogged smartly it will usually work.

> Heating the key with a small tip on the Oxy/fuel-gas, and allowing to cool
> fully, improves the chances dramatically.

I expect that the technique of applying constant pressure with the key
drift and then lots and lots of small blows to the hub would eventually do
it too.

Signature

Charles Lamont

Neil Ellwood - 11 Mar 2010 12:48 GMT
>>>I assume the actual keyway in the shaft is parallel sided and so is the
>>>keyway in the flywheel. However the key tapers "radially" and therefor
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
>
> Alan Bain

60 years ago we use to use a wedge and a hammer (heavy) but things have
probably changed a lot since then.

Signature

neil
Reverse ‘r’ + ‘a’ and remove ‘l’.
Linux counter 335851

Christopher Tidy - 12 Mar 2010 21:02 GMT
> Whenever I see one of these on an old engine, I am always curious to know
> how one is supposed to remove them after they have been in place for
> many years.  The only kind of puller I can imagine would be something
> like a thick notched washer with three jacking bolts, but I have a
> suspicion that it might break the head off the key rather than
> remove it!

When I've tried to extract taper keys, it has made a mess of them.
Instead I've had more success using a very strong puller to pull the
wheel off with the key in place. I put a piece of steel behind the head
of the key to stop it sliding further in. I haven't tried this method on
anything larger than a 1 1/4" diameter shaft, and I'd be cautious using
it on wheels that look fragile, but so far it's worked very well.

Chris
John - 19 Mar 2010 10:29 GMT
Surely anyone with a slotter should be able to set this up and machine
it correctly though a shaper may have more difficulty. The taper is
about 6 degrees. The biggest problem may be setting up the casting. If
the flywheel outer faces are machined tru to the bore, that should be
easy enough.

John
John - 19 Mar 2010 10:36 GMT
> Surely anyone with a slotter should be able to set this up and machine
> it correctly though a shaper may have more difficulty. The taper is
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> John

A second thought just after I posted would be to machine a dummy shaft
with a taper keyway then use a parallel broach.
As for removing taper gib heads, good luck. They can lock in very
tightly. If a wedge or puller is used between the flywheel and ket
head then heat is applied to the flywheel, either the key comes out,
the flywheel moves on the shaft or you try someting else. I've
resorted to drilling and tapping them for a pullet bolt. After that,
I've had to drill them out or even gas axe them out. That normally
means a new keyway is needed in both components although occasionally
you can be lucky when the heat does it's job of loosening things.

John
Peter A Forbes - 21 Mar 2010 12:26 GMT
>> Surely anyone with a slotter should be able to set this up and machine
>> it correctly though a shaper may have more difficulty. The taper is
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
>
>John

Many thanks for the thoughts, John.

The keys are out and not a problem, it's just the issue of the parallel keyway.

The drawing for the flywheel is the cause of the issue, it states '2.832" at
Deep End', but gives no dimension for the other end or any taper on the keyway
itself. Presumably as this was all done in-house there was no 'need' to tell
anyone what the taper was as they all knew it.

The other thought has been to leave it parallel and make up a close-fitting key
and Loctite it in place.

Peter
--
Peter A Forbes
Prepair Ltd, Rushden, UK
peterforbes@prepair.co.uk
http://www.prepair.co.uk
http://www.prepair.eu
John - 21 Mar 2010 14:04 GMT
> The other thought has been to leave it parallel and make up a close-fitting key
> and Loctite it in place.
>
> Peter

When I dealt with keyed sprockets and pulleys we grub screwed the boss
onto the top of the key. That locked the sprocket and didn't bruise
the shaft. It makes removal easier too.

John
 
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