"Ned Simmons" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 09 Jun 2014 18:33:06 -0500, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:

"Jim Wilkins" fired this volley in
news:ln5erp$d7l$1
:

That thing was big enough to hone artillery barrels.

So? You don't 'build' such a simple machine, you buy off-the-shelf
parts
and just 'install' them.

I know from 'simple'. I try to make all my machines that way.

He was just braggin' because it was BIG, but not such a big deal.

Lloyd

I have no idea how elaborate that guy's hone was, but I can assure
you
that large production hones are more than "one long cylinder a
valve,
and two limit switches." I've modernized and tooled a couple of
these:
http://www.networkintl.com/lotdetail.aspx?lot_id=124825

They're not conceptually complicated machines, but not something
thrown together from off-the-shelf parts, either.

--
Ned Simmons

The frame on this one is a welded truss which made alignment
difficult.

The weldor at the company where I learned custom machinery fabrication
was a very experienced (and grumpy) old pro who could weld anything
but he couldn't prevent hot metal from shrinking, so we had to do all
the layout and drilling on the finished frames.

By the time they moved me into drafting to design the structures and
circuits I'd learned how to bend sheetmetal and not to commit the
beginner errors that make assembly twice as hard as necessary.