SMC Patternmakers: what's the coolest thing?

[Rob Will]

I just recently learned what a patternmaker does.....so any patternmakers out there, and what is the coolest / most extreme thing you ever made?

Rob:)

[Bill Simmeth]

I believe Jeff Singleton and Chris Giles are both ex- or active patternmakers. Might be others at SMC, of course. Hope you get some responses. I have the utmost respect for this rapidly disappearing profession.

[Chris Damm]

I am now retired but about 25 years ago our shop built pattern equipment for a v20 stationary engine. They had a local foundry make the crankcase cores so we could check the stackup. When all the cores were set up in the truck bay, I wandered over and I (standing flatfooted) could just reach the head face (I'm 6'4"). the engine was over 20' long!

[Earl Reid]

In 1948 , I worked in a small machine shop. I made some patterens that were used to make molds for pickets for a rustic fence we made for a large cemetery lot in NE Ohio. After they were cast I had to drill and tap them an mount them on all the wrought irron posts.
In the early 60s I made a patteren for a therepy device a guy invented.
Earl

[Jeff Singleton]

Oh Boy, You got me started about patternmaking, well he I go. The funnest and scariest pattern I ever made was a tire mold for General Tire back in the mid 80's. The glue up was 16 segments around the dia., the dia. was 124" with about a 116" inside dia. and about a 12" deep face. I did must of turning at this patternshop and I really liked it. I turned a lot of pattern in the 36"-64" dia. range and quite a few in the 80"-100" dia range. The lathe was a beautiful Oliver 26, massive as woodlathes go, 8800 lbs. of American cast iron, 64" over the gap and 15' between centers, 92" outboard and if you removed the wood floor beams you could go up to 130". Well when you turn the big stuff over say 64" you must retrue the faceplates quite often because a faceplate in the 64" plus range will move on you. Up to 64" inboard you could use the compound to turn with but outboard it's all freehand. Imagine standing next to a rough glued up pattern that's 124", spinning around you with the air being thrown of and your hair getting blown around and you get to put a tool to this. At the time it seemed really neat but thinking back I had to wonder what the hell was I thinking. This is where young & stupid meets old & wise. When you turn that big you wear a glove on you upfront hand because the pitch and chips will burn you little picking and make it crusty with pitch. On top of that you have to turn left handed. Our turning turns were very crude but excellent, HSS blanks about 32" long in 1/2", 1", &1 1/4" wide by 3/8" thick. We would grind whatever profile we needed and they were quite comfy to, no handles either, I still turn with them today. Well when you put a diamond point tool on wood that's 124" and turning just a couple hundred rpm it takes a while for the pattern to get back around. I had to turn a continuos inside radius, like a half round. I roughed it out with the diamond point and started shaping the radius with a roundnose. It would catch quite often and a freak me out, after about the third catch I gave up for a couple hours. The boss told me I was breathing to heavy and moving my whole body when I did and that is what caused all the catches. After lunch I finished turning with no catches and only burnt three finger while sanding it with 36 grit paper, man that paper got hot quick. We used a forklift to attach the pattern and to remove it from the faceplate. After two coat of pattern laquer it was out the door. I always liked pattern where you got to use the most tools and pattern that required a lot of fillet, fillet is made of leather or wax and used to make inside and outside radiuses. I once made gearbox that was around 24" x 36" x 42" and it had 8 core boxes and had about 100 feet of fillet. It filled up the back of my fullsize pickup and I took it to a foundry in Cleveland. Most of the patterns I made I had no idea what it was or what it was used for, didn't really matter either. I still like patternmaking and make a few patterns every year, most for myself and other friend who have broken parts for their machine that are no longer avaviable. I miss the smell of a patternshop the most, it's just different and kinda pleasent, I quess you had to be there.

Sincerely,
Jeff Singleton:o :) :eek: :rolleyes: ;) :p

[Michael Ballent]

124" turning.... Now that is some extreme turning!!!!

[Matt Meiser]

124" turning.... Now that is some extreme turning!!!!

Walnut Burl spa anyone?