Layout

Back in the old days, when I was learning to shoot in service rifle competition, I found out a very interesting factoid.  The human eye can line up circles concentrically with very good precision.  Very VERY good precision.  I was shooting a stone stock M1 Garand from the DCM (Department of Civilian Marksmanship).  She was service grade, and worked as advertised.  But she wasn't too good in my hands at hitting what I wanted to hit.  

I found out about that circle magic, and I thought, "walp, the bullseye is round, the peep sight is round.... I wonder if they make a round front sight?"  Enter the Alley Globe Front Sight.  I saved up some coin for that, and it made a big difference in my ability to hit "with two or five rounds...... load!!"

I don't remember what I paid for it.  $25.00 maybe?  

 

Layout on the Pantograph Parts

I don't have a lot of experience laying out on castings.  That being said, and the aforementioned "trick" of lining up circles, I thought using a drawing guide would be the way to layout the hole locations for the pivot points and adjustment locations on the pantograph.  Didn't work as I thought it would.  Reason??  The outside of the casting boss is not very visible through the drawing guide.  I double checked with the Lufkin radius gauges, to be sure I knew the diameter of the boss, but I'm not happy with the result.  Some of the other holes are referenced from the location of that hole, so it has to be accurate.  That's why I'm going to the trouble to center them on the boss.  Makes it look good, and work better.

What to do?  Did I hear 'use a washer!' from the back somewhere?  Yeah, I'm gonna use a washer.

The parts are in fine fettle and have been primed with bbq paint.  Good to a thousand degrees.  It's what I had at hand.  I haven't settled on a color for the finished project.  It'll probably be Ford Tractor Gray.  I can get that at Tractor Supply.  I may just settle on primer gray.  Not a worry at this point.

The original document (Model Engineer 2 Oct 1970) showed a sewing machine motor as the spindle drive.  I thought that would work okay, but then I saw this on a website.  It was a complete unit, even has the collets.  So, I'm going to see if it this will work.  This here's the link¹.

 Glenn Makes a Request

Over at the Thundermug, Glen asked me to mention what I got the other day.  Back in the dark ages, I did some archery in college.  I didn't excel at it.  But it was fun and I surprised myself at what I could do with a bow.  I found out I have left eye dominate and I'm right handed.... very right handed.  So I had to learn to shoot with my left hand.  It was crazy difficult.  I can't pick my own nose left handed.  But I learned to shoot arrows as a southpaw and it worked pretty well.  I need an excuse to get some outdoor exercise, and I figured why not give this a try.  I bought my own birthday present. 

I went cheap, but well recommended.

Chinese import, but had good reviews

carbon fiber and had excellent reviews

saw it on sale and it started this whole fiasco

68" left hand, takedown model, 35# pull, 31 inch arrows.  I figure I can get longer limbs if needed and also ramp up the power if I can learn to handle what I've got.  I need to find a curtain to hang behind the bag target.

 

Trails Plowed Under

It is really weird when a family fractures....

¹  Added link to spindle motor 11-18 @ 1308 CST.