Joined: 27/11/2009(UTC) Posts: 1,218 Location: Middle of the US
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So I want to improve the running characteristics of several of my Marklin engines by installing ball bearings in the motor. I have read alot about this and have seen what others have recommended so I decided to buy a drill press. I picked one up at a reasonable price, actually my wife got it for me for Christmas and I opened it early about three weeks ago. So after getting the Drill Press I realized I needed a proper place to put it. Well I have a three car garage but didn't really have it set up with any permanent work benches. I decide the drill press needed a permanent work bench. That resulted in all kinds of shuffling of shelving which required the purchase of other items to mount tools on my walls, creating a new work bench area, and just about rearranging everything in my garage. After about three weeks and an additional investment of capital I am finally done with all the work and now just returning back to my trains.
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 3 users liked this useful post by Chris6382chris
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Joined: 31/12/2010(UTC) Posts: 3,998 Location: Paremata, Wellington
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Originally Posted by: Chris6382chris  So I want to improve the running characteristics of several of my Marklin engines by installing ball bearings in the motor. I have read alot about this and have seen what others have recommended so I decided to buy a drill press. I picked one up at a reasonable price, actually my wife got it for me for Christmas and I opened it early about three weeks ago. So after getting the Drill Press I realized I needed a proper place to put it. Well I have a three car garage but didn't really have it set up with any permanent work benches. I decide the drill press needed a permanent work bench. That resulted in all kinds of shuffling of shelving which required the purchase of other items to mount tools on my walls, creating a new work bench area, and just about rearranging everything in my garage. After about three weeks and an additional investment of capital I am finally done with all the work and now just returning back to my trains. Oh I'm afraid you are only just peeling back the first layer of the model railway onion. Have you set aside room for the milling machine and lathe? They will surely be next for once the modification bug hits, you are doomed, DOOMED!!!! Good luck. |
Cookee Wellington  |
 4 users liked this useful post by cookee_nz
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Joined: 15/03/2003(UTC) Posts: 9,593 Location: Australia
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He also needs the air-conditioned shed at the back with toilet shower and beverage fridge.. I agree - a mere 1 layer of the onion job we have here.. |
Adrian Australia flag by abFlags.com |
 4 users liked this useful post by xxup
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Joined: 22/01/2009(UTC) Posts: 14,875 Location: On 1965 Märklin Boulevard just around from Roco Square
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and than there are the winter months, carpet on the floor, insulation for the hot summer months, a comfortable chair to sit on it most probably a swivel bar chair with adjustable height movement. magnifying glasses could also help, couple signs: "no entry" only authorized personnel allowed beyond this point, extra power points, vacuum cleaner to get rid of all the accumulated dust, extra security measures, updating insurance policy, intercom for personal services such as lunch, cup of tea or coffee and all this, just for 2 ball bearings you are on the lower end of expenses, 34 years ago I had this mammoth idea to build a layout what suppose to be part of a theme park on our than 40 acre property. well it never got that far and since than I've been carrying this huge layout on my back from place to place until we found our current home but the garage wasn't large enough so my son offered to help me building an extension and also helped me greatly with the cost. we've spend about A$ 15.000.00 all up with endless purchases of screws but I've been lucky with some other materials such as timber (free), powder coated steel (2nd's but as new), second hand insulation (but as new) all the electrical wiring and tubing I've done myself and than got an electrician in to do the final connection with a proper approval certificate). the extension is 6m x 6m. I also had problems with the local council regarding the position of the new garage but it was passed when we pointed out there had been similar alterations done in the near vicinity. I can't argue about buying a drill press but I've been doing it for years now, just use a cordless drill with a centre drill bit, place the brush plate on a block of wood, screw a couple screws into the wood and secure the brush plate and slowly drill into the brush plate hole, the motor side of it again I just hold the chassis in the correct position and use the centre drill to drill slowly into the hole making sure you're always at a 90° angle., when you almost finished drill from the other side again aligning up the centre drill to a 90° angle. it needs some patience but I haven't failed yet. personally I wouldn't recommend my option as any wrong movement could finish up in disaster. e.g. the hole is not where it should be or the angle isn't right. John |
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 2 users liked this useful post by river6109
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Joined: 14/08/2016(UTC) Posts: 492 Location: Maryborough, Qld
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and for now how clean and tidy and organised does the garage look? Missus must be happy? She should let you buy more tools and stuff now, a lighted magnifying glass for the bench is a must. 
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 2 users liked this useful post by ShannonN
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Joined: 15/10/2006(UTC) Posts: 2,319 Location: Washington, Pacific Northwest
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Happens all the time.. my current situation is that the workbench in the garage project is on hold for the past 5 years as it is "good enough to get work done"... I've yet to finish the work table and its buried in various things that need to be organized, and I use one extension chord between the drill press and mitre saw... the "install the bench power strip" just never got done. It all got put on hold for....
Train room. I started to put together the helix kit I had acquired, then after one circle of assembly I realized once I get it built I will not be able to get it out of the room anymore, so that got set aside and the needed train room prep got done first. Lighting in the ceiling (out with the fluorescent fixtures and in with the track lighting), then painting the walls and ceiling (because one must paint before one replaces the worn out carpet).
That lead to finishing the game closet setup needing to complete (so I could get the vintage computer/game collection (atari, comodore, ti, intellivision, etc) off of the floor.
This made me realize there was wasted space in the top of that very tall closet, which lead to first opening a new hole in the wall to make a separate closet/cabinet above the closet - which conveniently allowed me to store my train gear up there this past year.
Then the other room's closet shelving install (to store the helix parts and photography stuff, boxes of tracks and other things to clear it off the floor) which is now done.
So... I should almost be ready to get back to wrap up some final shelf building on the game closet in the bottom part to then be able to order new carpeting.
Once that carpeting is in mid 2019 THEN I can get back to the train layout by installing the shelving rails on the wall and start testing out if my layout theory/plan can be implemented and work. |
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 3 users liked this useful post by Minok
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Joined: 03/06/2008(UTC) Posts: 1,252 Location: Sydney, NSW
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Take it easy . . . . or any other way you can get it !!!!
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 3 users liked this useful post by Drongo
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Joined: 02/08/2014(UTC) Posts: 784 Location: NEW JERSEY, USA
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Originally Posted by: Chris6382chris  So I want to improve the running characteristics of several of my Marklin engines by installing ball bearings in the motor. I have read alot about this and have seen what others have recommended so I decided to buy a drill press. I picked one up at a reasonable price, actually my wife got it for me for Christmas and I opened it early about three weeks ago. So after getting the Drill Press I realized I needed a proper place to put it. Well I have a three car garage but didn't really have it set up with any permanent work benches. I decide the drill press needed a permanent work bench. That resulted in all kinds of shuffling of shelving which required the purchase of other items to mount tools on my walls, creating a new work bench area, and just about rearranging everything in my garage. After about three weeks and an additional investment of capital I am finally done with all the work and now just returning back to my trains. 3 Car garage? No bench? I hope you're not parking cars in there! |
I love the smell of smoke fluid in the morning . |
 2 users liked this useful post by analogmike
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Joined: 19/01/2019(UTC) Posts: 37 Location: North Carolina, Locust
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Originally Posted by: ShannonN  and for now how clean and tidy and organised does the garage look? Missus must be happy? She should let you buy more tools and stuff now, a lighted magnifying glass for the bench is a must.  I like the magnifier you have pictured, I bought this one unsure of what I was getting. It is a GREAT value for the price, I have been very pleased with it.
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Joined: 19/01/2019(UTC) Posts: 37 Location: North Carolina, Locust
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To all my Model Railroad Modifying friends, as a retired senior machinist my recommendation for equipment to make modifications with is 1) A bench top MILL; 2) A bench top lathe (or for large budgets and room a Monarch EE engineering lathe. These are no longer made but a decent one can still run $5,000 to $10,000 with attachments included).
Build a REALLY STURDY WORK BENCH. Think of a granite block of stone for what you are working towards. Movement when machining is heading for DISASTER.
Think about how much modification you wish to perform and how much you can do. (Lessons at a tech. school for MANUAL MACHINING not CNC machining might be a good value, and save some parts).
Buy the BEST mill you can afford as this is the tool you will use most. To do precision work you will quality measuring tools. A caliper (I prefer the digital ones) and/or a 0-1" micrometer. You usually can pick up these items at a Pawn shop, stay away from the chinese brands. Another very useful tool is a small dial indicator the "Test Indicators" are best for locating or indicating in parts.
I hope this is of some use to those looking to modify or build parts. I'm happy to answer questions.
Woody
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 3 users liked this useful post by W3Machinist
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