"More work on the 1998 International project"

So we have gotten almost to the end of the 1998 International project. Since my last update we have managed to cut off about half of the rear part of the frame, fabricate legs with casters allowing us to roll it around.

We had our instructor order us two 8" heavy duty casters with brakes that would fit our 4" square tube legs. They did, after that it was just a matter of drilling 2 holes in the frame rail (thanks Jeff) we were able to bolt the legs on too the frame. It definitely rolls but not with out some pushing.





One of the other things I was able to do was to eliminate lots of loose sensor and other computer wiring off
 the engine3 and tidy up the wiring we need. While doing this I was able to attach ends that would allow us to probe different parts of the computer allowing us to see what is going on inside if need be.

After getting rid of the extra wiring I was able to find a good mounting spot for the pedal on the frame rail where the cab used to be mounted. I then began the task of finding and fabricating a panel to mount the key switch. After find an old piece of aluminum and drilling a couple of holes I was able to bolt it right on the side of the engine.

There is still more to be done but a lot less than there was a couple of weeks ago.

Week 6 "Making The Stone True" & "Sharpening Drill Bits"

So one of the many things I learned this quarter was how to true or dress a grinding wheel. It wasn't hard to learn or understand it was the simple fact that I had never actually seen a grinding wheel dressed or even tried to myself.

The tool I used to dress this grinding wheel is called a grinding wheel dresser/ dressing tool. Its a very messy job, there tends to be a lot of dust. However it does not take very long considering your wheel isn't to bad. if it is I would recommend a respirator.

 One of the reasons we were shown how to properly dress a grinding wheel, was so that we would have a even grinding surface for sharpening tools. Specifically a drill bit.

The drill bit I sharpened because I actually needed it for another project was a 13/32. it wasn't to dull when I began so all I really needed to do was crisp up the edges. I did not use a bit sharpening tool, I just used my hands. This went smooth and was very simple. However what I didn't know and had to look up was what angle in degrees the tip would need to have to perform properly. After watching one youtube video and checking a couple different web sites I found that it needed to be at 59 deg.

Even though this was a pretty simple and small task I now know how and feel comfortable at dressing a grinding wheel and if my drill bits dull in a matter of minutes I will have it sharpened correctly.