Jerry Feather

Last night it occurred to me that I may be put off a bit with these Pawls since I don't think I can actually put the correct drill bit into my mill with the collets I have for the mill. The hole in the pawl needs to be about .207 to .210 in diameter, or just under 7/32. However I think my R8 collets for the mill may jump from 3/16 to 1/4. In the past I have found that I can't actually put an oversized bit into any given collet, but I can usually capture an undersized one in the next larger size collet. In this case however I think the bit I'm going to use is probably too small to even be captured by the 1/4 inch collet. I'm going to use a number size bit as close to .208 as I can get and that is over a millimeter smaller than a quarter inch, so, if I don't have a 7/32 inch R8 collet I'm going to have to order one.

On the up side, however, I think the smaller mill cutters to complete the back of these pawls should be here today or tomorrow, so I can get that step completed and then have only the spring holes to do when I get the correct tooling.

On the other hand, I'm now not completely sure that I don't already have the 7/32" collet. I never use it if I do, but I'll go out and check shortly.

Jerry Feather

Well, so much for that brain fort. I found that I actually have a 7/32 inch collet and it even had a drill bit in it, but I have no idea what I might have done with that or how long in the past it might have been. I also looked through my number drill bits and find that the closest one is .209, so I guess that is the one I'll be using for the spring holes. More progress shortly. Now I have to go work at the office.

Jerry Feather

Now I'm set up to drill the hole in the back of these Pawls. I have about 60 or 70 of them done and will take a couple of hours to get the rest of them done. I should have that finished by sometime Saturday and then I hope the mill cutters are here by then so I can set up and work on the last step on these. That is at least before some final hand finishing with small files and emery cloth.

skpyle

You're doing a helluva job on these pawls, Jerry!
Thanks for all your hard work.


Seth K. Pyle

jpitman2

Surely the spring hole is 5mm, or .196" ?

jp 83 Euro S AT 57k

Jerry Feather

What does the hole in the back of the plastic pawl you were replicating measure, JP?

jpitman2

Apologies, Jerry is right again. The springs I have are 5.05 OD at least, and one of my pawl's hole is 5.35 as close as I can get. A pawl I made has a hole at 5.4mm , which is probably a worn 5.5mm drill result.

I can only plead CRS - Cant remember ****. Its been a while since I touched my stuff here.

jp 83 Euro S AT 57k

Jerry Feather

I think there is some difference in the springs. One of them that I have been working with is .200 and the other one, out in the shop so I can't check right now, I think was more like .203. I'm talking inches and JP is talking mm. The hole in both of the plastic pawls I have glued back together to work with are .210. That is about exactly the same as JP's 5.35mm. I was hoping for a number bit a bit smaller for my holes, something like .207, but that is in between the closest number drill bits, so I went with .209 since I thought with spring variation .205 might be too tight is some situations. Thanks, JP, for your input in any case; it helps to keep me on my toes.

We had company yesterday when I got home from work, so I didn't get to spend any time in the shop. I expect to get back to these later this morning. The new mill bits for the back of the top slot came in yesterday's mail so that will help.

Jerry Feather

Now I have about 200 or so of the pawls with the spring hole drilled in the back and have about 40 or 50 to go. Then, at a stopping point I decided to use my compressed air and blow some of the chips away from the mill vise and forgot that I had left the little pawl spring laying in a nice nitch on the vise, so it got blown to oblivion on the floor with the accumulation of metal and plastic chips that I have been building for a while, a long while. I guess I'll have to sweep them up and go through them carefully to find the spring since I don't want to loose it. I did measure it though and it is .204 in diameter. I'm going back out shortly and work on both projects.

Randy V

Can anybody send Jerry a spring so he doesn't have to do the needle in a haystack thing?

Jerry Feather

Thanks Randy. I haven't started that task yet, but I did finish the spring holes in all of them and then set up for the last step--milling the back top post off straight and to the correct thickness. I finished two of them and brought them in to try in one of the locks and the inner part of the cap. They fit well and pull back against the spring just fine, but they ratchet very stiffly. I am wondering if I should make the spring hole a bit deeper to lower the spring pressure or hope that they will work just fine with a little lubrication, which I don't have in there right now. I'm testing them dry. Otherwise I think the fit and finish are just right.

A couple of pictures.

Randy V

I would hesitate to re-engineer it.

Perhaps maybe just do one or two to test your theory.

jpitman2

My springs are 0.2" OD, 0.7" free length, 0.43" coil bound in a vice.
Hole depth in one of my metal pawls is 0.5"; an original nylon is 0.435" deep, which may explain the higher temsion. Depth measured to centre of cone from drill tip, not edge.

I made a couple with the top cut out such that a spring was not necessary to engage the teeth when unlocked - the die cast lock body needed to be in good condition for this to work. Downside is that it wont ratchet on tightening.
jp 83 Euro S AT 57k

Jerry Feather

With the spring in an original plastic pawl the amount to spring exposed is right at .230. I tried to drill my spring holes so that there is about .220 to .230 spring exposed, but the ratcheting is pretty tight/hard. I think I'll take Randy's suggestion and, after I finish the back of the top slot, since I have the mill set up for that, I'll set it up again for the spring hole and drill a couple pawls so there is only .180 of spring exposed and see how they ratchet. In the meantime I'll also try them the way they are with some grease in them.

I went thru about half of the shavings and stuff and did not find the spring, yet, but I did find the broken off tips of two of the three very small carbide taper end mill bits that I had lost in doing my failed batch of pawls. They broke off in the mill but there is still enough of the bit shank to be able to catch them in the mill collet and keep using them. I'm not sure what I might use them for since they are the 20 degree taper ones and for the current pawls I have gone to a 30 degree taper mill bit for the groove between the two teeth.

Jerry Feather

Thanks for the suggestion, Randy. I found the spring near the bottom of the box of chips I had swept up and was sifting thru.

Now I am forming and finishing some Spare Tire Covers, and doing the final mill cut on the back of the top notch on some pawls while each Cover is cooling after forming. I have about 80 pawls with the final cut done; although I am pretty sure I am going to redrill the spring hole in most or all of them.

Right now I am going to watch some football and finish fixing dinner for my little granddaughter and her parents who are coming over in a while.