DCC kit 1 !!!!! WORK HAS NOW STARTED

calm down, calm down, no we haven't started machining yet !!!!!

just to say, the kit one folder was issued yesterday and the material order has been given the thumbs up and should be getting under way.

this is a bit of a turning point for STW, as we can now start work on our very first "real" STW product

to make sure this model (and the future of STW) all goes to plan we have completely overhauled the "paperwork" side of the production process and introduced a new system where the progress of every single part in the kit can be viewed in one single place. it's based on the old model-works system but some major changes have been made to iron out any shortfalls in the system.

also, with a team of just five working on the shop floor it's important that we change the way we work slightly to help stop any bottlenecks of work forming that gives us problems in the last week before dispatch. this will include changing the layout of the factory so that we can be working on manual tasks alongside the CNC machines as they rumble away for 5 or 10 minutes on each part. obviously it would be nice to get the factory move out of the way so our new plans can be put in place on a "clean sheet", as anyone who has visited the factory will realise that we are working in and around a lot of old model-works equipment.

so you can rest assured that we are all dedicated to making the future of STW a huge success.

another good bit of news is that Steve and Dean have given me the green light to spend "a little" more time on the production guides, as the feedback from them seems to be very positive. it's very easy to forget to stop and take photos when your busy but everyone at STW feels it's worth the effort

Craig

Hi Craig

There was some talk about having the option to get the front tyres vulcanised to the rim, I think someone was going to look into this and see how many were interseted to get a "bulk" price! do you have any feedback on this ?

Thanks

David

no information for you at the moment but I'll be sure to pester Dean about it next time i see him

All sounds very promising,

I love the production guides idea as we the kit builder can find ourselves feeling far removed from the manufacturing process waiting patiently at home for a box of bits to sort through each month..

The guides show us and anyone else interested in the production of the kits just what goes into making them and also what monstrous machines you require to do it....

I look forward to following the guides as the kits are built and look even more forward to building the engine it's self...

Nick

thank you nick.

i can assure you that every at STW does their best to make sure the kits go out on time and the quality is good but sometimes things that are out of our control can slow things down, these days it seems to be suppliers letting us down on delivery dates, i guess we need to order things well in advance from now on. it is important that we stick to the dispatch dates that we set, we really do realise that this is one of the key points of making a happy relationship between the company and it's customers.

but of course it's no good getting things out on time if they are not done properly and when little things do go out wrong we really are kicking ourselves in the factory.

the current situation with jobs in this country makes us all grateful that we have "interesting" jobs and it's just as important to the staff at STW to make the future successful

I'm glad you like the production guides, i have to admit I'm not a steam enthusiast but i do have my own "obsessions" and i can appreciate how these little teasers can be quite interesting

don't forget, i do take requests so if there is anything that you really want to see, just ask and i'll do my best

PS: any NEW customers may not realise that we try to give everyone the chance to visit the factory if they want to, so if you really do want a guided tour, get in touch.

Hi All,

We have a meeting the one of the guys from the rubber vulcanising company tomorrow afternoon. We should be able to give a better idea of price etc on the front wheels after that meeting.

Dean

Dean,

Are you going to add a section for Foden SWB builders to the forum soon??

Ian

Hi All,

A bit of news on the Vulcanising of the Front Wheels.

After a meeting with the vulcanising company yesterday we are able to offer the front wheels supplied with vulcanised tyres at a cost of £146.63 each. Due to the quantity we are likely to be ordering this is a reduction of 25% on the normal price of £195.50 each.

With the first kit due out soon we will need to know which customers would like to take up the option of vulcanised front wheels as a matter of urgency. I shall be writing to all the Road Loco and Showman's customers tomorrow giving them the option of staying with the standard stuck on front tyres or upgrading. Please let us know as soon as possible, one way or the other, which option you would prefer.

Thanks

Dean.

P.S. Hi Ian, I will add a section for all the new SWB/Artic Foden customers by the end of the week.

good news.... material has started arriving for kit 1 !!!!!

WORK HAS NOW STARTED ON THIS KIT !!!!

your kit 1 will contain two front wheel Assemblies....



the wheel rims arrived at the factory on Thursday....



along with the inner section....



welding was started straight away as we need to get these out for Vulcanising as soon as possible, we also need to get the rims and main hubs made as soon as possible so we can make sure the spokes are bent correctly...



and in these bags....



are the spokes, loads of them they are already laser cut to shape but we need to get them bent. due to the huge numbers involved we need to push on with this and it's now the main priority in the factory



more bags of material....



we now have everything in stock and the CNC lathes will soon be working flat out to get things done, with only relatively minor work needed on the milling section.

these will soon be hubs....



and these will be hub caps...



one part that's already done are the bronze bushes. There are two for each wheel and the inner one has been modified with the addition of a radius. I'm guessing this will allow for clearance on the Axel....



more updates will follow as and when things happen

PS: if anyone wants to copy and save these images feel free right click on an image for save options

Spot on with the photos...
Not envying you with all those spokes to bend but then again that's what we pay for..
Must come up and visit one of these days..
...

Nick

more photos for you

wheel rim on the CNC for drilling...



MMM, if only things were this easy



1st operation of the front hub inner cover on the lathes...



Craig

the main hubs are now on the lathe



they just need the excess material turning off and then we can start milling the slots for the spokes



we have also wielded and drilled enough rims for vulcanizing so they should be leaving the factory very soon

Any idea of rough dates when we are likely to take delivery of our first kit..

Nick

dean is absolutely determined that we get this out in December without fail.

the wheels need to come back from vulcanizing and the spokes will take time but i can see no reason why we can't get it done

Hi Dean,

Are you hoping to dispatch all the orders for this kit together or are you going to be sending out kits to those of us that opted not to have vulcanised tyres if they are ready sooner?

Regards Kev.

highpressure wrote:Hi Dean,

Are you hoping to dispatch all the orders for this kit together or are you going to be sending out kits to those of us that opted not to have vulcanised tyres if they are ready sooner?

Regards Kev.

hopefully everything has been timed to be ready at the same time, but if the vulcanising is delayed, knowing Dean any kits ready to go will be dispatched.

more work done on the kit

the hubs are now on their final turning operation so i can start milling them. Steve has made it absolutely clear that we make sure the rims, hubs and spokes fit perfectly before we carry on with any work so the main objective was to get one hub and a set of spokes done to test things out

(please note, the hub and inner hub cover seen in these photos are rejects from the turning operations due to the billets not cleaning up. slight saw marks can be seen on the faces of these and they are only being used to prove out the milling ops )

so here is the first hub, with the spoke slots milled in both ends....



and yes, the spokes fit. although these ones have not been countersunk...



once up and running the hubs will be milled in one operation. one end in one vice, and the second end in the other vice...



but it's very important that the spoke slots at each end are correctly orientated to one another, otherwise the whole thing just won't fit. How do we do this ????

well the pocket in the second vice has lugs machined at the bottom and these fit perfectly into the spoke slots in the first end and orientate everything....



a lot of time was taken to ensure these pockets are a perfect fit...



and now that we have a hub done we can drill the holes in the inner hub cover....



which fits perfectly on the hub...





so the rest of the batch could be done...



so now that we have the rims and a hub, Ian was sent off to bend up a set of spokes

and does it all fit ??? of course it does, perfect fit first time...



this pic was taken just before we left tonight (Friday), so it's back to work first thing Monday to get on with the rest of the hubs.

and we still have the outer cover and hub cap do do, plus a few thousand more spokes to bend

more photos for you...

working our way through the hubs, slowly but surely...



the outer hub covers are now being turned...



the three stages of hub-cap production...



oiler tube caps are all done....



and all the spokes are bent and countersunk, ready to go



more next week

Craig

OOOOH!! looks like we are going to enjoy an Xmas pressy this year. Cant wait to get my hands on this stuff, and its so nice to be able to see progress and get regular postings!! I even remebered that it was Friday today and you might well put up some progress pics. This really is an improvement for those of us that havent seen the factory and wonder just what does go on in a week!! Thanks

One question, Are the hub caps steel? and shouldnt they be brass if so? One less thing to polish I suppose but I was rather hoping they would be brass.

Kev.

yes, the hub-caps are brass.

the camera was set to macro setting with no flash as it brings out more detail, but it does tend to dull down the colours a bit

here's the same shot with flash, nice brass



should have more pics early next week, may even be at a stage where we can put a full set of finished parts together

Fridays are like ....(must get home and check the website)....
cheers Craig


Nick

more information for you (sorry, no photos. i will get some by the end of the week)

the vulcanized tyres are now back at STW and every part or operation needed to finish the kit has been "started", although we still have to work through the full batch.

so we do now have "complete sets of parts" and the control model will go together tomorrow.

the bar-feed lathe is working flat out to produce 1000's of half-nuts and it just a matter of loading the rest of the stuff and getting it done.

i will have photos for you towards the end of the week

Does that mean you may have a possible idea of a despatch date for this kit?

Kev.

"unofficially".... early next week

That's "unofficially" very exciting....