Well windlass, Post #2

The Construction period

In the well windlass assignment, we relied upon various methods of fastening and attaching. The method we commonly used was press fitting. Press fitting involves the insertion of a component into an almost congruently-shaped hole to ensure a tight fit and restricted movement. This method was helpful in attaching components of our windlass tightly together to increase strength and stability. We varied the dimensions of the holes to get a better sense of the deviation between the computer dimensions and the laser cut dimensions. In order to ensure the best tightness of the combination, we created a test piece.

Test piece:

The test piece was designed to have circular and rectangular holes of different dimensions so we could best determine the tightness of the fit with our uniform thickness of Delrin rod and sheet.

The uniform diameter of the Delrin rod was 6.33mm, or 0.249in. We then designed 7 different holes of different diameters, intending to determine what was a tight fit (desirable for bushings), and what was a looser fit that enabled slight freedom of movement (suited for the apertures in the uprights through which the central rod was passed). We adjusted the range of the diameters to go from slightly smaller than the exact diameter of the Delrin rod to something 0.02” larger.

The parallel component of our crank handle became our test piece for the rectangular holes. Using the uniform width of the Delrin sheet as a baseline (closer to .2 than 3/16 of an inch), we again varied the holes in the test piece, changing both the vertical and horizontal lengths.

At the bottom of our test piece were rectangular cutouts that left rectangular prongs like the tines of a fork behind. We experimented by varying the distance of the gaps in between the protrusions. This was to find the best fit for the lateral supports – the equivalent of those gaps needed to tightly clamp onto the upright frame components.

We found that the circular hole with a diameter of 0.238in provided a very tight fit, and decided to use it for the bushings. The 0.241 diameter hole was a looser fit that allowed the rod to easily turn, so we chose to use it as the hole dimension in the uprights.

With our test piece of sheet width 3/16”, we found two tight fits among the eight rectangular holes we tried. Horizontally, 0.19” provided a tight fit, as did 0.37” in the vertical direction (from the top view). We then decided to combine the two to get a dimension for the hole in the crank piece attached to the rod.

Also using the sheet width, we found that 0.1875” was the best fit to snugly encompass the test piece. We then used it as the notch width for our lateral supports.  

Using our measurements, we then created the components of our windlass.

Uprights

    

We printed two of these components. The hole is 0.241" in diameter. The rectangular formations at the base are for extra height. 

Disks

 

 
This extruded version of the disk shows the four outer holes in relation to the center hole. All are uniform in radius, at 0.119" for a tight and secure fit. We printed two of this element. 

Crank parts

 

 The crank part that directly attaches to the central rod features a hole of 0.119" in radius and a rectangular hole to fit the parallel crank handle. 

 The test piece and parallel crank component.

Lateral supports

  

We created four of these lateral supports to give further stability to the frame. The notches are designed to be 0.1875" wide.

Bushings

 

These bushings were designed to fit tightly upon the Delrin rod. The radius is 0.119" and we created five bushings.

We placed the bushings along the central rod on either side of both uprights, and one on the interior of the crank part to prevent the rod and the crank from slipping around. 

Our finished 1st iteration:

Side view

Front view