07/25/00<BR><BR><BR>

This day contains the making of the crown escape wheel escapement parts.  The crown wheel is made from 1.5" free-cutting brass tubing with a 1/16" wall .  The tubing has a groove cut into the bottom of it into which fits a disk cut from 1/16" brass.  The whole is soldered together with soft solder.  For machining, truing, and polishing the crown wheel is press-fit into a recess ("box") cut into a piece of wood mounted on the faceplate of the Unimat lathe.<BR><BR>

The bases of the crown and contrate wheels are trued on an arbor between centers in the lathe.<BR><BR>

The contrate wheel which drives the crown wheel is made in similar fashion, except that it's made from 2" brass tubing.<BR><BR>

The pallets are made from 5/64" high-carbon tool steel. (Gauge plate).  The shape of the pallets is cut using a Deltacad template.  The ends of the pallets are shaped to a 45-degree angle by mounting them on the edge of a block of wood which is cut at 45 degrees.  The pallets are .045" thick, just right for an escape wheel with a 0.1" tooth pitch.<BR><BR>

The making of the pallets is not accompanied by any pictures, because it antedates the acquisition of a digital camera!  (Perhaps I can do photos of this process at a later date).<BR><BR>


Today's links:<BR><BR>


<A href = "P725_crown.jpg" target = "right">Crown escape wheel.</a><br>
<A href = "P725_crown_truing.jpg" target = "right">Truing the crown wheel.</a><br>
<A href = "P725_cutting_contrate_groove.jpg" target = "right">Cutting the groove in the back of the crown wheel.</a><br>
<A href = "P725_pallets.jpg" target = "right">Pallets.</a><br>
<A href = "P725_truing_contrate_base.jpg" target = "right">Truing the contrate base.</a><br>
<A href = "P725_truing_contrate_blank.jpg" target = "right">Truing the contrate base blank.</a><br>