Spline cutting

Howard

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Does anyone know someone who can cut a Vincent sized kickstart spline (preferably within striking distance of Stoke).

Mine's been with a machine shop for nearly 2 months, just got it back because they can't find the time to do it - or at least that's what they tell me.:mad:

H
 

stumpy lord

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Non-VOC Member
Hi,
contact me by P.M. and i will put you in contact with a member who has a broach for twin kick start levers.
stumpy lord
 

Howard

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Hi,
contact me by P.M. and i will put you in contact with a member who has a broach for twin kick start levers.
stumpy lord


Thanks Norman,

Your contact can repair existing splines, but not cut new ones - I didn't mention I'm trying to fit a non Vincent kickstart.

So I'm still looking .............. otherwise it'll be a file job :)

H
 

davidd

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VOC Member
It is the same as the Burman KS, is it not? That may increase your options.


David
 
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Howard

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VOC Member
It is the same as the Burman KS, is it not? That may increase your options.


David

Yes, I think it is the same as Burman, maybe other bike clubs have access to a broach. I've had an option suggested of re-splining the shaft to fit the crank, I'm a bit hesitant because I like to keep as many Vin bits as standard as I can, and that option means I can't use the bike while the work's being done. On past form that could be 2 months, and I may miss Summer - apparently Summer will be between 1 and 2 pm on the 15th June. :)

H
 

Monkeypants

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Non-VOC Member
The Honda spline is enough smaller that the hole can be drilled to give a smooth surface, the old spline teeth disappear(Barely). The Vincent spline has forty teeth, which is convenient because my milling machine dividing head is a 40 to one ratio, which many are. I mounted the kick knuckle in the dividing head with chuck facing up, spent some time getting things concentric, then mounted a tool steel lathe bit in the milling machine head. The lathe bit first had the appropriate grind for the spline angle ground into it.

Then it was a case of slowly scraping my way around the circumference of the hole. I used the power rise and fall of the table to make the cut. The lathe bit remained stationary. The procedure was ,make a cut, turn the dividing head crank one turn, make the next cut. From memory, the splines are only about .015 deep and .005 per pass seemed a reasonable cut, so three times around did it.
 
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Howard

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VOC Member
Thanks Glen,

The big problem is I don't have access to the machinery anymore, and this sort of job isn't the type of work that machineshops want. I'll look round for a small jobbing workshop (or someone who'll let me use the machinery - I can operate a miller if I can find one with a dividing head). Fortunately I'm using a borrowed one, so I'm not losing riding time.

H
 

Monkeypants

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Non-VOC Member
I can see why the shops dont want it, when finished it looks as though nothing has been done, yet quite a lot of time has been invested.

If you can fin a hobbyist with even a small old timer mill with dividing head, that will be the ticket. I recall that I spent the evening in the shop doing the respline, tho it could have been one of those shop evenings that starts at 5:30 and runs till midnight.:D
 

Monkeypants

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Non-VOC Member
Howard, one other method for cutting the spline comes to mind. One could use a lathe to do the job, provided the lathe has a four jaw chuck available. If the knuckle is set up in the four jaw then a tool bit mounted in the regular tool post can be manually wound in and out using the carriage handwheel to make the cuts.
A divider plate can be mouted to the outboard end of the spindle.
Glen
 
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Howard

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VOC Member
Glen, thanks for the input, it's much appreciated, but I've taken the easy way out, I've been contacted by someone who can wire erode it. Safest to give it to someone who knows what they're doing, the year I've had, I'm likely to cut 39 teeth instead of 40. :)

H
 
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