Cutting internal splines with a shaper

cinematographer · Aug 31, 2018

Welp, I done bought the wrong steering wheel they said it was for my year tractor but surprise, surprise! It wasn't. Mine isnt keyed,instead it has splines. So I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how I might fixture a 18 in wheel on a small rotary table and then cut 36 teeny splines in a hole 7/8 inch in diameter with 7in Delta shaper.... I might just have to tig the old hub up on the new wheel but I never shrink from a challenge. Any thoughts?

Renardiere · Aug 31, 2018

With something as large as a steering wheel it might be easier to put splines in the hub using your mill as a vertical shaper/slotter and index it on a rotary table. It helps if you can lock your mill spindle tight.

john.k · Aug 31, 2018

The Ross type rolled spline....the hub is simply swaged ....you should be able to cut the little v shaped grooves easily.

thermite · Aug 31, 2018

cinematographer said:
I might just have to tig the old hub up on the new wheel

Sounds considerably less masturbatory, yes. Swapping for the PROPER wheel, even better,

How hard can this be? 1875 Steam traction rarity here? Or what?

Steering systems, end to end, being quite often "bought in" components from speciality makers to the trade, wheels generally needing to fit average human conformations.. ..etc... might be lots of choices.

I have a slotter AND a shaper. I'd not go near either one. Push came to shove, I'd bore it to fit and simply cross-bolt it first.

atex57 · Aug 31, 2018

Most old farm tractors used a tapered shaft with a Woodruff key or a tapered spline. Straight splines are rarish. Either way welding a new hub to the wheel is the easiest.

Ed.

calvin b · Aug 31, 2018

OP,
Here's how I would deal with your problem if you were a customer in my shop.. First.. just get the right steering wheel. No money for me but that's the 'right' thing to do. Second if option one was a 'no go'. I'd find a piece of stock that was amendable to welding and make a 'blank' ( part with the proper splines and a known OD ). Then I'd bore the present steering wheel to the blank OD. Insert and weld said blank and return to customer with healthy bill.
Hope this helps
Stay safe
Calvin B

johnoder · Aug 31, 2018

I'll assume there is an OLD wheel with the right hub

Adapt it to the new

cinematographer · Sep 1, 2018

Thank you all for the sound advice. I decided to just get the right steering wheel. There are many parts NOT availble for this tractor (55 IH 300u) that I will have to make anyway. No sense in ...wait for it
reiventing the wheel. :wrong:

.
Again thanks for contributing to my knowledge.

rogertoolmaker · Sep 3, 2018

Trying to use the shaper to cut internal spline with a shaper

cinematographer said:
Welp, I done bought the wrong steering wheel they said it was for my year tractor but surprise, surprise! It wasn't. Mine isnt keyed,instead it has splines. So I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how I might fixture a 18 in wheel on a small rotary table and then cut 36 teeny splines in a hole 7/8 inch in diameter with 7in Delta shaper.... I might just have to tig the old hub up on the new wheel but I never shrink from a challenge. Any thoughts?

Have you considered making a broach to cut the spline? My qut tells me this may be a real trick to have good results.
Roger

thermite · Sep 3, 2018

cinematographer said:
No sense in ...wait for it
reiventing the wheel..

Well.. that's actually the funny part....you wuddna' been "reinventing" anything save how to waste yer time.

Seriously doubt there's even ONE person here not "current" on that area of expertise.

So there's "prior art".

rogertoolmaker · Sep 3, 2018

rogertoolmaker said:
Have you considered making a broach to cut the spline? My qut tells me this may be a real trick to have good results.
Roger

If your broach only had two teeth you could index the broach. One tooth for a pilot tooth and one for cutting. Relieve the broach around the shaft to the minor diameter. Turn a minor diameter pilot on the front end to start the broach. The first pass with the broach cut two teeth on the part, then cut the cutting tooth back so the pilot tooth expends in front of the cutting tooth. Use oil when pressing the broach. Press into the hole a short way and file away the burr and repeat the process until the broached hole is finished. Make the broach from tool steel; O1 60-62 Rc.

I'm just an old retired toolmaker trying to help you. God Bless.
All the best,
Roger 09/03/2018

thermite · Sep 3, 2018

rogertoolmaker said:
I'm just an old retired toolmaker trying to help you.

LOL! I'm just the Old, Retired LAZY F****r who said "go and get a wheel that already FITS!"

Lazy... can be good...

john.k · Sep 4, 2018

The spline is standard Ross steering gear ..used on IH trucks and tractors ever since mc cormick met deering.

thermite · Sep 4, 2018

john.k said:
The spline is standard Ross steering gear ..used on IH trucks and tractors ever since mc cormick met deering.

Aye. BTW. In American English "International Harvester trucks and tractors". "McCormick-Deering" or any derivative, conflation, permutation, miscegenation, Fibonacci series or fast Fourier transform, proper or partial subset thereof - such as the 1949 "Farmall Cub" I learnt to drive on, standing up, looking through the steering wheel, not OVER it..1950, age 5, so G'Dad could pitchfork the hay I was too small to manage.. is spelled simply:

"cornbinder".

Saves time and space.

TomBoctou · Sep 5, 2018

rogertoolmaker said:
Have you considered making a broach to cut the spline? My qut tells me this may be a real trick to have good results.
Roger

I've kludged broaches for splined motorcycle shift and brake levers by cutting broach-like teeth into a spare shaft and giving it a crude hardening job. It's worked well enough to do a few holes in aluminium for parts that are clamped together.

magneticanomaly · Sep 6, 2018

18 splines for a farm-tractor steering wheel I would probably approximate with a hacksaw blade. Set hub with a hole a little above minor diam against end of shaft and tap to get an imprint, and start slotting with the hacksaw blade. Tap, remove, cut, replace and tap, remove, slot until it fits well enough.

Getting the right steering wheel works, too.

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