2016 POTD Thread Archive

Haven't done much machining lately but I was able to finish up a few projects that were started a while back. I needed some keys for the t-slot on the mill table so I can hang some of the often used tools. I'd got the machining done for the basic shape previously so I only needed to drill and tap the holes and cut to length. The cuts were made free hand on the vertical bandsaw. Now to make up some custom rods to hang tools with.

1/2 I nuts

Looks good, but two things:

Do you really want to clip in into your shirt pocket if the tip doesn't retract?

Maybe put a label like "Emergency Eye Removal Device" on it, just to let people know you are serious about machining. And safety.

Nicely made pocket clip

Seriously, very nice job. Can you show a pic of the parts disassembled to show how it works?

Thanks for all the compliments. Unfortunately it doesn't actually click like a pen but that just might be my next project, and a good reason to buy a tap and die set too.

Here's a photo of it next to the stock I turned it from, 3/8 brass rod stock and 1/8th drill rod hardened and tempered. Finished it up to 600 grit wet sand and loctite 603 to hold the tip in, which is just under an inch deep. The clip was a sacrifice from the drafting pencil in the photos.

Ohh and my current project is a small hammer about 8" long turned from 1" O-1 drill rod...which I hate turning so far (turned completely with carbide tips) I'll thread the shaft into the head of the hammer once I get that turned and some interchangeable heads made for it. Shaft of the hammer is hollowed out about halfway up to lighten it.

made me another prop you up stick....my back started hurting again...store ones just suck

Great work on the scribe Nick, nice idea for a first project. Now you have a quality tool to help lay out those future builds, keep up the nice work.

I just finished testing my new ball/radius turner. The turret is 5". I've still got some finishing work to do on it....get rid of those cap screws and put set screws in...polishing, and deburring...but that's about it. I might move that handle another 20 or 30 degrees counter-clockwise as it taps the chuck guard when you've got it to the far left, even with the work piece on decent length mandrel. Other than that, it works pretty good.

I've been busy since the semester ended After finishing the treadmill motor conversion for my drill press I:

made a li-ion battery for one of my drills, have a very strong dislike for NiCd. I intended to use the PCB that came out of another 12V li-ion pack, but I screwed it up trying to get it to fit the case. Oh well.


the doohickey in my hand is a voltage monitor which reads out total and individual cell voltages. I check it before use and periodically during, although drill use tends not to hit these packs too hard. Also use it to balance charge the cells, so they stay nice and healthy.


next up, upgraded one of my workshop lights. It uses a nice 12V Cree XM-L LED, but it was woefully underdriven with the driver I put in it originally, something like 0.3A (= 4W at most). Ordered a 10W (0.9A) driver from Banggood and one from Buyincoins, each for the princely sum of $3, and added the first one that arrived to this light. It's now much brighter The large CPU heatsink it's on gets reasonably toasty now too, compared to barely warm before, so it's doing its job



finally made a micrometer stop (courtesy of Middle.Road, thanks again!!) and DI holder for my lathe, so I can get some accurate length ways action going on. I need the DI one in particular for my next project. Absolutely loving my treadmill motor conversion!