A Bit Of A Tool Gloat (and A Question)

[wa5cab]

OK.





The nameplate says FLOOR but it's actually a BENCH model. The depth stop itself was made from a length of 1/2"-20 UNF all-thread. About 1/3 of it's diameter was machined away down to just into the hole on the tab sticking out to the right as you stand facing the DP It is screwed into the piece of 1/2" plate below the tab, which clamps around the quill. A scale a little longer than the stroke capability is attached to the flat with two drive screws. The head of the 1/4" clamp bolt is visible in the second photo just below the retract spring assembly. The quick-change stop visible at the top was bought separately.

 

[Charles Spencer]

Robert, thanks for the pictures. I ended up going with a piece of threaded rod and some nuts to set it. I had thought about milling one side and stamping it. But I decided that I would either measure or eyeball it when I set it. I got the approximate length of the rod to use by looking at your picture.


I couldn't figure out where to post pictures of the vise I bought today so I decided to just tack it on to this thread. Frankly, it's not nearly as big a gloat as the other two.

I got this 6" vise for $50:



All I could find out about it was this Practical Machinist post from 2004:

"L-W Chuck went out of business in the early 90's. At the end it was one guy in the shop and a crazy old buzzard -the owner - in the office. I called on them a couple of times. Word I got was that the owner packed his stuff one night, threw it into his 280Z and ran for Florida. I went to the auction...what a load of junk they had. Newest machine in the shop was a non-running MAHO that they couldn't afford to fix.

There was a guy named Dick Harris that had been their financial guy who decided to go into the vise business and compete with them in the late 70's. Owner of the shop I was at then was a buddy of Dick's. I wound up building a few fixtures for the Harris vise. Dick wound up going big-time with a lot of CNC equipment, and ended up going broke. Haven't heard of him for years. I don't think I've ever seen a Harris vise at any of the auctions I have gone to.

How's THAT for background?"

(Pretty good, I thought).

And I got this Starrett tachometer in the box for $10:



And a Starrett protractor head for $10 also.

Nice young guy to deal with too. When I got there he was wearing a South Bend t-shirt. He had an SB 9A and a South bend shaper. I was also acquainted with the place he worked at. We had a nice conversation.

So, I had a good day.

 

[wa5cab]

That looks like a decent enough vise. Quite similar to the one that Atlas sold for the mill.

You can always come back later and machine the flat on the all-thread. I just remembered that I bought the quick release depth stop nut from Enco. When I bought the machine new, it came with two jam nuts on the all-thread. Quite slow to adjust. And quite aggravating when you set them for a job and then the next hole you drill, you discover that where they are set is just THAT MUCH too shallow to complete the hole.

 

[TakeDeadAim]

Great find on the mics, and the drill press. Micrometers are a great piece of history and I would suspect they are repaired with wood handles when, as stated above, the rubber deteriorated.