-
Welcome back Guest! Did you know you can mentor other members here at H-M? If not, please check out our Relaunch of Hobby Machinist Mentoring Program!
What do you make with your lathe and mill that's not tooling, a jig or fixture, but something that is useful to the average person?
- Thread starter ARC-170
- Start date
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2013
- Messages
- 4,406
Over the years, I've used my mini-mill several times to make soap dishes out of Corian offcuts. Here's a typical example.
The rest of the story: Making rectangular ones is easy on a manual mill. But the sinks in my latest house are all curvy. Curves are difficult on a manual. So part of my justification for buying a small CNC mill (DynaMyte DM2400) was to make curved soap dishes (another reason was just to learn CNC programming). I've not yet gotten there - still evaluating CAD and CAM software packages (looking for inexpensive, user friendly, powerful, etc. - but that's a whole 'nother thread).
The rest of the story: Making rectangular ones is easy on a manual mill. But the sinks in my latest house are all curvy. Curves are difficult on a manual. So part of my justification for buying a small CNC mill (DynaMyte DM2400) was to make curved soap dishes (another reason was just to learn CNC programming). I've not yet gotten there - still evaluating CAD and CAM software packages (looking for inexpensive, user friendly, powerful, etc. - but that's a whole 'nother thread).
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2013
- Messages
- 1,428
over my 76 years I have collected thousands(well--probably closer to millions) of items from things I have taken apart to see what is useful to keep, that can be put in my enormous collection of free supplies.--I almost always find items that I can definitely use in one of my projects(if they were just a bit different in size)----Well that is where the old standby lathe comes in the handiest!!!---it can make something that just needs a little slight adaption to be perfect for some project that you want to keep costs to nothing.----that's what my lathe is best used for and I'm sticking to it---Dave
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2018
- Messages
- 6,551
I mostly seem to make tools and fixtures... yep, tools and fixtures...
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2014
- Messages
- 3,590
Same here. But then my excuse is that I started out in Tool Design.
Spend an hour making up a drill jig to do (8) holes for the workbench legs. Total time to drill the holes - 10 minutes.
"Why keep it simple when you can make it complicated?"
Spend an hour making up a drill jig to do (8) holes for the workbench legs. Total time to drill the holes - 10 minutes.
"Why keep it simple when you can make it complicated?"
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2014
- Messages
- 11,144
I don't think I have ever made anything that would be useful to the average person. Some home household repairs, and we manufacture a product for truck campers. But for the most part my machines are to support product development and machine building.
Lathe and milling machine and all the wood stuff.........well I have made many parts for items that would not be running if a part was not made. Lots of various machinery. Like I fabbed up a mold for a babbit bearing pour to keep a very antique band saw going when I was just a young lad - that was cool....lots of parts for motor bikes, handles and knobs for regular day to day items....Mill to fix lathe and vice versa....making parts for wood working machinery - recently made the best fence for a mitre gauge -....crazy 0.0001 accuracy ninety degrees off the table saw......LOL
Fixed or repaired many neighbours items they would have thrown out.. (got some cash or beer) or sent parts all over for other to fix their machines
My wife recently told me to go and buy a fully loaded machinist tool box...."just do it...Happy Valentines day!" Like - OMG!!!!!
.......I built our house - like totally...excavation.... foundation - framing, siding, kitchen cabinets, plumbing , heating, electrical.... everything - took 2 years till we could move in and 15 years later there are still no knobs or handles or doors on some rooms ..hahahahahahaha ...but what gets installed is top notch and hopefully hand made.
no one should stifle the dream and ability to create !!
Fixed or repaired many neighbours items they would have thrown out.. (got some cash or beer) or sent parts all over for other to fix their machines
My wife recently told me to go and buy a fully loaded machinist tool box...."just do it...Happy Valentines day!" Like - OMG!!!!!
.......I built our house - like totally...excavation.... foundation - framing, siding, kitchen cabinets, plumbing , heating, electrical.... everything - took 2 years till we could move in and 15 years later there are still no knobs or handles or doors on some rooms ..hahahahahahaha ...but what gets installed is top notch and hopefully hand made.
no one should stifle the dream and ability to create !!
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2016
- Messages
- 602
I used my machines to fix a backflow prevention valve that failed inspection and was deemed "Beyond repair". I new one was something like $500 and the only problem with it was that the seats that seal the valve needed to be replaced. They have little ears on them that broke off (I assume when the inspector tried to replace them so he could pass the inspection) so they could not get them out. I said screw that, bought a maintenance kit (about $20), turned down a piece of aluminum to be a tight fit for the inside of the seat, super glued it to the seat and twisted it out. Easy peasy, took 10 minutes tops.
Well, then in order to install the new seat, the little wrench thing was over $200. Not gonna pay that for a little wrench thing. So I parted off the old seat, stuck it in the mill and cut openings for the little ears and boom, $200 wrench thing no longer needed.
It is now good as new and I only spent about 30 minutes and $20.
My dad also used my mill when he was installing hardwoods because he needed to make an odd cut that apparently would be very difficult with a saw (I don't recall what it was that he need to do), but he said it turned a very tough cut to very easy in about 5 minutes.
Also made a fan rod coupler to put together 2 fan rods and hang a fan from a 20 foot ceiling. Another project for my dad, but they did not have a long enough pole at the home depot and he couldn't find something that would work online. Made one on the lathe and it has been holding the fan up for a few years now.
Made a tool for a friend to help put something back together on a car he was restoring. That one was cool because he was only able to find an old picture of it in an old magazine. He measured it up and modeled the tool he needed and sent it to me, I was able to make at and get it to him within a week. As far as he can tell, he probably has one of only a few in the world.
I made a replacement key case for one of my superiors at work when the one for his sons car broke. It was one of the ones where you can get a new one cut for $8, but the dealer wants $300 to program the new chip. He could have ordered a replacement case and pulled the current key apart to relocate the chip, but I thought this would be a fun project.
I help another friend remove a broken bolt from his engine block. That one broke off at an angle so he was afraid to try to drill into it to remove it. I stuck it on my mill, used a small end mill to start a cut into it, switched to a drill to go a bit deeper, and extracted it with an extraction tool. His face when the broken bolt came out was priceless.
I have made a few other things that I am sure I am forgetting... One was a ring for my fiance (not the engagement ring though), titanium studs for my tuxedo, a few work things as well. I don't know if what we do (pharmaceutical research) counts as average person stuff, but I use a few things I have made almost every day.
Well, then in order to install the new seat, the little wrench thing was over $200. Not gonna pay that for a little wrench thing. So I parted off the old seat, stuck it in the mill and cut openings for the little ears and boom, $200 wrench thing no longer needed.
It is now good as new and I only spent about 30 minutes and $20.
My dad also used my mill when he was installing hardwoods because he needed to make an odd cut that apparently would be very difficult with a saw (I don't recall what it was that he need to do), but he said it turned a very tough cut to very easy in about 5 minutes.
Also made a fan rod coupler to put together 2 fan rods and hang a fan from a 20 foot ceiling. Another project for my dad, but they did not have a long enough pole at the home depot and he couldn't find something that would work online. Made one on the lathe and it has been holding the fan up for a few years now.
Made a tool for a friend to help put something back together on a car he was restoring. That one was cool because he was only able to find an old picture of it in an old magazine. He measured it up and modeled the tool he needed and sent it to me, I was able to make at and get it to him within a week. As far as he can tell, he probably has one of only a few in the world.
I made a replacement key case for one of my superiors at work when the one for his sons car broke. It was one of the ones where you can get a new one cut for $8, but the dealer wants $300 to program the new chip. He could have ordered a replacement case and pulled the current key apart to relocate the chip, but I thought this would be a fun project.
I help another friend remove a broken bolt from his engine block. That one broke off at an angle so he was afraid to try to drill into it to remove it. I stuck it on my mill, used a small end mill to start a cut into it, switched to a drill to go a bit deeper, and extracted it with an extraction tool. His face when the broken bolt came out was priceless.
I have made a few other things that I am sure I am forgetting... One was a ring for my fiance (not the engagement ring though), titanium studs for my tuxedo, a few work things as well. I don't know if what we do (pharmaceutical research) counts as average person stuff, but I use a few things I have made almost every day.
The below link has some interesting projects.
https://makeitfrommetal.com/13-practical-machining-projects-for-students-and-beginners/
There is also a site called projectsinmetal that is currently moving to another server that had some interesting project.
https://makeitfrommetal.com/13-practical-machining-projects-for-students-and-beginners/
There is also a site called projectsinmetal that is currently moving to another server that had some interesting project.