# Toolpost tantrum



## DavidR8 (Jan 18, 2020)

Well not a tantrum but I wanted the alliteration 

So I rise early, the temperature has warmed up so I can work in my barely heated garage. I set up to measure the toolpost slot, the toolpost blank and all is good. 

I set out to cut to width using a hacksaw. 6,318 strokes later it’s cut to width. 

Next task is to mark the cutout to fit the ‘T’. One side all marked. 5,189 strokes later (new blade you see) and one side is cut. 

Next up, mark the other side. Measure, mark, carefully snug it in my vice and cut. 

Dang it! I cut the wrong side!!!

A short period of self-loathing occurs. 

Deep breath, how to rectify this?

Hello Mr MIG! 

So I lay down some molten metal, walk over to the grinder and carve away much of the fresh metal. 

Time to break out the files. File, file, file, sneaking up on a nice fit. 

Sigh. No pics but I’ll add some. 


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## RJSakowski (Jan 18, 2020)

One great thing about foundry work is you get to melt all your mistakes.   The rest of us have to suffer the embarrassment.  If I had a beer for all the times I marked or cut the wrong side, it wou;ld take me a week to sober up.


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## Dhal22 (Jan 18, 2020)

Simple really,  move south.   Wait,  this was a cold weather post or tool making post?  At least get a band saw.


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## brino (Jan 18, 2020)

David,
Something like that happens to me more than I want to admit.
The ONLY way it is really a loss is if you do the same again tomorrow.

Besides, as I am fond of saying..........."A bad day in the shop is still better than a good day at work!"

-brino


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## main_cogg (Jan 18, 2020)

Don't undertake vast projects with half vast ideas.
I try to keep that saying in mind, unfortunately sometimes it doesn't come to mind until after I screw up.


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## DavidR8 (Jan 18, 2020)

Dhal22 said:


> Simple really, move south. Wait, this was a cold weather post or tool making post? At least get a band saw.



A bandsaw is in the offing. 
In the meantime bicep building is my occupation!


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## brino (Jan 18, 2020)

DavidR8 said:


> In the meantime bicep building is my occupation!



David's trying to look more like this guy:





-brino


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## DavidR8 (Jan 18, 2020)

Hah! I never really looked at the logo before now. Indeed I am a suit and tie guy. Biceps indeed!


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## SLK001 (Jan 18, 2020)

I rough cut my holder blank with a 4½" angle grinder with a cut-off wheel, then finished on a 6x48" belt sander.


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## mikey (Jan 18, 2020)

DavidR8 said:


> ... I set out to cut to width using a hacksaw. 6,318 strokes later it’s cut to width.
> 
> Next task is to mark the cutout to fit the ‘T’. One side all marked. 5,189 strokes later (new blade you see) and one side is cut.



I am truly impressed that you counted. Now THAT is attention to detail!


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## DavidR8 (Jan 18, 2020)

mikey said:


> I am truly impressed that you counted. Now THAT is attention to detail!



If only I’d paid more attention to the part orientation in vise


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## Nutfarmer (Jan 18, 2020)

Welcome to the real world.All of us have done something similar one time or an other.


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## MontanaLon (Jan 18, 2020)

I decided a bandsaw was in order when I made the extra tool holders for my tool post. They were 1" x 3" steel and I cut the 5 pieces by hand with a hack saw. I didn't count strokes but each one took about 45 minutes and I went through 3 blades.

My second batch the band saw went through in less than 45 minutes total and I am still using the blade I used on them. 

I labored over the toolpost nut with a hacksaw as well but that was only 10mm thick or so. Turning it down to correct thickness went a lot faster than cutting it to width.


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## DavidR8 (Jan 18, 2020)

I’m in a chicken/egg situation; I have a 4-jaw but need the toolpost to machine it’s backing plate. 
I could use the lantern post but I don’t have any 1/4” HSS blanks nor does my local tool store. 
So it was sawing for me. 
In cruel irony I could have used my angle grinder to make the cuts, but I didn’t trust myself to make an accurate cut. 


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## brino (Jan 18, 2020)

Yeah, a bandsaw allows me to make mistakes like that much faster than with a hacksaw.
-brino


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## DavidR8 (Jan 18, 2020)

It’s jobs like this that have me looking at mills. 


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## Ulma Doctor (Jan 18, 2020)

i made all my mistakes long ago, 
so many mistakes that i ran out of mistakes and started borrowing other's mistakes for good measure! 

now, i make proactive reconciliation production adjustments, instead of mistakes


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## mmcmdl (Jan 18, 2020)

DavidR8 said:


> It’s jobs like this that have me looking at mills.



Dave . We are always here to help on this matter . We get to spend more of your money !!


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## mmcmdl (Jan 18, 2020)

Ulma Doctor said:


> now, i make proactive reconciliation production adjustments, instead of mistakes



I always figured that's why they invented ECNs !


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## mmcmdl (Jan 18, 2020)

Ooooh , Dave . What's our budget on the mill ?


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## DavidR8 (Jan 18, 2020)

I’ll have to see what the taxman says 


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## mmcmdl (Jan 18, 2020)

Ulma Doctor said:


> now, i make proactive reconciliation production adjustments, instead of mistakes



Always loved getting prints with 15 ECNs and 45 revision #s . Of course nothing was documented  My gawd , just make a new print !


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## mikey (Jan 18, 2020)

DavidR8 said:


> It’s jobs like this that have me looking at mills.



Manly-men have mills, Dave. A mill will make your man parts larger, women will swoon as you walk by and even your dog will come when you call. As Tom/@higgite would say, trust me ... it's science!


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## C-Bag (Jan 18, 2020)

Once you get a bandsaw you'll wonder why you didn't get it first. It won't mean you won't make mistakes but you won't feel so utterly defeated because you wouldn't have spent so much effort like with the hacksaw 

I've been using my vert bandsaw a lot today and mistakes are just an excuse to load something else on the auto feed sled and stand there in slack jawed wonder wondering why I didn't do this 40yrs ago.......almost as mesmerizing as the shaper.


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## ttabbal (Jan 18, 2020)

I really like the horizontal bandsaw. It's just a little HF unit but it works well.

I would like to call @mikey out. I bought a Bridgeport thinking that my man parts would grow 10 sizes. I only got two. I feel ripped off!


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## mmcmdl (Jan 18, 2020)

ttabbal said:


> I would like to call @mikey out. I bought a Bridgeport thinking that my man parts would grow 10 sizes. I only got two. I feel ripped off!



You got " short " changed for sure !


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## Janderso (Jan 18, 2020)

DavidR8 said:


> I’m in a chicken/egg situation; I have a 4-jaw but need the toolpost to machine it’s backing plate.
> I could use the lantern post but I don’t have any 1/4” HSS blanks nor does my local tool store.
> So it was sawing for me.
> In cruel irony I could have used my angle grinder to make the cuts, but I didn’t trust myself to make an accurate cut.
> ...


McMaster, overnight.hss blanks.
You are a human, we all make daily mistakes.


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## middle.road (Jan 18, 2020)

And I still have the CE cheapie from (5) years ago and it's still doing fine.
Of course YMMV, and you wouldn't want to do production output with it, but it sure does come in handy.
And I got the Bauer while they were still taking the 20% coupons.


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## mikey (Jan 18, 2020)

ttabbal said:


> I would like to call @mikey out. I bought a Bridgeport thinking that my man parts would grow 10 sizes. I only got two. I feel ripped off!



Hey, don't complain; at least you got two sizes. I have an Asian mill and that only got me 0.5 times. My little Sherline mill only got me 0.2 times. Besides, if you got any more you wouldn't be able to reach the crank to raise the knee so just be happy ...

You see, Dave? Bet you thought I was joking, eh?



mmcmdl said:


> You got " short " changed for sure !



Cracked me up!!


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## mmcmdl (Jan 18, 2020)

I WAS going to post that I'm living proof that your statement wasn't necessary accurate , but felt it may be TMI . 

Back to Dave , you should have mentioned you needed 1/4" bits 3 weeks ago , I would've thrown them into the box . I also have a back plate for your lathe if you would happen to screw that one up .


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## brino (Jan 18, 2020)

mikey said:


> I have an Asian mill and that only got me 0.5 times.



okay, wait.....do you mean 50% bigger(1.5x) or shrunk to half size?
Never mind, I don't wanna know!



mikey said:


> My little Sherline mill only got me 0.2 times.



.....and I'm not even doing the math on that.

I'll just say that my 11,000 pound Cincinnati mill is working great.............although at 104 years old it is acting its' age. 

-brino


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## middle.road (Jan 18, 2020)

brino said:


> okay, wait.....do you mean 50% bigger or shrunk to half size?
> Never mind, I don't wanna know!
> .....and I'm not even doing the math on that.
> 
> ...


When you hit 104 you'll be acting your age also...


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## MrWhoopee (Jan 18, 2020)

Cut, weld, repeat.
This is why metalworking is so much better than woodworking.


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## martik777 (Jan 18, 2020)

SLK001 said:


> I rough cut my holder blank with a 4½" angle grinder with a cut-off wheel, then finished on a 6x48" belt sander.


Even with a bandsaw I still use the angle grinder. Clamp the part in a workmate and use the grinder's guard as a guide along the flat top of the workmate


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## homebrewed (Jan 19, 2020)

Hehe.  Let's see.  I've got one vise hold-down that I milled the wrong side on, and the Y axis thrust washer mod for my mini mill has the mounting bolts sitting proud of the bearing block because I counter-sunk the wrong side.  The former is waiting for some other project (riiiight), and I decided the mounting bolts looked just fine sitting there on the surface of the block.  Kinda pretty....

Those are a few of the ones I'm willing to admit to.....

Most of the misteaks occurred when I came back to complete a project a few days/weeks later.  I meant mistakes.  Maybe.


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## DavidR8 (Jan 19, 2020)

Thanks all, I feel much less like a dufuss now 


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## RobertB (Jan 19, 2020)

brino said:


> mikey said:
> 
> 
> > Hey, don't complain; at least you got two sizes. I have an Asian mill and that only got me 0.5 times. My little Sherline mill only got me 0.2 times. Besides, if you got any more you wouldn't be able to reach the crank to raise the knee so just be happy ...
> ...



I think that means he has to sit down to pee now


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## MrWhoopee (Jan 19, 2020)

DavidR8 said:


> Well not a tantrum but I wanted the alliteration



Toolpost Trauma

Toolpost Tragedy

Toolpost Trials

Toolpost Tribulations

Toolpost Troubles


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## middle.road (Jan 19, 2020)

MrWhoopee said:


> Cut, weld, repeat.
> This is why metalworking is so much better than woodworking.


How so you figure it is better? (sez the guy who makes his collet storage racks out of oak...)
Cut, *glue*, repeat. Very similar. 
Granted, doesn't come out as nice as a good weld patch does...


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## MrWhoopee (Jan 19, 2020)

middle.road said:


> How so you figure it is better? (sez the guy who makes his collet storage racks out of oak...)
> Cut, *glue*, repeat. Very similar.
> Granted, doesn't come out as nice as a good weld patch does...



My woodwork had always been done with a machinists mentality. I made a collet rack for my extra 5c's from wood. Winter came, now I can't get them out. It took me over 30 years to learn how to build a wood gate that would open in the winter.


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## middle.road (Jan 19, 2020)

MrWhoopee said:


> My woodwork had always been done with a machinists mentality. I made a collet rack for my extra 5c's from wood. Winter came, now I can't get them out. It took me over 30 years to learn how to build a wood gate that would open in the winter.


Do you mean like possibly putting the block of wood on the plate and laying it out with a scribe?


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## SLK001 (Jan 19, 2020)

MrWhoopee said:


> My woodwork had always been done with a machinists mentality.



You mean like planing rough-sawn lumber to 0.750" with a digital caliper in your hand?  Like I do?


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## middle.road (Jan 19, 2020)

SLK001 said:


> You mean like planing rough-sawn lumber to 0.750" with a digital caliper in your hand?  Like I do?


Yep, but one of the $10 ones from HF - not your Mitutoyo I hope.


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## MrWhoopee (Jan 19, 2020)

SLK001 said:


> You mean like planing rough-sawn lumber to 0.750" with a digital caliper in your hand?  Like I do?



Close. I mean like when I was doing my upstairs with T&G pine and the radial arm saw was out in the detached garage, some boards required 3 trips to the saw.


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## middle.road (Jan 19, 2020)

MrWhoopee said:


> Close. I mean like when I was doing my upstairs with T&G pine and the radial arm saw was out in the detached garage, some boards required 3 trips to the saw.


yep, yep, that's always the way.
I moved my miter saw onto the back porch when we started on this 're-modelhab' because I got tired of hoofing it out to the shop.
It's been there now for going on (7) years. *GADS* - that's pretty sad now that I've typed it out...


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## WCraig (Jan 21, 2020)

SLK001 said:


> You mean like planing rough-sawn lumber to 0.750" with a digital caliper in your hand?  Like I do?


There are annual competitions to see who can make the thinnest shaving (full length, full width) with a hand plane.  They measure multiple spots and take the _thickest_ measurement.  I understand a winner achieved a 9 micron shaving in Japan (0.009 millimetres)!  That's 0.00035 inches.

Craig


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## higgite (Jan 21, 2020)

DavidR8 said:


> I’m in a chicken/egg situation; I have a 4-jaw but need the toolpost to machine it’s backing plate.
> I could use the lantern post but I don’t have any 1/4” HSS blanks nor does my local tool store.
> So it was sawing for me.
> In cruel irony I could have used my angle grinder to make the cuts, but I didn’t trust myself to make an accurate cut.
> ...


You obviously need a second lathe for such conundrums. Or better yet, another lathe AND at least one mill. You'll thank me later. You're welcome in advance.

Tom


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## DavidR8 (Jan 21, 2020)

A mill is definitely in my sights! 
Just trying to make space... too many toys and extraneous junk in my garage.


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## mmcmdl (Jan 21, 2020)

DavidR8 said:


> too many toys and extraneous junk in my garage.



I kinda know how that goes .


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## mikey (Jan 21, 2020)

Dave, there is a phenomenon called the Hobby Shop Equilibrium. Here's how it works:

Buy a mill and figure out the best place to put it in your shop. Move stuff out of that space and put the mill there. The stuff you can't dump will somehow find a new home (where you may never find it again) and the rest will go in the bin. The thing to note is that you do not wait on the mill until you have room; you buy the mill and everything else has to accommodate it. Eventually, things settle into a sort of equilibrium and you become happy! See?


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## Scruffy (Jan 22, 2020)

Their is no such thing as junk, just things that have ran out of repurposing options.
Ron


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## SLK001 (Jan 22, 2020)

Scruffy said:


> Their is no such thing as junk, just things that have ran out of repurposing options.
> Ron


I agree, but I would change that to, "things that have ran out of _current_ repurposing options."  They must be kept around, because you never know when their repurposing options will reset!


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## Latinrascalrg1 (Jan 22, 2020)

SLK001 said:


> I agree, but I would change that to, "things that have ran out of _current_ repurposing options."  They must be kept around, because you never know when their repurposing options will reset!


And its an ABSOLUTE GUARANTEE the day after you give it to someone else you will need it for That "special" project you saved it for all those years!


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## macardoso (Jan 22, 2020)

DavidR8 said:


> In the meantime bicep building is my occupation!



I've been doing the hacksaw gig for 10 years now. Never bucked up and bought a bandsaw!


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## SLK001 (Jan 22, 2020)

Latinrascalrg1 said:


> And its an ABSOLUTE GUARANTEE the day after you give it to someone else you will need it for That "special" project you saved it for all those years!



Or worse yet, the day after your significant other convinces you to throw it away.


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## middle.road (Jan 22, 2020)

SLK001 said:


> Or worse yet, the day after your significant other convinces you to throw it away.


She doesn't need to convince me, I do it all on my own and then kick myself for a month...


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## hman (Jan 22, 2020)

Scruffy said:


> Their is no such thing as junk, just things that have ran out of repurposing options.
> Ron


You need to re-post this one in the "Quotes and Sayings" thread.  It's definitely worthy!








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The last guy that touched this was having a bad day...  (Made g rated)   I cannot remember (answer to question) as I have eaten since then....




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