123 1-2-3 blocks - Ask before you order!

[8ntsane]

Gentlemen
Is there a reason that you don't make your own? Ditto for angle plates, sine bars, parallels, vises, etc. After all you are hobby machinists and make things from metal for your own use.

Gene

Gene
The price of import 123 blocks would be the primary reason most wont bother to make these on their own. Same goes for most of the items you list. I would think , I would spend way more money making my own blocks. Some tooling most will buy the low buck stuff , and some times improve on them, other wil just use as is, and live with the faults. I guess with off shore tools being so cheap, one has to weigh up the cost and labour.

Then it some times boils down to hmmmm, buy the import for say 30 bucks, or run down and pick up material, and have allmost that invested before you push the go button on a machine. Then your time has to be worth something.

 

[jjtgrinder]

I think I was the one that mentioned the blocks from Micro-Mark. I called before I ordered and they checked both sets of blocks they had on hand and the cheaper set were clearance drilled. I ordered four sets and the were all clearance drilled.

I am assuming you ordered the cheaper set the same as I did and can only suggest that they have changed suppliers and now provide the same mystery blocks that everyone else has.

Arvid

*********************

I did not call them, I did order the cheaper ones. The web page leads you to believe that the blocks will bolt together.
I did call Micro-Mark and let them know that their web page is miss-leading (in my simple opinion).

Oh well, .......... live and learn.

Grinder

 

[jjtgrinder]

The blocks I have are 3/8 16 threads, the through holes wont let you pass the bolt through.
They should be a 3/8 through hole. (':shrugs:')

The set I bored the holes out to 3/8ths were harder than the gates of hell, or harder than the back of Super mans head. (':biggrin:')

If I wanted to drill them out, would I use a carbide mill or something else?

 

[arvidj]

If I wanted to drill them out, would I use a carbide mill or something else?

Sorta been there. Sorta done that. Have the destroyed HSS and carbide drill bits to prove it. IMHO the blocks were much too hard to allow easy modification.

 

[GarageGuy]

Gentlemen
Is there a reason that you don't make your own? Ditto for angle plates, sine bars, parallels, vises, etc. After all you are hobby machinists and make things from metal for your own use.

Gene

I would venture a guess that while many of us have mills and/or lathes, not many have surface grinders and heat treating ovens. Also, buying a block of tool steel costs much more than buying the whole tool already made. A sad state of affairs, I'll agree.

GG