2014 POTD Thread Archive

[mattthemuppet2]

chips are chips, congrats!

Here's my latest odyssey - what with a new job, a mountain of pears and grapes to process and not very efficient machines, this has taken me a while.

Aim of the project was to make a robust clamp for my commuter bike to mount the front mudguard to. Not that I've needed it much in Walla Walla so far, but I guess it'll rain at some point over the next year. You might be wondering why I need to make such a clamp, well that's because it has a front suspension fork that doesn't have any way of mounting stuff to it at the top and I can't drill a hole through it as that'll make a bit hole in the air spring

The original half baked effort that sort of worked


the new split clamp, with three IDs to fit the bottom of the slider. Damn Cannondale didn't make it round either, so the smallest ID is elliptical of sorts (25 thou each way off center in the 4 jaw for the bolt sides).


The undrilled flat is just in case I get a dynamo light at some point.
Now the bit that the mudguard will clamp to


Trying out slotting which was an interesting learning experience. Somewhat scary running a 1/8 endmill in the drill press/ mill at ~3000rpm, but it cut relatively nicely.
All together


and on the bike


I have another small bracket to make (much simpler) and then I'll try my hand at anodising them all before I put them on the bike.

 

[savarin]

Got to use my ball turner.
three brass balls, 6 stainless bolt heads rounded off, 3 stainless bolts with concave heads.
These are for the feet of a telescope tripod/pier so a little adjustment brings the pier perfectly vertical.


Its incredibly stable as is but I will be adding three guy wires which should remove even the slight flex in the tube.

 

[kd4gij]

Looks good. So what's going on the tripod?

 

[SE18]

I haven't posted for a while so just to show what I'm up to, I built an incline railway and waterwheel setup. The underside of incline railway is bedframe rails and so is the sluiceway leading to the waterwheel. I used my WWII era marquette stick welder to weld the bedframe up; the trash people took the rest of the bed boxspring and matress, although I guess the bedsprings could have been used for something!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1nnrm-D1lE&list=UU20SgxuthVi6uIbuGCGKMsw

 

[Mark_f]

I been working on an indexer, since I have needed one at least three times in the last 3 months, it is time to build one. these pictures are of the progress so far. it will be done soon. I could have bought one for a few hundred dollars, but this one has cost nothing but my time.

Mark

 

[David Kirtley]

I been working on an indexer, since I have needed one at least three times in the last 3 months, it is time to build one. these pictures are of the progress so far. it will be done soon. I could have bought one for a few hundred dollars, but this one has cost nothing but my time.

Beautiful work.

Don't you know it is mean to tease people? What's it look like inside? From plans or your own design?

 

[savarin]

Looks good. So what's going on the tripod?

An 83mm f15 refractor. The top aluminium cap is the azimuth bearing using a pair of trailer taper rollers that the cradle for the scope will bolt to.
Pre-loading the bearings gives just the right amount of friction/resistance for rotating.
The lens's for the scope are a matched pair of Jaegers producing an air spaced achromatic primary.
Its either the taper turning attachment or the scope cradle next in line then the telescope tube then the focuser unit. Still heaps to do.

 

[Mark_f]

I have a couple working drawings but no full set of plans. I am kind of building this as I go and it changes regularly as I get a better idea. I am drilling the index plates now and that will take a couple days, but am also considering a vernier setup like the 5C spin indexers have to give me "infinite" indexing possibilities.
There really is nothing inside. The steel spindle accepts 3C collets and goes straight through the aluminum body. A lock screw pinches the .002" clearance on the spindle and locks it in position. The 1/2" bolt in the rear locks the tilt feature and there is another tilt lock screw on the front. didn't need it but I tend to over-engineer sometimes. The body and base are aircraft quality aluminum (only because I had it ) and It should handle anything I will do. The spindle and index plates and indexing parts are all steel. The total swing is 6".

The plans for all my projects are available to anyone that wants them. If you want to build any of the projects I made, I will help anyway I can. Just PM me and ask. Many of my projects are my own designs or my twist on a design I found. The indexer is my design.

Mark

Beautiful work.

Don't you know it is mean to tease people? What's it look like inside? From plans or your own design?

 

[rmack898]

Nice work Mark.

 

[zmotorsports]

Got to use my ball turner.
three brass balls, 6 stainless bolt heads rounded off, 3 stainless bolts with concave heads.
These are for the feet of a telescope tripod/pier so a little adjustment brings the pier perfectly vertical.
View attachment 83630
View attachment 83631
Its incredibly stable as is but I will be adding three guy wires which should remove even the slight flex in the tube.

Very nice job. Looks great.

- - - Updated - - -

I been working on an indexer, since I have needed one at least three times in the last 3 months, it is time to build one. these pictures are of the progress so far. it will be done soon. I could have bought one for a few hundred dollars, but this one has cost nothing but my time.

Mark

Nice job Mark. That looks great.