2014 POTD Thread Archive

Steve, that model machine sugar mill is so cool I could just watch it for hours, it just has a rythem to it that pleases me.
 
I love the sound of a long-stroke engine. There's an old sternwheeler south of here. I might just have to go and research it and build that engine. It probably has an 8 or 10 foot stroke.
 
I built a simple sheet metal press brake with left over 1/4" x 3" scrap L i had lying around. The assembly is "portable" and breaks down if needed into pieces.
The brake assembly weighs about 60 Lbs. I have not yet made a stand for it ( hence the temp 2" L iron clamped on the far right to prevent the unit from
tipping over when in use, acting as a leg )

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the finished assembly, throat capacity is 4' 3 7/8" .

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a sample piece run through the brake, the Pittsburg seam on top was made with the folding tool after the 1st 90, since my incoming table is 3" wide and
too deep for the 2nd 90 needed, though I did use it to flatten the joint a little.

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detail of hinge pin. brake spring loaded holder set up. Pin is aluminum round stock I had lying around, machined down to 5/8" to fit ID of 1/2 galvanized rigid pipe cut
to make the hinge pins. 5/8" threaded rod serve as the brake guide along with springs to push the brake clear of the table when the nuts are loosened up. Notches in
the L metal were cut with a saber saw and then ground to fit with my grinder. Brake 90 edges was ground back a bit for making the corners sharper.


-Al

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I like it. Cheap, simple, and it works.
 
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I got the legs temporarily fixed on my sandblaster cabinet, so as I could see how the sand hopper will fit and get the height right. The legs will be cross braced once I am happy. They will need to come off again for more work on the cabinet itself.
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Cheers Phil

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Tried out my new rotary table (Vertex 200mm) for a 1st job
Couldn't do it any other way

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I build a lot of electric guitars and I made myself a pair of locking studs for a Les Paul wraparound bridge. No photos at the moment, but it was my first project since moving cross country, so it was good to actually get the little lathe and mill out and doing stuff. These were the first real useful items I have made since getting my machines almost a year ago (I'm primarily a woodworker, with a little machining on the side).
 
I am working on a new project. This will be an industrial dispensing system for a customer when I'm done with it.

I built the table yesterday, and assembled the router kit this morning.

It was cheaper to buy a 2x4 router kit than to build the XYZ table my self. Next is designing the screw feeder system to fit in place of the router. The feeder will also be driven by a stepper motor, so I guess this will be a 4 axis machine when I'm done with it. I'll do all of the positioning using standard G-Code. The kit came with a 4 axis control, designed for use with Mach3. I may try Mach3 to see how it works, but my experience with it has not been that positive.

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I'll post more as the project progresses, at least showing the non-proprietary stuff.
 
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