2015 POTD Thread Archive

For the first time in a year, I have crunchy little chips all over my shop floor. I replaced the ZX-25 mill/drill with a new RF-30. It doesn't come with any T-nuts to attach vises, etc., to the table. I finally got some of my stock back from the 'restoration company', including a piece of 1" x 3/4" bar stock - perfect size to fit the slots on the table.

I had already set up the arbor on the big mill with a matched pair of 4" x 3/4" cutters that Shawn had sent me. I cut a 6 1/4" piece off the bar stock and put it on the vise. One pass had the job done. I like big machines.



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Then, off to the RF-30 to drill and tap for six T-nuts.
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I got most of the cuts done, but the last one will take a different setup. Then, I just need to mill the ends smooth. It feels great to be using the shop again!
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Since other folks continue to show the jobs they've done right I figure I can continue with my misadventures in metal working.

I finished making the arbor for my horizontal mill and now needed some spacers for it. Being both cheap and a bit lazy I looked in the scrap pile for a piece of pipe that might fit the job. I had a piece that I'd found at the dump. It would just need to have the surface skimmed and the ID bored out about 1/16". Great!

The end I looked at had been hammered on so I flipped it over to cut off a piece from the other end on my bandsaw. It seemed to be cutting a little funny.

When I was done cutting the piece I looked at it. It was full of dirt and my saw blade missed hitting the pebble that was wedged in it by about 1/32".

Apparently the other end was hammered on because somebody had used it as a garden fence post.
 
Just a comment, Charles. The arbor spacers you need should be dead parallel on the faces. You will notice the factory spacers are ground. If they are not parallel, when you tighten the arbor nut, the arbor will bow. Not desirable at all.
 
If you have a surface grinder I would do the residual turning trick, where you rotate the part and take a pass rather than traverse the part, it looks pretty and ensures flatness and the faces will be more parallel
 
My project for the day is a volley collet for my knee mill. Made it to hold all my r8 collets and the various other tools I use in the mill.

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