2020 POTD Thread Archive

[BGHansen]

POTD was yet more Tormach enclosure work. More than a day's work; got some end panels in place.

My original plan was to make the panels out of 1/4" thick UHMW Polyethylene. It's about $60 a sheet at Menards, so not too pricey. However, holy crap did it weigh something (I'm guessing 40 lbs.)! Problem was the panels would lift out of the way, so weight was a consideration. So, change in plans to something lighter. The meat of the panels aren't structural, so went with some 0.090" white plastic sheeting from Menards and framed them with suspended ceiling tile track. The panels would go from around 25 lbs. to under 5 lbs.

Started with the guides which were made from 1 1/4" thick UHMW polyethylene (what I had on hand). First made a mock-up from wood.


Prototyped the panel guides with a chunk of 2x4. Used a 3/4" ball end mill to cut a dado of sorts for fitting to the tubing.


Flipped and cut a dado for the panel itself.


Prototype set in place. Plan was to screw the guide to the vertical tubing with the lift-panels running in the dado.


Set up on the Tormach for machining the polyethylene. The guides are 24" long, Tormach's travel about 17" so needed to do it in two passes.



Lots of chips everywhere, sure gonna like having a finished enclosure!


Drilled and countersunk holes for self-drilling screws for attaching to the enclosure vertical tubing.





Didn't take any pictures of it, but made the end panels from plastic sheeting from Menards ($25 for a 4' x 8' sheet about 0.090" thick). The panels are framed with edge track and runners for a suspended ceiling; pop riveted in place. Jury is still out if I'll put windows in or not, which means I probably will. . . .


LH side panel in place. Going to adjust the height as I'm 6' and miscalculated my ceiling clearance a little.



Need to come up with a catch for the door at the open position.


RH side panel, gives a 6' 3" "duck under".



Polyethylene guide screwed to the vertical tubing. Side panels slide in the dado.



Still lots more work to do. Need to make some close-out panels for the areas above the end panels and front doors so all of the coolant is managed back into the chip pan. Also need to make a back and top for the enclosure and mount the Mistaway coolant air filter. Also, probably the windows on the end panels (have 1/4" polycarbonate panels from the original owners enclosure).

Thanks for looking, Bruce

 

[DLF]

Ordered a custom chip tray for the mill: 70x60x2cm, 0.6mm thick folded sheet metal construction.

In the back corner I brazed an 1” hose nipple for oil drainage.

I started painting the tray. Primer is applied on the bottom side using a foam roller.

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[Winegrower]

I bought one of those amazingly cheap misters and a gallon of Koolmist. I mounted it to the mill in what has been a pretty good location, out of the way but convenient to use. A plastic milk carton holds the diluted coolant. I leave it connected to shop air and use the air needle valve to turn it on. Seems like the liquid Venturi does not need much fiddling.

And most surprising, it actually works well. You can blow the chips clear without liquid if you like, and the coolant makes a significant, or at least notable, difference. It is diluted so much that it seems like water might work ok too.

Comments?

 

[hman]

A friend of mine has a vintage electric lawn mower. He broke the switch housing beyond repair and asked me if I could cobble up a fix. Dicovered that I had to re-use the original switch. Not only did it have a the expected normally open contacts for the motor, but also a set of normally closed contacts between two other wires, which I think are used to stop the motor quickly by shorting out an extra winding when the switch is released.

I started out just trying to fit it into an outdoor electric box and mount the box on the mower, then slowly continued designing as I went along. Adapted a cord cap to accept some ½" flex conduit I'd decided on for a robust pigtail. The mower did not originally have a ground connection because the switch housing was nonconductive plastic. But using a metallic box called for a good, solid ground. Made a button extension for the switch out of Delrin and adapted a gate hinge to operate it. Kludged up an extension bar to reach near the mower's handle, so the switch could be operated while pushing the mower around. Tools used during the build included my mill, lathe, two bandsaws, my drill press and some handheld electric drills. Nothing was planned more than a couple hours ahead of where I was at any given point, and no drawings. Most of the time I'll plan at least 80% of a project before starting. But occasionally I'll do it this way - very leisurely and thoroughly enjoyable. A big chunk of the project's duration was just waiting for various adhesives (JB Weld, GO2, etc) to cure. We don' need no steenkin' deadlines!

UPDATE 4/17: My friend picked up the mower two days ago. Phoned me yesterday to tell me he'd finished mowing his yard, and is very pleased with the fix. Yeeeee-Haaaaaa!!

 

[GreatOldOne]

I started cleaning up my old CQR tool chest I received last week. Polished the handles (just on the wire wheel), cleaned it down with murphys oil soap and a little steel wool on the stubborn spots and then started oiling it.

 

[silverhawk]

That is a great improvement!

joe

 

[pdentrem]

Not at home, still working. Yesterday and today and into next week. I am heat treating, grinding to finish size rolls for our hot mill. Reground 4 sets of small ones and send out today to the plater. Now grinding to size another 4 sets for another hot mill. Have the small journals done, and this afternoon start on the next step size. Likely not get to the roll surface until next week as today is my Friday! OMG the world in upside down!
Pierre

 

[pdentrem]

As expected I managed to get to the second step size by 3 pm. Next week more grinding.
Pierre

 

[GreatOldOne]

Not in the shop. ON the shop. We had honeysuckle growing up the side of my workshop shed. It’s all been cut back, but it had rooted itself in the felt roof. So I’ve reroofed it all. Boy am I pooped. And realising shorts may not have been the best attire for the job.

The sheets on the roof under the roof felt is a bit bodgey.. but it will do. Getting rolls of roofing felt was enough of an ordeal with the current covid situation. Ordering lumber to replace a couple of roof boards would probably be even worse.

Plus I had to get it done before the forecasted rain we've got coming. I’ll replace the boards next tome the felt needs changing. Hopefully we’ll be out of lockdown by then.

 

[DLF]

Ordered a custom chip tray for the mill: 70x60x2cm, 0.6mm thick folded sheet metal construction.

In the back corner I brazed an 1” hose nipple for oil drainage.

I started painting the tray. Primer is applied on the bottom side using a foam roller.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Bottom side painted blue

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk