2020 POTD Thread Archive

[Downunder Bob]

To test the dovetail cutters I made the other day, I practiced on some kind of hard plastic I had, and cut a dovetail modeled on the CXA toolpost. When I finished, it actually fit, seemed too good to just put back in stock, so I added a couple of metric dial indicators that were supposed to be imperial, but...since I had no real other use, too troublesome to send back, I mounted them on the dovetail so that one could check axial runout, while by using the other position on the QCTP, radial can be checked. Metric vs. imperial, we’re just looking for needle movement.
It seems quite handy compared to setting up a magnetic stand, and the way I was previously holding my indicator it frees up a $25 tool holder,View attachment 311055

Excellent idea, I notice a metal plate on one side of the dovetail, is that just a packer or is a wear plate?

 

[Winegrower]

Bob, that is a small shim, it's plastic. Well, not every calculation a guy might make works out exactly.
I tell people it's the gib.

 

[Downunder Bob]

Its your tool, so your call. I do like the use of an experimental cut job.

 

[ddickey]

Making Mark Frazier's tool and cutter grinder, I should say trying to. Need to find a motor and get some hand wheels and a base as well. I bought an X Y table but it's still sitting in the box. Long way to go.

 

[Cooter Brown]

I was bored and at sitting at the PC and decided to model up Tom Lipton's Rod Bender here are the prints, its rated to bend 1/2" mild steel round stock.....




I'm going to try and make this in one piece on steel....

 

[rwm]

Making Mark Frazier's tool and cutter grinder, I should say trying to. Need to find a motor and get some hand wheels and a base as well. I bought an X Y table but it's still sitting in the box. Long way to go.

That looks beautiful so far!
Robert

 

[mattthemuppet2]

Agreed!

 

[LarryTheKing]

Swapped out the R8 spindle in the CNC mill's Bridgeport head with an Erickson QC30 taper one I picked up on eBay.
Figured I might as well do a bearing rebuild on the head while it was all apart, so ordered the spindle and step-pulley rebuild kits from H&W.
Boy oh boy was the rebuild more trouble than I expected. I should have taken more pictures, but some of the highlights were:

• Stuck spindle pulley hub nuts. Someone had this head apart in the past and used a punch/hammer to unscrew the face pin spanner nuts on the pulley assembly. Took both the torch and a wrench with an 8ft! cheater bar (PVC pipe) to break those loose! Ordered new nuts to replace the ruined ones.
• Pulley hub shaft had been mushroomed at the end (maybe from someone beating on it instead of the draw-bar) and needed threads chased on the lathe. Probably also contributed to the seized nuts.
• Lots of old stuck bearings, including one blind bore one in the backgear assembly. Used a variation of the "grease" method (white bread instead of grease!) to hydraulically push this one out. However, got too excited when it started to move and knocked a hole in the backgear casting...
  • Ended up boring out the cracked hole and loctite-ing in a plug
• Discovered that the spindle quill nose piece is different for Erickson QC30 than for the standard R8. You also need to slide this piece on the end of the spindle before installing the precision bearings, otherwise you've made an expensive mistake.

I was very lucky that a business called High Quality Tools is here in Cleveland and that they stock Bridgeport parts. The guys there were pretty knowledgeable (they make their parts here in Cleveland) and even had the special Erickson quill nose piece in stock.

Below are the only pictures I thought to take, but wow was this fun!

 

[mattthemuppet2]

what an adventure. I would only have suggested you make that plug removeable, just in case you need to push that bearing out in the future.

 

[tjb]

Made this mini magnetic sweeper to complement my larger store-bought version. Actually made it last week, but the plastic end caps just arrived a few minutes ago.

Several years ago, I saw a roofing crew use the grand daddy version of sweeper to pick up roofing nails from a job site. Found a smaller version for the shop, and it's been great for cleaning up magnetic material after milling. But that one is a little too big to reach down into the lathe to clean up after turning, so I got some 1" x 2" extruded aluminum to make a smaller version. I used 1/4" brass to make the long rod, some 3/4" magnets epoxied to a piece of aluminum for the sweep, and a piece of 1/2" stainless tubing for the handle. I also made the T-handle out of a piece of 3/4" solid round aluminum. Now I can get under the ways on the lathe much more easily without having to reach and scrape. It'll probably be somewhat beneficial under and around them mill and drill press as well.

Other than the piece of extruded 1" x 2", all materials were either scrap or leftovers laying around the shop.

Regards,
Terry

Next to its store-bought big brother:


Sweep it under the ways after turning:


Pull the handle, and you're done: