POTD- PROJECT OF THE DAY: What Did You Make In Your Shop Today?

[Badabinski]

I'm finally back in the shop after 3 weeks in Europe and 1 week of COVID isolation. I bought an old Starrett 93c tap wrench a few months ago, and I was deeply unimpressed with the actual handle bar it came with. It's been even longer since I've done any turning, so I decided to do a simple project and make a new handle for it that was somewhat shinier. The closest stock I had on hand was ¾", so there was a lot to turn down (my ground ⅜" stock was just a biiiit too small).

New one is on the left.

Here it is installed in the actual tap wrench. Now I need to replace the little spring that provides some friction for the handle bar in the top. Really dead simple thing to do, but it was a nice reintroduction to my lathe after so long not using it.

 

[jwmelvin]

I made a hole-saw arbor.

 

[Eyerelief]

Now I need to replace the little spring that provides some friction for the handle bar in the top.

If you have a source for the little spring I’d be interested in knowing who it is. I lost mine and Starrett wants around $20 delivered if I recall correctly.

 

[mksj]

Finished a micrometer stop with proximity sensor system, design is a bit different and I have been adding chip shields to prevent stray chips from triggering the sensor. Also in the process of building a turnkey VFD system for another person but still waiting for one final part that is on back order. When you can access most of the globe via the internet and can't find a current production part in stock, you know that there is still a serious supply chain issue.

 

[dewbane]

I added a second work light to my mill. It was way cheaper to get the version without a magnetic base. I had an old, crappy magnetic base dating back to the dark ages before I got introduced to Noga bases, and so I converted it into a magnetic base for my second mill lamp. Total cost, not including the mill lamp, $0.00. That's £0.00 or €0,00 or ¥0,00 for you foreign people.



(This totally offsets the $3,000 I just spent in order to avoid paying $600 for a working clock movement. It's called Machinist Math™)

 

[WobblyHand]

I made a hole-saw arbor.

Looks beautiful and a heck of a lot nicer than the stock Morse hole saw arbors. How's the runout on it? My arbor + hole saw had a 2mm runout, drove me crazy.

 

[jwmelvin]

Looks beautiful and a heck of a lot nicer than the stock Morse hole saw arbors. How's the runout on it? My arbor + hole saw had a 2mm runout, drove me crazy.

Thank you. The arbor itself is great - about 0.001" TIR spinning in a collet on the mill. The saw OD is still ~0.015" TIR though. Still, it should be better and sturdier than the standard. I made it with a smooth 3/4" section for collets and the three flats for the lathe chuck. It's part of a setup to notch (fishmouth) some tube on the lathe. That said, I'm thinking about some templates for the plasma cutter, as the project I'm working on is just a storage rack, so no need for perfect, and the plasma would be a lot quicker. Either way, the lathe setup has been a fun project.

 

[Eyerelief]

Thank you. The arbor itself is great - about 0.001" TIR spinning in a collet on the mill. The saw OD is still ~0.015" TIR though.

I think it looks great as well. I was considering building the same. From what you are describing, the .015 TIR rest on the shoulders of the hole saw? Do you think that truing up the mounting hole on the hole saw would remedy? Not that 0.15 is bad for a hole saw but I am curious if you think the problem lies in the mounting hole or if you feel the perimeter of the saw itself is not concentric.

 

[projectnut]

I think it looks great as well. I was considering building the same. From what you are describing, the .015 TIR rest on the shoulders of the hole saw? Do you think that truing up the mounting hole on the hole saw would remedy? Not that 0.15 is bad for a hole saw but I am curious if you think the problem lies in the mounting hole or if you feel the perimeter of the saw itself is not concentric.

I'm not sure how you would "true up" the threaded hole in the saw. Actually, I'm impressed that the runout that small. Hole saws aren't usually considered a precision tool. I have some name brand ones that have so much runout I have to use the next size smaller saw to even get close to the correct diameter.

 

[Eyerelief]

I'm not sure how you would "true up" the threaded hole in the saw. Actually, I'm impressed that the runout that small. Hole saws aren't usually considered a precision tool. I have some name brand ones that have so much runout I have to use the next size smaller saw to even get close to the correct diameter.

OH! I guess I learned something today. I did not know that the holes were threaded. I too thought that the runout was pretty good considering the tool, but if it could be made better I would try. Again, I had no idea that the center holes on all hole saws was threaded.