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

Wow, is that a vise holding a vise holding a clamp?
Not a lot of tonnage needed for that job, so I just call it a fixture, because it's easier to say. But most folks call it a gnat on a flea on a fly on a hair on a wart on a frog on a bump on a log in a hole at the bottom of the sea.

Not bad for my 6,000th post, eh? eh? (I hear chirping crickets).
 
Sorting through parts, cataloging things and a little paint prep work last night.
Getting better at keeping parts grouped together. Might be a couple months prior to reassembly and my memory is not what it once was!
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Snuck into the shop for a bit last night. Have to do some milling to a 1/4" rod. Need a 6" long 1/16" wide slot through the center. Being a one off, didn't want to make any fancy fixtures. Settled on a superglue fixture made of a scrap of hardwood. Of course the bottle of superglue liquid had turned into superglue-snot. Used a wire to get some out of there and under the rod. Picked up a fresh bottle of liquid to add fillet the top edges of the rod in the groove.
GlueDrying.jpg

But try to find a 1/16" carbide end mill long enough to go through the 1/4" rod. Did find one with a 3/16 flute length, 2FL carbide.

Having one of those 'Sheckels', modifying this should be easy. Well, easy is relative I guess. Running that thing always seems like a cross between getting lucky, and pulling stuff out of your arse. That's heavily biased towards getting lucky. A quick minute and there's some extra clearance ground into it. Not a lot, maybe heavy thou on the radius above the flutes.
ThisThing.jpg
If this works, great. If not, back to the 'Sheckel' to grind the other end.

Don't do a lot of fancy stuff with this grinder yet. But for doing detailed grinds on custom stuff like this, it's been VERY handy. I don't know that it's paid for itself yet, but being able to keep going on a weekend where I'd be otherwise stalled out makes it worth keeping around.
 
VARIABLE SPEED HEAD - SPEED CHANGE
a) Change your speed only when spindle rotates
b) It is a must to run your speed from the low speed of 75 UP to 4000 rpm twice a day to prevent pulley freeze.

I knew A, but B is news to me. Makes sense; thanks for the tip.
 
After seeing @DeadGuyAle 's Grizzly Self-Centering Vise, I decided I needed one. I figured I would wait for a sale, but while I was waiting I dug into the specs: significantly taller than my 3" vise, and with a Mini-Mill that's a big deal. However, while searching for deals (Amazon and eBay had the Grizzly vise, but wanted more than direct [and the eBay listing was from Grizzly!]). eBay did have a bunch of listings for a fairly heavy duty low profile self-centering vise at half the cost (better suited for a drill press, but . . .):

4in Self-Centering Vise.jpeg

I watched a couple of listings, got a reduced price offer and negotiated a little lower for one direct from India, with free shipping and returns. I've had better luck with products from India than China, so purchased one and had it 4 days later via DHL. Looked OK, but was missing the handle. A couple of message exchanges later I was offered a replacement handle or a $25 refund: I had already planned on changing the handle arrangement, so guess which option I took?

After disassembling the vise (was a little bit of a challenge figuring out how they had put it together), and started work on the handle:

Self Centering Prep for Hex.jpeg
After reducing the diameter of the handle end (leaving the hole in case I changed my mind), I then milled a 12mm hex (same as my 3" milling vise has) using a hex collet block (sorry, forgot to take a photo; collet block in the 3" vise holding the shaft horizontally, multiple cuts until reached the final dimension, rotate 60°, rinse & repeat).

After deciding what other improvements I was going to make, I ordered some shim washers (McMaster & eBay) and 5mm set screws (Bolt Depot & McMaster) and a waited for deliveries. Everything showed up today so I cleaned up the vise and components:

Self Centering Cleaned n Tuned.JPEG
I used my cheap-n-easy hone to clean up the bores in the vise and handle shaft; polished the screw shaft ends and handle shaft; ran an M5-0.80 tap through the set screw holes and cleaned up the holes and sharp edges with a General 196 Reamer/CS, a Noga RC1000 Reversible Deburrer and a Noga BS2010 blade; I used a Nicholson Thread File to fix the buggered-up thread on the handle shaft where the original set screw had landed and an M12-1.50 tap to clean up the threads on the ID of the shaft collar. I cleaned up the faces at both ends of the handle shaft hole in the base with a large file & abrasive cloth, then used a green Scotch-Brite pad to remove stains & light rust and reassembled:

Self Centering Drive.JPEG
Handle shaft ready to go with shim washers, an M5-0.80 x 5mm dog point set screw to attach the shaft to the screw and an M5-0.80 x 5mm Nylon point set screw to lock the collar to the shaft.


Self Centering Handle End.JPEG
Handle Shaft – 22mm ID shim washer between the shaft and the base and 20mm ID shim washer between the base and the collar.


Self Centering Other End.JPEG
The other end of the screw in "located" in an oversize hole in the base; I didn't see the sense of trying to fit a bushing, but I did add a 9mm ID shim washer.


Ready to go, next to my 3" vise:

Two Vises.JPEG
Taller jaws but the tops of the jaws are only 12mm above the stock jaws on the 3".

I got the speed handles from Richard at Osteg Texas last year when he was experimenting with his CNC Mill; he currently doesn't have anything for sale, but does have a few videos on You-Tube. The first one (now on the self-centering vise) didn't have enough clearance between the end of the hex socket and the arm so it hit the vise base. He re-designed it and sent me the one on the 3" vise (I had to make him take money for the 2nd one). To the best of my knowledge, these are the only two in existence.
 
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Today i did a bit of painting in the big garage. Started with cleaning the engine block i recently got resurfaced. Mixed some flat black high temp paint and apply it. Then i got the two wheel covers, scar the surface with gray pad, apply adhesion promoter, plastic primer then paint and clear coat, all from spray cans, but i'm not pleased with the outcome. The old paint wrinkled at the edges and look bad, i'll keep my eye for better covers just to replace them. For now i'll run them.
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Sorting through parts, cataloging things and a little paint prep work last night.
Getting better at keeping parts grouped together. Might be a couple months prior to reassembly and my memory is not what it once was!
View attachment 463980

Sorting through parts, cataloging things and a little paint prep work last night.
Getting better at keeping parts grouped together. Might be a couple months prior to reassembly and my memory is not what it once was!
View attachment 463980
I like your idea of using empty medicine bottle for small parts. Here's a rotisserie I made from mostly spare metal and used round baler chain. Almost all the empty spots are now populated.

Regards

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Continuation of the Damper project. Decided to just go "Old School" for the damper itself. (Literally, like 3rd grade old school, with scissors, paste and paper!) Printed the pattern, and used the trusty old elmers school paste to stick it down. Then a few minutes on the band saw and belt sander.

OldSchool.jpg

Once the fresh glue was dry on the rod, It was time to try the new 'extended reach' end mill. 16,800 RPM, 11.2 IPM, .0125" DOC, full slotting. That was a 12 minute cycle getting through that 1/4" rod.
Millin.jpg

I'll attach a video in the the files, if it takes. End of one pass, ramp in, and start of the next.

ItFits.jpg BothSides.jpg

Last things to do is make the coupler for the motor shaft to damper shaft. 5mm to .250, with a couple of set screws. Should be easy enough, I hope! lol.
 

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Once the fresh glue was dry on the rod, It was time to try the new 'extended reach' end mill. 16,800 RPM, 11.2 IPM, .0125" DOC, full slotting. That was a 12 minute cycle getting through that 1/4" rod.
What diameter end mill?
 
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