With alligators! I tried sprinkling rattlesnakes around my shop but it didn’t help.
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POTD- PROJECT OF THE DAY: What Did You Make In Your Shop Today?
- Thread starter wachuko
- Start date
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2015
- Messages
- 9,744
Use a shorter end mill. You don't need that long an endmill. You are liable to break it or chip it. It will definitely deflect.
Do you have a lathe that you can smooth that plate out on? Use a power feed to moved the cross slide across. That will imprint on Aluminum and brass , anything soft. Also those parallels don't look secure enough. 123 blocks and out of the cutters way would be better.
Sorry if I seem critical, just trying to help with some suggestions.
- Joined
- May 25, 2023
- Messages
- 142
The wife & kiddo left for the day, so I made this tactical pen. Yellow brass body, twist cap is 303 stainless. Needs a good polish, and should look much better.
- Joined
- May 13, 2020
- Messages
- 3
Thanks, I appreciate the critique. I don't know any machinist in town so I'm having to rely on youtube and guess work. I figured that out about the mill lenght today. Luckily, I didn't break it. 123 blocks are on my buy list too.
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2016
- Messages
- 2,793
@rockdog2112
To expand on what has been said already, those thin parallels combined with not having adequate clamps is not an ideal setup.
If the endmill happens to 'grab' the work, it will break the endmill as it jerks the workpiece out from under the clamps and flings it across the room...
If I might make a suggestion... take it off the parallels and lay it flat on a piece of plywood or MDF. If you don't have a clamp set, make some or drill a couple of holes where two of your slots will be and use bolts to hold the work down.
-Bear
To expand on what has been said already, those thin parallels combined with not having adequate clamps is not an ideal setup.
If the endmill happens to 'grab' the work, it will break the endmill as it jerks the workpiece out from under the clamps and flings it across the room...
If I might make a suggestion... take it off the parallels and lay it flat on a piece of plywood or MDF. If you don't have a clamp set, make some or drill a couple of holes where two of your slots will be and use bolts to hold the work down.
-Bear
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- Joined
- Feb 25, 2021
- Messages
- 3,271
Another shelf for my electronics bench in my shop office. Cut from some leftover maple flooring I've had lying around for a few years. Yes, wood 
First (and likely only) coat of varnish applied and drying. The glitter stripe in the middle is some sort of camera/lighting artifact.
First (and likely only) coat of varnish applied and drying. The glitter stripe in the middle is some sort of camera/lighting artifact.
- Joined
- Dec 24, 2023
- Messages
- 194
Finished another tap guide block today. I added two extra holes so it works for #6-5/8” and M2-M16 taps.
I didn’t make these angle plates today but I did recently bring them home to use on the mill. I made two of each 20+ yrs ago. The small one is 4”x4”x4” and made of case hardened 1018 CRS. The large one is 5”x6”x8” and also 1018 that was welded, stress relieved and case hardened. They both have 1/4”-20 tapped holes on both sides to attach side plates.
I didn’t make these angle plates today but I did recently bring them home to use on the mill. I made two of each 20+ yrs ago. The small one is 4”x4”x4” and made of case hardened 1018 CRS. The large one is 5”x6”x8” and also 1018 that was welded, stress relieved and case hardened. They both have 1/4”-20 tapped holes on both sides to attach side plates.
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2023
- Messages
- 1,238
Other than a writing implement, exactly what is a "tactical pen"?
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2021
- Messages
- 1,048
This time change is killing me.
More fiddling (and making a mess!) on the crane project. The driveshaft is square, because a handwheel drive will move the bridge. But that handwheel will be able to move independently of the chain fall carriage along the bridge. Since the drive handwheel moves, a slip fit 'drive mechanism' (No idea what to call it, but it drives the square shaft...) needs to slide along the driveshaft. I couldn't easily find any receiver tube for the 2" square tube so made that a long bit ago. Finally adding the sprocket and support for the 80mm ID bearing that supports drive mechanism. That probably doesn't make any sense, yet. But it will as more hardware gets done.
For right now, I'm making this.
It's made from a homemade square tube with some 3/8" plate welded on. To support the thing in the lathe, an insert needs to be made to just lightly press into the square tube. So more cutting and milling, and messing up the little mill.
Took a good hour to get everything running true. I really loathe setting up square tube a 4 jaw chuck. It's not hard, just tedious. Here's the parts, just before heading to the lathe.
And finally, making a few chips. Interrupted cuts, cuts through weld, being driven form the far end and supported with a live center made me nervous. Just took light passes, hand feeding everything. Stopped 40 thou shy of the final cut. Since a bearing fits over this, figured letting it cool for the night before cutting to final dimension wouldn't be a bad idea.
Edit: Here's a bit more context into how this fits the drive wheel mechanism. Not everything in the gold colored support carriage is fleshed in there yet. Some additional rollers are missing from these views.
More fiddling (and making a mess!) on the crane project. The driveshaft is square, because a handwheel drive will move the bridge. But that handwheel will be able to move independently of the chain fall carriage along the bridge. Since the drive handwheel moves, a slip fit 'drive mechanism' (No idea what to call it, but it drives the square shaft...) needs to slide along the driveshaft. I couldn't easily find any receiver tube for the 2" square tube so made that a long bit ago. Finally adding the sprocket and support for the 80mm ID bearing that supports drive mechanism. That probably doesn't make any sense, yet. But it will as more hardware gets done.
For right now, I'm making this.
It's made from a homemade square tube with some 3/8" plate welded on. To support the thing in the lathe, an insert needs to be made to just lightly press into the square tube. So more cutting and milling, and messing up the little mill.
Took a good hour to get everything running true. I really loathe setting up square tube a 4 jaw chuck. It's not hard, just tedious. Here's the parts, just before heading to the lathe.
And finally, making a few chips. Interrupted cuts, cuts through weld, being driven form the far end and supported with a live center made me nervous. Just took light passes, hand feeding everything. Stopped 40 thou shy of the final cut. Since a bearing fits over this, figured letting it cool for the night before cutting to final dimension wouldn't be a bad idea.
Edit: Here's a bit more context into how this fits the drive wheel mechanism. Not everything in the gold colored support carriage is fleshed in there yet. Some additional rollers are missing from these views.
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