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

[4WHLDRFTN]

she makes cool stuff…

 

[Shiseiji]

In line with what I posted a few days ago, now that I have cut my 25 pieces of 13"-long square tubes, I need to notch each end of them. So, I reconfigured the 4x6 saw for vertical operation, and clamped a fence along one side to guide the workpieces into the blade. But I wanted these cuts to be at a good right angle to the workpiece, and the crappy stamped table that came with the saw has a miter slot. The slot is the wrong size for every miter gauge I own, and I own a bunch. Rather than buy something, I thought, "I have a mill!"

So, I took a scrap piece of hex stock and machined it into a 6" bar .590" (15mm) x .235" (6mm), just narrow enough not to bind in the slot, but wide enough to minimize slop. Great precision was not needed, but mill practice was, so I tried to get it within a thou. That let me play with a 5/8" end mill and a 2-1/2" insert facing mill that uses five square inserts. I had to index the inserts to find five good corners, but I didn't have to dip into the new sets of inserts I had just bought for it. The end mill cuts were accurate but not as pretty as the face mill--that produced a beautiful machined finish.

Not sure I was totally within a thou but I got pretty close. It was the first real thing I've made with rather than for the new Bridgeport, and fully complies with what I consider to be the Second Law of Hobby Machining: Squaring up stock is the first thing we learn but the last thing we really perfect.

I then drilled holes and power-tapped M5 threads to attach the angle I'm using for the miter fence to the slot bar.

No pics but I'll add something tonight.

Rick "making chips for the sake of making chips" Denney

I've had an idea but as yet haven't had a real need. Under size the bar and use spring loaded bullet catches on the non-blade side. Have thought more about wood runners for a wood table saw sled.

 

[rwdenney]

I've had an idea but as yet haven't had a real need. Under size the bar and use spring loaded bullet catches on the non-blade side. Have thought more about wood runners for a wood table saw sled.

My miter gauges for my wood-cutting bandsaw and my cabinet saw run in 3/4" slots and thus wouldn't fit here, but they have nylon eccentric washers that can be adjusted to create a precision fit in the miter slot. But those tables have machined slots, and are often making finished right-angle cuts in wide stock where an error would accumulate and be difficult to correct.

The stamped table used for this cheapie 4x6 saw would mock any attempts at a precision fit. Even so, there isn't more than 1/64 of play in a part, measured at the blade, and the parts I'm cutting are never more than an inch or two wide. So, for the rough-cutting or non-precision fits for which a metal-cutting bandsaw is appropriate, it's good enough.

Rick "who would need to make a precision table for this saw to increase precision--and that is on the list" Denney