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

[pontiac428]

Tweety birds my foot... Those are food birds!

 

[woodchucker]

On the last hex I tried to make, something didn't quite feel right using the collet block. Somehow I think the cheap collet blocks, which have a small flat ground on the "points" of the hex may not be parallel to the faces of the hex. This always bothered me.

I don't know why I didn't think of this before. To register the on the flats of the hex in the vise AND to the base of the vise all that is needed is a pair of dowel pins or similar! Duh!!! That way the point of the hex is slightly above the base of the vise, and the whole thing gets registered on the flats.
Doing that the hex seemed to come out a lot better!
View attachment 514133 View attachment 514134

The next step on this project was a 0.145 inch slot 1 inch deep and two inches long. That sure seemed like a job for CNC.
CAM'd some G code to run a 1/8" carbide to both rough and finish the slot. Overall, happy with how it turned out!
View attachment 514135 View attachment 514136 View attachment 514137

Half a thou over on a slot like that, with over an inch of stick out with relieved 1/8" carbide, I'll take it! The chinesium D-bit tool and cutter grinder worked out really well to make just a few thou of clearance on the 1/8" carbide. I'm really starting to like that little grinder, even if only for this sort of stuff!

And we had a few small tweety birds at the feeder. For some reason the older bird dog really wants to get out that door!

View attachment 514138

another way would be to reference off the back vise jaw, and instead of end milling it, flute mill it. That would also never change, and you would be left with a gentle transition to the flats rather than a sharp transition... Just another way of looking at it. Those would not be there if my dog saw them. His bark is so loud and he would be making a scary racket. He's not a bird dog, but a bird brain dog.

 

[pontiac428]

another way would be to reference off the back vise jaw, and instead of end milling it, flute mill it. That would also never change, and you would be left with a gentle transition to the flats rather than a sharp transition... Just another way of looking at it. Those would not be there if my dog saw them. His bark is so loud and he would be making a scary racket. He's not a bird dog, but a bird brain dog.

I tend to avoid side milling as a rule of thumb, but you are absolutely right on. It wouldn't matter how goofy the corners of the collet block are, the hex would finish true and measure even in width so long as the collet bore is centered (and it probably is, being bored in a lathe). Nice call.

 

[woodchucker]

I don't avoid it. Aside from the needles, it's just another tool in the wall. . Why have long end mills if you don't side mill? Some times it the only way. When I milled the rail for an anvil end milling just broke carbide, side milling was the only way to get through the work hardened surface.

 

[dkemppai]

I don't avoid it. Aside from the needles, it's just another tool in the wall. . Why have long end mills if you don't side mill? Some times it the only way. When I milled the rail for an anvil end milling just broke carbide, side milling was the only way to get through the work hardened surface.

Thought about that as an option. I was set up this way for some holes that needed to be drilled too, so just ran with it.

Also, in this case the RF29 mill isn't very stiff. End milling is less load/deflection on that little machine. Too much load and it tries to walk the base across the floor!

 

[GrifterGuru]

A little more Delrin from the @SouthernChap stash and another job ticked off the list..

This time, a little blue delrin to make a new tailstock cam-lock handle sleeve-knob since the original plastic one (ABS possibly?) had broken around the skirt area. Designed in a bit of "grip" since the original was smooth and annoyingly slippery.

This sleeve will move across to the T/Stock of the rebuilt lathe when it is done and the sleeve from that one will go onto this tailstock. Seems a wierd way of doing things I grant, but the more use it gets, the smoother it will become with time.

 

[NCjeeper]

Making more tooling for the HBM. I got this arbor made for a new 2" face mill.

 

[ChazzC]

On the last hex I tried to make, something didn't quite feel right using the collet block. Somehow I think the cheap collet blocks, which have a small flat ground on the "points" of the hex may not be parallel to the faces of the hex. This always bothered me.

I don't know why I didn't think of this before. To register the on the flats of the hex in the vise AND to the base of the vise all that is needed is a pair of dowel pins or similar! Duh!!! That way the point of the hex is slightly above the base of the vise, and the whole thing gets registered on the flats.
Doing that the hex seemed to come out a lot better!
View attachment 514133

That would explain why I have had inconsistent results with my ER hex collet block, thanks!

View attachment 514137

Half a thou over on a slot like that, with over an inch of stick out with relieved 1/8" carbide, I'll take it! The chinesium D-bit tool and cutter grinder worked out really well to make just a few thou of clearance on the 1/8" carbide. I'm really starting to like that little grinder, even if only for this sort of stuff!

Gage pins would be a better tool for checking the slot width than calipers.

 

[dkemppai]

That would explain why I have had inconsistent results with my ER hex collet block, thanks!

It worked so much better. Hopefully the rest of you guys can benefit from my 'duh' moment!

Gage pins would be a better tool for checking the slot width than calipers.

I agree, but don't actually have gauge pins, yet. Rotating the caliper across looking for the low was good enough for this application.

But, agree there are better ways to measure that. I could have pulled out the gauge block sets, but it wasn't worth the trouble.for what this is.

 

[rwdenney]

For this, I’d buy a pair of identical gauge pins from McMaster, and leave them with the collet block. They are only a few bucks bought singly. I filled in some gaps in the used Ralmike’s set of .250-.500 pins that I bought for cheap on eBay. I was surprised by how cheap the replacements were.

But I don’t have collet blocks. I do have a super spacer

Rick “and I need the workout” Denney