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

Replaced my 15" depth shelves with 12" and from 5 shelves to 7. The nice thing about 12" is I won't be putting stuff in front of things so I can't open things, and 7 shelves allows me to unstack some boxes.. Like gauge blocks and pins. It's a work in progress. I can't see clearly and still dizzy, so trying to fill the time and make some improvements. The old shelves will go to the area where the oil tank that was just removed was.
I picked up 2 shelving units at a garage sale for $5 a piece. The wife drove me over the end of November.
It's been a long time I can't drive..
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I serviced my Brompton and put some studded winter tires on it:

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I’ve been daydreaming about brazing a new rear triangle for the bike. One, that could fit a proper cassette hub :geek:

Eerder Metaal and Kinetics are doing this commercially and from what I have read, these modifications have a negative impact on the foldability of the bike. This might be a trade-off, that I’m not willing to accept.

The orb clearly needs more pondering.
 
Added some gas lift struts to the knee of the mill. They take about 260# of weight off of the lead screw and reduced the crank handle torque to lift the knee by about 40%.
It was an interesting challenge in figuring it all out and then several false starts of different parts until I got it right. The tapered bases were some mystery steel from the scrap bin that seems to some sort of stainless. Non-magnetic and a bugger to machine.
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Picked up some EN8D to make a spare feed-screw, for the lathe I am rebuilding. The stock arrived Boxing day. That being the case, I spent yesterday "messing about on the lathe".

I have already made a silver-steel feed-screw, but I wanted a spare "just in case" I changed my mind on the material and it means I can also "test a theory" to boot.

Turning down the 20mm stock to the correct diameter for a 3/8" BSF 20TPI L/H Thread
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With the section turned for the thread, the stock was turned, the excess parted-off, and the handl-wheel end turning started.

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I have a Bearing race-washer on the center so I can check for diameter as I creep down to it. Even using a micrometer, I find this approach helps so that I don't over-shoot.
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Diameter for the bearing race-washer turned, next up was reducing the shaft to take the spacer sleeve.

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A very light cut of 1 thou' and I caught this tiny tail of swarf with the camera.
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I started out using the Tangential cutter, then switched to CCGT insert toolss to finish. The finish is so much better.

Not happy with the grind on the tangential, even though it is hollow-ground as per instruction and honed as per recommendation. Will be looking into that a bit further, though that is not to say it is not a good tool, I am just not happy with how it is performing.
 
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GrifterGuru said:
Picked up some EN8D to make a spare feed-screw, for the lathe I am rebuilding. The stock arrived Boxing day. That being the case, I spent yesterday "messing about on the lathe".

I have already made a silver-steel feed-screw, but I wanted a spare "just in case" I changed my mind on the material and it means I can also "test a theory" to boot.

Turning down the 20mm stock to the correct diameter for a 3/8" BSF 20TPI L/H Thread
View attachment 515686

View attachment 515687

With the section turned for the thread, the stock was turned, the excess parted-off, and the handl-wheel end turning started.

View attachment 515688

I have a Bearing race-washer on the center so I can check for diameter as I creep down to it. Even using a micrometer, I find this approach helps so that I don't over-shoot.
.
View attachment 515689

Diameter for the bearing race-washer turned, next up was reducing the shaft to take the spacer sleeve.

View attachment 515690View attachment 515691

A very light cut of 1 thou' and I caught this tiny tail of swarf with the camera.
View attachment 515692


I started out using the Tangential cutter, then switched to CCGT insert toolss to finish. The finish is so much better.

Not happy with the grind on the tangential, even though it is hollow-ground as per instruction and honed as per recommendation. Will be looking into that a bit further, though that is not to say it is not a good tool, I am just not happy with how it is performing.
Click to expand...
I've never worked with EN8 or the D variant. Are you going to heat treat it? I hope you post more about this as you continue. I have no knowledge of it, and am interested.
 
woodchucker said:
I've never worked with EN8 or the D variant. Are you going to heat treat it? I hope you post more about this as you continue. I have no knowledge of it, and am interested.
Click to expand...

@woodchucker

A quote on EN8D

EN8D is a grade commonly used for making high-strength steel components. It is a medium carbon steel that is characterised by its high ductility and machinability. EN8D steel bars have a carbon content of 0.40-0.45% and a manganese content of 0.70-0.90%.
Click to expand...
 
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