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

[RJSakowski]

I'm still running PathPilot 2.7.2 which was released in January 2021; like you, everything works for me, why take the chance of fouling something up?

At the time, CNCZone.com had members who watched for updates and announced them to the community. I'd update PathPilot at the machine on my next trip out to the shop. Fortunately, someone on that forum played guinea pig before I did and downloaded 2.7.3 on their 1100 Series 3 (same machine I have). The update bricked their ATC. Tormach had it fixed by the next release, but I stayed with 2.7.2 which was stable for me.

There's a Facebook page for 'Tormach Operators' where I posted a recent question if 2.10.1 (current version released in Winter 2023) was working okay on 1100S3 machines; it is. I use that version on PathPilot HUB to run my virtual routines; they made some user interface changes, but for the most part, it looks the same to me. I'll stick with 2.7.2.

I'm using ver. 1.9.3. Back then, updates were coming fast and furious and invariably, there were bugs with each release so I decided to play it safe with what I knew worked.

 

[tominboise]

I finished up the pulley with set screw holes and then mounted it on the new motor. Shaft fit was beautiful - heated the pulley with an electric heat gun and some light tapping to seat it.

 

[RJSakowski]

49 files sharpened. I recovered a batch of well rusted files from a bin in the forge. I used electrolysis to remove the bulk of the rust. Next, I soaked the files in full strength muriatic acid, aka HCl for 2-10 hours. For soaking, I made up tubes from PVC pipe and an end cap which minimizes the amount of acid needed to do the job. There is an additional advantage in that the reaction is limited by the relatively small amount of acid so it won't go too far if inadvertently forgotten. The next step was to rinse the files and dip in a baking soda solution to neutralize any residual acid. Finally, I tested each file for cutting ability on a piece of mild steel bar. There are 20 more to go, mostly large files, the biggest being 20". I will wait for warmer weather to sharpen them outside.

 

[RJSakowski]

A small diversionary project to take my mind off my computer problems. I have a mold for making lead hammers and had made one some time ago. I recently had the occasion to use it extensively and as lead hammers are wont to do the faces mushroomed extensively. I have an ample supply of Babbitt that I will never use and it is significantly harder than lead so I thought that a Babbitt hammer would be a good use.

After removing the old lead from the 1/2" pipe handle, I placed the handle in the mold and melted the Babbitt in the reservoir. The mold was then tipped which transferred the Babbitt and voila, a new 3 lb. soft face hammer. The Babbbitt is harder than the lead but soft enough that it can be used on steel without defacing the object.

 

[woodchucker]

49 files sharpened. I recovered a batch of well rusted files from a bin in the forge. I used electrolysis to remove the bulk of the rust. Next, I soaked the files in full strength muriatic acid, aka HCl for 2-10 hours. For soaking, I made up tubes from PVC pipe and an end cap which minimizes the amount of acid needed to do the job. There is an additional advantage in that the reaction is limited by the relatively small amount of acid so it won't go too far if inadvertently forgotten. The next step was to rinse the files and dip in a baking soda solution to neutralize any residual acid. Finally, I tested each file for cutting ability on a piece of mild steel bar. There are 20 more to go, mostly large files, the biggest being 20". I will wait for warmer weather to sharpen them outside.
View attachment 517776

How are you going to sharpen the files?

 

[WobblyHand]

How are you going to sharpen the files?

Muriatic acid (HCl aka hydrochloric acid)