Quarantine Projects!

[Weldo]

Thanks Weldo. My problem is I'm not set up to cut the pockets as precise as they should be. I was so involved with the other aspects of the project that I just thought I'd figure that out when I got to it. But I'm stunned how deep the wabbit hole of insert nomenclature etc is and how crucial the pocket is to proper function. I'm already set up to grind and profile HSS so I think I'll stick with what I know for now. I'm thinking the same 1/4" HSS setup I use on the shaper will work fine and if not I'll make something else.

That's cool. Inserts are a language all their own.

Weldo, I’m not sure about more durable but it cures in and hour vs days.
I did buy a dishwasher from Craigslist one time for $25 to use as a parts washer for a Willys Jeep transmission and transfer case. I put caster wheels on it. I never got to use it. By the time I was ready I had to back to working out of town.

Creative solutions! It would be a huge time saver to wash a bunch of parts at once. It was mentioned before about dishwasher detergent being very alkaline but maybe you could just use Dawn liquid instead?

 

[Weldo]

Here's a pick of the copper thing I mentioned above. It's what I use for cutting lubrication.

The old lathe manual I have says that lard oil is a great cutting oil so I figured I'd make a thing to hold some lard, except it's usually solid at room temp so I needed a way to heat it to melting.



I made most of it out of 1/4" copper tube and some sheet copper. It holds a standard tea light and the pipe on the side hold a small brush. For tapping and drilling I most often just dip the tap or drill in the grease and go to work. The heat of friction melts the lard and it works quite well as a cutting fluid.



The bowl was pounded out from a piece of copper flashing. It was my first attempt at such metal shaping but it went well. I had to anneal several times. After working the metal a while it starts to become harder to move but after heating red hot and cooling it moves almost as easy as lead!



I did some experiments with the annealing process by heating and air cooling and heating and quenching in water. It seemed to make no difference. Usually with steel you must cool slowly to anneal but with copper you can quench it.



It was a fun project!

 

[Weldo]

Got my belt sander back together!

First was to install the switch. I got this thing from ebay. It's from BOAT #6 apparantly.



Mounted in the box. I made this enclosure from scratch a few years ago.



Got all the wiring back in. I had to switch rotation of the motor. The motor plate tells you to switch the black and red wires on the inside.



Mounted the sander to the plate. I got this part from ebay as well from an industrial reseller. I got a deal because the guard was bent in shipping. It was easily fixed in a few minutes but after living with it for a few weeks I canned it anyway. I like to sharpen tungstens on the top wheel.



All reinstalled. Does anyone know if it matters how the link type belts are oriented? There's no arrows on it and I can't remember how it was.



Here it is back home next to the drill press. I have the table reinstalled here as well. You can see the top wheel which was covered by the original guard. It makes a good spot to grind tungstens.



It runs pretty well. The rpm of the motor and the motor pulley are the same as the old motor so SFM is the same. However it does have more power. I used to be able to easily stall out the grinder but now it takes much more effort to bog it down. All in all, a win!

On to the next thing!

 

[DavidR8]

Here's a pick of the copper thing I mentioned above. It's what I use for cutting lubrication.

The old lathe manual I have says that lard oil is a great cutting oil so I figured I'd make a thing to hold some lard, except it's usually solid at room temp so I needed a way to heat it to melting.

By lard, do you mean Crisco? As in flaky pie crust lard?

 

[pontiac428]

All reinstalled. Does anyone know if it matters how the link type belts are oriented? There's no arrows on it and I can't remember how it was.

"The tails follow" is the recommendation for link belt rotation.

 

[C-Bag]

By lard, do you mean Crisco? As in flaky pie crust lard?

I was thinkin' more like bacon drippings........mmmmmmm the smell of bacon while lathe'n..........

 

[brino]

Really it would be nice to have a dedicated oven for the shop.

Along those lines I wonder if an old dishwasher could be converted to recirculate parts washing fluid! Maybe disable the heater element and plug up the drain. It would need a filter I guess, or maybe not. Imagine putting a bunch of greasy parts in there, pushing a button and coming back in 45 minutes to nice clean parts!

It's more likely that I could fit a milling machine in the kitchen than an oven or dishwasher in my cramped shop.
But then you guys would all get all my tools for pennies per pound just after my funeral.....
-brino

 

[Bamban]

The fun of sheltering in place is about to begin. AR15 barrels R Us. The junior shooters will have plenty to burn in the next couple of years.

 

[MrWhoopee]

By lard, do you mean Crisco? As in flaky pie crust lard?

Ah, you kids!



Lard oil is the clear, colourless oil pressed from pure lard after it has been crystallized, or grained, at 7° C (45° F). It is used as a lubricant, in cutting oils, and in soap manufacture. The solid residue, lard stearin, is used in shortenings…

 

[FOMOGO]

Ah, you kids!

As my daughter in law would say, no age shaming. As all us codgers know, the proper term is whipper snapper. Mike