Tools & Tooling

[ChazzC]

Watch This Space!

I'm gathering photos to provide more detail than included in the list of my tools, and will start adding posts to this thread soon.

 

[ChazzC]

Sherline 4" Rotary Table

Each of us have different machines and accessories and choose to implement the use of those accessories as make sense to us based on a number of factors. For example, I have an LMS 3990 Mini-Mill with a 2" Riser Block, which gives more vertical flexibility. However, my first mill was/is (I still have it, although haven't used in since I got the 3990) a Micro-Mark/MicroLux clone ($400 + $24 S/H in 2013!) of the Sherline Micro-Mill:



As my finances allowed, I obtained Sherline accessories to fit this mill, including a 4" Rotary Table, which is also a good size for the Mini-Mill. I have since added other accessories from around the World to use with the RT and Mini-Mill. Here is the RT mounted on a Sherline Tilt Table sitting on the Mini-Mill table, loosely attached using 10-32 SHCS’s and 10-32 T-Slot Nuts:



The RT has a 7/16” locating hole in the center that can be used for quick alignment with the mill spindle: a 7/16” drill blank held in a collet has been lowered into this hole, a machinist’s square held against the front of the mill table & the base of the RT Tilt Table and the 10-32 SHCS’s tightened to securely fasten the RT assembly in place. Parts can be mounted directly on the RT using 10-32 hardware, small T-Slot Nuts and small toe clamps:


I use smooth-head carriage bolts for jacking screws, and if necessary real copper pennies as protective shims. The round head gives point contact, and the square under the head allows for easy tightening (with a 13/64” open end wrench for the 10-32 bolts as seen above). The distance between the face of the Mini-Mill spindle and the top of the RT is 10-3/4”.


Or, a Sherline 5ӯ 6061 Tooling Plate (shown here so the7/16ӯ aligning boss on the back of the plate is visible, along with four T-Slot Nuts that have been located on the outer ring of the RT: Sherline cleverly located the fixture plate mounting holes to align with the outer ring to make it possible to blindly find the nuts) allows larger parts to be mounted and for more flexible clamping:




Spindle to Tooling Plate distance is 10-1/4”.

The RT center hole is also threaded 3/8-16 so that a range of adapters can be screwed in place, like this 3/4”-16 adapter:


The adapters have a 7/16”Ø ring above the 3/8-16 threads to locate them accurately in the center of the RT. Here is a Sherline 3” 3-Jaw chuck mounted on the adapter:


Spindle to 3-Jaw Chuck face distance is 9-1/2”.

A TAIG 3-1/4” Faceplate screwed on the adapter:


Spindle to Faceplate distance is 9-1/2”.

And a TAIG 4” Self-Centering 4-Jaw Chuck – I got mine for $20 in 2021 – (with the 3/4”-16 to 1”-8 Adapter I modified here);


Spindle to 4-Jaw Chuck face distance is 8-1/4”.

Sherline also makes extended/tall T-Slot Nuts like these:

Pic 10

That make it easier to mount holding accessories to the RT (or on the Micro-Mill), like this 100mm ER-32 Collet Chuck:




Spindle to Collet Chuck face distance is 8-1/4”.

Or this 100mmØ Vise (from India):


Spindle to Vise Jaw bottom distance is 10-1/4”.

Or an Eccentric Engineering (Australia) Flexi-Chuck (with a 75mm 2011 Aluminum Adapter), via a 7x Mini-Lathe backplate:


Spindle to Flexi-Chuck Adapter face distance is 6-1/2”.

The Tilt Table allows the RT to be used at any angle up to 90°:




¡Stay tuned for more tooling/machine/tool discussions!

 

[RandallsRaceShop]

Sherline 4" Rotary Table

Each of us have different machines and accessories and choose to implement the use of those accessories as make sense to us based on a number of factors. For example, I have an LMS 3990 Mini-Mill with a 2" Riser Block, which gives more vertical flexibility. However, my first mill was/is (I still have it, although haven't used in since I got the 3990) a Micro-Mark/MicroLux clone ($400 + $24 S/H in 2013!) of the Sherline Micro-Mill:

View attachment 506264

As my finances allowed, I obtained Sherline accessories to fit this mill, including a 4" Rotary Table, which is also a good size for the Mini-Mill. I have since added other accessories from around the World to use with the RT and Mini-Mill. Here is the RT mounted on a Sherline Tilt Table sitting on the Mini-Mill table, loosely attached using 10-32 SHCS’s and 10-32 T-Slot Nuts:

View attachment 506265

The RT has a 7/16” locating hole in the center that can be used for quick alignment with the mill spindle: a 7/16” drill blank held in a collet has been lowered into this hole, a machinist’s square held against the front of the mill table & the base of the RT Tilt Table and the 10-32 SHCS’s tightened to securely fasten the RT assembly in place. Parts can be mounted directly on the RT using 10-32 hardware, small T-Slot Nuts and small toe clamps:

View attachment 506266
I use smooth-head carriage bolts for jacking screws, and if necessary real copper pennies as protective shims. The round head gives point contact, and the square under the head allows for easy tightening (with a 13/64” open end wrench for the 10-32 bolts as seen above). The distance between the face of the Mini-Mill spindle and the top of the RT is 10-3/4”.


Or, a Sherline 5ӯ 6061 Tooling Plate (shown here so the7/16ӯ aligning boss on the back of the plate is visible, along with four T-Slot Nuts that have been located on the outer ring of the RT: Sherline cleverly located the fixture plate mounting holes to align with the outer ring to make it possible to blindly find the nuts) allows larger parts to be mounted and for more flexible clamping:

View attachment 506267

View attachment 506268
Spindle to Tooling Plate distance is 10-1/4”.

The RT center hole is also threaded 3/8-16 so that a range of adapters can be screwed in place, like this 3/4”-16 adapter:

View attachment 506269
The adapters have a 7/16”Ø ring above the 3/8-16 threads to locate them accurately in the center of the RT. Here is a Sherline 3” 3-Jaw chuck mounted on the adapter:

View attachment 506272
Spindle to 3-Jaw Chuck face distance is 9-1/2”.

A TAIG 3-1/4” Faceplate screwed on the adapter:

View attachment 506273
Spindle to Faceplate distance is 9-1/2”.

And a TAIG 4” Self-Centering 4-Jaw Chuck – I got mine for $20 in 2021 – (with the 3/4”-16 to 1”-8 Adapter I modified here);

View attachment 506274
Spindle to 4-Jaw Chuck face distance is 8-1/4”.

Sherline also makes extended/tall T-Slot Nuts like these:

View attachment 506275Pic 10

That make is easier to mount holding accessories to the RT (or on the Micro-Mill), like this 100mm ER-32 Collet Chuck:

View attachment 506276

View attachment 506277
Spindle to Collet Chuck face distance is 8-1/4”.

Or this 100mmØ Vise (from India):

View attachment 506278
Spindle to Vise Jaw bottom distance is 10-1/4”.

Or an Eccentric Engineering (Australia) Flexi-Chuck (with a 75mm 2011 Aluminum Adapter), via a 7x Mini-Lathe backplate:

View attachment 506279
Spindle to Flexi-Chuck Adapter face distance is 6-1/2”.

The Tilt Table allows the RT to be used at any angle up to 90°:

View attachment 506280


¡Stay tuned for more tooling/machine/tool discussions!

That's a really nice looking piece of kit!