What Did You Buy Today?

rwdenney said:
I added some needed shop tools this week. One is a 5-foot pry bar, which is quite useful for a lot of things including nudging big machines.

And I bought a pallet jack. I suspect that is a multiplication tool—it makes other things possible.

Oh, boy, have I been snagging end mills and mill cutters that seem to be good buying opportunities.

The RPC has arrived but I’m in Idaho all week and haven’t seen it yet.

Rick “watching a lot of YouTubes of people moving Bridgeports” Denney
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A Portapower is a really good investment also, the hydraulic clam shell makes up for the lack of a toe jack.
 
This little guy turned up locally for $100. It is a 10" bandsaw with a metal cutting attachment (jack shaft & dual pulley). The metal cutting attachment was a factory accessory not a DIY thing cobbled together.

Yes Toro is the company that makes lawn mowers. For some reason in the 1950s they bought a little power tool company that was making DIY sized machines. They sold them under the Toro name for just a couple years than shut it all down and went back to just making lawn equipment.

While small it is a very stout, all cast iron and steel. This particular machine had been used as a metal cutting saw in a working shop for the past 40 years. It is an interesting little saw, I'll start a post on it when I clean it up and get it set up in its new home.

Added bonus it uses the same size blade as the HF 4x6" horizontal bandsaws.

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coolidge said:
Let me add that up...$100, $150, $175 I hate the cost of electrical :burned up:
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And here I honestly thought I was the only one who struggles with this! I ended up making the 20 mile one-way run to Pratt Electrical in Olympia this morning to drop another $80 and another $30 at Home Depot. Got more than I will use this time, more stuff on the shelf that probably won't work for the next LOL. The clerk at Pratt must have been through this 1,000s of times. "Yep, frustrating, they provide nothing and it can be surprising what all is needed."

Motor with the cable clamp, soow 14/4 (4th wire needed for reversal) to the switch with a connector so I can remove the motor. Dang it, what was I thinking buying L6-20???? Do I have a L14-20 set???? Cable clamp to the drum switch. Drum switch has insufficient room inside to turn the EMT nut, must spin ell fitting. Means the side to power can only be a straight connection. And after that an offset for the switch box. A motor cut-off rated switch. May as well add a 20a 110 outlet for future DRO. Get a 20a receptacle. A cover to fit switch & outlet. Now where is that THHN??? Dang, how many connections is that? Do I need a deep box? Cable clamp. More soow. Another L14-20 plug. Thank goodness I's already put a L14-20 receptacle. Oh, and a plate to put on the column to hold the drum switch and box with the motor cut-off switch/duplex outlet. Stopped work on the plate to eat lunch . . . . This is turning into "What did you do in your shop today?" Argg back at it.
 
Today I met a young guy who had just purchased a house about a half hour from me. He has a shop building behind the house... the previous owners abandoned everything in the shop, including a lathe, mill, surface grinder, band saw, and a sheet metal brake, along with a lot of other smaller tools and equipment.

He is trying to get rid of everything there... I looked at all of it, but there is a lot of rust on everything. I think the machines could be salvaged, but it would take a LOT of work. I'm very tempted to try salvaging the lathe (SB 10) and the mill (Bridgeport).

The brake is a Harbor Freight 3-in-1 brake, roll, and shear... it is missing some of the fingers, I searched the entire shop, but didn't find them. The saw is a fairly large Wells horizontal that looks to be in good mechanical condition, but very rusty. The surface grinder (maybe a Reid? I don't remember) is iffy at best, so likely a boat anchor... I don't think I would risk much money on it.

Anyway... I did buy a few small things from him...

An ingot of babbitt material...

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A Mitutoyo indicator...

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A box of drill bits...

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A box of milling cutters...

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And two lengths of aluminum 6061-T6...

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The one on the left is 1/2 x 5 x 15... the other is 1 x 6 x 24...

All for a couple of $20s...

-Bear
 
Shiseiji said:
And here I honestly thought I was the only one who struggles with this! I ended up making the 20 mile one-way run to Pratt Electrical in Olympia this morning to drop another $80 and another $30 at Home Depot. Got more than I will use this time, more stuff on the shelf that probably won't work for the next LOL. The clerk at Pratt must have been through this 1,000s of times. "Yep, frustrating, they provide nothing and it can be surprising what all is needed."

Motor with the cable clamp, soow 14/4 (4th wire needed for reversal) to the switch with a connector so I can remove the motor. Dang it, what was I thinking buying L6-20???? Do I have a L14-20 set???? Cable clamp to the drum switch. Drum switch has insufficient room inside to turn the EMT nut, must spin ell fitting. Means the side to power can only be a straight connection. And after that an offset for the switch box. A motor cut-off rated switch. May as well add a 20a 110 outlet for future DRO. Get a 20a receptacle. A cover to fit switch & outlet. Now where is that THHN??? Dang, how many connections is that? Do I need a deep box? Cable clamp. More soow. Another L14-20 plug. Thank goodness I's already put a L14-20 receptacle. Oh, and a plate to put on the column to hold the drum switch and box with the motor cut-off switch/duplex outlet. Stopped work on the plate to eat lunch . . . . This is turning into "What did you do in your shop today?" Argg back at it.
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^^^ this is what always happens. I still have a 30 amp cord plug I have moved in my electrical drawer at least 40 times now looking for things, plus half a drawer of other electrical remnants.

You forgot a package of those green screws for the box ground wire...and wire nuts and zip ties. lol
 
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Well this has not been a cheap day, though that is no great surprise given these were all planned expenses.

Finally sourced some M8 cup point allen grub screws and nuts for my various chucks, something I have needed but put off. Now I have the 4" flange on the Sieg SC3*, I need them since I no longer use the 3" to 4" adapter plate so got the matter dealt with, inclusive of spares for the inevitable wear or thread rolling.

A pair of rotary tear-drop taper handles for the compound slide handwheels of my 7x lathes,

teardrop handles.png

Some folding handles to experiment with...

Folding handles.png

Sorted out the 1.5-1mm, 2-1.5mm, 2.5-2mm, 3.5-2.5mm 4.5-3.5mm, 5.5-4.5mm, 3.175mm and 12.7mm ER32 metric collets to complete the set I have . That makes a set of 0.5mm to 26mm metric collets, though still 1 shy of a full set, but that makes no odds given the odd size, plus I have the set of 18 imperial collets to fill in any gaps, which I have yet to update to include any missing sizes.

Also sorted out an ER32 ring spanner. Yes, I prefer the ring over the half spanner and when I can use it I will use it over the half spanner as I find it far better.

er32 ring spanner.png



* I never, at any point, wanted to upgrade this lathe given I know for a certainty I will eventually be selling it once my other lathe is rebuilt. That said, the headstock bearings were replaced with A/C bearings under warranty, I have fitted a proper dovetail apron casting that has a handwheel gear bearing, as well as fitting the "twin half-nut" upgrade. Then, when I least intended to do it, I fitted the 4" flange spindle because I was tired of wasting time and space using a 3" to 4" chuck adapter! The apron casting will be removed and the original fitted prior to selling as I can and will use that apron casting with my rebuilt lathe.
 
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coolidge said:
^^^ this is what always happens. I still have a 30 amp cord plug I have moved in my electrical drawer at least 40 times now looking for things, plus half a drawer of other electrical remnants.

You forgot a package of those green screws for the box ground wire...and wire nuts and zip ties. lol
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I hang my head and mutter over what I have from wiring up the Logan lathe and the Monarch with a RPC. I know there is still some 8/4 soow, 10/4 soow, a double set of L21-30 plugs and receptacles (hey, lets also get some 120v for light etc. and only run one cable ignorance). Plus wiring up a SPC as a favor for the person who walked me through all the repairs. Then from what I had wired up and took down when I moved, a couple of ammo cans of 1/2" & 3/4" EMT fittings, 4" boxes with 1/2 the knock-outs gone, 3/4" hole plates to 1/2" but of course NOT what I needed to re-wire the mill when I had to get a new motor. :cry: But I did have the grounding screws and EMT nuts :)
 
rwdenney said:
Question: why three conductors? Are these for the single-phase side? I’m buying 4-prong twist-locks for three-phase—3 lines plus a safety ground.

Rick “curious” Denney
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This is 220v 1ph. but I still screwed up. :rolleyes: I will be using L14-20 to the machine.

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