What Did You Buy Today?

Drool, Drool, Slobber, Slobber. . .

For years I have wanted a decent jointer. I have drooled and slobbered over catalogs until the pages fell apart, but a full size jointer was beyond my reach. Seems every time I make a little more money, the price goes up. Inflation. . . So they have stayed just beyond my reach. I have a planer and with a little tinkering can joint a longer board if there is enough excess to trim off the "snipe". But for short pieces not so good. So I wait a little longer. . . I am aware of two Craftsman jointers, one with an internal motor, one external. Only a couple of feet long, quite satisfactory for using oak flooring to build a tool chest. The current flooring is smaller than when I was a kid. A 4 foot piece is rare and it's only 3/4 inch thick.

So, last Thursday, I followed up an advert on Craig's List. The price was something I was willing to pay. That's been my biggest hangup, a used machine at a new machine price. Some people must think their machines are made of gold. This seller was quite accommodating when I mentioned my wheelchair, and offered to deliver it. So when I answered the door, he was unloading, the machine separate from the stand. The stand?? I had commited to a jointer, sans motor and stand. Then he unloads 4 feet plus of jointer. A monster, fully 6 inch (plus) knives, 1/8 inch cut in softer wood, 1/2 HP motor, my dream machine. First thing I did was inspect the knives, and feel the bearings. Dead smooth. . . Craftsman 113.206932 I wasn't aware Sears had that large a jointer. It's like commiting to a 6X12 inch lathe and getting an Atlas 12X36. Sorry, my camera is broken. No photos, but a stock item. Just a whale of a lot bigger than I imagined.

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My new to me Tree Boring Head was first used by Northrop! Instructions are here https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/tree-taper-boring-tool.97243/
Wanted to be sure it works properly - but soon got tired of turning it by hand only to not see anything happen. So, i chucked it in my lathe & let her fly. Makes sense now: At 0.005 advancement per revolution. it takes 400 turns per inch. EDIT: Should have said, 400 turns for a total of 2". I had heard some of the newer ones have a quicker advance. Probably best that it is slow!

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I may have known some of the guys who used that thing in Hawthorne CA! I started there in the tooling department in Jan 1985. I'm still friends with some of the machinists from that era on FB. Looks like a good score!
 
A while back, I bought a used Albrecht drill chuck for $75, through another forum. I disassembled and cleaned it, and unfortunately the jaws were chewed up enough that it did a poor job aligning cylindrical items to the spindle. I poked around a bit but didn’t come across any inexpensive jaws. So finally, placing a McMaster order for some rivets, I added a set of Albrecht jaws. $140 was a tough pill to swallow, but it seemed like my best option.

I’ll say that I’m glad I did it, as the first project involved drilling #54 (0.055”, right on the limit of what a c130 chuck should grip) and the chuck gripped well and spun the bits without noticeable runout. I haven’t yet chucked a pin to measure runout (part of me is afraid to find out) but using the chuck was an absolute pleasure.

The jaws make a partial appearance here:
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I also trimmed the chuck’s 3/4” arbor down to roughly R8 engagement length so it’s easy to get in and out of a collet.
 
Got a few things for the G0709 Lathe:

Replacement/spare/missing parts:
(1) P07090434 - COVER PLATE from Grizzly
(1) P07090527 - HALF NUT ASSEMBLY from Grizzly - I just wanted a spare... the one on the lathe is in perfect condition. Got it since I was already ordering the missing cover plate and carbide tipped dead center
(1) P4003G0024 - DEAD CENTER MT#3 CARBIDE TIPPED from Grizzly

To replace the hex bolts used in the locks for handles:
(1) Carriage Lock: 6848K52 Metric Die Cast Zinc Adjustable Handle, M8 X 1.25 Thread X 60MM Stud from McMaster-Carr
(1 of each) Cross Slide and (1) Compound Lock Handle - 6848K38 Metric Die Cast Zinc Adjustable Handle, M6 X 1 Thread X 30MM Stud and 6848K35 Metric Die Cast Zinc Adjustable Handle, M6 X 1 Thread X 15MM Stud from McMaster-Carr

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Some improvements:
(1) 6 " 150 mm Digital Readout Read Out DRO Hardened Stainless Steel Beam Resolution 0.0005" - to install on tailstock...

DRO for Tailstock.jpg
 
A couple of odds and ends. Picked up a couple of dripper bottles for parting and applying cutting oil. Also some 3/8-24 taps and a 3/8-24 die. Just received a couple of small precision ground tool room stones to touch up my lathe slide and milling table.
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Used the 3/8-24 tap today to make a jam nut so I could remove the screw from an Aloris AXA-8 threading tool. Had to mill off 0.050" from the bottom of the tool holder so I could set the tool bit to center. My spindle center line is 0.947" over the compound. The original tool bit height was 0.994" from the bottom of the tool holder. I used a 3/8" carbide end mill with a 0.020" radius edge to remove the material. Needed to use a diamond hone to debur the edges, as a file just skated over the steel edges. After polishing the bottom need to blacken it. Don't like the idea of having it bare. Not sure how to do that without messing with the rest of the finish.
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Haven't tried the AXA-8 yet, as the compound is off. Still trying to level the lathe. Next is to use the stones to remove any minor irregularities on the slide, so I can put the level there.
 
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