What Did You Buy Today?

WobblyHand said:
Well, this is good and bad. Shars just set me notification that the threaded back plate for my set tru chuck is in stock! It would save me a lot of time machining a new back plate. Less than two weeks ago they told me it would be 4-5 months. So I bought some cast iron to make my own.

Should I buy the back plate and save the cast iron for something else, or machine the cast iron into a back plate. To do the machining I'm going to have to make some tools first. Need to make a 3/4" threading bar, and probably buy a 3/4" boring bar. With AXA tooling I am limited to 3/4". Probably cost more to buy tooling than to buy the back plate. But machining a back plate seems like almost a rite of passage...

Feel silly asking here, (this is Hobby Machinist after all,) but, what would you do if you were me? Extra points for also including why.
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Just to minimize the mess... and it is a lot of mess.... I would get the one that is back in stock...
 
WobblyHand said:
Kind of like stirring up the pot, isn't it? :big grin:
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well there's only 2 answers, but we are going to get 50 different responses , so yea. And ultimately, it's your decision. I don't think any of us are going to change your mind.
 
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You already have the cast iron to make the back plate, so go for it and make the back plate!

Going for extra points here..... I would go ahead and make the back plate because I can! (Well not right now, but someday I will be able to) LOL
 
@WobblyHand

I don't know which spindle nose your lathe has. That is a significant factor in the make-buy decision.

If it's available to purchase and I'm not offended by the price, I buy it rather than build from scratch.
 
extropic said:
@WobblyHand

I don't know which spindle nose your lathe has. That is a significant factor in the make-buy decision.

If it's available to purchase and I'm not offended by the price, I buy it rather than build from scratch.
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It's a threaded 1-3/4-8 spindle. Don't have a 3/4 threading bar. Tried a home made 1/2" bar for threading on my mini-lathe and it had too much chatter even at 3/4" depth.

But I'm going to machine using my 10x22, which should be more rigid. I could make a 3/4" bar and try. I'd want to practice on something like 12L14 first. I have a 1/2" Circle Machine carbide shank boring bar with TPCB-2200-CM1 inserts that bores sweetly. 2" depth would be 4x bar diameter. So that might be ok.
 
WobblyHand said:
Well, this is good and bad. Shars just set me notification that the threaded back plate for my set tru chuck is in stock! It would save me a lot of time machining a new back plate. Less than two weeks ago they told me it would be 4-5 months. So I bought some cast iron to make my own.

Should I buy the back plate and save the cast iron for something else, or machine the cast iron into a back plate. To do the machining I'm going to have to make some tools first. Need to make a 3/4" threading bar, and probably buy a 3/4" boring bar. With AXA tooling I am limited to 3/4". Probably cost more to buy tooling than to buy the back plate. But machining a back plate seems like almost a rite of passage...

Feel silly asking here, (this is Hobby Machinist after all,) but, what would you do if you were me? Extra points for also including why.
Click to expand...

I am sure as @woodchucker is anticipating, going to be a lot of different views on this. Here is my $0.02 worth.

1) You have already purchased the raw material to make your own.
2) If you make your own, and make it on the machine that will use the collet chuck then you know it will be true to your spindle thereby ensuring that you will get the most accuracy out of the collets.
3) If you buy the already made one, you are going to have fork out more money for the backing plate and shipping that you could use towards the collets.
4) You don't know how accurate the backing plate will be on your machine. Remember a chuck is a system of the backing plate, the alignment of the joint between the backing plate and chuck, and finally the alignment between the chuck taper and the collets. Any variation in each part of the system exaggerates the misalignment between the spindle and the work piece.

Just my opinion since you asked.
 
extropic said:
If it's available to purchase and I'm not offended by the price, I buy it rather than build from scratch.
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I'm not offended by the price, more about the shipping. Shars shipping cost is Edit: $23 $12 for this $62 part. Edit: Dunno, this bugs me. That isn't that bad. Maybe I can call them and see if they can ship this in flat rate box.

This isn't a completely finished part, since I still need to machine the boss and the face. However, the hole is bored, the threading is done, and the holes are drilled. So it would save a lot of time.

Still not sure which way to go.
Edit: Price isn't the problem, I must have misread the shipping. Makes it closer than I expected. Still going to machine rather than buy.
 
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WobblyHand said:
I'm not offended by the price, more about the shipping. Shars shipping cost is $23 for this $62 part. Dunno, this bugs me. Maybe I can call them and see if they can ship this in flat rate box.

This isn't a completely finished part, since I still need to machine the boss and the face. However, the hole is bored, the threading is done, and the holes are drilled. So it would save a lot of time.

Still not sure which way to go.
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Did you check out their price on Epay.. sometimes the price and shipping are less.
 
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