What Did You Buy Today?

[erikmannie]

Can’t get much longer than that! You’re going to need a 14” column spacer

This weekend I will post a picture of an MT4 taper shank drill in a “1-1/2” straight shank outside, MT4 inside” adapter sleeve in an end mill holder.

I am also curious to see how much throat height remains after what is effectively an extension socket.

I wonder what others do for an R8 to MT4 adapter (i.e. MT4 inside, R8 outside), or how others use a taper shank drill in a milling machine, whether that drill is MT3, MT4 or otherwise.

Edit:
Oh, here we go:

Hhip R8 To MT4 Morse Taper Sleeve 3900-1814 | Zoro

Order Hhip R8 To MT4 Morse Taper Sleeve, 3900-1814 at Zoro.com. Great prices & free shipping on orders over $50 when you sign in or sign up for an account.

www.zoro.com

Here is my MT4 adapter in a 1-1/2” EMH. The OAL is 9-9/16”:

 

[extropic]

From Zoro, a NIB Tesa Brown & Sharpe .0005” grad BesTest PN 599-7031-5. It set me back $200.52.

Tesa Brown & Sharpe Dial Test Indicator, Hori, 0 to 0.030 In 599-7031-5 | Zoro

Order Tesa Brown & Sharpe Dial Test Indicator, Hori, 0 to 0.030 In, 599-7031-5 at Zoro.com. Great prices & free shipping on orders over $50 when you sign in or sign up for an account.

www.zoro.com

The only DTI that I have now is .0001”, and you sure don’t want to try to indicate a vise with such a fine graduation.

My friend has this exact same DTI linked above. He came over & we uneventfully indicated 2 mill vises with it.

The Zoro website says that the DTI linked above is probably made in China. My friend’s DTI (same exact PN) was brand new; it did not say anywhere on the packaging where it was made. We Googled Tesa, and concluded that Tesa is made in Switzerland. You would think that it is a law that you have to state the country of manufacture somewhere on a new product.

It's my understanding that the B&S DTIs have not been Swiss Made for some time.
Yes, the B&S trade name has been owned by TESA for many years and used to be Swiss Made (I have many).

When you get your DTI, if it says "Swiss Made" on the dial face you are golden. If it does not, it is not.

The photo in the Zoro linked ad shows Swiss Made on the dial face. If yours does not, I would return it and keep shopping. The Interapid brand DTIs are still Swiss Made (at about twice the price). Consider Mitutoyo, made in Japan.

 

[erikmannie]

It's my understanding that the B&S DTIs have not been Swiss Made for some time.
Yes, the B&S trade name has been owned by TESA for many years and used to be Swiss Made (I have many).

When you get your DTI, if it says "Swiss Made" on the dial face you are golden. If it does not, it is not.

The photo in the Zoro linked ad shows Swiss Made on the dial face. If yours does not, I would return it and keep shopping. The Interapid brand DTIs are still Swiss Made (at about twice the price). Consider Mitutoyo, made in Japan.

I just Googled it, & I now believe that these are now Made in China. I cannot afford to spend more than $200 for a .0005” DTI. I have been hunting for well over a month, & the used ones on eBay are a little well worn to my liking.

Here is one typical link & a screenshot:

Brown & Sharpe 599-7031-5 BesTest Dial Test Indicator, .030" Range, .0005" Graduation

Item Description Range: .030" Graduation: .0005" 0-15-0 dial face 1.5" Dial face diameter Easy-to-read "jet-console" face with high visibility orange hands Constant clockwise rotation Automatic reversal Swival point Carbide tip point Universal mounting With fitted case Photo shown for...

shop.idealprec.com

My friend & I scrutinized his brand new DTI, & the needle swept very smoothly. He is an MD whose job it was to literally hold people’s lives in his hands, & he is stunningly bright & attentive to detail. I triple checked that I bought the exact same PN that he did.

TESA obviously bought or is licensing the Brown & Sharpe plus BesTest names. You know that they would mark up the price a lot for being able to slap that name on it. Hopefully, they consistently back this up with quality control because this DTI costs 7 1/2 times as much as other Made in China DTIs with similar specs.



As a rule, I will no longer buy tools that are Made in China (with the exception of consumable abrasives). I am used to spending about 7-10 times as much for every tool in order to avoid Chinesium. I am always surprised how low the prices are for Chinese tools.

I think econo-tools are great for people on a budget, students, or use as beaters. I destroyed many Chinese tools making rookie mistakes.

I will keep this one because I like the fact that my friend & I have identical DTIs.

 

[ttabbal]

This came in: a 4, 5, 6 & 8mm key way broach set. Took less than a week to get here.
View attachment 417580
Now I need to learn how to use it. Where does the shim piece go? I need to cut some 5mm key ways in a 14mm bore. It seems the short and narrower end is placed in the bushing. What keeps the broach from wanting to dig in? I have a 3 ton arbor press, with enough height for the 4 & 5 mm broaches. I will need to make a drop anvil to accommodate the longer broaches.

Cool. I've only done small broaches, but the procedure is generally the same for all of them.

Bore the hole to the correct size.
Insert the correct bushing
Put the broach in the bushing slot (no shim, narrow side first)
Run the broach through with the press
Hang the shim on the bushing, put the broach in again and run it again

The shim just spaces the broach over a little so you can get the depth you need without needing multiple broaches or an insanely long one. Use cutting oil, and occasionally release pressure to make sure the broach isn't getting sideways force. They can shatter if you push them too far to the sides.

 

[projectnut]

Had a fairly good day today at my favorite used equipment dealer. I bought 3 Takachiho Seiki bore gauge sets. The smallest is from .40" to .72" the next is 1.4" to 2.4", and the largest goes from .70" to 4.0"
While I don't have pictures yet here's a set similar to the ones I bought listed on eBay:

Takachiho Seiki Teclock Gauge Made In Japan With Box & Attachments. 7-1.5" | eBay

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">Takachiho Seiki Teclock Gauge Made In Japan With Box & Attachments. 7-1.5". Item is in good, used condition. PLEASE SEE ALL PHOTOS</p>

www.ebay.com

I also came home with a set of B&S 1-2-3 blocks like these:

Set of B&S 1-2-3 Blocks B-1116-2 | eBay

Make sure you note on BOL BEFORE the driver leaves.

www.ebay.com

A pair of Avenger magnetic bases:

AVENGER HEAVY DUTY MAGNETIC BASE #AMB-17 (MADE IN THE USA) for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for AVENGER HEAVY DUTY MAGNETIC BASE #AMB-17 (MADE IN THE USA) at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

A B&S magnetic V block:

V-Block Magnetic B&S G-434 | eBay

You will receive a response within 24 hours. We will arrange for loading and trucking if necessary. We will do our best to fix it.

www.ebay.com

A Federal Testmaster DTI:

Federal Testmaster M-205 Jeweled Dial Test Indicator .0001" USA Machinist Tools | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Federal Testmaster M-205 Jeweled Dial Test Indicator .0001" USA Machinist Tools at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

And a box of dozen or so dial indicator clamps:

【SALE】Sleeve Swivel Clamp Chuck for Magnetic Stand Holder Bar Dial Indicator | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 【SALE】Sleeve Swivel Clamp Chuck for Magnetic Stand Holder Bar Dial Indicator at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

All for $110.00

 

[682bear]

I picked this up yesterday...



...71 cutters, all USA made, mostly Niagara. Sizes range from 1/8" to 1" wide, although there are quite a few 9/32".

The three at the top are two cutters wax dipped together... each pair is a matched left hand/ right hand pair.

-Bear

 

[ChazzC]

My tool post finally showed up today after about 6 weeks of lead time. Not sure exactly what I think about this one. Dorian is looking at the pictures right now. Probably just the end-cut on that piece. If they say it won't affect the return to 0, I can probably live with it, but

Been holding off with this update, but since I haven't heard anything back from the manufacturer . . .

The end of May I ordered a 1/2" hole slitting saw arbor from McM: it looked to be well made, advertised to reduce vibration, has a 5-year warranty and (per the manufacturer's website) "PROUDLY MADE IN THE USA." aA couple of weeks later, I ordered a 5/8" version as I found that I had a couple of new saws with 5/8" holes. However, when I tried mounting one of the 5/8" blades, the retaining screw wouldn't seat: on investigation, the threaded mounting hole was half-full of chips & muck, what you might expect of Chinese or Indian fabricated tools. I then checked the 1/2" arbor and also found some chips in it, although not as many:




There were a lot more chips that the air gun removed, but you get the idea.

I messaged McM to let them know about the poor quality, explaining that I had cleaned both arbors out and that all was well. Within a half-hour had an apology, a refund on both arbors and told to keep them. The next day I went to the manufacturer's website and filled out a contact form, telling them of my experience. After a week with no response, I dug out the manufacturer's customer service email address and sent an email asking them to get back to me. It has been 19 days and either their server is down or they just don't care.

Oh, it was Sierra American Multi-Systems.

 

[FOMOGO]

Looks like your set for cutters for a bit Bear. Can't recall, do you have a horizontal mill? Cheers, Mike

 

[great white]

just a set of generic probe leads:



Needed a new set to keep working on my Sansui 8080DB receiver. The ones that came with my BK Precision meter are just plain worn out. These will get me by for a while.

 

[682bear]

Looks like your set for cutters for a bit Bear. Can't recall, do you have a horizontal mill? Cheers, Mike

I have a 1947 Cincinnati #2ML...



-Bear