2017 POTD Thread Archive

[f350ca]

The cabinet shop has for the most part been keeping me busy. Finished up this counter, now it needs finish. This has the first coat of 50/50 varnish thiner. This coat soaks in well and seals the wood. Haven't decided what to finish the maple top with, maybe just oil as its easily repaired if it gets scratched.

Greg

 

[BGHansen]

POTD was making a shorter throw handle for my Roper Whitney #218 punch press. A lot of my projects involve sheet metal, but some involve cardboard. The #218 press has a pull handle about 2 feet long. Great if you’re trying to pop a ¼” hole in ¼” plate steel (capacity of the machine), but it’s overkill and cumbersome when punching through paper.

Happened to have a 1 foot length of mystery metal in the correct 7/8” diameter. Thread on the handle is a National Fine 7/8”-14. I have the proper die but went with single point threading on my Grizzly G0709 lathe.

Had to pull the end panel off the lathe and swap a couple of gears to get to 14 tpi. Contemplated at hopping to my Clausing instead but figured I don’t oil the quadrant as often as I should on the Grizzly and should pull the panel. Swapping the gears was quick, first time I’d done it in the almost 2 years I’ve owned the lathe.

The existing shaft mic’d at 0.860”. Thread pitch diameter checked at 0.813” with a screw pitch micrometer. The “book” says 0.8286” for 7/8”-14 so I figured anything under the later would be fine. I wasn’t going to be able to check the thread against a nut or pull it and screw it into the press, so thought it best to match the pitch diameter.

Turned the round to diameter and cut a relief at the end of the thread. Set the compound at 29.5 deg., zero’d the compound, crept up on the round with the cross feed until the tool touched and zero’d the cross feed. My G0709 says for 14 tpi you can engage the half-nuts on opposites (1 – 3). Frankly, I always go to the same number which wastes some time waiting for the carriage to travel up to the work, but I’ve never split a thread (yet) using the same number. Pretty much standard single-point threading from there. Engage the half-nut at my number, disengage at the relief. Back out the cross feed one turn, take the carriage back to the start of the work. Turn the cross feed back to zero, advance the compound 0.003”, then turn the carriage away from the work to get to the thread dial number and engage the half-nuts.

Handle works great! It’s nice to grab and pull with the short throw for light jobs. Someday it’ll get a handle or wrap of tape.

Bruce

 

[BGHansen]

POTD was making a 5/8” punch for my Roper Whitney #218 press with a less aggressive center punch. One of my projects involves punching out 5/8” cardboard disks. I need the disk, not the hole. My stock 5/8” punch has a very pronounced center punch which was tearing the cardboard disks.

The #218 uses ½” or 1” diameter punches, so started with a length of 1” diameter O-1. Faced one end and turned a taper for an anti-rotation screw on the punch press.

Then flipped the round and faced leaving a “prick” about 0.040” long. Turned to diameter and tapered the transition between 0.625” and 1.000”.

Took the O-1 to red hot with a torch and held it there for about 5 minutes. Don’t know what the “book” says, so I’m probably off. Quenched in motor oil, then blew out the flames . . . Polished up the punch on the lathe and tempered to between 450 – 460 F on a Thermolyne hot plate. I monitor the temp with a non-contact thermometer and fiddle with the thermostat to hold to temp for about 15 minutes. Then another bath in motor oil.

The punch works great! No more tearing of the cardboard, and just a subtle “prick” left behind.

Bruce

 

[Rustrp]

Someday it’ll get a handle or wrap of tape.

I'm thinking bicycle handlebar grips. While you're at it go for the red, white and blue streamers.

 

[BGHansen]

I'm thinking bicycle handlebar grips. While you're at it go for the red, white and blue streamers.

You know, that's a great idea! You can see where the paint is worn off the stock handle between the yellow plastic handle and the press. I'm not the original owner, others wanted a shorter handle too! Going shopping tomorrow!

Bruce

 

[Tony Wells]

OK, current top priority job is the irrigation pump. Had to put a muffler on it today, but have a bud in the muffler shop biz, so he treats me fair when we have work to do. Here's what it looks like today. Still have to put lights and safety chains on it, but another shop is going to take care of prettying up, so I won't be painting it or anything.

 

[silverhawk]

With people saying "try making a ring out of a nut" on some other forums, I decided to take the plunge. It wasn't a large bill to try, so I didn't care about the "finish". Fits pretty nicely :

Then, I decided to turn an "adapter" ring for a mortising drill press attachment I picked up on eBay. I thought it would fit, but it wouldn't bind to the quill (it was for a 2.6" quill, my drill press is a 2.5" quill). The only thing I had was C86300 (manganese bronze) in 3" diameter (a $9 cut off about 1.5" long from the local supply store). I decided to do it. Bored the inside diameter first, then the outside, beveled the outside edge, cut it off, then cut it in half. Not a bad days work!

 

[scwhite]

With people saying "try making a ring out of a nut" on some other forums, I decided to take the plunge. It wasn't a large bill to try, so I didn't care about the "finish". Fits pretty nicely :




Then, I decided to turn an "adapter" ring for a mortising drill press attachment I picked up on eBay. I thought it would fit, but it wouldn't bind to the quill (it was for a 2.6" quill, my drill press is a 2.5" quill). The only thing I had was C86300 (manganese bronze) in 3" diameter (a $9 cut off about 1.5" long from the local supply store). I decided to do it. Bored the inside diameter first, then the outside, beveled the outside edge, cut it off, then cut it in half. Not a bad days work!

 

[scwhite]

This is my White Gold wedding band I did not
Make this ring in the picture . I am just showing
It for the shape and stile . I bought this ring in a jewelry store .
A guy come to me one time a long time ago
And wanted me to make him two wedding bands
Out of stainless steel - his and hers .
I made him two just like this one of mine.
He got married with them

 

[silverhawk]

This is my White Gold wedding band
A guy come to me one time a long time ago
And wanted me to make home two wedding bands
Out of stainless steel - his and hers .
I made him two just like this one of mine
He got married with them

How did you do those curves? Free hand tooling? Large ground tooling?