Improving Edge Technology accessories

hman

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H-M Lifetime Diamond Member
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Feb 17, 2013
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Edge Technology sells some durn good lathe and mill accessories.
I've bought their tool post drill chuck and their multi-axis stop. My one gripe has been that neither one provides a nice way to store the necessary Allen wrench. The multi-axis stop requires a hefty (I think 3/8"?) Allen wrench for the table lock and stop lock screws. There's an almost-large-enough gap just below the upper crossbar. So I used a 1/2" end mill to cut the web 1/4" deeper. The Allen wrench hangs neatly in the widened gap when I "park" the stop at the edge of the mill table.
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I've previously posted about adding magnets to the tool post drill chuck. Edge had the right idea when they provided a magnetized storage hole for the alignment pin ... just no similar arrangement for the Allen wrench. I cut a groove in the upper "hump" and bored two holes slightly larger than 1/4" for some rare earth magnets. Voila! Convenient Allen wrench storage.
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Good job.

Make you wonder why everybody doesn’t make their tools with pocket holders? I’ve got those little HF neodymium button magnets all over with the corresponding allen wrench next to where it’s needed. Way better use for the several partial allen sets I have than sitting in the junk drawer. Convenience, what a concept.
 
Sort of a PS - I sent an FYI link to my post to Edge Technology. Their response:
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I do realize that implementing my tweaks would NOT be a trivial matter for established products, so I'm not expecting any kind of prompt action. But maybe they can add them in next time they do a product update.
 
I have tried giving input and always gotten the polite thanks or nothing. I would love to know what really happens. They don’t want to incorporate something because then they afraid you want a cut? Or they just don’t see the need? Or the automated re: system never tells anybody?

That was some of the only satisfaction I got out of the last wage slave tour was helping to improve a design. In my case I was the only one besides the field installers who knew the environment the machines were in and was familiar with the stuff that worked good and didn’t. I ran into a lot of ego in sales and engineering depts.
 
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