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- Aug 3, 2017
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- 2,437
Nice idea! The plans I was going to build did something like that.
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New Atlas 7B Shaper
- Thread starter ErichKeane
- Start date
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2017
- Messages
- 2,437
So... long day today. I decided to skip my normal project (the hit/miss engine) and instead grind in the table. I didn't do the front-edge for the angle plate, the surface grinder started getting testy, and by the time I got everything working the front edge was the last thing on my mind!
I tried to indicate in the table/knee in on the grinder 'right way up', but the bottom of the casting gave me all levels of hell trying to get it even. Instead, I opted to grind the bottom of it first. It took a little bit of shim stock and an indicator (plus quite a while!) to get it in, but I indicated it in on both axes ('up/down' and 'fwd/backwards' in this image).
I gave up at this point, I'd already taken about 25 thou at this point, so I figured that one spot wouldn't matter. I used my flat stones to shine up the 'high' spots (my surface grinder still leaves a little bit of a 'ripply' pattern) to make sure it was about even, so thats what you can see in this picture. Additionally, I used a pretty high step over since its just the bottom.
With the bottom flat and square, I flipped it over and started grinding the top. I learned quite a few things here! First (actually learned earlier), the previous owner had taken A LOT off the top here. I looked at other knees, and they have a ton of material above the circles. This knee had it below the circles on about 30% of it. Second, the previous owner either had a 'false start', or tried to do this again and gave up. The part nearest to me was about 15 thou shorter than the rest. The rest cut pretty evenly, but that one part (to the near side of the last t-slot) took forever to get to. I still didn't get all of it.
I did some finish grinding on this one so it turned out a little better, This is the last corner that I wasn't able to get, the previous owner's scraping of this spot left it pretty terribly low for some reason.
Here's the other part I couldn't get, this is just a dent though I think.
And a couple of pictures of it all put back together:
Finally, I wanted to start making T-nuts for the 2 part vise I want to make, which is a big part of the motivation for grinding the surface (since I can't just count on a vise-bottom to index off of!). I managed to get 3 of the 4 out of this piece of stock, the 4th decided to eat my 5/16-18 tap, so it didn't get finished
I'm using the same 1x1 stock the mounted parts of the vise, so I'll likely just use some of that scrap to make another t-nut or two.
I tried to indicate in the table/knee in on the grinder 'right way up', but the bottom of the casting gave me all levels of hell trying to get it even. Instead, I opted to grind the bottom of it first. It took a little bit of shim stock and an indicator (plus quite a while!) to get it in, but I indicated it in on both axes ('up/down' and 'fwd/backwards' in this image).
I gave up at this point, I'd already taken about 25 thou at this point, so I figured that one spot wouldn't matter. I used my flat stones to shine up the 'high' spots (my surface grinder still leaves a little bit of a 'ripply' pattern) to make sure it was about even, so thats what you can see in this picture. Additionally, I used a pretty high step over since its just the bottom.
With the bottom flat and square, I flipped it over and started grinding the top. I learned quite a few things here! First (actually learned earlier), the previous owner had taken A LOT off the top here. I looked at other knees, and they have a ton of material above the circles. This knee had it below the circles on about 30% of it. Second, the previous owner either had a 'false start', or tried to do this again and gave up. The part nearest to me was about 15 thou shorter than the rest. The rest cut pretty evenly, but that one part (to the near side of the last t-slot) took forever to get to. I still didn't get all of it.
I did some finish grinding on this one so it turned out a little better, This is the last corner that I wasn't able to get, the previous owner's scraping of this spot left it pretty terribly low for some reason.
Here's the other part I couldn't get, this is just a dent though I think.
And a couple of pictures of it all put back together:
Finally, I wanted to start making T-nuts for the 2 part vise I want to make, which is a big part of the motivation for grinding the surface (since I can't just count on a vise-bottom to index off of!). I managed to get 3 of the 4 out of this piece of stock, the 4th decided to eat my 5/16-18 tap, so it didn't get finished
I'm using the same 1x1 stock the mounted parts of the vise, so I'll likely just use some of that scrap to make another t-nut or two. - Joined
- Aug 3, 2017
- Messages
- 2,437
SO I did 2 things today. First, I timed the table advance. I'd realized that the Left/Right markings on the advance wheel was reversed, so i removed it and swapped it. Easy enough, and makes operation MUCH less confusing! The R/L on that and the switch knob are now consistent.
Then, I did a bit of work on a 2 part vise. I think I have it planned out pretty well. I have it bolted to the table with the T-nut slots exactly 4.5" apart, which is the distance between the far T slots. This allows placing it in both orientations.
Hold down bolts are 5/16-18, with a 1/2-13 as the tension bolt. I DO still need to make the moving jaw (I already reamed the guides, as you can see, 3" apart), but the precision ground shaft hasn't arrived yet. I made sure the tension bolt is long enough that it should overhang the table by quite a bit, this way I can get to it on small materials (plus having a long distance for the moving jaw!) Despite lacking the moving jaw, this was good enough to do my first test cut! Unfortunately I must have got oil on my lens, so the pictures/videos after this are not at all reasonable looking.
I did a 2 click-step, with a round nose tool and about a 30 thou depth of cut (in aluminum) and got a pretty darn nice finish! The shaper had no problems with it, I was pleased as punch with it and my vise setup.
Then, I did a bit of work on a 2 part vise. I think I have it planned out pretty well. I have it bolted to the table with the T-nut slots exactly 4.5" apart, which is the distance between the far T slots. This allows placing it in both orientations.
Hold down bolts are 5/16-18, with a 1/2-13 as the tension bolt. I DO still need to make the moving jaw (I already reamed the guides, as you can see, 3" apart), but the precision ground shaft hasn't arrived yet. I made sure the tension bolt is long enough that it should overhang the table by quite a bit, this way I can get to it on small materials (plus having a long distance for the moving jaw!) Despite lacking the moving jaw, this was good enough to do my first test cut! Unfortunately I must have got oil on my lens, so the pictures/videos after this are not at all reasonable looking.
I did a 2 click-step, with a round nose tool and about a 30 thou depth of cut (in aluminum) and got a pretty darn nice finish! The shaper had no problems with it, I was pleased as punch with it and my vise setup.
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2017
- Messages
- 2,437
I did! It's about 3 tenths higher on the far side, which is good enough. That said, the table/ways flex a lot downward on something this small, so getting a flat cut is difficult.