POTD- PROJECT OF THE DAY: What Did You Make In Your Shop Today?

[rwdenney]

Problem: Craptastic Clarke Metalworking drill press bought at Tractor Supply; came with .060” of runout. Couldn’t drill a small hole without risking the drill. New Chuck made no difference; new arbor made no difference.

Solution: Re-machine the drill press spindle. But when I got it apart, I discovered that the Morse #2 taper had a bottom before the removal-tool slot, and the MT2 tang fit through a slot in that bottom. I didn’t think I could repair 60 thou of runout without the arbor bottoming out.

So, I decided to machine an arbor just for use in this machine. The arbor is Morse 2 on one end and Jacobs 3 on the other end. I machined a new Jacobs taper.

But it depended on being able to set up the drill press spindle by the bearing journals and indicating them in to run true.

The smaller (top) bearing journal is 12mm, and the bottom journal is 20mm. So, I chucked up the 12mm journal in a 1/2” 4C collet, which was 0.003 oversized and would barely tighten onto the journal. I used the steady rest to carry the bottom journal, and indicated it in to half a thousandth.

That minimized stick-out and ensured the DP spindle was running on the same center it would be in the drill press. I used the compound to cut the taper. Picture is post machining.

I used a sharp HSS tool—I wanted to be able to shave a thousandth.

Cutting enough to clean it up made the taper sit a little too deep, and the arbor bottomed out in the chuck. I faced off about 0.100, which solved that problem.

Result: Drill press now has 0.006 TIR, with a Grizzly copy of an Jacobs Super Chuck, and is usable again.

Rick “first non-lathe project” Denney

 

[rwm]

Hard to tell in the pic. Is that the spindle mated to the new arbor? Where was the source of the runout? Do you have a way to clock this so it can be removed and preserve the runout? Are you thinking that a 4 jaw just gripping the end of the spindle would not be satisfactory? Nice setup.

 

[rwdenney]

Hard to tell in the pic. Is that the spindle mated to the new arbor? Where was the source of the runout? Do you have a way to clock this so it can be removed and preserve the runout? Are you thinking that a 4 jaw just gripping the end of the spindle would not be satisfactory? Nice setup.

There is about five inches of spline inside the lathe spindle in the pic, and I didn’t want to clamp down on the journal with the 4-jaw. I haven’t made soft jaws for it yet. But the collet gripped without digging in, and the journal kept its light press fit into the bearing.

I think the whole spindle is not straight, but there’s no way to check that. The only reference surfaces are the bearing journals, and those aren’t wide enough to measure taper or skew.

But the main problem is that the Morse No. 2 taper in the spindle wasn’t on the same centerline as the bearing journals, for whatever reason. The arbor that goes in that spindle has a tang, and the spindle has a slot for the tang to keep it from spinning. So there are only two possible orientations for the inserted arbor. I ground a notch on one side of the spindle and also on the arbor for proper orientation in the future, though I doubt I’ll ever remove it (famous last words).

(The slot on the side of the spindle for driving a removal wedge over the tang is hiding behind the steady rest. You can see a sharpie mark on the inserted arbor at the base of the taper for orientation until I ground the notches.)

Yes, the arbor is inserted in the pic and I gave it a good whack with a dead-blow hammer to seat it before machining the JT3 taper. Once I got the whole spindle turning on the bearing centers, anything I would machine on that taper would maintain concentricity.

Rick “who thought about the setup for a good while” Denney

 

[pontiac428]

Just a little one today. The Jacobs spindle nose collet chucks have a 1/4" circlip holding the ball bearing retainer plug in place. I thought to myself, I have some good German circlip tools, this'll be a snap! and I intended the pun. My smallest tool was three sizes too big. Ah, but I raided the dentist's office during the Rodney King riots, I have the pin expanding tool they use to clamp off individual teeth for root canals that goes in with the dental dam. Nope, this is smaller than a pediatric tooth apparently. So, I got out two little scribe probes and a magnet, and it came out without fanfare. Damn you, Occam!

 

[silverhawk]

I finished up my woodworking clamp squares (well, I did not "finish" them - if I ever decide to anodize these things, I'll polish out the mill marks on the inside surfaces - and I'm not going to use those surfaces for the clamping).



I managed to find some smaller squares - they are billed as center finding rigs, and I don't know if they are square yet - but I now have some medium-sized woodworking square clamps for making a few drawers.



I'm kinda dreading the drawer-making.

 

[extropic]

@pontiac428

Dental tools? Get a set of replaceable tip pliers. Not top zoot. but covers many bases.

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

 

[pontiac428]

@pontiac428

Dental tools? Get a set of replaceable tip pliers. Not top zoot. but covers many bases.

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

I have no fewer than five sets of Milbar-USA changeable tip pliers. They do okay on light duty rings, but they don't close the tips together nearly tight enough for this lilliput internal circlip! I think I could fill two toolbox drawers with tools for various retaining clips, I was just surprised I didn't have a tool for one this small. Pointy forceps were too small, though, not enough meat to do the job. I think 1/4 internal is a specialty range, and I don't expect to encounter specialties on my bench top when working on quality domestic tooling.

 

[extropic]

I have no fewer than five sets of Milbar-USA changeable tip pliers. They do okay on light duty rings, but they don't close the tips together nearly tight enough for this lilliput internal circlip! I think I could fill two toolbox drawers with tools for various retaining clips, I was just surprised I didn't have a tool for one this small. Pointy forceps were too small, though, not enough meat to do the job. I think 1/4 internal is a specialty range, and I don't expect to encounter specialties on my bench top when working on quality domestic tooling.

I figured you must have some replaceable tip type.
If necessary, I just grind the tips to fit.
That's one reason I need to replace them from time to time.

 

[Just for fun]

When I adjusted the valves on my Can-Am Outlander last week it called for a 14 mm Allen wrench to turn the motor over. I took the clutch cover off and just used the clutch to turn the motor. Today I made a tool to turn the engine over without taking the clutch cover off. It's not an Allen wrench but it will work. I hope the 570 uses the same tool as I need to service my wife's ATV next.

 

[rwdenney]

Problem: some years ago, I bought a decent Japanese inspection microscope at a ham radio flea market. I was especially pleased with 20-power magnification at a working distance if five inches. But it lacked the desk mount.

Solution: I rooted around in the pile and found an old shop-made boring-bar holder. I have CXA boring-bar holders, so this was just scrap. It had a 3/4” hole in it, but the stud on the microscope base was 0.53”. And I found a piece of plastic, probably Delrin or similar, maybe 1-1/2” in diameter and 4” long.

No problem—I have a lathe.

Rick “c-clamped to the horology bench” Denney