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

[Winegrower]

Today the Jet VBS-900 bandsaw is operational. Mostly. Well, it cuts. Upgraded the motor from 1/3HP, which was way too small, to a 2HP new Baldor, very quiet and smooth. overhauled the air pump, with new bearings and a new shaft assembly, it also is smooth, but sounds a bit like those playing cards in the spokes, anybody remember that?
The blade guides were stuck, so removed and cleaned, pressed out and polished the guide pins so the adjustments work smoothly. Scotch Brited the two tables, came out very acceptably. A new blade mounted easily, and chips were made. Wow, so nice. This is going to up the scope of the projects I can take on.

The thing has a 4 speed transmission and a Reeves drive, so there’s an infinitely variable and wide range speed selection.

Now sadly the welder/grinder is still a wireball. What a great hobby, we’re never done.

Last picture is as it arrived. It looks about the same from the outside.

It needs a belt to run the air pump. I now have all the parts to do a solenoid valve for shop air, just flip a switch…hard to decide.

 

[woodchucker]

Just pick up a belt, if you don't like it, cut over. You won't need your compressor running with the bandsaw.
If you have a segmented (fenner) type belt, give it a try... They are great for instant repairs, sizing an unknown belt.. Noisier, but a good quick fix.

 

[BladesIIB]

Needed a rack to organize these Pierson Workholding pallets in my toolbox drawer. Woodworking project, but for the metal shop so seemed an appropriate project to post.

 

[woodchucker]

Needed a rack to organize these Pierson Workholding pallets in my toolbox drawer. Woodworking project, but for the metal shop so seemed an appropriate project to post.

I cringed when I saw you use the brad nailer. Keep your fingers out of the line of fire. If the nail blows out the side, you will not like having your fingers in the blowout area.

 

[BladesIIB]

I cringed when I saw you use the brad nailer. Keep your fingers out of the line of fire. If the nail blows out the side, you will not like having your fingers in the blowout area.

I appreciate the tip. I try to be safe in the shop and never intend to demonstrate anything that is not safe. Not a tool I use often and had not considered that happening. Will be more thoughtful next time. Thanks!

 

[woodchucker]

I appreciate the tip. I try to be safe in the shop and never intend to demonstrate anything that is not safe. Not a tool I use often and had not considered that happening. Will be more thoughtful next time. Thanks!

I know you were not demonstrating, this was just to you so you are aware. Those things follow the grain sometimes, you had the gun pointed the correct way.. if you had it 90 off it would definitely have followed the grain. Even in ply.

 

[Nogoingback]

Repaired A Fan

I've had a cheap Chinese shop fan around for ages. Poorly designed, poorly built but it keeps spinning. The stand was designed to be height adjustable, with a spring loaded inner tube and a lock nut in a plastic collar at the top. Naturally, the plastic collar assembly failed. I decided to modify it by eliminating the height adjustable feature and just make it a fixed height.

Started by taking the spring assembly out and binning it. A bushing was turned to fit the outer tube and bored for a press fit to the inner support tube. I drilled a hole at the bottom of the outer tube, transferred it's location to the bushing and drilled/tapped for a 1/4-20 bolt. This locks the assembly in place. I turned and bored a Delrin bushing for the top, with a light press fit on both the ID and OD. Put all together and voila!,
good as new. Of course, I probably could have bought another fan for what I payed for a chunk of Delrin, but what's the fun in that?

 

[Winegrower]

While messing aroung getting the Jet VBS-900 bandsaw operational, I’ve been trying to figure out the rat’s nest of wiring to the welder/grinder. Today I gave up. It’s just too simple a system to have that mess, even if it did work.

So I pulled the guts out, here’s what it looks like. I will test and clean up the welder, likely need to replace the grinder.
But this now lower priority that sawing stuff up.

Somebody said “it’s a good thing the wiring is color coded.

 

[snoopdog]

Worked on this little x-y table that came with my mill purchase, y rod was stripped and x handle not broken but very sketchy. Pretty cool little homemade table, now I get to walk around it for a few years<LOL

 

[paradox_pete]

There have been a couple of threads here recently about fly cutters, and as one has been on my todo list for a while, I thought it was time. Quin at Blondihacks made a video where she attempted to make a "balanced" version, and that seemed like it wouldn't hurt. I realize it's probably unnecessary, as unbalanced fly cutters have been in use for ages, but it was a fun project. I made a model in FreeCAD, and used the FCinfo macro to help find the center of mass, and just made tweaks to get it near (within 0.1mm) the XY origin when the toolbit is centered in the flycutter. The body is a simple cylinder, only the slot for the bit is angled. The top is bored and threaded 1_1/2-18 to match the R8 arbor that came with the boring head I got with the mill.

I made a second flycutter to hold a CC*T tool that uses the obtuse angle on the insert. While the Tormach SuprFly I've seen mentioned here is tempting, I'm trying to avoid spending loads of money on different inserts, so getting more use out of the obtuse angle on these inserts seemed worth trying.

They both work great and produce the great surface finish flycutters are known for.

-Pete