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What Did You Buy Today?
- Thread starter darkzero
- Start date
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2018
- Messages
- 1,044
3,000 Harbor Freight 6 ton jackstands,.................
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2014
- Messages
- 2,606
A number of eBay wins over the last few months. First was a Sorensen 8" center mike. Little bit of buyer's remorse on this one. Was dinking around on eBay and did a spontaneous search for "sorensen center mike" and this one popped up for $25 shipped. Quick did the buy it now without looking it over very well. It showed up a week later and wouldn't you know it, the fine adjust clamp for the vernier wasn't there. Wasn't in the photos either so my bad for not looking it over. On the other hand, I already had a 13" Sorensen and the 8" without the vernier adjust still works. In fact, it works a little faster, but I learned my lesson. . . I could make a vernier clamp, or move the one on the 13" to the 8" and vice versa, but it'll most likely stay as is.
Next was a couple of sets of carbide hole saws. Recall these being around $25 delivered. Seller on eBay is named something like "stm_surplus". Don't know where they get all of their stuff, but they list a ton of machine tool stuff on eBay. Must have stumbled onto a case of these as they ran at least 10 auctions for these hole saws.
Won a couple of auctions for some raw stock. The 303 stainless is 3/4" diameter, nice to have around for whatever. I had a plan for one of the two large round cut-offs. Made one into a chuck backing plate for my Tormach's 4th axis (posted the work in POTD). Other one will hold a shelf to the floor for now.
I know electronic edge finders don't account for spindle run out, but what the heck for $10 shipped. This one is a Borite with a 1/2" shank. I already had one at my Bridgeport/Jet mill tool box, this one is at the Tormach. These light up only, no tone like the import ones with a 20 mm shank. Frankly, I'll probably never use it on the Tormach since I have a passive probe, so another case of buying stuff I really don't need. I have a buddy who's getting his shop set up in a 60' x 80' barn, will end up being a shop-warming gift.
Picked up a couple of new 7" x 3/4" silicon carbide grinding wheels which will fit on my Milwaukee Toolmaster surface grinder if I ever decide to make a fixture for grinding carbide lathe tools. These were $25 for the pair.
Picked up some 8-32, 1/4"-20 and 5/16"-18 roll form taps for the Tormach. I've had really good luck with these in aluminum. Tap drill sizes are different than standard cutting taps, but they don't make chips and apparently make a stronger thread.
Picked up an ER32 collet tool holder and a 3/8" end mill holder for the Tormach for $50 shipped off eBay. Tormach sells the ER32 for $50, end mill holder for $22, so not a steal but a fair price. I've got 6 of the ER32's for the Tormach, will try to show restraint on buying any others as the machine is really more suited for 3/8" and smaller end mills that are held well enough in smaller ER20 collets.
Happened to hit eBay and saw a buy it now for an 8" 4th-axis 5C collet chuck for $120 delivered. Tormach sells them for $225. Covid gave me some anxiety over this one as I won it in mid-May. Seller shipped from AZ to MI the next day. It made it to the USPS center in Indianapolis 2 days later, then showed "in transit to next location" for 2 weeks. I was about to go to our local post office to check on it when it showed up on the door step. I'm guessing Tormach buys these directly from China as the storage box is a crap design. The dividers were all glued in place, key word being "were". It's all good now.
Bit of an interesting design on the collet chuck. The clamping nut up top bears against the face of the collet to shove it down into the chuck's taper to clamp on the work. The bottom end has a compression spring to help push the collet back up when the top nut is loosened. The kit comes with a 25 mm 5C collet and a ground MT3-25 mm set up bar to center the chuck on the 4th axis. I'll use the same bar to set up my 3-jaw on the 4th also.
I actually have a plan for this one. I'm going to take a stab at making some helical gears which will require the 4th axis to be mounted at a 45. Have a tilting mill table for that, just need to work out how to mount the 4th to the table first.
Thanks for looking,
Bruce
Next was a couple of sets of carbide hole saws. Recall these being around $25 delivered. Seller on eBay is named something like "stm_surplus". Don't know where they get all of their stuff, but they list a ton of machine tool stuff on eBay. Must have stumbled onto a case of these as they ran at least 10 auctions for these hole saws.
Won a couple of auctions for some raw stock. The 303 stainless is 3/4" diameter, nice to have around for whatever. I had a plan for one of the two large round cut-offs. Made one into a chuck backing plate for my Tormach's 4th axis (posted the work in POTD). Other one will hold a shelf to the floor for now.
I know electronic edge finders don't account for spindle run out, but what the heck for $10 shipped. This one is a Borite with a 1/2" shank. I already had one at my Bridgeport/Jet mill tool box, this one is at the Tormach. These light up only, no tone like the import ones with a 20 mm shank. Frankly, I'll probably never use it on the Tormach since I have a passive probe, so another case of buying stuff I really don't need. I have a buddy who's getting his shop set up in a 60' x 80' barn, will end up being a shop-warming gift.
Picked up a couple of new 7" x 3/4" silicon carbide grinding wheels which will fit on my Milwaukee Toolmaster surface grinder if I ever decide to make a fixture for grinding carbide lathe tools. These were $25 for the pair.
Picked up some 8-32, 1/4"-20 and 5/16"-18 roll form taps for the Tormach. I've had really good luck with these in aluminum. Tap drill sizes are different than standard cutting taps, but they don't make chips and apparently make a stronger thread.
Picked up an ER32 collet tool holder and a 3/8" end mill holder for the Tormach for $50 shipped off eBay. Tormach sells the ER32 for $50, end mill holder for $22, so not a steal but a fair price. I've got 6 of the ER32's for the Tormach, will try to show restraint on buying any others as the machine is really more suited for 3/8" and smaller end mills that are held well enough in smaller ER20 collets.
Happened to hit eBay and saw a buy it now for an 8" 4th-axis 5C collet chuck for $120 delivered. Tormach sells them for $225. Covid gave me some anxiety over this one as I won it in mid-May. Seller shipped from AZ to MI the next day. It made it to the USPS center in Indianapolis 2 days later, then showed "in transit to next location" for 2 weeks. I was about to go to our local post office to check on it when it showed up on the door step. I'm guessing Tormach buys these directly from China as the storage box is a crap design. The dividers were all glued in place, key word being "were". It's all good now.
Bit of an interesting design on the collet chuck. The clamping nut up top bears against the face of the collet to shove it down into the chuck's taper to clamp on the work. The bottom end has a compression spring to help push the collet back up when the top nut is loosened. The kit comes with a 25 mm 5C collet and a ground MT3-25 mm set up bar to center the chuck on the 4th axis. I'll use the same bar to set up my 3-jaw on the 4th also.
I actually have a plan for this one. I'm going to take a stab at making some helical gears which will require the 4th axis to be mounted at a 45. Have a tilting mill table for that, just need to work out how to mount the 4th to the table first.
Thanks for looking,
Bruce
Last edited:
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2014
- Messages
- 3,152
I think I hit the mother load for Carbide end mills. A little more than a month ago There was a conversation on another board about carbide end mills. One of the members was asking the price for used carbide at the scrap yard. Apparently he had purchased a large number of "supposedly" used carbide end mills from a local manufacturer. His original intent was to sort through them, save a few hundred for his own use and dispose of the remainder.
Much to his surprise on inspection he found 90+% were either NIB or so lightly used there were no signs of wear. He offered them up to other members for $1.00 each plus shipping. I inquired about some 1/4" and 3/8" and promptly forgot about it. A couple weeks ago he emailed back he had a few other goodies if I was interested. He said he would pack a small flat rate box with as many items as would fit for $85.00. I agreed and sent the money to him using PayPal.
Again I put it in the back of my mind and went about my daily business. Today we got back in town and my wife checked the mail. She said there was a heavy box for me. I opened it to find a pleasant surprise. All together there were 75 end mills ranging in size from 1/16" to 3/8", 12 carbide burrs from 1/16" to 1/4" and 48 carbide TPG inserts. All the inserts and 60+ of the end mills are brand new still in their original containers. I think I now have a lifetime supply of small carbide end mills, burrs, and TPG inserts.
Much to his surprise on inspection he found 90+% were either NIB or so lightly used there were no signs of wear. He offered them up to other members for $1.00 each plus shipping. I inquired about some 1/4" and 3/8" and promptly forgot about it. A couple weeks ago he emailed back he had a few other goodies if I was interested. He said he would pack a small flat rate box with as many items as would fit for $85.00. I agreed and sent the money to him using PayPal.
Again I put it in the back of my mind and went about my daily business. Today we got back in town and my wife checked the mail. She said there was a heavy box for me. I opened it to find a pleasant surprise. All together there were 75 end mills ranging in size from 1/16" to 3/8", 12 carbide burrs from 1/16" to 1/4" and 48 carbide TPG inserts. All the inserts and 60+ of the end mills are brand new still in their original containers. I think I now have a lifetime supply of small carbide end mills, burrs, and TPG inserts.
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2018
- Messages
- 176
Just received them after posting. There were many sets on Ebay, so I picked the one from Anytime tools for $24.33 since I had bought from them before. The brazing was much better than the photo suggests and each shank even had a plastic protective sleeve. Received them in a couple days. Guess these were the not too bad ones which I agree with you are at the high end of the spectrum.
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2016
- Messages
- 7,021
Aaron the CBN wheels are awesome, but I would not give up the 2" belt. I did a back cut on generic HSS, it went real quick. The Super Mo Max M42 was tougher, but still a good cut. The wheels are a little challenging to true up, my Arbor has a circle clip for a stop on the inside of the shaft. I got .004-.005 run out on both wheels.
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2014
- Messages
- 2,606