# Bazmak Diary of a Linishing Machine



## bazmak (Sep 28, 2014)

I HAVE RESURRECTED THIS THREAD DUE VARIOUS REQUESTS  AND WILL DELETE PHOTO BUCKET AND ADD NEW PHOTOSi will run this short thread on how to make a cheap
item into a very,very useful machine
We had just moved into a new house and planned to fitted furniture
Planned were bedside drawers.vanity unit drawers in the WIR etc
I finished up making units for about 30 drawers.Basic construction was MDF
with a front frame of 40x20 nom section and dowelled construction.
In the past the main problem was getting the ends dead size and perfectly square.I bought a cheap 6" disc and 4" belt sander,took off the cheap and wobbly
tables/guides etc and set it up on a base so i could carry it to any location
garage,shed,garden even the block next door.I buit up simple tables from the base fitted swivel sqares for any angles and off we went.Absolute magic for linishing the end of timber dead square etc
First problem was the 6" disc sander had pads glued on,a ballache to change
Whilst browsing thru the hardware store i saw 7" pads with velcro fixings and
and a backing disc.There was just enough clearance to screw on a 7" dia
timber disc and true up with a wood chisel in situ MAGIC.  TBC


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## bazmak (Sep 28, 2014)

After much use the bearings in the driven pulley gave up the ghost
I stripped it down,the driver pulley had roller bearings but the driven 
had had plastic bushes,totally disintegrated.I bored out the ends of the pulley
made and fitted brass bushes and off we went.I was now starting to use the linisher for metal and heavier use.The bearings were difficult to lubricate
got hot siezed up etc.So i bored out the pulley again and fitted cheap skate bearings.No more problems.
When using the belt sander upright it wobbled on the pivot so i fitted a simple
hinged strap from 25x3 flat and drilled and tapped  a fixing to repeatable 90o
I also wanted 30o so drilled and tapped for that.When refurbing the Advance lathe i needed to make a gib that was missing.How to do it without a mill
and minimum filing.Partly described under sieg lathe.
I drilled and tapped a piece of 40x5 flat x approx 400mm lg for holding
2 no M3 to clamp a piece of 1/4 x 3/8 in position and proceeded to grind i side
The initial side took longer as i had to grind thru the brass and the steel
It was simple and accurate to take it to a knife edge.I then reversed the brass and did the second side working to a dimention and trial fit in the cross slide.I blued and bedded in to fit te dovetail but it wasnt necessary really
The gib fitted within a couple of thou.It was so easy and successful that i made 2 more for the sieg lathe.Back to the linisher.Worth its weight in gold
it will large amounts of material quickly and accurately with good finish
will also grind tooling accurately.WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE.Photos to follow


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## bazmak (Sep 28, 2014)




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## bazmak (Sep 28, 2014)

One thing i missed.When pivoting the belt sander upright the unit clamped on the motor side
but had too much play.I fitted a small angle to the front side with a pivot pin.Clearly shown in photo 5
This takes all the play out and makes it easy for accurate adjustment


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## ShopShoe (Sep 29, 2014)

Bazmak,

Thanks for posting that. Now I don't know whether to do that to my similar machine or build Chuck Fellows's horizontal sander next. And I still need to build a better table for the 1 x 30 sander I modified earlier.

Keep the mods coming,

--ShopShoe


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## bazmak (Sep 29, 2014)

If you want to build a new sander and have the the cheapy then do both
Mod the existing one first.It will be so useful to help you make the other
saves a lot filing.My wish list is for power feed to the mill and fit DROs
regards barry


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## oldboy (Sep 29, 2014)

Thanks for putting this up.  I can see how it will/has made a big difference to the machine.  Love the bigger rests for supporting the material.

Thanks again Barry.

Regards.  Barry.


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## gus (Sep 29, 2014)

Hi Barry,
Plan to buy same sander for S$250---300. My drawer end finishing was anything but disastrous.
I have two more ToolMakers Chest and some tool cabinet to build or improve. 
Just put up a very good storage shelf in the ''Boys'. Will have storage to keep Sander.Friend came in with half his carpentry shop to put shelf in two hours. Was a horse trading affair, he asked me for two very expensive Shimano Fishing Rods and I ended giving him one more for the very professional job done and he is about to put one more in the washroom.
Been thinking about buying or making same for sometime.


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## bazmak (Sep 30, 2014)

Hi Gus that shelf looks handy,if there is a power point
you could have a TV up there,personally i like
a good read while im contemplating


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## gus (Sep 30, 2014)

bazmak said:


> Hi Gus that shelf looks handy,if there is a power point
> you could have a TV up there,personally i like
> a good read while im contemplating




Hi Barry, Thats a good idea ,watch TV while Gus is bombing Tokyo.

Now back home. Bit tired and blurry.My better half had a great time window shopping at Isetan.Hankyu,Mitsukoshi etc with Gus following behind.About to unpack some tools bought bough from TokyuHands.


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## bazmak (Oct 30, 2014)

Over the years as us oldies know we gather a collection of tool steel and old cutting tools.Most of which are never used.I found that i was limited for HSS
turning tools for the lathe.The height requd was .350.I had lots of 5/16 and 1/4
all of which well ground and reqd packing.I bought from my local supplier
4 pieces of 3/8 sq x 3" lg for $20.The quality as of yet i dont know.I was determined to grind up a no of tools at the same time.
1 piece double ended for RH,1 double ended LH and a 2 sided chamfer tool
What setup ? as i only had a 6" bench grinder.
I drilled and tapped the side tfor the hinge strap to give me 5o rake
and set the sliding protractor to 10o.This will be shared for the front and side clearances.The top compound rake i did on the rad of the bench grinding wheel
Using a 40 grit belt it works quickly and well.The actual cutting edge is not crisp enough and needed stoning.Once all the rough grinding is complete
i will fit a new fine grit and touch up.Only time will tell,will keep you informed.Photos tell the story. Regards bazmak


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## bazmak (Nov 1, 2014)

I finished rough grinding 5 tools and then fitted a fine grit belt to touch up
A good finish and consistant profile was achieved with min touching up on an oilstone.I will use this setup for sharpening in the future rather than wear out my small bench grinder


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## bazmak (Jan 14, 2015)

Now i was using the linisher more and more i decided to upgrade to MK3
Originally i built a timber support stand which grew over time but was a hotchpotch oof bits and pieces of old timber so i decided to go back to basics 
and a build a proper steel support frame.No drgs to designed as building progressed with materials to hand.I built a frame frome RHS and Angle
surplus from a fencing job.Built ,adjusted and a coat of hammerite.Tommow when the paint and adhesives are dry will finish with the slotted tales and 
sliding adjustable mitre square.


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## bazmak (Jan 14, 2015)

no comments on the welding please.Galvanised thin wall tubing is never easy


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## Cogsy (Jan 14, 2015)

bazmak said:


> no comments on the welding please.Galvanised thin wall tubing is never easy


 
I was gonna compliment ya Baz - I know just how much of a pain it can be - but you won't let me comment so I won't


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## bazmak (Jan 14, 2015)

Any comments to make me feel good are ok.so will clarify.No adverse comments please.$0 years ago i was a good welderbut age etc etc.
However i was happy with the welding,only 1 or 2 holes
Finished everything off this morning.Very pleased.Lighter than the old one
much more ridgid and most things nice and square
I glued and screwed 2 strips of 3thk alum to a 
 piece of 18mm MDF with a 13mm gap down the middle.I then ran a 16mm router bit down the middle and cleaned up the sides. Fitted the cheap plastic
protractor,which i may improve later. The existing alum table i stiffened uu and fitted to the belt sander,which also accepts the protractor.Just need to fit 4 small rubber feet to the frame and think of some more improvements.Sure does save a lot of filing


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## gus (Jan 15, 2015)

Soaking up all the good ideas. Don't let me get too near because I will pick your brains too.

Made another box and this time to house a ''Bose'' NoteBook Speaker for travelling. YouTube has lotsa good classical pieces . Still learning how to sand straight to get 45 degrees for the corner bevel joints.


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## bazmak (Jan 15, 2015)

Get as much pleasure from knowing people are getting ideas from my posts
as using the ideas.Thats the beauty of this forum.Keep picking Gus happy fisherman


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## bazmak (Jan 15, 2015)

I have been making perfect joints for many years so will detail my method
and hope it will work for you Gus.Attached some photos to help
For 90o joints set the protractor at 90o and sand side 1,flip over and do 2 thru to 4 keep repeating until you are near your mark reducung cut/pressure gradually.When you are near the line keep repeating but reducing cut until
you are only just touching.May touch a dozen times until happy.Same principle for 45o but only 2 sides.Set a 90o guide to point at the disc and flip the timber so you sand from both sides again reducing press


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## gus (Jan 17, 2015)

DIY a Sander to get 90 degrees and 45 degrees is so easy. Fine tuning,competency and get it right,  need many practice and failures before getting to make good looking joints. Gus still struggling to hit competency. Latest case to hold Bose Speaker looks OK but still lotsa hidden flaws. Putty and sanding helps diguise flaws. :hDe:


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## goldstar31 (Jan 17, 2015)

Sorry to break in on a very interesting discussion about joints and so on. Don't get me wrong, I am most interested. I've got a belt sander and another belt sander and so on.

But it started off 'belt sanding' lathe tools. I'm not an advocate of such things and techniques. I'm capable of getting quite hot under the collar but you have a disk sander part of the set up- with a protractor. Right?

If you tip the table or make a couple ( say 10 and 5 degrees) of plates( wood?) you can do far better lathe tools.

My bit of thinking.- well, not really because I bought a lathe ( a baby Zyto) from the estate of an expert of Gauge 1 locos. He had used an emery disk stuck  on a plywood disk on the lathe faceplate.

So regards

Norman


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## bazmak (Jan 17, 2015)

Hi Goldstar,i posted earlier about sanding hss tools.Set the belt sander at one angle and the protractor at another to get a compound angle,and rough ground
a no of tools.Not recommended engineering practice but for roughing a no of tools it does save on wear on the grinding wheels which was my intention.
It will not produce a keen cutting edge so has to be fine tuned with wheel and stone.The main point being that the angle/clearances are accurate and can be just touched up.My next thought was t buy a cup wheel for the mill and come up with an adjustable fixture as a tool and cutter grinder for endmills etc


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## goldstar31 (Jan 18, 2015)

Morning Baz- from a very cold and chilly UK.

A few points which I hope will not cause too much offence but others are reading your most interesting dissertation as well.

The first point is 'sanding' and respectfully, there is no sand in the grit used  to better tools. It went out when people stopped using stone effigees in English churchyards Again, I cannot get my head around and understand why you are loathe to concentrate on 'sanding belts' as opposed to abrasive wheels. It is possible and desirable to choose grit size AND grit grade which is available in wheels whatever binder is used. I've made modified resin binders at one time- I'm there or was.

So apologies for being a grumpy old git but I am trying to help.

So let us examine one facet on your lathe tool. It is bright and shiny all the way down - and that is ALL of 3/8th or 1/2". The question is can your little lathe do a depth of cut ALL that depth? Well, mine is a bit bigger than yours and has far longer and more supporting gibs- and cannot get anywhere near that. Often I am very happy to cut a weeny bit of steel dust off a job as if it was black dust far finer than the finest steel wool. So why should I have a bright and shiny lathe tool face that is doing nothing but looking nice?
The answer is a rough grind for most of the tool and a secondary HONED edge or a third which will be sufficient to get the amount of metal that my lathe is powerful enough to remove without shaking it to bits. Replacing the honed edge does not require any removal of unused tool face- or grit or sand or whatever. 

Enough of that? Sorry but that is my take.

As for tool and cutter grinders, I would think that if you only want to do ends of end mills and slot drills, something simpler than making a Quorn is to be considered. I've made one and I can use it- but it is under the bench. Depending on what job I want, I use either my big Clarkson or a fabricated Stent or a Kennet. I also use an Arkansas stone or rough 600 grit diamond one- by hand.
Looking back, I could happily settle for nothing more elaborate than a Kennet or if price was a consideration making a Tinker out of a cheap Chinese 6" double ended grinder and some  bits out of my scrap bin.

I hope that you will appreciate that these are my views. Whether you or anyone else wants to accept them is a matter of choice.

Meantime, it is snowing and I ain't going nowhere

Norman


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## bazmak (Jan 18, 2015)

In reply to your comment on one facet of my tool grind.The tool is nice and shiny all of the 3/8 of depth simply because the initial rough grind can only be done as that,but the rake clearance needs to be all the way.I agree that the final honed edge only needs to be that.To the edge,which i stated in my original post.In answer to the rest of your comments.I have a 1.5m x 4m workshop and 2 small bench grinders.It is simpler and cheaper to do the rough grinding on the linisher.To be pedantic.Sanding,sandpaper etc is a remnant of my woodworking past.In my youth sandpaper was just that.Now it is carborundum etc
But go easy with me its all sanding to me, sounds better than caburundum abrasion.Where in the UK is it snowing,i was originally from Leeds but thats my problem.I am looking for a simple tool and cutter grinder that is within my capabilities to make.Enjoy the weather.Its around the $0os at the moment


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## goldstar31 (Jan 18, 2015)

Hi Baz
Leeds? 100 miles south of Newcastle. 

Tool and Cutter grinder question. How simple is simple? Probably the simplest to make is the Norman Tinker( ex Nottingham) but drawings etc from Canada. Never made one but it always appeared to be a bit of a b****r to set up. Made a Quorn- again difficult to make but a so and so to use. Mine is under the bench!- rusting.
So have a look at the Brooks on GadgetBuilder.com. It is less difficult than the Quorn and is a sort of baby Clarkson but it doesn;t need castings. Never made one- looks easier than the Stent and the simplest is the Kennet- but the castings are HEAVY- out of Chesterfield.

So if the Brooks takes your fancy, I have the articles and whilst there are a few alterations required, it should be a very nice toy to drive from one of DE Grinders.

So E-mail me with yours to get a copy.

Meanwhile cheers from the Abdominal Showman!

Norm


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## bazmak (Jan 30, 2015)

Sorry to break in again but another mod to the linisher
Originally the disc was 6" dia which i increased to 7" dia with velcro pads.This little machine was getting so much use that i decided to up the disc to the next size 9" again with velcro pads.Just enough room
I needed to raise the unit approx 10mm for ground clearance so i fitted 4 anti-vibration mountings
betweem the unit and the frame.(4 rubber door stops).I then cut a 9" disc from 12mm ply and fitted
Turned down to size and true with a wood chisel in situ.Fitted the velcro
 backing disc and a couple of SANDING discs.Next will an improvement to the sliding protractor.Cant believe i bought this unit for less than $70 purely for wood.Its fantastic for grinding off hard welds that even a carbide tip in the mill struggles with.


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## bazmak (Aug 28, 2017)

After posting a couple of photos from this thread regarding making
brass gibbs without a mill and a no of questions i have ressurected the thread
deleted the photobucket and replaced the photos which are not necessarily in order.
This unit which is cheaply available is like the chinese mini lathe
not much cop to start with but easily mods up to make an indispensible tool
I have  a couple of years under my belt and it really is the Bees Knees
If anybody has one or is going to buy one please ask any specific questions
i will be glad to answer and take more photos to upload


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## JCSteam (Aug 29, 2017)

Thank you for finding this thread, I know it was for my benefit but should be good read to there that haven't seen it, I'll have a good read through over my morning cuppa


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## bazmak (Apr 10, 2018)

Ressurected again as per request and for anyone else interested


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