Setting up Shop Questions - from an NZ learner

[joco-nz]

A simple male dovetail on 2 sides and female on 2 sides
will allow them all to interlock.Perhaps mould any
future ones.Is there enough meat to machine the ones you have made
If you look to the horizon how far can you go with a modular tool
holding system ? Drills ,collets reamers end mills etc add infinitum
Perhaps a wooden frame fixed to a wall on an angle etc,etc etc

I'm looking into it both re general tool management within the drawers I have and in the particular case of the collets re the interlock concept. I don't need the interlock ability at the moment but I'm mucking about with some male/female designs to prototype the dimensions. Got to love plastic with its shrinkage, makes exact dimensions on holes and cutouts not very exact. :wall:

 

[joco-nz]

Some more progress on the mill stand. I managed to work out a way to get a home for the bandsaw elsewhere in the garage which allowed me to simplify the design and just weld it all up. :thumbup:

So here are a couple of pics.

Overview of welded frame to date. Bottom frame is done but yet to do all the bracing yet.


Close up of one of the wheel mounting plates and the associated bracing to help spread the weight. Plus I had this 80x80 angle iron that was just crying out to get some use.

 

[joco-nz]

Progress continues. Putting the bracing on now. This thing is not going flex *********! *knuppel2*

 

[joco-nz]

After much faffing about I have a drip tray that is starting to look half reasonable. Still some more welding on the back side of it and then a good amount of cleanup needed but things are starting to look promising I think.

 

[joco-nz]

Its finally done with great help from Bruce today dealing with the install and the fact I managed to screw up some measurements. In my defence I did follow my plans to the letter and about 4 versions back it was all correct, however at some point I rejigged the central support dimensions and didn't also compensate the hole locations. The lesson being, doing changes late at night is "Bad" :wall:

Fortunately Bruce talked me through the options *club*

Net effect is mill is installed an now I need to get it all cleaned up and start using it. First order of business thought will be to make a new drawbar with an M12 thread instead of this odd 1/2" Whitworth that is on the stock bar.

 

[rodw]

James, Have a read of my drawbar adventure in my shed thread starting about here
http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/showthread.php?t=19885&page=5
This was the first thread I had cut and the guys on this forum talked me through it step by step. If you happen to have a collet block set, you can mill the square head perfectly. I've got a feeling I milled it before I had them though..

 

[joco-nz]

Thanks Rob. Yes I have read your adventure in threading a number of times. I've had a crack and managed to get a reasonable M12 thread done.



I've seen an interesting video by a chap who shows how to do threading in reverse so there is no panic about stopping things in time. I'm thinking of having a crack at that approach at some point.

Did you ever work out if the thread chasing dial on the AL320 can be used for metric or is it only usable for imperial?

Cheers,
James.

 

[Hornetb]

Looks like a nice stand, but are you going to enclose it or make chip shields on both sides and the rear?

Mills make a hell of a mess and throw chips far and wide, they'll launch right over the sides of your bench top. Flycutters being the worst offenders.

 

[rodw]

Did you ever work out if the thread chasing dial on the AL320 can be used for metric or is it only usable for imperial?

Cheers,
James.

Thread chasing dials are just for imperial threads. Remember to change direction using the power switch, not the gear box lever. I had that wrong to start with. Also remember to engage the half nut lever or the pitch will be about double what you set. I forgot that once too!

I think if you measure a 12mm bolt, it will measure 11.8mm so being .2mm undersize is a good thing I think.

BUt what would I know? I've only cut 2 threads :fan:

 

[joco-nz]

Looks like a nice stand, but are you going to enclose it or make chip shields on both sides and the rear?

Mills make a hell of a mess and throw chips far and wide, they'll launch right over the sides of your bench top. Flycutters being the worst offenders.

Game plan is a plywood "box" with shelves and doors. Probably a couple of wide low profile draws at the top for holding cutters and chucks/collets.

But I need to leave a space for a box for CNC control electronics.

 

[Blogwitch]

THREAD DROP IN DIALS.

It all depends on whether your lathe is metric or imperial. The drop in dials should be geared up for whichever one you have. The drop in dials on most metric machines also require a change of gear on the bottom of the drop in dial to cater for different sized threads.

If you want to cut a thread that is opposite to what your machine is, Imperial on a Metric lathe, then you usually use the permanently closed half nut technique and the same vice versa, using the reverse on the lathe to get you back to the start.

But also, sometimes on a metric lathe, to obtain certain threads shown on the threading chart, the permanently engaged half nuts are sometimes required.


John

 

[joco-nz]

John - it's a metric leadscrew. 3mm pitch I believe. I have no extra gears for the dial chaser so whatever it's set for is fixed. At some point I'll do some measurements to get the ratio relationship between the leadscrew and chaser dial gear. It might well be like Rod said, it's keyed for imperial thread cutting.

 

[joco-nz]

And a finished drawbar, again thanks to the finishing touch by Bruce.

[1] Blanks cut out from my pristine stock of 1215 steel


[2] The M12 thread is cut on the lathe and 17mm round is drilled and reamed to 12mm and all ready to start assembly


[3] Test fit looks good.


[4] finally all together and the square end cut on Bruce's Luxcut. Original bar in the background.


[5] A closer look at the thread. I'm a little bit proud of this one as it's a very clean fit in the M12 ER32 collect chuck and let's face it, I'm an absolute newbie at lathe work.


[6] The first bit of work using the new bar. The virgin cut as it were.

 

[Roboguy]

Nice work James!

 

[rodw]

Nice work James!

x2, I think I made mine in 2011 and to this day, I've only cut one other thread!

 

[bruedney]

That square was almost as complicated as the 4 tee nuts for the Bridgeport I don't have yet.

Now you can really start making things. no more mucking around with that welder

:thumbup:

Bruce

 

[joco-nz]

That square was almost as complicated as the 4 tee nuts for the Bridgeport I don't have yet.

Now you can really start making things. no more mucking around with that welder

:thumbup:

Bruce

He had to mention the Bridgeport - someones got cream on their whiskers I think. stickpoke

When you get that monster and start cleaning it up I expect pictures. Remember th_wwp cose there is th_rulze


Anyway I like making sparks, sparks is fun and I need to make that new clever stand for the band saw. :hDe:

And I need to start on that engine, and make that wrench for the mill, and start the improved grinding wrest, get all the old decrepit paint pails dumped, get the wife's car in garage .... and and and .... oh dear lord!! :fan::wall:

 

[joco-nz]

@Roboguy/@rodw - thanks gents. :thumbup: excellent fun making it even something so simple.

 

[Hornetb]

Game plan is a plywood "box" with shelves and doors. Probably a couple of wide low profile draws at the top for holding cutters and chucks/collets.

But I need to leave a space for a box for CNC control electronics.

No I don't mean around the base of the stand, I mean around the mill.

I have mine enclosed on three sides, hell it would be four if I didn't have to stand there, and it does a great job of stopping chips from flying around the whole shop. Then I just need to sweep and vac the front side.

If I didn't having it enclosed the clean up would drive me nuts.

 

[joco-nz]

No I don't mean around the base of the stand, I mean around the mill.

I have mine enclosed on three sides, hell it would be four if I didn't have to stand there, and it does a great job of stopping chips from flying around the whole shop. Then I just need to sweep and vac the front side.

If I didn't having it enclosed the clean up would drive me nuts.

Ah - got you. Thinking a shower curtain type setup to keep it under control. I don't have the room for something with rigid ends due to space plus the really wide table will pass over the end of the chip tray at the ends of its travel. Such an approach should keep the worst of the mess around the base the machine/stand.

Make sense?