Guy Lautards "Tinker" tool & grinder jig

[Bill Pace]

Am interested in building this tool, but would like more 'up to date' comments.

A search turned up a good range of comments and seems its a good working tool on completion, but the latest was over a year ago. For starters, am I correct in remembering Guy passed away?? If thats the case, is anyone still covering the web page, it doesent seem to have changed in a looong time? So, ---are the plans still availiable?--- the castings? Maybe even one of you fellas has a set you would be willing to part with?

Also, the use of one of the elcheapo 5C spin indexes as a air spindle on a Lautard "tinker" type was put together on one post (by GoMc) but he was still getting familiar with it (hows it working GoMc?)---anybody else tried that set-up.....sure looks promising.

[BadDog]

He was still alive when I exchanged emails with him a few weeks (month?) back.

[smagovic]

Guy

Bill, Lautard is alive. I have a neighbour whom wanted to sel me the Tinkerer castings (he got them from Guy, years ago). He also had a book, which was written by the designer of the Tinkerer (It is not Guy's development, Guy for some mysterious reasons edited the pamflet and got a copywrite rights for it from the author). I will PM you the neighbour's name and address and you can ask him if he wants to sell it and how much. To be honest with you anyone I know whom got either the Quorn or the Tinkerer are sorry they ever got sucked in. But that is your decision, you asked, I answer.Take care. Vic

[Norman Atkinson]

Tinker T&C

Bill,
I have built a Quorn- and got chucked out of the Quorn group for my pains!
Again, I have a Kennet built from Model Engineering Services castings
( Same firm as selling the Quorn)

I also have an 'Early Perpendicular' Clarkson Mk1 of which helped in the building of the Ark!

Again, I am in the midst( mist) of building a Stent from Blackgates in the UK.
If ever it gets done!

Other readers? Might I ask that you talk amongst yourselves whilst Bill and I discuss highly technical things. Oh, well, listen.

If you recall John Stevenson- and who doesn't, he and I came to much the same conclusion about a rather rough and ready Chinese two way vice which would do many of the motions of a T&C grinder and John suggested a clever
collet holder which would hold milling cutters. The whole contraption could work from a cheap Double ended grinder.
John, to his credit, did a mock up and photographed this for one or other of the two Forums.

I am quite prepared to try to trace a similar sort of device- if you want.
It appeared in Model Engineers Workshop and is on the Net. It is the Derek Brooks design and has- a Quorn tool holder and remarkably close connections with the Stent. The latter, I can assure you is a first class piece of kit.

Way back in 1973(?), the merits of Norman Tinker's design and the Quorn were discussed. To avoid 'flaming' and discussing merits, you can read it up.

Does this help? Perhaps, John, you could resurrect your earlier stuff.

OK, folks, back on your heads.

Norm

[John Stevenson]

Norm,
I'll sort the staged pics out but so far other than two people who have built on here in the UK all it's generated is ridicule on the web.

All it was meant to do was generate interest and get people thinking.
I did get a couple of emails asking do I have any plans.

NO I FREAKING DON'T, IT WAS PLACED THERE TO MAKE 'YOU' THINK

Next thing will be a picture of a file with a handle and some twonk wants instructions how to fit it.

OK maybe a bit hard on newbies but try to work along THEN ask questions.

As an aside I grew up with Norman Tinker but never knew what he was doing.
He lived just round the corner from me.

Yes I know England is that small everything is round the corner or just down the road but in this case it's spot on.



I did go into his workshop once as I was looking for some articles in Model Engineer and our local newsagent told me Norman took it as well.
I called round and he had the past issues i was looking for and offered to copy them for me.
We went into his shed at the bottom of the garden where he had a photocopy machine. This was unheard of here in about 1964 /66 for a private person to have one of these.
He never said what he was going, a bit of a private person, probably 8 - 10 years older than me and possibly had polio earlier as he walked with a limp.

We moved shortly after this and I never saw or heard anything of Norman until the grinder appeared.
.

[Norman Atkinson]

Guy Lautards Tinker

John,
Regardless of the 'wankers' who cannot see beyond the toilet door, ( Sorry, got lumbago again) but you are right. I had an old vice( well) and milled the top off it to fit a sort of platform for a tool holder. I had a ****ty cheap DE grinder
and a base board. You came in with your collet thingy- and I realised that this was a Stent, a Clarkson and a heap of other things.Rough and ready but cheep- cheap!

In either Model Engineer or Model Engineers Workshop someone came up with a wooden 2x2" tool holder to do lathe tools. I have a set of best PAR DIY whitewood ones for my Clarkson. They work- and that is all that matters.

Bill, John has got it right- again.

Cheers m'lud

Norm

[TGTool]

Bill,

There is a Yahoo discussion group dedicated to the Quorn. They discuss particular issues or problems and possible enhancements to the original design. You'll probably get more views based on experience rather than opinion there.

Jan

[Bill Pace]

Oops!! No offense Guy, apparently your demise has been overly stated. We HAVE lost 2-3 of the old 'masters' recently, and somehow I got bad info. So, it would seem that the plans would still be availaible off the web page

Let me stress that the fixture I end up with has to have the capability to do all the end-mill functions,.... it will be used mostly for restoring them....that seems to be a limiting feature in some of the designs (I love the Darex 90 or the Cuttermaster, but, alas, they are far out of my budget). I put a good bit of research into the idea of the ("infamous?") Quorn (love it or hate it!), and have discarded that concept--- My friend has just completed one, and pronounced it "fiddly" ---plus the quite involved process of constructing it,---- and after looking over his, I could more easily discount that route. So after some research the 'tinker' style seems the better choice (so far!!), ---not so complicated, inexpensive, and the promise of doing what I need.

Norm & John......am not familiar with these you are talking about, but will extend my research to get some info. I have heard of the Model Engineer, but have never had access to them

Vic, I will definately contact the neighbor, thanks--- tho, I dont especially want/need the castings, as I have capibility to do 'backyard' casting. So, I might take you up on your offer of your copy!

[Norman Atkinson]

Guy Lautards Tinker

Bill,
If you would like I will download the Brooks thing.

I am sure than someone- possibly John- will tell you that the Original Tinker was made out of mild steel bar and round and bolted up as brackets.
I know there were also castings based on the same concept.
It is important to comment that the Brooks is also made of chunks of bar and round and only one weld is required. The suggested motor was a wood router.
The tool holder is actually a copy of the one on the Quorn- which you could put on John's invention or the Stent or whatever takes your fancy.

One of the reasons for getting chucked out of the Quorn group was the fact that there are two Quorns in our club which were fabricated and stick welded.
You know, Bill, that when somebody has had to buy his Quorn, it niggles somewhat.

If you want- I am
[email protected]

What are we waiting for?

Norm

[JCHannum]

There are several different kits and plan sets available for making fixtures for end mill sharpening. They range from simple to complex, and all require reasonable care in machining for good results.

The Quorn is very involved, and the castings are expensive, unless weldments are used. The Tinker is relatively simple, and castings are inexpensive, or it can be built from barstock.

Glenn Wilson had a set of plans for a simple T&C grinder in Projects in Metal that are available in one of the Metalworking books from Village Press that is a straight forward machine built from barstock. Phil Duclos also had plans for an air spindle end mill fixture in HSM that is available in The Shop Wisdom of Philip Duclos, also from VP.

John's adaptation of a spindex is probably the simplest method, and will work as well as most of the others for end mills. There are some variations on his theme that have been presented here, but the concept is the same.

G. A Ewen built one from a chain saw sharpener.

I would suggest getting a couple of T&C grinder books and becoming familiar with the procedures of end mill sharpening before selecting or embarking on building a grinding fixture. They need not be complex, especially if only end mills are to be sharpened.

[BobWarfield]

FWIW, the Workshop Series #34, a Complete Course in Milling, uses a simple tool and cutter grinding attachment (to be used with your grinder) and accessories for many of its projects.

It's not quite as elaborate looking at the Tinker being more similar to the Mini-Tinker, but I think it is similar in capability and looks easier to build.

Best,

BW

PS You've no doubt seen this article, but others may not have: http://www.gadgetbuilder.com/Tinker.html

[Frank Ford]

It was/is a good project

I got the castings and plans from Guy a while ago, and made the Tinker as a sort of "first big machining project" right after I got my new lathe and mill. Here are a couple of shots I took of of it on my kitchen table, not quite complete:



I saw Bob Darin's Tinker notes on the Web and I liked his idea of bumping up the collet size to R8 so I made that modification, too. No need to buy or make extra collets to fit the Tinker - I already had a set of R8s that fit all my cutters.

Like any tool making or kit, it's not a particularly good way to save money, but it's a great learning experience.

[Mcgyver]

Frank, very nice looking work as always. Not that there are any on yours, but I see you use the same tactic as I with bits of brass in around the unit - draws the eye away from the sins

[smagovic]

Tinker book

Bill, e-mail me your address and I will send you the book, if you want. Vic

[x39]

I built a Tinker about fifteen years ago. I have to admit I rarely use it, as I have access to cheap and plentiful regound end mills. A couple of features I incorporated in mine were the use of R-8 collets ( I had a good selection of them and they fit the design envelope rather nicely). I also mounted it on a rather heavy steel plate. On this plate I mounted a vertical steel shaft, which will accept my Dumore toolpost grinder. That made it quite a bit more versatile than just mounting it near a bench grinder.