Shop Made Tools

[whateg01]

Spent the afternoon making a new tool. I've thought that a QCTP would be nice for the little Craftsman 109, but didn't want to spring for the LMS version. It's more than I want to spend on the machine, and it's a piston type tool post. Having given it some thought, I really think the wedge type is better unless the piston is wide enough to put the points of contact out farther than most do, not that this lathe has the power to really cause that to be a problem. Okay, maybe it was just an excuse to build a tool.

First I cut out the pieces. Missing here are the threaded slug that goes in the round hole in the moving dovetail. It takes a 10-32 screw which tightens through the hole in the back of the block. I will make a lever to cinch it down more quickly. It's impossible to tell in the photo, but there's half a 10-32 tap in hole in the upper-left corner. Fortunately, it was the last one, and it doesn't affect the functionality at all. It'll just look funny.


Here is how this much of it fits together.


Here is the tool post with a pretend-holder in place.




Dave

[Gary Paine]

Awsome, Dave. Three questions: outside dimensions, material of choice - looks aluminum, and why and how you appear to have made an inside corner cut top and bottom on the coverplate inside back - just relief for the inside radius in the main block cavity?

[whateg01]

Thanks, Gary!

Yes, aluminum, as it's what I had on hand, was easy to machine, and won't ever see the amount of use the PhaseII sees on the bigger lathe. The body of the tool post is a 1.5" cube, with the dovetail adding 0.25" on the front. And yes, the notch in the corners of the cover are to clear the inside radius of the pocket. I had planned to use an 1/8" EM to clean out and square up the corners of the pocket but forgot until I had it out of the vise. Didn't want to re-indicate it, though I could have easily eyeballed that part. Thought about it, then when I had the cover stood up in the vise, decided just to notch the corners and call it good. I haven't decided for sure whether to put a stud out the top of the tool holders, like Aloris, or put a dowel on the side of the tool post, like KDK. The KDK solution is pretty nice, though.

Dave

[Davidhcnc]

This is my little bandsaw recently made. I had it apart for painting after some testing and use so it is looking its best today.

It takes the same blades as the 4 x 6 bandsaw that we all have and love and is slow running for cutting steel. 9 1/2" (240mm) throat.

The main plate, legs, table and wheels are laser cut. then ~8 hours machining, assembly and fine tuning.
There are more pictures if wanted and an untidy cad file too. Anyway, the pics.

[Euph0ny]

This is my little bandsaw recently made. I had it apart for painting after some testing and use so it is looking its best today.

Very nice. Well wear! Is that mobile-phone transformer powering a laser diode to show the cutting line?

[Davidhcnc]

Very nice. Well wear! Is that mobile-phone transformer powering a laser diode to show the cutting line?

...not so exotic. just an LED flashlight module

[sasquatch]

Very interesting design, looks to be quite substantialy built. The last pic of the upper guide, am i missing something there, doesn't seem complete w/no outer support?

[Davidhcnc]

Very interesting design, looks to be quite substantialy built. The last pic of the upper guide, am i missing something there, doesn't seem complete w/no outer support?

No outer slider. The square block is nylon and applies ~2mm preload so it runs tight. I havn't added a thrust bearing to the top either as I see most of the work being done at the bottom 10mm. It is a slow runner and the blade is well controlled with these guides.
I had fitted bearings initially in place of the sliders but the noise of them rumbling would put your head away.

Yes, maybe too substantialy built. This is a bit heavy. Next time the wheels will get spokes, table thinner and the frame lightening holes.

Some more pics.

[sasquatch]

Dave, what Rpm is it running?

[Davidhcnc]

1400rpm > 20:1 reduction > 250mm dia wheel > 55 M/MIN......~180 feet / min


FYI the 4x6 bandsaw specs 165 feet/min at fastest

[DICKEYBIRD]

Now you've gone & made it look simple enough for me to try & make one. I use my little 4x6 almost exclusively in the vertical mode but the throat depth is pitiful. Thanks for posting!

(You need to put it in it's own thread though as it'll get lost forever here. )

[Jess13]

Interesting band saw Dave. I found a old Craftsman 3 wheel band saw that must of been made back in the 60's or even older. It also uses the same exact blades as the 4x6 we all use so much. Its also made of metal with a cast iron table, and it has a shaft that comes out the side for hooking the motor up. The craftsman has a 12" throat but only about 6" high will fit through it. The fact that it is stout enough to cut even hard metal, and now its VS (D/C 2hp with controller), and takes the same blade as the 4x6 makes it a real keeper for me.


Your shop made saw is a good idea and to have a metal cutting vert saw that uses the same blade as the 4x6 is a plus for any home shop. Great looking saw.


Jess

[Spin Doctor]

Quick and Dirty Scrapers

Knocked these out after work the other day. As I have some of Sandvik's 630-2525 scraper blades and I didn't want to pay the going rate for a Sandvick or Dapra handle I ran up a quick one. Nothing fancy, didn't even do any chamfers on the edges. Pretty can wait. In the commercial handles the blade actually bears against two points on the outer edge of the pocket. Blade and Clamp both milled 1/2 the thickness of the blade with the clamp being milled .02 to leave a high point at the end away from the blade. Secured with a M6x1x10 Flathead Cap Screw. The other is made using a tungsten carbide tile from a decanting centrifuge. These tiles are made by VR Wesson and others to provide wear resistant surfaces on the internal conveyors. Near as I can determine the grade carbide used in these is very close to the C5 grade for cast iron. It needs to be honed some more but even roughing out on a green wheel it cuts fairly decently. We have a lot of these tiles that have been removed from machines in the course of repairs and I have had the idea kicking around for awhile

[boaterri]

Jess:

The biggest problem with the old Craftsman 3 wheel bandsaws is that the wheels are so small that they break blades much faster than a 2 wheel machine with larger wheels.

Rick

[Spin Doctor]

Jess:

The biggest problem with the old Craftsman 3 wheel bandsaws is that the wheels are so small that they break blades much faster than a 2 wheel machine with larger wheels.

Rick

So true. Tried welding up some .025" x 1/4 blades for a 3 wheel and they'd last about 10 times around before breaking the weld. And I welded blades all the time at work for our Do-All's