Shop Made Tools

[gdavis2265]

I like the cut-off saw.

I made one similar using one of those little HF chop saws and some T-bar.

[gdavis2265]

Trying this again:

[_Paul_]

Glenn thats very nice another item to add to the todo list

Regards

Paul

[gdavis2265]

Thanks Paul,

I'm amazed at how much use it gets!

[J Tiers]

Forum software duplicated my post

[J Tiers]

I have a bunch of different small end mills, in the range of 1/8 and 3/16", as well as the "normal" ones in the 1/2" and 3/8" sizes, etc. I don't really want to have a lot of different end mill holders for the small ones, nor does the mill take collets, other than MT3, since the spindle has an MT3 taper.

Not only that, it is a lot easier to swap out the cutters than to take out the end mill holder and replace with another. I may want to swap in a cutoff saw blade, or a larger end mill, etc as the work progresses. It would also work for drills, although the shanks are not standardized the way they are for end mills.

So I made simple collets to fit the 1/2" holder. That way I can use any toolholder that fits the 1/2" end mill holder, or any end mill that I have a collet for.

The collets are just a section of 1/2" rod, drilled and reamed for the shank size, with a flat added for the Weldon screw. The rod is slit so it closes on the end mill to hold it securely. For this, the regular Weldon holder screw is used.

Two key items to remember.

The first is to put in the screw flat first. Then drill and ream with the collet held in the end mill holder. That will compensate for any minor off-size of teh rod vs the hole, and ensure that the hole is suitably on-center when the screw is tight. Since both my mill and lathe use the MT3, that was easy, but you can use an adaptor, or hold the end mill holder in a 4 jaw by its parallel section.

The second is to put in the backside cut when slitting the collet. You can simply slit deep enough to cut one side and also part of the collet on the opposite "side", or you can do what I did and cut a slit on the outside opposite the through-cut. I did that because otherwise it was hard to hold the piece while slitting. For small end mills, that extra allows the collet enough flexibility to grip well.

The flat can be cut if you wish, but I just file it to shape. Make sure you make it long enough for the screw, plus a little, or there may be a burr thrown up that will make it hard to remove.

Considering that holders can cost $30 to $40 for decent ones, and have delivery time, while the collet can be made as-needed in 20 minutes from stock you probably have, it's no contest.

[Ed ke6bnl]

I sure do like the bolt cutter jig will have to make one for my bandsaw.

[Toolguy]

A lot of bolts will eat a bandsaw blade.

[glens5]

Home made band saw.

[gdavis2265]

Vise Squaring Tool

[tylernt]

Vise Squaring Tool

Looks interesting. How does it work?

[gdavis2265]

Regarding the squaring tool:

An odd shaped part can be secured in the mill vice due to the jaws being able to swivel spherically around the ball bearing. The springs simply keep the two jaws firmly around the bearing as they move around. You can combine with an angle block (as shown in the photo) to allow clamping something with an extreme angle.

[goodscrap]

not a tool but a fixture,



a work friend asked if i could skim his cylinder head from a scooter, he talked of squish bands and all sorts of things and eventually gave me some dimensions to work to along with the head. The head is about 6 or 7" and the largest chuck i have is 8", biggest problem is the only place to girp was on the cooling fins, i thought of doing it on the milling machine, but the chamber needed making conical for piston clearance.

so i found a bit of rough flat bar cleaned up four spots, then drilled/tapped four holes, some coupling nuts were faced to the same length and threaded bar used to create the pins, these go through the head bolt holes and it clamps down onto the spot faced area.

the clamping lugs have a spotface on the back and locate on the bolts that form the reaction posts, it worked really well, the four jaw chuck allows easy centering and for added peace of mind i put a 1/2" drawbar through the headstock to ensure it didn't go walkies.



the fixture took many times longer to make than the head did to skim, but next time it will be easier



Brian

[gdavis2265]

Wow - great setup - It looks like it just clears the ways.

[gdavis2265]

Nothing real fancy, just a 5C collet wrench.