Shop Made Tools

[BCRider]

I've gotten around to making chips on my own AXA sized angled tool holder. It's designed along the same lines as the professor's holder a few posts up but with slightly less angle to the tool bit. Back rake of the slot is 8° and side rake is 10°. This is more angle than my previous trial run holder... .you know, the "temporary" things we do that end up being used for around 7 years? That's the one shown in picture #1 to show where the idea started.

To be honest the lump shown wasn't only a test for that cutter style but also to see if I would buy a QCTP or just make up a lot of blocks of this style and use them as my tool holders. The ones for other uses were going to be set for height with shims but the slot would have a slight angle for fine adjustment either by altering the stick out or if the cutter had to have a flat/level top then it I'd use an angled wedge. I still think it was a good idea. Good solid supportive tool blocks on a quick change post where each slot has a height adjustment instead of the whole holder. And of course with this method each tool block rests solidly on the compound. So no cantilevering.... I still think it's a worthy idea. And the combination use of shims and an angled wedge in an angled slot solves the issue of fine adjustment for height very nicely. Anyway.. that's another idea for another time....

Picture 2 shows one of the two of these I'm making. One is for a friend... who doesn't know it's coming to him. The other shows the first one done in blue for the initial setup sitting on the post. I still need to open up the top of the slot to accept a wedge shaped key that I want to use to avoid stressing the set screws to the side. That and add the set screws and height adjuster bolt.

Making the dovetail slots didn't get a picture as I was too focused on getting them right so that they would fit the same as all the other holders. But these were cut by hogging most of it away with a 5/8" two flute and then I used a fairly large 5/8" shank dovetail cutter to cut the final angles only.


So here's where it started;


And here's the funky setup for cutting the angled slot in an angled lump of metal. And yes, it IS that lumpy a vise that likely has no business on a mill or lathe or anything other than perhaps a drill press. But it's actually fairly tight and accurate and solid enough provided I don't take any heavy cuts. Works like a charm for the 3/8 cutter taking about .08" depth from the slot at a pass or less.


And two of the progress so far.

[mattthegamer463]

What hardness (5P, 7P, 9P) are the wheels? How much do they deflect/distort in use?

Sorry Bob, missed this comment. I think the grey one is a 9P. The other is scotchbrite so it kind of does whatever it wants. The grey one doesn't seem to deflect at all, but it wears a rut quickly if you're not careful.

[rcaffin]

Very small bit of metal under the tool bit. I have seen that lower part snap off under load.
Cheers
Roger

[BCRider]

This looks somehow familiar...

I'm about to design and make my own AXA holder for the same geometry as my early test version. But I'm going to set the slot a little higher and make the top view a wedge shape so the front edge sits just past parallel to the post body. That way I don't have to angle the post for facing cuts and I can use a longer tool bar. the body will sit slightly low or be a touch deeper.

The tool holder got put onto the computer desk just yesterday and the CAD'ing will be done a bit later today.

[the professor]

AXA tool holder for 3/8 HSS bits, angled 15 deg in 2 axis. Now you don't need to grind on the top of the tool bit. It should offer some advantage in not lower the cutting edge height from repeated sharpenings to the point that you grind the
end of the tool bit off and start over.

[mattthemuppet]

not much of a tool, but I had to make it to complete my nutcracker project - an 80deg press die for my hydraulic press to bend the 1/4" steel legs on the cracker.


had to use a bunch of C-clamps to stop my adjustable lower bending jig from spreading (see broken bolt above) - the forces involved were quite a bit more than what I'm used to!

[BCRider]

I like the V blocks too! I like that they have a way to grip the work built in.

[mc_n_g]

Those V blocks look great! Good job

[Arcane]

Pretty skookum pair of V-blocks! 👍

[MaxxLagg]

Matched pair of V-blocks for holding parts to machine 45 degree angles on. I have lots of occasions that I need to grind 45's on the edges of parts, especially parts with a heel on them, that I can' t just dress an angle on the wheel or set up in some other conventional way. This act as V_blocks and the clamps are basically toe clamps. There is a removable back stop for referencing parts.

[Bob Engelhardt]

Bought some fibre abrasive wheels on eBay, ... I really like it so far for removing tool marks on aluminum and deburring.

What hardness (5P, 7P, 9P) are the wheels? How much do they deflect/distort in use?

[rcaffin]

Very tidy.
Cheers
Roger

[BMW Rider]

Does it count if its for woodwork use? I needed a better guide fence for my router and a new base plate with a guide block to be used for cutting mortises. Made the rails from drill rod with the ends turned down to fit the router base. The block is Delrin. The base plate was made from Lexan with a Delrin guide block.

[Tim Clarke]

Yup, that's a sweetheart!

[10KPete]

Now that's a properly equipped bench grinder!! Great work.