Shop Made Tools

[Cenedd]

Nose radius gives usually good hints if the insert is suited for small cuts in low power lathe. WNMG0804-04 is 0,4mm nose radius, about as small as you want for steel turning in smallish lathe.

And these are razor sharp, takes easily 0.01mm cut and works even on a hand-cranked lathe if you want:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/for-Aluminum-WNMG080404-HA-H01-WNMG431-Carbide-inserts-Cutter-blade-turning-tool/162854264283?epid=19009377237&hash=item25eadedddb:g:alsAAOSw2LZaXSta&frcectupt=true

Don't attempt heavy cuts on steel, edge geometry and carbide grade is not suited for that. Weirdly enough same carbide grade works for hard turning HSS if you flatten the top on diamond wheel.

Thanks Matt. A heavy cut for me would be about 0.5mm DoC and if I remember correctly (and that's debatable!) I was doing that without issues with an aluminium profile CCGT in 304 stainless for a better finish over the blunter CCMTs. I think I can fit up to about 13mm (so 12mm nominal) in my QCT holders so I can either just mill down the shank of a 20mm or 16mm tool or I could go larger (say 25mm) and try to cut a dovetail directly into the shank. Got any opinions on which is best?

Also, all the tools I've used so far have had the insert screw in - with the tiny csk hex screws that are so easy to lose, cost an unreasonable amount and are sufficiently different in the head profile from what you can bulk buy that I suspect makes them incompatible. All the holders for WNMGs (talking import market here) are a screwed in shim and then a clamped insert. I've always assumed (perhaps wrongly) that a clamp was an inferior means of securing the insert. In this case the shim's screw locates the insert so, am I wrong about clamp style or should I be looking for something that screws the insert in instead?
This is what I was looking at: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/192783996636

[MattiJ]

Also, all the tools I've used so far have had the insert screw in - with the tiny csk hex screws that are so easy to lose, cost an unreasonable amount and are sufficiently different in the head profile from what you can bulk buy that I suspect makes them incompatible. All the holders for WNMGs (talking import market here) are a screwed in shim and then a clamped insert. I've always assumed (perhaps wrongly) that a clamp was an inferior means of securing the insert. In this case the shim's screw locates the insert so, am I wrong about clamp style or should I be looking for something that screws the insert in instead?
This is what I was looking at: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/192783996636

Quite opposite, most "heavy duty" insert holders use clamp+pin. (probably more suited for double sided inserts too)

And inserts screws are cheaply available from ebay, buy a bunch of all the sizes you have and you don't need to dig chip bin for half an hour! M2.5 and M3.5 sizes get you long way with DCMT and CCMT inserts.
Search for "insert torx screw"

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10pcs-Insert-Torx-Screw-M2-5-7mm-For-Carbide-Inserts-For-11ER-11IR-Hot-Access/202630791398?hash=item2f2dbc80e6&enc=AQADAAADAFjVrDbVsZ8oH%2F8PNHtt9VX4%2Fw7FZcmMuqsX8uaFEduVnuPRD%2BmMYKwbtmXrU8EoqaDl5nX0h58xLg2b8L7sMKGKlTreHdjoLaf66RlQ0Ra1KKZie1Fg%2Bda7E5wfBqPwU4fT%2FfCrzTmrpRfyCfty0%2FqCItMA2Osmk6Ib2OAo2cBaFKkIRCB2YWnoshnk4YIXkF5qw4JTInDFQnPe4hOzXrrtTKbVFKfN6xhyDK8ouZykmHASmn1uAGYwfFIaln4if2dYGhK5KV41vYiE3bIgXLhUFZ3paIaGe3CaJcverqU5aEiY%2FGKjeY4JydBTccCwwyUgx7UvkMQPQf53N5Vbs3njororzD4p1nsVNdrGis%2BN9qK5LWe%2B6lQvv9oWVBkKwpfj4gIagV4Bc8W9A5Jo2n2jQzq2m08OIij6H3gS40RAAbm7RfoPmGIPBmHkjf1HO0STA3s9dDUcrN8xqBiNIwd63WBhO3R3yvpfeTgeM3%2F72oZRmx83U%2BD%2FR7NbwUnG9dhh%2BisxmW9HDCFO4ApI%2FDi9eoim3lb0X6%2F9x1K2x%2FMg1bRZdeyTYGE%2BaFLRIIvh3LR3CtDeNouhMdz4WAZcPAhTnfDXVoJD0tsk3hNyINz144OZf46N0esjkA%2BcFa%2B53x2u%2BIR4mxyY0fEQgFOK6drk8pYIn29ZVfb5l8WJa8UkSX1wUjncCMqza%2FItj1m%2FAaGNd1xWmH%2FceFLZd1qlPyiOhB%2FfFogKBTQ%2BEhUcglMP3bMbeeGAy0vqVX8qzy6D7UsJcd1mMPEMDKEvGTCRPim2rZlpjEnSC6k%2BKizNAG9%2Fitjfp1jdnX7zFFisoewqtwRBgzOyDYm2WyI6RZAeY9q8Z%2FcrBRvfBk2%2BRYzIUXVnNbJ6L0yktCjg7qMLXSJoMMvlXKQa%2FPNt5dfj%2BT%2BZe7jSjZLwvoXzmIkG0Xl4TvbSmfmnxlWjDauNSgi91VavPRXpNJbC6rQ8UsztEe3c1pVDT7bftZB0FVUAML5pYmyFLXWAcqxR0XjNNZg8BEXJnw%3D%3D&checksum=20263079139860ca84d0ce5449d8a00bf966c2895500

0.13 £ per piece, quality has been so far more than good enough for home shop use.

[Cenedd]

Thanks Matt. Good to know.
I'd found some M2.5 torx screws in a previous hunt but the profile of the countersunk head was different enough that it might pull through the insert - slightly smaller and shallower angle. Shall feed my eBay habit and stock up.

[Draconus324]

Propane melting furnace made from 5 gallon propane tank. Intake air to burner passes thru exhaust port to prehead the air to the burner.


There is a ratchet lift up device that pushes the crucible up from the bottom. High enough to grab the crucible but not too hign so it can tip.

Pouring tongs slips over top of crucible latches in closed postion for lifting and pouring.

do you have design and build instructions for these???

[BCRider]

I had a pleasant afternoon getting to better know my shaper. Solved a couple of cutter shaping issues and ground a shear cutting tool that leaves a surface which is nigh on as good as a well polished 400 grit sandpaper finish.

The project in mind was the mill vise clamps shown in the second of the two pictures below. The first is the final step before bandsawing the two clamps apart and shear cutting the sawn faces to finish the clamps.

The shaper is running in the first picture and I used the flash to stop the action. But you can see the smoke from the cutting oil while I remove a .04" pass. And yes I know it is a clunky setup with the second toolmaker's vise held in the mill vise. But the spacing of the vise hold down lugs does not match the spacing of the T slots of the table so mounting the mill vise like this is the only way I can mount it And it's only for the generous chamfer on the outer corners.

The chips were burly things looking like little fiddleheads with these heavier cuts. Oh, I know that it's nothing compared to the big blue chips that can be done with a larger shaper. But the little Alba by Elliot performed well today. And I learned a lot more about using the shaper.

[Cenedd]

Very nice - both product and shaper. As for the setup, well clearly it worked and didn't kill you (always a bonus, I find!) so all's good, no?!

Have you tried that Anchor Lube stuff to cut down on smoke? Supposed to be water based and only give off steam. Tried to mail order some when my wife was in the States for work but next-day delivery took two days....so a pint bottle labelled "Anchor Lube" turned up to her hotel after she'd left....which possibly is for the best!

[BCRider]

No, I haven't bothered with finding any of the other things around. I use a pretty basic set of four cutting lubes. Tap Magic for ferrous and alloy along with basic sulphurated cutting oil (the smoke in this case) and some synthetic stuff called Universal water mixed coolant/lube that is clear when mixed and works really nicely as well.

I must admit that it would be nice to try something that stays in place and is less smokey.

[Cenedd]

I must admit that it would be nice to try something that stays in place and is less smokey.

I think they ship to parts north of the border these days. Unfortunately, they don't ship over the pond - at least not at rates that make it worth buying! In case you want to try it: https://www.mcmaster.com/anchorlube-lubricants I've seen it on various channels like Abom79 (if I remember correctly) and the like. It's the reduction in smoke that appeals - being that I work in a very confined space and don't have the extraction I probably should.
Took a punt recently and tried some random brand of stick lube. Should come with a gas mask and an extractor fan!

[BCRider]

The synthetic stuff I mix with water and it is still clear might be a good fit for your needs for drilling and general milling. I apply it a touch at a time with a squeeze bottle. It gives off steam when pushed harder and very little else. And it does a great job of resisting metal build up on the drills, end mills and lathe cutters. It even says it's good for hand tapping at a 10:1 mix although I've never tried it against the Tap Magic. The stuff I've got is a light amber in the bottle and is made by Synthetic Lubricants Inc. Odds are good that it's not on your side of the pond either. But perhaps the description will aid you in finding the same stuff under a different name in your area. The mix ratio varies from 10:1 up to 25:1.

I mix up a 2 liter pop bottle of it at a time at 15:1. So it's also very frugal to use. I've been working on the gallon of the stuff I got about 25 years ago and I've still got a half gallon. It takes a long time and a lot of work to dribble that much juice out of a little squeeze bottle a few drops at a time.

The down side is that if I don't clean up after using it on the bigger jobs the water in the mixture can encourage rust between things like the vise and drill or mill table. Or leave a rust ring around the base of the bottle if it gets set down on a metal surface. So now I use way oil on the base of my mill table vise and that stops it from wicking in the fluid and trapping it.

It's easy for me to get stuff from south of the border. I'm right near a crossing. I'll order up some of that Anchor Lube to try.

[Cenedd]

I do have some of this: https://www.axminster.co.uk/ambersil...5-litre-952139
only the 300ml bottle, not the 5 litre! Like yours it is clear rather than the opaque white that most seem to be. I'm not set up for coolant recycling though so it works out fairly expensive and makes quite a mess - my mill table has (or rather had) a plastic end-cap that doesn't contain the coolant. Also, I found stuff started to rust with my rigorous *cough* clean-up regime. That's why I'm currently on the CT90 cutting oil - stuff's not gonna rust if I leave it about for a few days.

[camperkn]

Anchorlube

Just a quick note about Anchorlube.
Back in the '60s I was tapping some die blocks made from D3 tool steel, really tough stuff. Well I was getting 3 to 4 tapped holes before the tap dulled. Went to the boss and he asked what lube I was using, and I said lard oil. He gave me a bottle of anchorlube, a salesman had just given him as a sample. I must have tapped another 20 or so holes and the tap was still good when I finished. BEST tap lube I ever used!
John

[ATW]

First job in the restoration of my (very) rusty machining skills was making clamps to hold down the milling vice (precision/grinding type).

I didn't want to use the conventional inverted "L" type clamps as they pinch on an edge when clamped down and to me that is not good long term for the mill tables health.

Thinking cap on, I came up with some up stands that would provide a large bearing surface to the table together with some straps that can pivot on pins pushed into the top of the up stands, spherical washers are used to give a good contact area between the fixing screw and the straps.

[Toolguy]

I really like the clamps. They are well designed and made! Just a note - the spherical washers have a mating part that goes on the bottom. They are a 2 part system. I see you countersunk the clamps, just sayin'.

[Tungsten dipper]

ATW, Nice job!!!!!!

[ATW]

Thanks, I was really pleased how they came out - had a couple of practice attempts, but even though its 30+ years since I last did any real machining it came back pretty quick, so maybe not too rusty.

I was being cheap and and only bought the "top" part of the washers, not the cups, I countersunk the straps to 120deg (well large 118deg drill bit) to try and match what the bottom part allegedly is, any more I think I'll just buy both parts