Shop Made Tools

[ezduzit]

Yeah, this was an inexpensive imported chuck that I have found useful for things like starting thread dies, etc.

[J Tiers]

That seems much handier than the typical solution of a plug in the end of the tubing that is centered. Or even a bull-nose center, since they are great, but always the wrong size for what is wanted.

Good idea, one I never considered.

[elf]

If you make the connection between the chuck and the tailstock(adaptor) solid, you can turn thin parts in tension instead of compression doing away with the need for a steady.

[Bented]

Unfinished gang tool holder for an old CNC lathe, one more hole to be drilled and reamed then the set screw holes drilled and tapped.
Left handed boring bar for light facing and OD turning, drill, bore then an internal retaining ring groove tool (not shown). Give each tool a number and then touch them off, write the program and have at it, do not call the wrong tool number at the wrong time as this makes for spectacular crashes (-:

The parts were POM so it did not have to be very rigid.

[rcaffin]

Precision drilling jig for a simple little lathe.

The cross saddle provides one axis and the aluminium optical slide with brass knob provides the other axis, to align to the real centre of rotation of the chuck.
With this I can routinely drill 0.3 mm holes in stove jets by using the main feed wheel. So far, having drilled >100 jets, I have not broken a single drill bit. These days I don't even bother using any sort of centre drill first. But I DO use a head mounted magnifier to see what I am doing. The Swiss drills are excellent.

Cheers
Roger
PS: my avatar pic is the same as this, but smaller.

[Cenedd]

So far, having drilled >100 jets, I have not broken a single drill bit.

Better get some spares ordered.... you've jinxed it now!
If you're at 0.3mm you're also in 3D printer nozzle territory... although it's probably hard to justify making them rather than buying them.

[Bob Engelhardt]

Precision drilling jig for a simple little lathe. ...
With this I can routinely drill 0.3 mm holes in stove jets by using the main feed wheel. ...

Awesome!

For us colonials, that's less than 1/64". Totally out of the realm of my experience.

How is the drill fed? Surely not with the carriage.

[Dan Dubeau]

I looked at that pic and thought "that drill ain't so small", then I noticed the fluted section on the end of the "drill" I was looking at lol. Nice job. Time to get my eyes tested I guess

[rcaffin]

3D printer nozzles? Hum - thank you. I will investigate that. Mine are for an ultra-light inverted winter canister stove I make and sell internationally. Very specialised.

The nozzle does not have to be 0.30 mm: it can be 0.29 mm or 0.31 mm. There IS a difference in performance.

How is the drill fed? Well, it depends on the mood of the moment. I have indeed used the carriage - but with a head-mounted magnifier for control. I have also used the fine feed on the carriage, with careful alignment of the feed. I still use the head-mounted mag.

The blanks are made up on a CNC, with jigs. That means I can hold the thickness of the drilled region of the tip to about 0.3 mm, which is on a par with the diameter of the hole. So the drill bit does not have to go in very far. I think it can manage about 3 mm depth, so 0.5 mm penetration (with overshoot) is simple. I DO make sure there is no pip in the middle from the rest of the machining.

Watching under magnification a 0.3 mm drill bit go in and produce a fine spiral of brass from the flutes is fascinating. Wondering how in Hades the Swiss ground the flutes is also an occupation: the flutes are polished, btw.

I do have a box of the drill bits, not just one. But you can also buy Dormer drill bits down to 0.30 mm (or less?). None of them are cheap.
The Swiss ones come in steps of 0.01 mm (seriously), while the Dormers come I think in bigger steps.

Cheers
Roger

[MattiJ]

3D printer nozzles?
I do have a box of the drill bits, not just one. But you can also buy Dormer drill bits down to 0.30 mm (or less?). None of them are cheap.
The Swiss ones come in steps of 0.01 mm (seriously), while the Dormers come I think in bigger steps.

Cheers
Roger

Carbide drills for drilling printed circuit boards are cheap and plentiful.
Ebay has selection of new chinese, resharpened ones and slightly used ones.

Some examples:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/50-Pcs-0135.../153110154651?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/50-Micro-Ca.../222149673270?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/50PCS-0-1-1.../393036934840?

Western brand name drills are my favourite as the 1/8" shank is also solid carbide. Good for tiny DIY tools after you break the fluted part.
(Cheap chinese ones have steel shank so they don't have second life.)

[MattiJ]

I have probably posted this before but:
Solid carbide boring bar from 1/8" drill shank. Diamond burr and cheapo die grinder.

[rcaffin]

Carbide PCB drills: many of them start at 0.035 mm (#80), but a market watch will find smaller ones. I keep an eye on this.

Carbide boring bar: I take it that the bit in the lathe chuck has the offset? I use a TCG instead, but this idea is a good one.
And I note the rag used to keep the carbide dust off the lathe ways: very wise. The dust goes everywhere!

Cheers
Roger
Bother: yes, 0.35 mm, not 0.035 mm. Just checking to see who was watching of course ...

[MattiJ]

Carbide PCB drills: many of them start at 0.035 mm (#80), but a market watch will find smaller ones. I keep an eye on this.

Carbide boring bar: I take it that the bit in the lathe chuck has the offset? I use a TCG instead, but this idea is a good one.
And I note the rag used to keep the carbide dust off the lathe ways: very wise. The dust goes everywhere!

Cheers
Roger

0.35mm, not 0.035mm

Carbide boring bar: yup, I offset the collet chuck with a piece of shim between one of the jaws or something like that.

[Dave C]

Carbide PCB drills: many of them start at 0.035 mm (#80), but a market watch will find smaller ones. I keep an eye on this.

Carbide boring bar: I take it that the bit in the lathe chuck has the offset? I use a TCG instead, but this idea is a good one.
And I note the rag used to keep the carbide dust off the lathe ways: very wise. The dust goes everywhere!

Cheers
Roger
Bother: yes, 0.35 mm, not 0.035 mm. Just checking to see who was watching of course ...

Reminds me of a tale from a long time ago about the German and Swiss trying to outdo each other. The Germans drew a wire of something like the diameter of a human hair, then turned one end and threaded it. They sent it to the Swiss, saying we've beaten you. You cannot possibly improve on this. The Swiss promptly sent it back and the Germans thinking they had finally beat them asked why they gave up the fight. The Swiss responded with: You Germans didn't inspect the part very well. We cut it in two, turned and threaded one piece, bored the other piece, cut internal threads in it, and screwed both pieces back together." So let's see you improve on this one."

[luthor]

Unfinished gang tool holder for an old CNC lathe, one more hole to be drilled and reamed then the set screw holes drilled and tapped.
Left handed boring bar for light facing and OD turning, drill, bore then an internal retaining ring groove tool (not shown). Give each tool a number and then touch them off, write the program and have at it, do not call the wrong tool number at the wrong time as this makes for spectacular crashes (-:

The parts were POM so it did not have to be very rigid.

I made something similar for my Australian made CNC Lathe, they are very handy and save a lot of tool changes.