What did you do today?

[Bruno Mueller]

The drilling table was assembled from two parts.
The table top itself is a GG25 plate from the steel trade. The column mount is made of S355J2+N.
First the table was machined with 0.5mm machining allowance on the top of the table and on the circumference. The column mount was turned and pressed into the table top with a 16mm shoulder with Loctite.
The column mount was then clamped in a 20mm collet on the lathe and the table was turned to its final dimensions on the face and circumference. Then the clamping slots were machined.


I would like to say something else about the small drill chuck of the drilling unit.
It is from Chinese production of "Sanou". It has a short taper J0 (Jacobs taper 0) and clamps up to 4mm.
With a 4mm drill the performance of the machine is really reached, if not already exceeded.

[nickel-city-fab]

Fixed air compressor leak, it works great now. Only runs for a few seconds at a time. Big pump. small tank.

Also started on the housing for the GHT dividing head spindle. For this I am using a mini-lathe headstock and bearings.

[skunkworks]

fixing a free 2 stage air compressor... The high pressure piston had some wrist pin problems..

[PStechPaul]

Some time ago the screw holding the handle on the ball valve for my bathtub shower had rusted off, and I couldn't extract the stub from the brass lever. I was able to continue using it although the handle would sometimes fall off. Then several days ago it would no longer turn or operate the lever, so I had to fix it. I filed the lever approximately 1/4" round, with flats on top and bottom, and I was able to fit a 1/4" nut into the hex socket of the handle. Then I bored half depth of a 1/4" coupling to a little over 1/4" to fit over the stem, and I tapped two #8-32 holes in it to fasten it. I had one of those Harbor Freight set screw assortments and I tried using the 5/32"-32 setscrews, but they are too small and would not hold. So I just used some stainless steel Phillips head screws, and now it works, although it's not very pretty. Eventually I may see if I can buy a replacement ball valve, but this should do for now.

[RB211]

Made a spoil board for my 3018 router. Even used it to cut the perfect counterbores. Love CNC for that!
Also used the Porta bandsaw in the Swag stand as a vertical bandsaw to cut tee nuts for the router.

[J Tiers]

been cleaning up around the place, in the shop, and out in the shed (must be catching). Found something I did not know about. Actually my wife found it.

I've got various old paint cans of latex paint. Many of them are partly solidified, still at the thick goo stage, unusable for other reasons, or full of rust from the can. it's a problem, since you can toss cans if the paint is solid, but not if it is still liquid. And in the can the gooey crap will take weeks to solidify, if not longer.

So, while getting some paint mixed to repaint the shed, ny wife noticed something and showed it to me... It is a powder (composition unknown) which gels rapidly in water (or latex paint). So, you can take the useless paint, and put some of this stuff in it, and the paint will be gelled into a solid that is claimed to be safe for regular disposal. It may be necessary to put in some water first if the paint is really thick, before adding the stuff.

Not having any desire to have a number of cans of bad latex paint open around the place as they slowly dry out, this looked good to me. I can say that it worked well on some old paint that had the can rim rust and get into the paint, making it like goo with rust in it. The powder did the job in a few minutes.

Hopefully they are truthful abot it being OK for regular disposal, that's where it is headed.

[junkaddict]

Made a swing out shelf for my mig welder on the welding table I made a few months ago. It is higher up, and it makes it much easier to change the rolls. I was going to make a fixed shelf on the other side for the Invertig 221 I picked up, a complete compact welding station, but I might just put that on a separate cart. Still on the fence about it.

[junkaddict]

Some time ago the screw holding the handle on the ball valve for my bathtub shower had rusted off, and I couldn't extract the stub from the brass lever. I was able to continue using it although the handle would sometimes fall off. Then several days ago it would no longer turn or operate the lever, so I had to fix it. I filed the lever approximately 1/4" round, with flats on top and bottom, and I was able to fit a 1/4" nut into the hex socket of the handle. Then I bored half depth of a 1/4" coupling to a little over 1/4" to fit over the stem, and I tapped two #8-32 holes in it to fasten it. I had one of those Harbor Freight set screw assortments and I tried using the 5/32"-32 setscrews, but they are too small and would not hold. So I just used some stainless steel Phillips head screws, and now it works, although it's not very pretty. Eventually I may see if I can buy a replacement ball valve, but this should do for now.

I just did the one on my shower. When you replace the innards, you want kit RP77739. Get the Delta. The aftermarket ones suck, they are substandard Chinese junk, and don't seal for ****. They have it at Home Depot. They redesigned the seal piece so it works on old worn out housings. The new design works great. It is 21 bucks or so for the kit.

[swatkins]

I saved a machine
I have decided the Barnes Drill Press will not become razor blades and live on in my Home for Old Machines Today's video shows picking up the machine... My wife calling it "Another non working, rusty no manual machine" right to my face! Oh the pain I must endure to save these poor machines! There is a tour of the damage and the very end of the video shows a Barnes machine that might supply a donor base for this one... I hope you enjoy

[PStechPaul]

Yeah, I think I'll have to get a repair kit like that eventually. But I think there is a piece that went missing (down the drain?) that converts the diamond-shaped stem to the hex socket of the handle. It's a shame that they made the screw from plain steel - a stainless steel or brass screw might have been 5 cents more and would have lasted "forever". Maybe planned obsolescence? I have had the valve apart a few times long ago, when it would sometimes start leaking, but eventually I got it tightened properly and it's worked fine ever since - probably 15-20 years now. The whole bathroom probably needs a bit of a makeover. I had never really finished installing the shower/tub enclosure, and the chrome cover plate needs to be installed over the valve. I just painted the floor a few months ago, and plan to put down some linoleum or tile. Also built a closet in the corner. And I think I'll need to replace the flush mechanism in the toilet. The repair to the float is holding, but now the flush valve is making screaming noises, begging for a better fix. "Immer etwas!"

And I just found the plastic "adapter" piece, but it's rather worn and stained with rust.

[DennisCA]

Got quite a lot done this weekend.

I made a new shaft for my latest axe (the longest one)








And I finished this blower with a PWM controller for my forge, used an old tool box to keep the electronics in. Got great control of the air flow now.





And I got started on my solar air heater for the shop:


I also fixed my sons radio car, broken shock absorber, I have ordered a spare but it will take a while. So I found a similar one on another low quality car that was not used anymore and it almost fit, had the right height but too large an opening, so I turned some adapters from PTFE rod (the little white thingies seen on the shock absorber ot the right). Finally some machining.

[Arcane]

Yesterday (I always seem to be a day late on this thread) I decided to take the florescent light down from under my kitchen cupboards; it was mounted over the sinks and the tube failed long ago and I never got around to buying a new one. I found it wasn't much of a light so let it go but the cord was occasionally in the way. I unbolted it and took it apart just to see what was inside it (just a small transformer and switch) and then reassembled it. All mundane stuff but I happened to glance into the sink and to my surprise there was a small neat stack of bills, six of them as it turned out and it took a few seconds for it to register on me...it was like they had appeared by magic! Of course I had at some time in the distant past stuffed them between the top of the 4" by 18" light and the bottom of my cupboards as my rainy day emergency fund and I totally forgot about them!

Best part is they are $100 bills.

[Bob Engelhardt]

... a small neat stack of bills, six of them as it turned out and it took a few seconds for it to register on me...it was like they had appeared by magic! Of course I had at some time in the distant past stuffed them between the top of the 4" by 18" light and the bottom of my cupboards as my rainy day emergency fund and I totally forgot about them!...

And now ... are there other totally-forgotten-about stashes? You could be sitting on a fortune

[Jim Stewart]

Hopefully they are truthful abot it being OK for regular disposal, that's where it is headed.

Several years ago I cleaned out my wife's aunt's basement - many cans of paint. I took them to the local household hazardous material depot and the guy told me they'd take the paint that was still wet but the dried out cans could go in my garbage can. He oughta know...

-js

[PStechPaul]

Just fill the cans with dirt...