What did you do today?

[Bruno Mueller]

Looks great Bruno. Back when I first read Ivan Laws book I wanted to make a Eureka tool as well, but have never got around to it. I did get as far as modeling it in cad, and making a few changes (fasteners, stock size etc), but it's been a least a decade since I've touched it.

It is a Nice project to build this. you should finish it.

[Dan Dubeau]

Eventually, maybe I will. It's way down the list of projects I want to complete right now though. Maybe If I get bit by the engine bug it'll creep back up the list as my need for cutting gears increases, but that remains to be seen. There are a few other methods the negate the need for the eureka so I might pursue those first.

[BCRider]

My shaper indexing cog project is done. Yesterday and today I made the new plunger catch so I could keep the original parts intact. And just minutes before this I was watching the dial gauge stepping off .004 inch steps compared to the old .008 steps. Life in the shop is good....

[Dan Dubeau]

I turned down the shank of this apkt inserted end mill, face mill, flycutter, type thing (just to make the definition police happy, I think I got them all....)

What started life as this
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01...0?ie=UTF8&th=1
became this.



I first turned the cutting side down to 29/32 to fit a collet (it was 0.912 to begin with, but only for 1"), then flipped it around to turn the shank to 0.750" Runout from flip to flip was less than 0.0003". Then I made the ring for a 0.001" press fit out of O1, hardened it, and brought it back to a light straw temper. Then I pressed it on, and re seated the tool in the collet until I got zero runout again on the shank at both ends, then turned the flange face in place. I measured that, and was less than a few tenths. No matter how many spring passes I took I couldn't get it better. Oh well, it's not "perfect" but it's better than the machine spindle it's going to be used in. The total LOC is right at 2.1" and should be a good work horse for the type of work I need it for in the tormach. I've got a 2" apkt facemill coming, and will have to make a TTS mount for it too when it get here. As well as a few different types of inserts for it.

I'll eventually blacken it at some point.

All the turning was done in the Hardinge HLV-H at work. I don't think my myford would have liked that lol (or been able to achieve the finishes/tolerances).

I also ran an indicator (vee block, surface plate and DTI) all over it before starting, and it was damn near perfect. Within 0.0002-3" radially and axially, including flipping the inserts. What was funny to me though, as the shank seemed like it got harder the deeper I went. I could dig a file into it to start with, but it seems to skate off easier now @0.750, than at 1.000". I noticed it in the surface finishes too. Of course I don't have a hardness tester, and have no way to quantify it, but just found it strange. I was expecting the opposite, and thought i'd end up with a shank that was butter soft I'd have to be careful with. Pleasantly surprised.

[Tillie's in a bottle]

Cleaned out the power feed assembly on the Reid grinder. It worked fine before, but now it is oiled and looks nice. I should have took a "before " picture...
There was no grinding dust in this area but plenty of old black grease. I flushed out/ repacked the pillow blocks that the shaft rides in. The castle teeth on the end of the gear engage with the handwheel when power feed is knocked off.
I plan to use oil on this and as much of the machine as I can.

[BCRider]

I turned down the shank of this apkt inserted end mill, face mill, flycutter, type thing (just to make the definition police happy, I think I got them all.... ......

I'm calling you out on account o' being too wishy-washy. TAKE A STAND AND PICK ONE! ! ! !

[DennisCA]

Bought a trailer, used the trailer to get a bunch of boards, for my sheds facade, good price from the local sawmill (1€/m) mixed 5 and 6 " boards 7/8" thick (125x22mm and 150x22mm).

(looks back heavy but was balanced to a few kg)

I will be mixing 5" and 6" widths randomly for a more living appearance. That's how they used to do it, boards placed vertically with a rib covering the joins. This is called a "lockläkt" facade, some examples:

[Dan Dubeau]

I'm calling you out on account o' being too wishy-washy. TAKE A STAND AND PICK ONE! ! ! !

It's a stick tool. Or a insert cutter. Or an indexable money maker

[Mike Burch]

Dennis, good luck with that batten-and-board cladding. It should look great.

You probably know this already, but do make sure that you put the battens on with the grain the right way round, so that when they warp, the edges move in towards the boards, not out away from them. I wish I could remember which way that should be...

[BCRider]

It's a stick tool. Or a insert cutter. Or an indexable money maker

IT'S TWO - TWO - TWO MINTS IN ONE ! ! ! !

.... I'm showing my age again, aren't I..... What candy was that silly ad for anyway? I know it was for mints but for the life of me I don't remember which brand.

[Tim The Grim]

Certs it’s a candy mint, Certs it’s a breath mint…

The ALUM solution did not dissolve the HSS 8-32 tap broken in my Destroyer red dot sight mount, so I used a 48 year old Dremel that still has the original brushes and some little Diamond points to grind it out. I’m happy.

[PStechPaul]

Double your pleasure, double your fun...

[Cenedd]

I succumbed to temptation and fell off the wagon. A tool store emailed me about a sale....and there were so many shiny things I couldn't help myself!
It's just a good job that anything Starrett had a pricetag to dissuade me or I might have had a combination square, surface gauge and/or adjustable parallel* as well!
*which I want but it was only the largest size.

Did finally find a 300mm (that's 12" to you ) rule that fulfills all my many requirements.
•Metric only (waste of a side for me 99 times out of 100).
•Graduated in full mm's - not the halfs that I cant see without help.
•Doesn't have the irritating new trend of being marked 8, 9, 10, 1, 2, 3 which makes it so easy to drop the tens when you're not paying quite enough attention.
•Isn't priced at laughable figures!

I don't want much!

[ChazzC]

Certs it’s a candy mint, Certs it’s a breath mint…

The ALUM solution did not dissolve the HSS 8-32 tap broken in my Destroyer red dot sight mount, so I used a 48 year old Dremel that still has the original brushes and some little Diamond points to grind it out. I’m happy.

I think I have you beat, I've had my "original" Dremel 280 for 55 +/- years:


In the original case with many original tools (and yes, I was anal that long ago; my similar vintage Weller soldering gun, also in the original case, has its cord coiled up, too). I also have an earlier (I think: its brown) 280 that came as part of package deal on eBay:


Runs well, but I don't use this one at all which is why the cord still has the zip-tie the seller put on it.

I have since gone to smaller hand-helds, less power but lighter and easier to direct/guide for delicate work:

[Dan Krager]

Those old Dremel tools were something else, yes? ChasC, my set looks identical to yours except the tray is not so closely fitted. And I bought it new in the same era. Doesn't looks so new....

Today I cleared unwanted growth around my peppermint plants that I've planted around the foundation of my shop. I've discovered over the years that rodents and pests do not like pepermint and they avoid it like the plague. It has made a noticeable difference in the pest populations in the shop. Currently I'm not aware of mice, shrew, spider or bugs in the shop. Flies, yes. I also spread a 12" path of Borax (detergent) powder around the shop. It takes about 2 boxes.When I moved in just over a year ago, there were no less than a dozen mice and shrew permanent residents and heavy bug populations to match, residue from dog food that was stored unprotected in the building.


DanK