What did you do today?

[Cenedd]

I have a Noga rotary OD deburring/chamfering tool that Ive recently been using on some cut 316 stainless bars. Used it no some acrylic tube today and no dice. Took me a while to put two and two together and realise I'd blunted it. Well, it looked fine to the naked eye!
Anyway, I ran a credit card sized "fine" diamond plate over it a bit and was pleasantly surprised that it now cut nicely. Probably the first thing I've 'had at' free hand that's ended up sharper rather than blunter!

[eKretz]

I removed the quill from my QC30 Wells Index 847 and stripped the spindle bearings. They were due for replacement, were getting pretty worn out and loose. Got new ones on the way. Cleaned up the bearing surfaces on the spindle and checked TIR - just under a few tenths. Also removed the clock spring, cleaned, regreased and rewound it. Oh, and fixed the quill power feed kickout. It was a simple fix for once: the previous owner installed the kickout pivot lever backwards, I discovered. Turning it around solved the problem.

[wierdscience]

Ugh. Got that exhaust manifold drilled and tapped. Not without incident. Finished plumbing the new oil filter, that'll work good. Finished plumbing in the Tillotson fuel bowl. Went to fix or remove the manifold heat stove flapper, thats when it got fun. Finally decided it would be easier with the manifold off the block, busted off 3 bolts flush. Two in the manifold, one in the block. Saved all holes just fine with drill and tap. Waiting for new gaskets in the mail. Have the new heat stove kit waiting (anyone else remember those contraptions to warm up the carb/intake?...)

Yep, they do a great job of boiling the fuel in the carb when the flapper flips over on it's own while running in mid summer. What make machine is it? Miller? I used a Miller 40 that had a 4cyl Jeep engine in it once, welded smooth as silk, but loved it's gasoline.

[nickel-city-fab]

Yep, they do a great job of boiling the fuel in the carb when the flapper flips over on it's own while running in mid summer. What make machine is it? Miller? I used a Miller 40 that had a 4cyl Jeep engine in it once, welded smooth as silk, but loved it's gasoline.

Hobart, somewhere between 1945 and 1950. I wasn't aware that Miller used Willys engines, I did know they used Continental flat-heads in some gasoline models.
My machine (supposedly) uses about a gallon per hour, has a 24 gallon tank.
The DC engine drive machines are the smoothest of all.

[ChazzC]

I have a Noga rotary OD deburring/chamfering tool that Ive recently been using on some cut 316 stainless bars. Used it no some acrylic tube today and no dice. Took me a while to put two and two together and realise I'd blunted it. Well, it looked fine to the naked eye!
Anyway, I ran a credit card sized "fine" diamond plate over it a bit and was pleasantly surprised that it now cut nicely. Probably the first thing I've 'had at' free hand that's ended up sharper rather than blunter!

These unique tools from Noga are fantastic! Many years ago I bought an assortment of clear plastic tubes and end-caps from Brownells to use for small tool storage (they now only have an assortment of 200 tubes and the end-caps sell separately). I continue to use the tubes, cutting them to length in a mini miter box using a 42 TPI X-acto Saw. Cleaning up the ends was a pain until I got my Noga rotary ID & OD tools:

[sarge41]

Nickel-city-fab: Got a question, Did changing from a by-pass oil filter to a full flow filter make any changes to oil pressure? Sounds like you got your share of drilling out broken studs on this one. In reference to the flappers in the manifold, yes they were poor engineering. As a young man, I spent several years as an auto/truck mechanic and they were a problem. They loved to stick, usually shut and were not good for valves. A pat on the back to you for your good work.
Sarge41

[ChazzC]

Replaced the lock in one of my "Craftsman Drawer Units." I have three of these sturdy, very handy drawer units, and couldn't find the key for the one that is tucked under a bench top in a corner:


(after my adventure with the "new" Kennedy boxes I decided to get all of my keys onto one keyring; in the process, I couldn't find the keys to this unit)

Although I almost never lock my tool storage boxes/cabinets/chests, I do like having the capability to do so. The drawer unit had a label inside one of the drawers, and exploring the InterWeb, I navigated to the Craftsman Parts page:



They listed the lockset but it said "no longer available," so I called them to see if I could get a key. Unfortunately, no key, but they did confirm the lockset part number and said I might be able to get this elsewhere. It turns out that this lockset is also used in medical storage units, so for about half of what the drawer unit cost me 20 years ago I purchased the lockset from PartsSource:



Didn't come with the mounting clip, but the old one fit and after removing the drawers, unbolting the unit from the workbench, changing the lock and then reversing the procedure I can now lock it. And no, Cenedd, I didn't throw out the old lockset: I know that I'll find the keys sometime this weekend.


Cheers,


Charlie

[Cenedd]

And no, Cenedd, I didn't throw out the old lockset: I know that I'll find the keys sometime this weekend.

Not unless you throw it out before the weekend!
The Noga reversible countersinks (RC1000, RC2000, RC2200) are really useful too if you've not come across those. Apart from the back of holes etc that are awkward to get to, they make a nice job of deburring and chamfering a hole on a curved surface. The two cutting edges are 180° apart so it can track up and down with the edge of the hole.

[wierdscience]

Hobart, somewhere between 1945 and 1950. I wasn't aware that Miller used Willys engines, I did know they used Continental flat-heads in some gasoline models.
My machine (supposedly) uses about a gallon per hour, has a 24 gallon tank.
The DC engine drive machines are the smoothest of all.

Not sure if it was an actual Jeep engine,it closely resembled a Waukesha FC4 ,but it wasn't a Continental. One of the ubiquitous 4-cyl L-heads of that era. It belonged to a buddy of mine that at one time had a pretty good collection of old school engine driven generators. He had a Lincoln SA400 with a Hercules JX six cylinder and a Hobart G213 with a 2-cyl Wisconsin air cooled.

I don't have much need for a portable, but I do like my static and motor generator sets.If I get time this weekend I may do a post of some of the machines I have rat holed away.

[wierdscience]

These unique tools from Noga are fantastic! Many years ago I bought an assortment of clear plastic tubes and end-caps from Brownells to use for small tool storage (they now only have an assortment of 200 tubes and the end-caps sell separately). I continue to use the tubes, cutting them to length in a mini miter box using a 42 TPI X-acto Saw. Cleaning up the ends was a pain until I got my Noga rotary ID & OD tools:

I recently bought a set of those, and yes, they are fantastic.

[Cenedd]

What's the deal with these gas/petrol engine-driven welders? I was thinking it was portability...but bolting an entire engine to anything (without wheels!) renders it LESS portable, surely. Then wondered if it was because you couldn't draw enough power from most sockets for really big welds. Is it smoother power delivery by ditching the AC-DC conversion?

[ChazzC]

Not unless you throw it out before the weekend!
The Noga reversible countersinks (RC1000, RC2000, RC2200) are really useful too if you've not come across those. Apart from the back of holes etc that are awkward to get to, they make a nice job of deburring and chamfering a hole on a curved surface. The two cutting edges are 180° apart so it can track up and down with the edge of the hole.

Like a Tool Junkie wouldn't have these:


These were the first tools that Quinn made me buy (see how I made the smooth transition from the storage tube post?).

And don't forget Joe Pie's favorite ID corner breaker (Noga T-Blade Scrapers):


Joe typically uses these on small parts in the lathe without the handle (Noga does provide a protective cover for the ends so at low speeds you can skip the handle), but I'm chicken.

[The Metal Butcher]

What's the deal with these gas/petrol engine-driven welders? I was thinking it was portability...but bolting an entire engine to anything (without wheels!) renders it LESS portable, surely. Then wondered if it was because you couldn't draw enough power from most sockets for really big welds. Is it smoother power delivery by ditching the AC-DC conversion?

They go on trucks or trailers.

[Cenedd]

They go on trucks or trailers.

Ah ok, so it is portability....just not in the sort of scale I'm used to

I've not posted a lot of things I've done lately....but for a change, it's because I've been busy doing them rather than that I've done nothing!
I posted the start of a raised sleeper bed a week back. Well, it's now finished:



....and planted! A couple of taller bushes to come for the back yet but definitely an improvement!



The other project that's been sitting on my 'to do' pile for far too long is a pull-out worktop that I planned when I added the drawers under my workbench. The underside needed to be routed out to take the slides (helpfully not actually IN this picture). The odd shape of the void is because I managed to mix up my width and depth and start 90° out. Ho hum, nobody will ever see it...unless I'm stupid enough to post a picture of it on the internet!



The shelf latches in the out position until you pull the two handles. There is a sync bar at the back to connect them so you only have to pull one. Problem is they sent what looked like the correct bar (round with a 4-way internal spline) but it was a fraction the size it should have been so wouldn't fit. Decided I ought to be able to cobble something together rather than deal with trying to get a replacement part months after the fact. Some steel tube of miraculously close ID and some 2mm brass rod as a pin and it's sorted.



Now I have a new thing to get in my way when I'm trying to navigate my treacherously untidy workshop! A lot of that is the tooling for the sleeper beds...but I'm not going to claim that it's tidy even when that's been put away!



Last up was a set of four tommy bars for my neighbour's new pipe clamps. Clamps were good but the bars were hopeless. These are EN24 (4340) and the ends are soft ball bearings drilled and tapped M8. There's only three in the photo as I tend to make a complete one and then repeat. I'd end up with four that don't work otherwise!
Had a great time with the follow rest trying to turn 10mm bar down to 8.4mm to fit the clamps. Probably would have been easier if I'd not decided there should be two bars at 300mm which I then cut in half as it should have been four at 150mm each!

[Bob Engelhardt]

...
The other project that's been sitting on my 'to do' pile for far too long is a pull-out worktop ...
...

...

We could start a pool on how long before that pull-out is as piled-high as the bench😉