Page 3 of 3 FirstFirst 123
Results 31 to 36 of 36
  1. #31
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Brisbane (western suburbs)
    Age
    77
    Posts
    12,093

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Bushmiller View Post
    Ian

    Have a look at the jaws/collet from a Dremel tool.

    Regards
    Paul
    I think a Dremel chuck might be a bit too small, Paul, but it's a thought I'll keep in mind. That part of the tool kit is on hold 'til Geoff comes up with a foolproof & simple method for making auger bits.....
    IW

  2. # ADS
    Google Adsense Advertisement
    Join Date
    Always
    Location
    Advertising world
    Age
    2010
    Posts
    Many





     
  3. #32
    Boringgeoff is offline Try not to be late, but never be early.
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Bakers Hill WA
    Age
    75
    Posts
    1,070

    Default

    Ian, I'll be thinking about these bits for the rest of the day, and it's my own fault.

    Cheers,
    Geoff.

  4. #33
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Brisbane (western suburbs)
    Age
    77
    Posts
    12,093

    Default

    Serves yer roight.....
    IW

  5. #34
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Bundaberg
    Age
    54
    Posts
    3,402

    Default

    Normal small sized auger bits can be converted into large miniature auger bits

    Cut the square drive off and holding the bit in a chuck on the lathe you can either machine the shank down to a suitable size; if vibration is an issue rub a file against it whilst supporting the shank with a notched piece of wood. Then get some square key steel and hold it in a four jaw chuck to drill the hole for the shank. File the tapers on the key and solder the two parts together.

    For a brace you don’t need a chuck; there were plenty of low-tech/low-cost versions made from bent bar that held the bit in a clamp. I have some excess M4 threaded thumbscrews in SS and brass from The Nuke that would suit admirably!
    Nothing succeeds like a budgie without a beak.

  6. #35
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Brisbane (western suburbs)
    Age
    77
    Posts
    12,093

    Default

    Chief, I've thought about 'miniaturising' regular bits too. Re-forming the shank would not be a problem along the lines you suggested, the steel of any bit I've struck is pretty soft & amenable to being turned & filed, but the flutes would need modifying (shortening) to keep them in proportion, which then requires the lead screw to be re-made - all do-able but a lotta work.

    Now like Geoff, I've been thinking about it all day on & off. What I would really like is something like this: brace1.jpg
    (image borrowed from 'Joel's blog' [thankyou Joel] )

    There were several different types of chuck on these old wooden/metal braces, iirc, one I've seen being nothing much more complicated than a hole & a grubscrew. So I been thinkin', I've got a few old gimlet bits kicking about, which would suit the style, so I just might end up having a crack at slightly dumbed-down Ultimatum. I'm playing for high stakes with this project and a fancy little brass & wood brace just might be the ice-cream on my cake...

    Thanks for the offer of thumb-screws (if that was an offer), but I have a goodly supply of all sorts of grub-screws, thumbscrews, etc. & what I don't have I can soon make - that's part of the fun! In fact I made these bits this morning, for the mini mortise gauge: parts.jpg

    I glued the wear strip in the stock & the brass tip to the beam tonight, so it should be finished tomorrow.
    The tool-chest is filling up...

    Cheers,
    IW

  7. #36
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Brisbane (western suburbs)
    Age
    77
    Posts
    12,093

    Default Set complete

    Orright - so a couple of days ago I got as far as making most of the bits for the mortise gauge I showed a few posts ago:
    parts.jpg

    Last night I glued the tip on the beam & the wear-strip in the stock, so it was all ready to finish this morning.
    After sanding the brass tip flush with the beam, I set out the mortise for it in the stock. Its companion mini gauges came in mighty handy on such a small piece!
    A1.jpg

    I have a couple of very small gauges that I use a lot on small jobs, but they are almost clumsy compared with the minis.
    Small & mini.jpg

    I thought they were as small as could be useful, but the minis were much more at home working on this tiny stock. I also used the mini mortise chisel & bull-oak mallet, just to see how they'd go. In this case, not so great, the small chisels had my hands covering up the work, and the little mallet took a lot of taps to drive the chisel into the hard oak. So I pulled out a L-N (which are pretty small chisels anyway) and my regular mallet & that had the job done much more quickly & was definitely more comfortable!
    A2.jpg

    With the mortise cut out, I made & fitted the "shoe" that protects the beam from the thumbscrew, cleaned everything up, & Bob's your aunty:
    A3.jpg

    I added a feature I've not tried before. With this style of mortise gauge, most makers put the thumbscrew underneath so that it bears directly on the slider and locks it in position. I don't like that system because the thumbscrew catches on things in use and can be awkward. So I put the thumbscrew over the top of the beam & fit the slider very carefully so it stands just a little proud of the wood of the beam, so that when the TS is tightened, the slider is squeezed between the beam & the bottom of the mortise, locking it firmly. On my mini, I used a pretty thin piece of brass for the slider (1.6mm thick) and I made the groove for it a bit over-generous. Rather than sand the beam down to make the slider proud, I made an insert for the bottom of the stock so I could screw a 3mm grubscrew up til it just touches the slider. When the thumbscrew is tightened, it presses the slider against the end of the grubscrew & locks it very nicely. It works so well, I might have to do something similar to my big gauge:
    A4.jpg

    Here is the mini alongside a "standard" gauge:
    A6.jpg

    So the set is now "complete":
    A5.jpg

    Not the most practical everyday tools to be sure, but I think they have the "cute factor" I was aiming for.....

    Cheers
    IW

Page 3 of 3 FirstFirst 123

Similar Threads

  1. QUEENSLAND Marking gauges
    By IanW in forum WOODWORK - Tools & Machinery
    Replies: 15
    Last Post: 25th December 2018, 05:36 PM
  2. Some more marking gauges
    By IanW in forum HAND TOOLS - UNPOWERED
    Replies: 14
    Last Post: 17th April 2013, 12:34 PM
  3. Marking gauges?
    By edzell in forum WOODWORK - GENERAL
    Replies: 27
    Last Post: 18th November 2008, 10:46 AM
  4. Marking gauges
    By Arron in forum HOMEMADE TOOLS AND JIGS ETC.
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 16th July 2004, 08:14 PM
  5. Marking Gauges
    By AlexS in forum HOMEMADE TOOLS AND JIGS ETC.
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 10th October 2003, 07:40 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •