Thread: Gadgets in the afternoon

Nice work Phil Did you black the nut or is that weld discoloration?
Kryn

Yes. Nice work Phil

I too need one of those spring loaded centres. Some of my taps have a pointy end rather than a centre drilled end so a reversible thingo would be handy. And then some are flat and featureless. I usually turn up a guide bush thingo that fits in the lathe tailstock chuck or drill chuck and has the outer end turned down to match the AF dimension of the tap. Sliding the tap down a touch in the tap handle allows the guide bush to guide. Problem is with this Mickey Mouse set up, three hands are required. The chin works as a stand in on the drill but it's not much chop on the lathe.

Bob.

Originally Posted by KBs PensNmore

Nice work Phil Did you black the nut or is that weld discoloration?
Kryn

Hi Kryn,
I blacked, or rather blued it with the LPG torch. I'm just trying to get a bit fancy schmancy

Originally Posted by Anorak Bob

Yes. Nice work Phil

I too need one of those spring loaded centres. Some of my taps have a pointy end rather than a centre drilled end so a reversible thingo would be handy. And then some are flat and featureless. I usually turn up a guide bush thingo that fits in the lathe tailstock chuck or drill chuck and has the outer end turned down to match the AF dimension of the tap. Sliding the tap down a touch in the tap handle allows the guide bush to guide. Problem is with this Mickey Mouse set up, three hands are required. The chin works as a stand in on the drill but it's not much chop on the lathe.

Bob.

Hi Bob,
I have a flat ended featureless tap as well which I needed to use. My tap wrench, 'T' type has a centre in it and I need all the help I can get nowadays.
It also worked great lining up the centre punch mark

Phil

Originally Posted by Anorak Bob

Yes. Nice work Phil
I usually turn up a guide bush thingo that fits in the lathe tailstock chuck or drill chuck and has the outer end turned down to match the AF dimension of the tap. Sliding the tap down a touch in the tap handle allows the guide bush to guide. Problem is with this Mickey Mouse set up, three hands are required. The chin works as a stand in on the drill but it's not much chop on the lathe.

Bob.

Thats okay Bob, chin is allowed, as long as you made the gadget in one afternoon you still get a badge.

Bill

Hi Phil,
I'm a bit concerned about where you found the spring, sounds like it came from an organized shelf....mine would "found in an ice cream container"

I have thought about making up a bearing thingy like that, but i am really slack and find the knurler that came with my BXA toolpost does an ok job, since it is useless as a knurler. I have pulled the height adjustment stud out and use it upside down on the far side of the toolpost. Slack, i know.....

Cheers,
Ew

Originally Posted by Ueee

Hi Phil,
I'm a bit concerned about where you found the spring, sounds like it came from an organized shelf....mine would "found in an ice cream container"

I have thought about making up a bearing thingy like that, but i am really slack and find the knurler that came with my BXA toolpost does an ok job, since it is useless as a knurler. I have pulled the height adjustment stud out and use it upside down on the far side of the toolpost. Slack, i know.....

Cheers,
Ew

Nah, not organized Ewan, as usual I was looking for something else, found the spring and thought, I could use that for... and the rest is history.
Hmmm I have one of those useless knurlers

Phil

Looks pretty slick Phil, I'd have spent all afternoon looking for suitable bits and pieces, get distracted by some other job, ( today it was fixing tv antenna in the wife's quilting workshop ).. and then forget what it was that I was looking for in the first place... Then call it quits thinking I've done a good days work...

I'd like to know more about Ewan's knurler... have you tried it yet?

Ray

Originally Posted by RayG

Looks pretty slick Phil, I'd have spent all afternoon looking for suitable bits and pieces, get distracted by some other job, ( today it was fixing tv antenna in the wife's quilting workshop ).. and then forget what it was that I was looking for in the first place... Then call it quits thinking I've done a good days work...

I'd like to know more about Ewan's knurler... have you tried it yet?

Ray

Hi Ray,
that's standard operating procedure in my shed. I do a lot of work but nothing gets done
Dad's putting the pressure on with his faceplate and when I accidentally found the spring I thought 'what the hell'.
I must admit though if I didn't have the collet chuck and the quick change tool post and a myriad of other accessories I probably wouldn't have done them but being organised in the tooling department made it do-able.
I haven't tried the knurler thing but mine is different to Ewans although just as useless. If I took out the knurl and replaced it with a hardened annulus maybe out of silver steel it just might work.
It surprised me how easy it was as like Bill (steamingbill), it would amaze me how some guys just whip up accessories and finish the project.
Keep at it Bill, the way you are tackling the darkside (metalwork) I reckon is the right way. Heaps of questions and havin' a go.
The more you do the more you 'can' do.

Phil

Originally Posted by steamingbill

Thats okay Bob, chin is allowed, as long as you made the gadget in one afternoon you still get a badge.

Well if we have a merit badge for starting and finishing a project in an afternoon, there should also be a prize for the longest, most drawn-out, procrastinated, stuffed-up and reworked one. With bonus points if it should have been finished in an afternoon.

I like what I see but have a question Phil.

Why the nut on the bearing ?? Yes seen DB's often used

I have yet to make one and had envisaged just a push fit sealed bearing sitting on the shaft which has a shoulder , possibly with a female thread end a securing hex bolt and washer to be sure.

Like the centering device also.


Projects in an afternoon sounds like a new section for metalwork


Why is it there are days we just seem to gel and crack on an all of a sudden its finished then days to do the same job takes days.

Originally Posted by RayG

I'd like to know more about Ewan's knurler... have you tried it yet?

Ray

Its just the standard poxy one that comes with the toolpost sets, it has a tool holder on the other end. I take a pic of the setup this arvo.

Ew

Originally Posted by RayG

Looks pretty slick Phil, I'd have spent all afternoon looking for suitable bits and pieces, get distracted by some other job, ( today it was fixing tv antenna in the wife's quilting workshop ).. and then forget what it was that I was looking for in the first place... Then call it quits thinking I've done a good days work...

I'd like to know more about Ewan's knurler... have you tried it yet?

Ray

I know exactly what you mean Ray.

Yesterday.

Don came back, did some jobs for me with his loader then took it home.

Find some bits of steel for machine jack mark 2.

Remembered I was going to remove the support frame for stormwater pipe to the rainwater tank which was mounted in top of big tank stand (dam water). This frame has not been in use for a number of years. Finally found the right ladder and set it up. Needed a 7/16 W spanner.

It is raining and I notice the filter on top of the rainwater tank is blocked. Water all over the place. Move ladder and have a dig around to allow the filter to drain out so I can remove the filter drawer. I built this unit with sliding drawer which has fine mesh for a bottom. Easy to clean but you can get wet removing the drawer.

Put the ladder back by the tank stand.

Dig around in spanner tray. This is bottom drawer of a metal toolbox sitting on top of toolbox cos it won't fit in the toolbox. Its space has filled up with junk.

Decide to sort spanners into the big plastic wheeled toolbox I bought for this purpose. This was before I saw Phil's wooden toolbox and decided that would be the go. This is only temporary now.

Sort spanners and move onto junk in and around the box. Finally remembered I had other things to do.

Removed the defunct support frame. Put it in the shed extension ready for cutting up.

Back to the jack.

SWMBO reports an electrical problem in the work room. This is an external room used as a hobby area or should be but you know who has filled it with her junk so I cannot get in. SWMBO does quilting in here along with other stuff.

Long story here but 1 CFL which has been buzzing for some time went pop and took out the other CFL which had loose tubes. This took out the breaker. Took me a while to work it out. The first CFL kept tripping the breaker.

Back to the jack.

Went back to look for another bit of steel for the base. The steel is kept down in the implement shed. Still raining. Found a nice bit. Did some work making up the clamp pieces.

SWMBO wants to go into town. Off we go in her 4WD. Raining even heavier. Glad we had the ute. Big branch down over the road a couple of K's from home. Just drove around. Not as bad as the tree last Friday. A normal vehicle would not have got around that one. Needed a 4WD to traverse the ditch. Dirt road pretty bad. Again glad for the ute.

Back to the jack. Noticed the rainwater filter still overflowing. Back with the ladder. Tapped the side of both tanks. Yikes, less than half full. They have never been this low. The insect mesh screen under the filter is also completely blocked. It is still raining. Up on the ladder and pull all the filter parts down. Guess what? I got wetter. Legs and boots soaked. Cleaned everything up and back together. I am now pretty much wet through. Need all the water we can get so I go around and clean out the gutters where needed.

Back to the jack.

Getting set up to clean up the parts of the jack fixture. Flap disk and wire brush the scale off.

Angle grinder has a cutoff disk in it so decide to cut up the pipe support frame first. I want 1 of the tube sections for a pivoting Fluoro support over the bench.

Clean up the jack pieces ready to paint after I use them to move the CY into the shed. I still have more work to do on them first. I am struggling to keep at it but I stay until the end then call it a day.

End of rant.

Dean

Originally Posted by Ueee

Its just the standard poxy one that comes with the toolpost sets, it has a tool holder on the other end. I take a pic of the setup this arvo.

Ew

Hi Ewan, I was referring to that fancy Quick knurler... I was expecting to see everything knurled to perfection..

Ray

Thanks Dean,

That sounds exactly like my day, except I spend 2 hours looking for something, decide that it's gone west, drive down the street buy another, go home, and immediately find three of them... happens all the time.

Ray