Thread: A "make Lemonade" moment (I bought a lemon)

Thanks guys. It was the red hand that I was most interested in but Bob's photo shows it at -2, so that is fine. Currently the red hand is sitting above that and needs to come down.
I've doctored Christian's photo here. My thought is to get the red hand sitting where it should there should be a washer/ spacer/ socket between the ball on the end of the probe shaft and the (on this photo) the black plug that the boot attaches to. (On Bob's unit and mine this plug is a gold-ish colour.
I've put an arrow in blue pointing at the place where I think it should be visible. Certainly from the photo the position of the probe shaft it looks like something should be there.
view1 (Medium).jpg

Currently in mine there is nothing and looking at the mechanism that is about the only place that a spacer could be added for adjusting the hand position. I'm also suspicious that it is an aluminium on aluminium joint. Yes, they are anodised but if that wore off it would soon pick up. If the home position for the red hand is -2, then it would only need to be around 1 to 1.5mm thick.
The meringue is in sight!

Michael

Hello Michael,

I checked but couldn't see anything. I'd have to remove the plug to see and I don't really feel like starting a thread "How I destroyed my Haimer by opening it" ).

The probe shaft does seat into the back of the plug so it appears to limit how much the shaft comes out. I noticed in the second of your original photos the your gold coloured plug doesn't seem to be seated all the way into the body. I guess that has been fixed?

Christian

Hi Michael,
Bit of a long shot but, the grub screw in the spindle doesnt adjust the ball bearing by any chance does it?
I only say this because it would seem there needs to be an external way to adjust these to 0(-2 in this case). Because if it isn't set on -2 then 0 wouldn't be 0. Am I making sense? That would seem to leave either the grub screw or the how far in the bottom plug was. Of course I could be full of it.

As I understand it anodised aluminium is tough stuff you'll be a long time wearing through it given the pressures involved.

Stuart

Originally Posted by CGroves

The probe shaft does seat into the back of the plug so it appears to limit how much the shaft comes out. I noticed in the second of your original photos the your gold coloured plug doesn't seem to be seated all the way into the body. I guess that has been fixed?

Yes, the previous repairer had not screwed it home. I have tightened it up to do the spring test. I might have to make a little spanner thing as I suspect I will be taking it apart a couple more times until I get the spacer/ washer right. The more I think of it the more certain I'm becoming that there is something there as there is no adjustment otherwise. I can imagine a station in the assembly sequence where the stack of parts is measured and one of several spacers is put in to bring things to spec.

Stuart, the grub screw is to attach the probe. I reckon that if it was used for adjustment you could accidentally move things when changing the tip and the blurb says that no adjustment is needed when changing tips. Anodised Al can be tough if done properly but I don't know whether an instrument designer would rely on it for a critical function (and low friction is critical in these things).

This weekend I hope to make up a dummy washer, measure and then make up a "proper" one with the correct height.

Michael

(and if you ever do take your Haimer apart, remember to take the clock out first before removing the plug)

This is the one I purchased Universal Taster VON Haimer 3D Taster Fräse Fräsmaschine | eBay

As you can see the needle on it is not right up the top either, but the little hand also is not sitting right on the -2, as if the mechanism needs adjusting to bring the big hand back to the 12 o'clock position and the little hand should move back to dead on the -2 at the same time...

Otherwise we might be able to make one out of 2..

Originally Posted by Anorak Bob

Bloody Swiss scales. I'll have my wife ramp up the butter when she makes her next cake.

Sadly no Bob. I put my reassembled Universal over the scales tonight and got 220g. Possibly because Christian's NG version is shorter Haimer have to increase the spring force a little. It looks like that ratty looking spring is fit for purpose after all.

Michael

I circumcised the Haimer and discovered a couple of cosmetic differences. I dare say it all works the same as yours Michael. I have had another look at the patent documents and located a washer that facilitated the accurate spacing between the pivot points. How much the design at the patent stage differed from the built version I guess you will be best versed to answer. More here - Patent US5365673 - Multi-coordinate sensing gauge - Google Patents

Originally Posted by Michael G

I can imagine a station in the assembly sequence where the stack of parts is measured and one of several spacers is put in to bring things to spec.

Stuart, the grub screw is to attach the probe.

I wasnt believing you until I realised that the bezel rotates like any other dail indicator.so it doesnt have to be as close as I was thinking. 0.01 steps would be more than good enough.

I was thinking super locited at the factory. One screw two jobs... but it turns out I am full of it.

Stuart

Originally Posted by CGroves

Hello Michael and Bob,

I'm back from Norway. I didn't go to Germany this time. I got my Taster from Haimer in Germany. My mother in-law set up an account with them. They probably didn't have too many 76 grandmothers on their books ). In my first contact with them they saw that I was from Australia and passed me to the local distributor but once I clarified that I was physically in Germany (I was at the time) they were good to deal with. They should be able to help you with parts.

I measured my 3D Taster NG on a set of digital scales holding the taster in the mill. I moved it until 1mm was showing and the digital scale showed between 248 and 251 grams. So I guess it's rated for 250gm.

Bob: Just following up on your email regarding adjusting the bevel when it doesn't return to zero. I tested my Taster on a couple of gauge blocks and the reading was accurate enough for me. i.e. on a 1.06mm gauge block the DRO on the mill read between 1.0592 and 1.0617.

Christian

I just slipped the Taster back into the 13's spindle to see if the thing actually indicated 2mm of travel with the dial turned clockwise 0.01mm to align zero with the needle ( both the needle and zero on the dial had been at 12 o'clock when I bought the Taster ). Raising the table 2mm resulted in a reading of 2mm on the Taster dial. Phew. My concern had been that the indicator was out of whack and not returning to zero ( 12 o'clock ).

I'm wondering that if when I've tapped the arbor out of the spindle, I've jarred the indicator gizzards out of alignment? I use a hide mallet , not a gympie hammer, but even a gentle tap from that might upset the applecart.

BT

Trying to recreate Bob's work is difficult, but this is the base of my Haimer (with plug properly screwed down).
P1010691 (Medium).JPG P1010689 (Medium).JPG
To my eyes the ball seems to be sitting slightly higher in my photos than in Bob's.
The patent is interesting. I considered at one stage training to be a patent attorney, so while looking at that option that I discovered a few things about patents. One of them is that you try to make them as broad as possible to cut out others from the market. Another is that you try to write your patent so that it does not tell others exactly how to make your product (the theory is that someone in the field by looking at your patent could possibly work out how to make your widgit, so you throw a few red herrings their way). In the case of a Taster, the adjustment spacer may be where the patent application says it is, but then again may be elsewhere.
A spacer where the patent application says may be simpler, so I may try both locations.

Bob, the arbor should not have to be done up ultra tight for using the Taster - just enough to nip it up, so any thump with a hammer should only be light - not enough to throw things out I would have thought.

Stuart, I'm only guessing too. My guesses have a degree of desperation behind them though!

I may have to paint the plug black to make it look a little less dogs balls after seeing Bob's and Christian's indicators.

Michael

Originally Posted by Michael G

Trying to recreate Bob's work is difficult...

Michael

I cheated. I used a tripod.

You are correct MG. Finger tight would be sufficient.

BT

I spent a few hours in the shed today and one of the things I finally made was the spacer. I say finally because it took about 12 tries before I got one that was exactly the right size. The spacer is a lozenge cross section 20mm OD, 18mm ID and made of acetal. The probe shaft needed to come up 1.42mm, which meant the thickness required was 0.45mm. I produced spacers with a variety of thicknesses either side of that but I had a lot of trouble getting spot on. I really do need to get the play out of the compound...
P1010707 (Medium).JPG

Based on Bob's observation I thought I'd start by trying to put a spacer at the top of the black bit but the design is significantly different from the patent. The sketch below is a half section done in the shed to try and show what I mean. At the top of the black bit is a hole but there is nothing there to hold a spacer there and there would be a step in the measurement. Instead I made up a spacer to sit in the base of the plug. There is a sketch of that there too. (Sorry about the numbers. Bits of paper are not safe when I start figuring...)
Haimer (Large).jpg

Now I just need to follow Bob's lead and make up an adaptor to hold it as putting it in an ER collet chuck adds around 60mm to the length.

Michael

Today I got back into the shed after a long absence (2 weekends but even though...)
While away I was thinking about how to mount the Haimer and how the 40 taper mount that was was offered by the factory might work.
My taper turn adapter on the lathe is only graduated to 8 degrees but a 24/7 taper is 8 and a bit, so one of the things I also wanted to find out was whether it would stretch to the angle for the taper (err - yes).
The result was after making an adapter I was able to go from this
P1010831 (Medium).JPG to this P1010833 (Medium).JPG

It saves around 54mm
The adapter is quite simple and literally bolts in place where the 20mm spindle does - even using the same screws. Normally when trying out something new I set up to make two - that way the first one can be used for set ups and be binned at the end because of the numerous errors that it has had to sort out. As a 40 taper is a large beast, I made a 30 taper version as my first off (partly because I got a length of 50mm diameter material from Rob's mate Arthur for a very good price). The factory doesn't make a 30 but with a small cheat it can be done. This time Murphy worked against me and the only major blue happened on the 40 taper version where the drill went off line (filler piece, spot of weld, polish...). I set up the TTA using an existing taper but I'm not sure exactly how much contact I'm getting in the machine's taper socket. Blue is inconclusive. I have a few wipe marks (ie no blue) on the bottom 10 to 20mm of my taper after bluing the taper however the socket has a light film of blue, so??? It doesn't feel loose so it may be good. I haven't yet tried it for repeatability. (30 version pictured)

P1010834 (Medium).JPG P1010835 (Medium).JPG

(Note the red band is paint pen. I mark metric draw bars and holders red (M16) and imperial ones blue (5/8W) to make it easier to grab the right pairings)

Michael

Have you tested it to see if it all works?

Mine is still yet to turn up from germany 33 days since it was posted.. DHL is pathetic..