The Home Machinist!

Nice! Very, very nice! Once you're set up, anodizing isn't a difficult objective. I anodized and dyed black all of the face plates for the low voltage control lighting system I installed in our house. The outcome was quite acceptable. I'd encourage you to pursue the option to black anodize that bea...

I started getting back into CAD this week, and I decided to resolve my issues with getting drawings done and sent off to CAM. I bought Dolphin CAD and CAM, but I was never able to make 3D parts the way Alibre made them. I still have no idea how to rotate parts in 3 dimensions. I don't think Dolphin...

also i have never done it but, i have heard you can use a single knurl on a bar and straight knurl the inside of the recess to make it bigger then loctite and press the bearing into place. Excuse my ignorance please :D How do you knurl the inside of a bore? I could see a lot of uses for a tool like...

They are also sometimes held into the mill by a collar around the flange rather than by a drawbar. The plain flange holders illustrated will not work in those 'quick change' machines. A quick fix to those tool holders whose flange doesn't fit the Quick Change collar is to simply turn it down to fit...

I have heard from one source that it leaves a waxy feel to the parts and I read on other sites about rust and smell. Does anyone actually use one of these and if it works what type of fluid works well that does not add rust issues? I use the setup in your picture, have for 5 or 6 years. It works as...

Thanks for the update Bill, I didn't realize that!
Dean

The OP posed the original questions: Does the fourth or fifth axis have reference point? Does the rotary axis need go to reference point when turn on the cnc machine? and somehow got side tracked into tool changers. Bruce_Mowbray wrote: Correct me if I'm wrong. I thought an absolute encoder knows wh...

Does the fourth or fifth axis have reference point? Does the rotary axis need go to reference point when turn on the cnc machine? Well, kinda sorta. You zero your rotary out like you do all of your other axis as referenced to you rpart. It doesn't "require" a home limit, but you can incor...

In my lathe, I use straight old black sulfur cutting oil. I cut an even amount of steel/aluminum and cut aluminum dry. In my band saw, If I'm going to be cutting a lot, (weeks) I'll mix up a tank of soluble cutting fluid and keep it in there until I can't stand it and finally clean it out. Then I'll...

For a vertical, I have the Delta metal/wood 14" with the gear box. It fills the void where the 7x12 horizontal can't compete for small/curved stuff. I leave it in one of the low gears all the time as I rarely cut wood (I have a neighbor for that!). I would have a Doall or Grob if I had the room...

I have the same Texasmicrocircuits setup as Jim. It makes setups thousands of times easier! I also have the touch off pad and have my tool holders numbered with offsets. Very convenient.
Dean

Before you use it, RTV all of the seams. AO2 and glass beads will find every path to escape! Like others have said, double up on the door seal. the door seal is everything but flat.