The Home Machinist!

I threw this little compound DRO together in an hour for a job, and expected never to use it again. But it's been such a handy little booger I keep dragging it back out. It's the moral equivalent of a quill DRO on a mill. Not sure how useful it would be if you have a full DRO setup, but if you don't...

Yep, my Rockwell Delta 20" bandsaw is a big ole beast that'll cut wood, metal, fingers, or whatever else you feed it. It's got rubber tires and no worries. I would think a bit about an arrangement to take the chips off the blade before the get pressed into the tires. Not hard to do with a brush...

If the rounding is decorative, and not precision, I use my 12" disc sander. It goes real fast, almost too fast. Most rounded corners are decorative and don't need the precision of a rotab. Takes some practice to get a nice symmetrical blended round though. Don't try it for the first time on a p...

Well heck, I follow the dogs around with a baggie on my hand, why not my machine tools too?

I just wish it worked better for aluminum.

Cheers!

BW

Not withstanding all the good advice you're getting about the use and grinding of HSS, there are some very good carbide inserts made expressly for aluminum - highly polished, razor sharp with a very positive rake, and they do not need big lathes for them to cut very well. I've used them on a 10 inc...

If a press fit is an option, putting the rod in the freezer and warming the the other part will aid in assembly as the rod will shrink slightly, and the bore will open up slightly making it easier to press together. Either the hot/cold shrink fit or the Loctite have worked well for me. No reason yo...

That's pretty cool as a way to boost rigidity on a small lathe. Not having to sit on top of the compound I think is half the magic of a rear mounted parting tool as well. When I CNC my lathe, I'll do away with the compound and QCTP both, and go with a gang slide that should be a good bit more rigid....

My machine has a power draw bar. I'm basically asking aside from the vises, what sort of startup tooling I should buy and stick with. Seems like ER collet chucks might be wise. I wonder though if its better to buy one set and then buy the holders and the collets as needed. Also recommendations on d...

Few things are more annoying than breaking a tap. Few things are more satisfying than trying a "real" tap for the first time after having used a lifetime of hardware store taps. It's is just amazing how much easier they cut threads. Taps are worth splurging for every now and again! They're...

Some very cool mods there, Bill.

I had seen the wishbone, but not the roller screw.

Thanks,

BW

Nice write-up!

Thanks,

BW

MD, you'll be surprised to learn that it isn't just about big production and that slowing down often isn't better. For example, you'd think less chipload could really reduce the wear and tear. But if you get too little, it actually will radically reduce your tool life due to rubbing. Pretty crazy wh...