The Home Machinist!

pete wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 29, 2020 5:49 pm

. . .Copper will be a bit hard but it's easy to return it to a soft condition just by heating to red hot then air cooling. . .

Better to water quench. It 'cleans' the surface and gets the copper to the absolute softest possible state.

. . .2 rods I made for my press didn't bend at full force. . . You don't say what function your hardened parts will perform, but if edge-loaded or if used where a bending force may be applied you definitely don't want super hard. When they break, its like an explosion - shrapnel and all! There are ...

A note on the Harris Sta-Silv Black: it is a bear to remove after soldering. When I can, I sand-blast it off!

I would face before reaming. You don't show dimensions, but reaming would typically only take off the last 5-20 thousandths or thereabouts, depending on bore size. There shouldn't be any chatter problems with the reaming operation. (The main reason to face before reaming is to provide smooth entry f...

At home I use a Phase-II wedge. At work we use a piston. If all the holders fit properly and if it is all of good quality you will be happy with the piston. If I were to buy again, it would be another wedge. I like the way it pulls down & tight.

That material shouldn't affect (for a long time, anyway) a typical 'point' of HSS, interrupted cut or not. Is the cutter for sure being damaged, or is it just a buildup of Aluminum at the point? How much 'stickout' do you have from the holder to the cutting edge, and what is the shape of the cutting...

I have a Hypertherm PowerMax 600, an older unit. It is a 40A machine, has very good consumable life and cuts 1/2" steel very nicely. I've cut long runs of 1/2" steel and never had the machine stop due to 'duty cycle'. I get tired before the Hypertherm does! The larger versions of this make might sui...

spro wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 03, 2019 8:27 pm

I already liked the one you made.

I already like the one you're going to make!

Turned out great. Nice work!

My uneducated guess is that swapping the input will not have any effect. The idler will still rotate in the same direction and the phase relationship between the single-phase input and the idler will remain the same.

I think Mr Hoffman alluded to the key question: Do you need to sharpen the flutes or just the end? 'Touching up' the end isn't usually too big a job and in many cases, especially in a home shop, that's the part that gets dull.

If accuracy is not an issue, you'll still be ahead time and fuss-wise just using a hole saw. Use the coarsest tooth one you can get and don't turn it fast and it won't be a problem. You can also flood it with coolant or even water. You will have to deal with a burr unless you cut part way through, t...