The Home Machinist!

Modern cutting fluids are an effort to try and duplicate what the old ones did that used animal fats. A long time ago I had a few very old machinists tell me that nothing then performed as well as those fat based cutting fluids could. Bacon fat is supposed to be very good but with all the additives ...

With tooling on places like Ebay unless you can do a hands on of the item before forking out the cash I'm a bit leery about anything with more than one moving part unless it's brand new. But that's just me.With a good drill chuck has it ever been over tightened, drills and taps spun in it, and all t...

It's pretty funny to read the comments section on Youtube videos when anything pops up about metric/imperial and how many in other countrys think America and the other 2 ??? countrys in the world that aren't metric are thought of as being fools and morons. Anything built for the U.S. military is to ...

I've noticed that some of the good high end drill chuck manufacturers offer some models with diamond plated chuck jaws. Albrecht for one, and it's mentioned there meant for getting a better grip on solid carbide drill shanks. My guess is the hardness and very smooth shanks on a solid carbide endmill...

Hmmmf, guess I'll have to forgo the street partys and general mayhem of that celebration since it's only for and about the meter. Canaduh may be a metric country but them there meaters and millimumeaters don't get across my property line. I'm not sure if the metric button on any of the digitals even...

Yeah that metrolgy hurts to buy for sure. If you can't consistantly measure what your making you can't hope to make interchangable parts without taking a lot more time. Cutting tools were the tough one for me to accept the cost difference is more than worth it. If all you've got left to sort out is ...

100% right you are Glenn.

More or less accurate? That depends on just how accurate the hole is bored and ground at the factory in an end mill holder just as NP317 mentioned. There is usually less than .0005" or so of slip fit clearance in the hole just to allow the endmill to fit since a .500" shank tool isn't goin...

Good industrial grade double sided tape and not something like Home Despot sells as carpet tape will help fix the piece that's getting cut out in place. If it can move after it's cut free of the plate your almost sure to have a crash.Work and whatever backing piece your using has to be very clean an...

Well if your spindle is showing a great deal of runout that seriously throws the exact measurements out. Still not impossible though since that could be subtracted from the tir. But then your dealing with the complication of the fact the collets OD and ID runout may or may not be canceling out or ev...

How old is the machine, how much work has it done? Sure your spindle bearings are in good shape and the bearing preload is correct? Then just how good is the spindle bore, rust, dings etc. With a stop set up to position your collets location so it can't move back a standard V block can be used to sl...

Many thanks for the link Earl. Another place to spend money at I hadn't known about yet.