Thread: Your latest project

Level up on my hook made from round bar

Originally Posted by China

That's a bit fancy leaves my "any were I put it" a bit wanting.

Originally Posted by simonl

Put's me to shame. Mine helmet just gets plonked on the nearest horizontal surface.

Originally Posted by racingtadpole

Level up on my hook made from round bar

Oh dear - Does this mean that I might have gone a bit too far?

Originally Posted by simonl

You could market that helmet holder for all the anti vaxer's to wear on their head to avoid detection!

Originally Posted by .RC.

It is to stop the 5G signals that are emanating from the microchips in people who got covid vaccinations.

I'll surround the cupboard it lives in with anti-worming paste - that should distract them...

Michael

Originally Posted by Michael G

Oh dear - Does this mean that I might have gone a bit too far?

Michael

To quote Ferris Bueller, You can never go too far!

No way Michael. It's another work of art mate. Thanks for sharing.

Simon

I bashed these two out a while ago.
See what 5G does to your brain if you’re not vaccinated.
H.

One of the factory neighbours needed a larger cone for his wheel balancing machine. The one he was using was too small.

While contemplating having to machine the whole thing, he found one which is too large, but not by much. Quick adjustment on the Hercus. Adjusted the compound for a steeper taper, and hacked into it:
IMG_1974.jpg


I started it with a WNMG insert, but it wasn't cutting well - sounded like it was rubbing - and hand effort on the compound was high.

So, I threw a nice sharp Cermet in there. Nice finish, and let me cut at the highest speed (627RPM)

1. I haven't been able to easily use HSS in my lathes forever.
(The Hercus came with a lantern tool post, but I didn't have the wedge or a holder).
However, lately I was given a few holders by my factory neighbours, so today...

Grab the shortest holder, which almost fits in my QCTP holder:
IMG_1975.jpg

Mill the top (which was mostly flat) as a reference surface:
IMG_1976.jpg IMG_1977.jpg

then put that on a parallel for milling the other side (the bottom):
IMG_1978.jpg IMG_1979.jpg IMG_1980.jpg

A quick grind of the rough edges, then in the QCTP holder:
IMG_2001.jpg


Now, some quick testing...
IMG_2002.jpg IMG_2003.jpg

I tried a variety of cut depths (3 thou, 5 thou, 10 thou) and speeds, but not a great result on mild(ish) steel. Even tried re-sharpening HSS twice - second time on the smoothest grinding wheel I have - but not happy. Maybe next time I'll use/make a jig for better point geometry.


I turned the steel over, and tried with a sharp insert (actually a Cermet with some nice rake/clearance).
About the same when winding cross slide out (shear cut):
IMG_2004.jpg

but upped the speed for a cut toward the centre, and achieved this:
IMG_2005.jpg IMG_2006.jpg

Probably the best cut I have ever achieved on the Hercus
Tiny continuous spiral swarf, smooth finish, slight colour diffraction effect !

(Yes, I know a Cermet is the wrong thing to use on mild steel,
but let me bask in the mirror finish for a while )




2) While I'm playing with the exotic inserts, lets machine some tough material.
A few weeks ago, I measured a bad MT3 ER32 holder at over 300microns TRO:
IMG_1863.jpg




So, on the Hercus (because it's spindle is MT3),
clock the compound up against a collet held between two centres:
IMG_2007.jpg

whack the holder in, and bore it into a axial alignment:
IMG_2008.jpg IMG_2009.jpg


The finished bore is a little rough. Carriage was locked, so either compound slide has a few tenths of rock in its dovetail, or the cross slide was bouncing in its backlash. I'll have to try clamping the cross slide next time.

I polished with emery and a small stone, and tested with an old 7-6mm collet. Tiny bit of wiggle in the back (small diameter), but pushing collet in a bit fixes that.

Hand tightened a nut on this collet around a 7mm drill, and spun it up. Looks good. Tried a 6mm, but couldn't hand tighten the collet enough to grip it.

Will try tomorrow with spanners.

It is also possible that the collet or nut are bottoming out.
I didn't measure how much I bored out, but .3mm TRO might have been 0.2mm depth of cut to correct it?
At 8° slope, the collet might now be 1.5mm lower in the holder? (0.2/tan8 = 1.423mm?)

If that is the problem, its easy enough to machine the bottom out, or shorten the thread.

Tomorrow.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Tomorrow came with spanners. 7-6 collet binds up before it can grip a 6mm. The flat surface inside the nut hits the flat on the front of the collet chuck, so it should just be a quick facing operation:

IMG_2011.jpg


Took about 1mm off. 6mm drill too loose in there. It will just grip a 1/4" OK.


I machined a bit more off the face until the nut doesn't seem to bind on the front. Marked up inside of the nut with permanent marker to verify. Sadly, the nut now binds on the end of the thread. I'm not prepared to lengthen the thread at the moment.


So, still a bad collet chuck – does most of the range of an ER, but not all.

Yesterday, cutting 30mm thick PolyEthylene(?) for a machine hand wheel:
IMG_2012.jpg IMG_2013.jpg
This stuff is a pain to cut. Tried with a thin 6tpi wood blade, but it kept jamming up. Thought it might be lack of "set" on the blade, so then tried 18tpi bi-metal which has a wavy set (lots of wobble). No better.
Basically, the plastic melts in the slot behind your cut, and down under the table.

I went back to the 6tpi, and eventually worked out a feed force and cutting rate that minimised the molten mess.





Today, was sorting out a jar of miscellaneous imperial socket head screws, and found one with a rough head:
IMG_2021.jpg


What can I do with that? It is 3/8" Whitworth. I have an ER32 collet holder with 3/8 Ww drawbar thread, that doesn't eject from the Hercus tailstock, so...
IMG_2022.jpg IMG_2024.jpg IMG_2023.jpg

1) After measuring the dovetail for Mal, oil up the slide:
IMG_2025.jpg



2) A friend's trailer has a broken jockey wheel handle. I found some broken jockey wheels (bad thread) that still had good handles, so it should be a simple operation to put A on B, right?

Not quite. Old cast handle has a flat on one side, and the shaft over which it fits is larger.
I considered borrowing a dividing head to mill the flat, and then enlarge the round, but that was too hard.

So, into a lathe to make it fit:
IMG_2026.jpg

then some creative grinding et c. to make a flat key part:
IMG_2027.jpg IMG_2028.jpg IMG_2032.jpg IMG_2033.jpg

A good tight fit:
IMG_2034.jpg IMG_2035.jpg

It was overkill to make that little flat key, as the split pin (er, roll pin) is now in steel instead of alloy, but it was a fun experiment.



3) First attempt to sharpen a chainsaw blade. This chainsaw was a side of the road throw out.
Used a carbide 1/8" burr in a Dremel:
IMG_2036.jpg

No clamp or jig, just did it by hand, so it won't be accurate - might cut to one side.

I guess this is the wrong forum (woodwork, not metalwork ),
but when I tried this saw on some hardwood ("Samak": Gordonia tree in front yard),
it was just burning the branch. Hopefully next attempt will actually cut.

Originally Posted by nigelpearson

Yesterday, cutting 30mm thick PolyEthylene(?) for a machine hand wheel:
IMG_2012.jpg IMG_2013.jpg
This stuff is a pain to cut. Tried with a thin 6tpi wood blade, but it kept jamming up. Thought it might be lack of "set" on the blade, so then tried 18tpi bi-metal which has a wavy set (lots of wobble). No better.
Basically, the plastic melts in the slot behind your cut, and down under the table.
I went back to the 6tpi, and eventually worked out a feed force and cutting rate that minimised the molten mess.

RE: CHainsaw
Don't forget the rakers.
They should be lower than the top of the cutter by at least 1/10th of the gullet width.

Negative raked blade is the way to do it - pretty rare on band saws.
If using WW blade you need to slow it right down.

Originally Posted by BobL

Negative raked blade is the way to do it

I thought that was only for Brass!!!



Chainsaw blade: Rakers. Yes I took a little off them, but they seemed harder than the blade edges (probably just because they are double thickness of metal)

1) The chainsaw cut OK. Got through a few 6" diameter branches:
IMG_2037.jpg

before it started to burn the timber. Suspect the teeth are cheap steel (it is Gardenline - ALDI brand).
Might try to build a jig for the next time I sharpen. Or maybe just buy a better blade.



2) Some thread turning in the lathe:
IMG_2045.jpg IMG_2046.jpg IMG_2047.jpg

This is for a hydraulic plug, sealing into a power steering pump casting.

G1/2", so 14tpi, 55° curved form. Closest insert I could find was 55° pointy form, so cutting the theoretical depth (1.162mm?) wasn't deep enough. I went in about 1.180mm, slid the compound over a little, and then tapered the front a little (i.e start at 1.19mm, and then wind slide out as it cuts, and then again at 1.2mm), and filed the major diameter down at the start, but that was still too tight.

Luckily, I found a 1/2"gas die:
IMG_2050.jpg

It was close, but hand twisting that along polished a little more off.

Originally Posted by nigelpearson

1) The chainsaw cut OK. Got through a few 6" diameter branches:
IMG_2037.jpg

before it started to burn the timber. Suspect the teeth are cheap steel (it is Gardenline - ALDI brand).
Might try to build a jig for the next time I sharpen. Or maybe just buy a better blade. .

Post a "side on" picture of several cutters like this and I'll try and diagnose any probs
I need to be able to see the bottom of the cutters as well as the top
MalloffBobLchain.jpg

Bob, thanks for the offer.

I had trouble getting phone to focus - had to use glasses over phone lens, and only had time to photograph two adjacent cutters:
IMG_2055.jpg IMG_2056.jpg IMG_2057.jpg IMG_2058.jpg

I'll grab more images if needed, but they seem fairly consistent.


Raker clearance isn't great, but real issue seems to be wear on leading edge of top plate?
IMG_2058anot.jpg image1.png

I always seem to not have enough light available at the work surface of my mill (HM46) even with extra leds arranged around. Centre of work area & no windows nearby. A not-unique age related problem I guess...

Thinks... It's all very dark surfaces behind the quill & table, with two rubber chip sheets & a metal cover plate all in black, perhaps that could be altered?

I had some rubbery lino offcuts that are white on the reverse, so out with the old & in with the new;
I widened the horizontal piece a bit, & covered the whole black metal plate at the back with a longer vertical strip of the new material that extends up past it a little, being quicker than on painting it. This simple alteration makes a significant improvement for me.

H614

Originally Posted by nigelpearson

Bob, thanks for the offer.c

No worries.

I can see several problems.

1) The wear on the top plate is serious. The cutter has to be filed aways so there is none of that wear showing.
A good way of knowing if it's any is still there is to file under a strong light or bright sunlight and check for glints on the cutting edge - if you can even see a hint of a glint, keep filing.

This is never used new chain and even it has faint glint
New.jpg
Its actually really difficult to get these edges completely free of tiny glints as the Cr plating does not really file but breaks away as small chips.
Here is an example of a large chip that happened when filing.
Ripchip.jpg

Next, the rakers are too high. I checked one out and here it is.
The slope of the "tip of the cutter and raker" relative to the top of the bar is between 11:1 and 12:1
Others could be worse or possibly better
Rakerangle.jpg
New chain is around d 10:1 , on my big saws with long bars I use 8.5:1 and on mt smaller saw with Lopro chain like yours I use 7.5:1

You also need more hook on your cutter.
Compare yours above to this one. This one is for cutting hardwood on a big saw where I don't want it to go blunt.
For a small saw you can afford to go even hookier.
If you file by hand lower the file slightly in teh hook.
Bobcutter2.jpg

If you don't want to go too technical with the raker settings this is what my old man used would do,
1) File the cutter to remove wear and with more hook.
2) file each raker 3-4 strokes
3) try cutting
- does it feel like the saw could stall?
If yes, take a few swipes off the cutters and stop
If no, go back to 2) and keep doing this.

If you keep the cutters touched up at all times you will never see the wear you are seeing on you cutter edges.
Sound ludicrous but I swipe the cutter on any saws 2-3 times after every tank full of mix, and the rakers 3-4 times after every 3-4 takes fulls of mix.
As well as making it easier on the saw it means less power head overheating.

If you want to see super nerdy nut accurate way of setting rakers look here
https://youtu.be/FSr9j2EDoqk
Of course I don't do this every time - I maybe do this every month of so to get things back into alignment.

Can you tell I have spent many many hours on this
If your need more info we should probably move this discussion to another subform?