The Double Fisherman's Knot in the Shop

Here's a handy, home made tool for the workshop. This nice tidbit comes from Machinist's Workshop.

Tie a Handle by Chuck Rice

Nothing Sticks To Delrin

Nothing sticks except for this stuff: http://www.reltekllc.com/adhesives-for-delrin.htm

Take it for what it's worth, I haven't tried using the stuff. I've often wanted to glue delrin but was not sure how.

For your enjoyment, here's a fun video of some CNC part making in black delrin. Notice how fast the process is:

Turning Hardened Steel

These guys are having way too much fun!

The owner of this clip says that the insert is designed to do this. Interesting, though, I didn't think this was good for ANY insert. See all the comments here: http://youtu.be/TnxR3HxoHcg Goes to show that there's always something new to learn and it's good to keep an open mind.

Soft Jaws on the Vise

There are countless occasions that soft jaws prove to be just the answer to holding difficult parts.

This somewhat thin and awkward, flanged tube needed a slot milled on the end, so in went the aluminum soft jaws. After boring a space for the tube and removing the temporary spacer, the part naturally aligned with the spindle. There is plenty of surface area to grip and no risk of yanking the part out of the vise.

Solid!

As you can see, the jaws have been used for other set-ups. I make and use new soft jaws frequently and sometimes save them for re-use.

Do You Have "The Knack"?

I know I have it. I'm glad that I do. I've managed to avoid becoming an engineer, though. Phew!

See the Dilbert Episode "The Knack" and you'll know what I'm talking about.

Make a Threading Tool For the Lathe

Here's a good video by Tubalcain about shaping a single point lathe threading tool:

http://youtu.be/HTQ46NMMc88

Tool Grinding In a Pinch

Lately I’ve been working on a bunch of small, round lens-holder parts that have somewhat complex inside contours with multiple ledges and inside chamfers at tight tolerances. I needed a sturdy lathe tool to reach inside a bore and cut a 1/8” chamfer on the corner of a ledge. My small boring bar would have been perfect, except that I had made the nose so sharp. I needed the sharp nose for making sharp inside corners but that pointy nose also made a very rough surface on the chamfer. A second tool with a rounded nose was what I really needed.

Rather than make a trip to the tool store or order another boring bar online, I ground a suitable tool from square HSS tool stock. It took about 15 minutes out of my day and is just as functional as a fancy, round boring bar.

 View of cutting edge.

 Bottom view.

Top view.

Deformation Averted

Here are two “Can’t Twist” clamps holding a cylinder to a faced block of aluminum secured in the vice. The reason for this setup is to prevent the cylinder from being deformed by the clamping force of the vice. There will be two aligning pins pressed into the top end of the cylinder and if it gets deformed while drilling and reaming, then as soon as the pressure is relieved, the holes would no longer be positioned correctly. Downward pressure won’t deform the cylinder in this case.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

This is a violation of safety rule number two in my shop. If you can't see the picture then have a visit to the blog site.

Yes, it's true. If you leave the chuck key engaged in the chuck on the lathe (or any other machine) it's grounds for nuclear freak out session on my part. Think about what would happen if you started that spindle going at 1200 rpm. Yep, the chuck key would be flung through the shop and embedded in the wall or in your skull for that matter.

Don't let the key leave your hand unless you are putting it away. Go do a hundred push ups if you let go, even if it's just for a moment.

Sharpening Drills Need Not Be Complicated

Equally important as the skill of grinding lathe cutting tools, is the ability to quickly and correctly sharpen a drill bit on the grinder.

If you don’t know how to do it, look through these links, grab some dull drills and start practicing. You know you’ve done it right when the tool cuts easily, produces two, equally formed, curly chips, and makes the correct size hole. With practice, sharpening can be done by hand in just a couple minutes or less.

There’s no need for a jig or fancy grinder setup. Get good at grinding by hand and checking your work with a drill gauge.

Here’s a good lesson on drills and how to sharpen them in a three part series from Tubalcain on Youtube: Part 1 http://youtu.be/hJItj_ISurY Part 2 http://youtu.be/rUMTJ9GZIC8 Part 3 http://youtu.be/cqn2VPGYA9c

This guy has the right idea – quick and simple: http://youtu.be/DGibYeprpkk However, I want to point out his safety mistakes. I don't really like to see him wearing a loose watch at that grinder, nor do I like to see him keeping the rag and tools on top of it.

This is how NOT to sharpen drills: http://youtu.be/pW7kGFcM2sc This method probably works, but is not the industry standard. You can tell by the comments how unacceptable it is to some.

Lovely Old Hand Scraper

Locked away in a drawer, probably for decades.

I'd love to drum up some info about the hand scrapers I found in the shop this winter. There is a handful of them of various shapes and I'd love to learn how to use them correctly. Indeed I've had to use a scraper when there was no alternative for machining. Don't know if I'm really doing it right, though, but the scraper has gotten me out of a bind (no pun intended).

As I understand it, the above pictured scraper is a bearing scraper for use on curved surfaces.

Lathe Tool Grinding - A Visual Aid

As taught by Tubalcain on Youtube. Definitely 20 minutes of  time well spent.

http://youtu.be/hrDr4rYLiAk Taught in a visual manner with models.

http://youtu.be/dRyqIm5JR5s What a great goal for a beginner - to grind a basic set of lathe tools.

A well worn (and well used) copy of “How to Run a Lathe” given to me by my shop mentor.

Basics of Lathe Tool Grinding

Here are a couple of good web resources for basic lathe tool bit grinding. Study them if you don’t know how to do it. If you do know how, this is a good review.

http://www.metalartspress.com/PDFs/Sharpening_Steel_Lathe_Tools.pdf

http://www.sherline.com/grinding.htm

A rut I’ve gotten into recently is the habit of grabbing the indexable tool holder to carry out most of the lathe turning procedures that I do. It’s convenient and quick. The tool height is already set up. I don’t have to think very much. But I’m calling it a rut because it’s making me lazy, not to mention it’s expensive to buy carbide inserts, and when I’m tired or I get a little clumsy I tend to break them. The inserts are just not as forgiving for me as a good high speed steel tool bit. Therefore, I’ve decided to brush up on my lathe tool grinding skills with the intent to get better about using steel bits.

It’s extremely satisfying to hog out a new, custom lathe tool in just a few minutes.

Eye Protection Required - Don't Break This Rule!

I see reminders for eye protection all over the place in the shop The caution labels are plastered on tools, equipment and all the machines. It also happens to be rule number one in my shop.

Here's another reminder - I hope you can see it.

And a decent video on the subject: http://youtu.be/0DYgLlWzYqk