FYI -i ordered an Amazon variation- it arrived a few days ago and will have a ‘from Santa’ tag, but I’m looking fwd to trying it
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What's Paul up to?
- Thread starter PaulL
- Start date
Today I finally got around to making a solid toolpost to replace my compound. The base plate of the compound developed a crack exactly where you'd guess it would if you looked at the part:
This fracture opens up when I tighten down the base and looks to be a source of vibration.
So I grabbed some plate and some round stock and made some grooves and some holes. Please ignore the ugly places where I cut too hard and pulled the end mill out of the collet before I switched to a bit shell mill to hog out the waste:
I wound up making two places for the post to land, as centering it was a bad idea - shortened my reach too much:
Turned myself a new post to hold the QCTP and presto:
Much more stable for parting off at least.
And now I can make a new base plate for the compound.
This fracture opens up when I tighten down the base and looks to be a source of vibration.
So I grabbed some plate and some round stock and made some grooves and some holes. Please ignore the ugly places where I cut too hard and pulled the end mill out of the collet before I switched to a bit shell mill to hog out the waste:
I wound up making two places for the post to land, as centering it was a bad idea - shortened my reach too much:
Turned myself a new post to hold the QCTP and presto:
Much more stable for parting off at least.
And now I can make a new base plate for the compound.
Ha. How deep into the side project weeds can I go?
This all started by getting a rotary table. It has an MT3 center, and I want to put taper in there with a space for a threaded insert so I can do some radiuses around holes.
So I was fixing the compound slide because it wasn't keeping angle while indicating in the MT3.
I was going to mount the new slide on a face plate, but I lack any way to easily center the new slide blank and hold it in place, so I figured I'd put it on the rotary table and to the excavation with the mill.
You guessed it, the rotary table T-slots are 1/2", all my T-nuts are 5/8":
And the T-nut slots are awkwardly rounded, so in the absence of the RT alignment pin, I hit them in the vise with a file:
Which let me learn how to indicate both the rotary table and the part on top of it. Really too bad I don't have an MT3 center thingy. This is after remembering to raise it up off the table to avoid carving up the table:
I got quite a ways further wasting away a pile of circular cuts before somethign went "clack" and the RT started to judder with about 1 degree of backlash during the cuts. Grump.
I at least managed to strip down the table without removing the work from the top, and I think the problem was "just" the backlash nut in the crank slipping since it's only held with set screws attempting to crush the threads it's on.
I now get to re-indicate the RT to the spindle. Thank goodness for the DRO. No-thanks to my brain that neglected to set a DRO datum at the base edge of the RT which would have made tapping it back into place trivial.
Tomorrow I'll fuss around with an indicator in the spindle again.
And it's done (enough).
Figured out that much of the judder was from climb milling the inside diameters. The first work I did on the table was on an outside diameter, and I neglected to think through the change in cutting direction. You'd think that would have been automatic for my brain given how many years I've driven a router.
Anyhow, it's mounted and it's *sweet*. The old one had a ton of play between the base and the rotating plate mount, and lots of play in the slides. It's now tight in both directions, and moves well on a drop of oil. Much nicer to adjust without nearly as much swearing. I left the angle window quite hefty as that's where the original was weak and broke. I'm guessing I'm in way over-kill land leaving it meat there, but I don't see any harm in it. The whole plate is also about 1mm thicker, which cramps the wrench under the right end of the compound, but doesn't seem to interfere. We'll see how I feel about the tight fit later and might relieve the top surface around there.
Tomorrow I'll see about cutting some threads and the MT3 taper I need and give a fuller judgement.
Figured out that much of the judder was from climb milling the inside diameters. The first work I did on the table was on an outside diameter, and I neglected to think through the change in cutting direction. You'd think that would have been automatic for my brain given how many years I've driven a router.
Anyhow, it's mounted and it's *sweet*. The old one had a ton of play between the base and the rotating plate mount, and lots of play in the slides. It's now tight in both directions, and moves well on a drop of oil. Much nicer to adjust without nearly as much swearing. I left the angle window quite hefty as that's where the original was weak and broke. I'm guessing I'm in way over-kill land leaving it meat there, but I don't see any harm in it. The whole plate is also about 1mm thicker, which cramps the wrench under the right end of the compound, but doesn't seem to interfere. We'll see how I feel about the tight fit later and might relieve the top surface around there.
Tomorrow I'll see about cutting some threads and the MT3 taper I need and give a fuller judgement.
Kind of magical being able to do all the things! The accordion is getting better too!Looks like you are having fun with more spare time
Dabbler
ersatz engineer
Once you master the accordion, you can begin to make way covers
I'd think that more likely to happen if I flung the accordion away in disgust!Once you master the accordion, you can begin to make way covers
Tom O
Ultra Member
I still have my grandmothers upright piano that she learned on as a kid my brother stored it at my house around 1983 while they searched for a new house The piano was built sometime in the 1800’s.
DPittman
Ultra Member
Cool. I too have my grandmothers piano but it's not that old, 1902 to be exact. I just had it moved professionally after considering I'd move it myself with help....man that would have been a mistake! The piano and walls would have definitely had some casualties and I'd be in worse shape for sure. It was a HEAVY beast but know how and a bit of equipment the movers had made for a successful move with NO causalities
. Too bad I don't play piano 
(But my son does) I'd rather move a lathe or milling machine where I can use heavy diesel powered equipment.
The weather has been properly wet th last few days, and it's New Year's eve. That can only mean one thing. Time to take care of the burn pile.
This is scrap from a cedar that came down two years ago and the last of the form wood scraps from the shop build.
Happy New Year all!
This is scrap from a cedar that came down two years ago and the last of the form wood scraps from the shop build.
Happy New Year all!
Attachments
DPittman
Ultra Member
Nice! I sort of wish it was green like that here, it ain't white but it sure isn't green like that. Rain would be nice, even though it will never be as green here as there.
Happy New Year folks.
I have myself a post-christmas present of 5C collets. Figured I needed a chuck/adapter for them so I spent the day making this adapter to my lathe's MT5 spindle:
I'll make up the draw tube to go with it next week once I find appropriate pipe.
I'm of two minds about it: it's certainly a learning experience in cutting tapers and concentricity. But I'm only getting to about 3 thou TIR on the bore when popping it out and back in, even when aligning it exactly the same with the spindle (not that it should matter if I made it right...). I don't feel any movement when seated, and it takes a significant tap to pull it out. Blueing shows decent contact over the front third to half of the taper, which is probably short. I matched the angle to an other MT5 taper I have on hand using the compound, maybe I wasn't accurate enough?
I'm guessing there's more accuracy to be gained but that realistically this is the kind of tool that can only be made well with a grinder setup to finish.
I guess I understand why folks buy the chucks for these!
I'll make up the draw tube to go with it next week once I find appropriate pipe.
I'm of two minds about it: it's certainly a learning experience in cutting tapers and concentricity. But I'm only getting to about 3 thou TIR on the bore when popping it out and back in, even when aligning it exactly the same with the spindle (not that it should matter if I made it right...). I don't feel any movement when seated, and it takes a significant tap to pull it out. Blueing shows decent contact over the front third to half of the taper, which is probably short. I matched the angle to an other MT5 taper I have on hand using the compound, maybe I wasn't accurate enough?
I'm guessing there's more accuracy to be gained but that realistically this is the kind of tool that can only be made well with a grinder setup to finish.
I guess I understand why folks buy the chucks for these!
The MT5 to 5C collet is on my bucket list. I suppose it is not an easy one to make. Two accurate tappers on that single part. I can see myself screwing one of them tapers and having to start over.
You mentioned no movement on the MT5, maybe a good polish might take out some of the high spot and correct some of the runout.
You mentioned no movement on the MT5, maybe a good polish might take out some of the high spot and correct some of the runout.