Plans, projects and How-to's for Home Machinists and Other Makers
I took a couple of machine shop classes and got spoiled by the X-axis power feeds on the Bridgeport mills. Ever since then I have thought about adding one to my Harbor Freight Mini-Mill (Sieg X2).
Beside reducing wear and tear on your arm and the boredom of turning and turning and turning a wheel, a power feed can produce a better finish on your parts because it moves the table at a more uniform speed than you probably can. … Read the rest
A few days ago I posted a story about Harlan’s homemade optical punch. I forgot that I also had a link to John Moran’s web site, where he describes with a little more detail how he made one.
I like to use socket head cap screws. Rather than keeping an expensive assortment of different lengths on hand, I usually stock a smaller selection and just cut a longer screw down to the length I need. Frank Ford has a great idea for making that process easier. His step plate makes consistent length screws and it fixes any thread damage done by the hacksaw.
There are lots of designs floating around for tap holders for lathes. This one uses an old drill chuck and looks easy to make. In addition to ensuring that a tap gets started straight, it can be used to drill holes with very small bits. By gripping the knurled body you can get a feel for how the drill bit is doing and control the torque so you don’t break it.