This is the roll-around stand I made for my late 80’s Taiwan-made 4×6 bandsaw, which is almost identical to the one Harbor Freight sells. It uses a Harbor Freight 3-shelf service cart with the top shelf turned upside down. I was a little worried about it being top-heavy so I replaced the original 5-inch casters with 3-inch ones mounted on outriggers made from pressure-treated 2x6s. … Read the rest
Tools
Snub’s ball turning tool
I think this is a brilliant idea. “Snub” made a ball turning tool and used a 4-jaw chuck as the base. He says it works perfectly and leaves an almost perfect finish. I don’t doubt him because of the weight and rigidity of the chuck and the large bearing he used as a pivot. … Read the rest
How-to: Remove the intermediate gear from a mini-mill
This photo essay will show you how to remove the intermediate gear and shift lever from the head of a Sieg Industries X2 mini-mill [HF 44991, Grizzly G8689, Micro-Mark & others]. It also explains why you might want to do so after installing a belt-drive. You may also find it useful if you need to replace a broken intermediate gear.… Read the rest
How-to: Install a belt-drive on a mini-mill
I wanted to move the belt drive from my old mill to my new CNC mini-mill. Well, the spindle nut didn’t want to come off, which didn’t make sense because I didn’t have any problems putting it on six months earlier. I went looking for pictures and advice on the Internet and had trouble finding any. … Read the rest