Sculpture, Machines, Bicycles, IoT, Attention Deficit Disorder
All Done! Pretty happy with the final outcome of the Certiflat Welding Table kit. Took a bit of help from their support for me to get it flat but other than that pretty nice addition to the shop. Working on clamps now, I am turning down some 3/4 (don’t have any 5/8 lying around – and I have a lathe) for the pins and attaching some cheap harbor freight quick clamps to them – proto-type seems solid enough – usage over time will tell.
Created adjustable sub-plate for tool posts I picked up recently at the Cabin Fever Expo. May need some additional modifications but has adequate travel to situate the form tools that I want to play with. Simple plate with slots to allow adjustment over the work piece. Don’t need much travel as the form tools will stay as close to the spindle as possible.
Tricky part of the second operation lathe is getting front and back tool post in sync. Also, depending on some of the tools I use in the turret it require sthe cross slide to be pushed up pretty close to the spindle. Hence they typically come with factory installed risers and corresponding tool post.
Brown and Sharpe 210-120 Knurling Swing Tool. Nice addition for the Rivett 918s. Takes 5/8″OD – 1/4ID – 1/4″ Width Knurling Wheels. Came with the “fine” diamond (male or female tbd). More wheels to come and and a bit more studying. Great document for anyone playing with knurling Reed Machinery – Knurls and Knurling has been a great help.
The swing tool is interesting. The swing allows the placement of the knurl on the part to be flexible. Single wheel limits patterns formed by multiple wheels but diamond patterns available so not a worry. Initial test shown above – not too shabby. Need to work on the push bar that contacts the swing arm, just pushed it with the cross feed plate for now.
Cabin Fever Expo is a great place to pick up all sorts of odds and ends. The auction this year was great, the consignment area never fails to deliver and the vendors round it out with a huge variety of tools and tooling.
Some stuff for the consignment area at this years Cabin Fever Expo. Meat Slicer, Lantern Style Tool Post, Industrial Box, Kennedy Chest (a little rough), Static Phase Converter with Plugs and a Bag-o-Books.
Working out a t-slot riser plate for the Rivett. With the tooling I am using in the turret it is hard if not impossible to get the cut-off tool close enough to spindle and keep the turret from running into the cross-slide. The t-slot riser plate will allow enough freedom of movement to accommodate the shorter turret tools.
I have a few Brown and Sharpe Tool Posts for Square Tools – They may be a little big but I am going to figure out a riser plate to mount these with for shits and giggles.
Small project for the Rivett 918s – Well, nothing is small of course and relieved that the tapping operation for the 1/4 27 “standard/popular lamp harp thread” is working great. This particular final blank is slated to have hand made marbles (not the ones pictured here – much nicer/larger ones coming soon).
Working with the Rivett Lathe is the most fun part of this prototype. Created custom bushing for tapping tool (more on that later) and pleased with the finish on the turning operation. Used ball end mill for creating concave “marble holder” – will experiment with sizes and such depending on marbles. Lastly, will certainly change diameters and work on other contours as time permits.
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Not a restoration but a good clean up of the Walker Turner Carbide Grinder. Cast iron table surfaces came out real nice, all working surfaces also cleaned up well. Put back together and added a few new AO Wheels…runs like a charm.
The journey begins….delivered the Tormach Lathe to the shop. Spent a few days un-crating, getting off the pallet, made space in my cluttered shop. Next step to run 220 service to it and start making some chips.
First visit this trip to Maine….got a switch panel I needed for 3ph rotary converter setup. A nice yet unmarked 3″ sine bar a few little vee blocks and some nice ground lathe bits. Coil was 75 cents so I took a chance it might work on my Rivett brake…no dice. A little research shows it is more than likely for an early mag starter. All this stuff plus the Rockwell Carbide Tool Grinder project from previous post… $29!
