Todays Project - What did you do today?

[EdK]

(04-21-2014, 12:04 AM)ScrapMetal Wrote: In my experience the "cheaper" set it still made in the USA. The main differences being that it has a plastic carrier and the studs are made without being "squared" in the middle. They sell this as the "Promo" kit.

Wife got me a "promo" set for Christmas.

-Ron

Thanks for that Ron. That's not a bad deal at all.

Ed

[PixMan]

(04-21-2014, 12:04 AM)ScrapMetal Wrote: In my experience the "cheaper" set it still made in the USA. The main differences being that it has a plastic carrier and the studs are made without being "squared" in the middle. They sell this as the "Promo" kit.

Wife got me a "promo" set for Christmas.

-Ron

It seems that's exactly the set I got for that low price I mentioned. I checked the boxes (a big one carrying the plastic rack and smaller one inside it with all the hardware) and found no indication as to country of origin. The two larger size step blocks have "USA" cast into them, the studs do not have the square wrench flats, and the clamps carry only a part number that matches with the USA made ones offered on the KBC Tools website catalog.

[PixMan]

So I finished the brake actuator screw today by going to my friend Rollie's shop and having him use his ball turner to cut the 7mm radius on the end. Then back to my shop, I remounted the collet closer mechanism on the lathe to cut the thread relief groove and cut down the threaded end to length (getting rid of the center hole used for single point threading) and then to the milling machine to mill the flats. Done.

[EdK]

Ken,

Is that stainless steel? Nice finish.

Ed

[PixMan]

(04-22-2014, 05:41 AM)EdK Wrote: Ken,

Is that stainless steel? Nice finish.

Ed

Thanks Ed. Yes, everything I make for Neil's motorbike projects seems to be stainless steel, and most of it the tough 316 type.

[Expat]

(04-22-2014, 05:44 AM)PixMan Wrote:

(04-22-2014, 05:41 AM)EdK Wrote: Ken,

Is that stainless steel? Nice finish.

Ed

Thanks Ed. Yes, everything I make for Neil's motorbike projects seems to be stainless steel, and most of it the tough 316 type.

316. Nice and shiny with no corrosion, should last a lifetime!

[f350ca]

Trued up the wet stone on my Rockwell sharpener. Its a natural Japanese stone bonded to a steel plate. Turns horizontally at about 60 rpm with a water drip, great for truing up high carbon chisels and plane blades. One side is way softer than the other, wears unevenly, had to take 0.170 off the face to true it up. Cuts like butter with a carbide insert, but Im running out of stone, second or third time I've had to true it up over the years.

[Mayhem]

(04-22-2014, 11:25 AM)Expat Wrote: 316. Nice and shiny with no corrosion, should last a lifetime!

Neil - you know we expect to see a thread on this bike build at some point don't you?

Hmmm - I'll have to make some bling for my mill

[PixMan]

Got about two hours in the shop after work today so I got a good start on another piece for Neil's bike, a clevis for the rear brake mechanism.

Turned the blank, drilled and tapped it in the lathe. The to do the worst of it in the mill, getting the nearly 1" deep x .260" wide slot done while trying to keep the two milled sides parallel. If you've ever milled 316 stainless steel to a geometry like that, you know what a challenge it is to keep it from springing open. It's within .002" every way I checked it.

I just have to get 8mm holes for the pin and another cross hole near the "base", then radius the ends. Maybe tomorrow I can finish that up. When that's done I have just a couple more SIMPLE parts and I can move on to Darren's part for the quill feed on is Kondia milling machine, then Ed's cross slide screw and nut.

I'll be calling it quits in the shop for a much of the time between then and until the snow flies later this year.

Lathe work done.


Milling work done.

[stevec]

Ken, ya don't hafta wait long til the snow flies again this year up here. It's now!