Todays Project - What did you do today?

[TomG]

(03-09-2013, 08:22 PM)TomG Wrote: I have a large quantity of small brass pins to make. They are 1/8" diameter, 3/8" long and have a 6º on them and a radius on the small end. Since I find making more than one or two of anything mind numbing, I decided that making a form tool would be worth my time. I came up with a simple design using two identical pieces of hardened O1 with the form cut in them and a half of a 3/16" cylindrical bore to align the two halves of the tool and mount them on a 3/16" dowel. The tool works like a pencil sharpener. It is held in the tailstock of the lathe and fed into a piece of 1/8" brass to cut the taper and radius, once the taper and radii are formed, the part is cut off with a parting tool. I figure that using the parting tool as a stop for the stock, and my fancy form tool, I should be able to crank out a finished pin every 15 seconds or so. I can't wait.

Tom

Here's a little video of the form tool in action.