Todays Project - What did you do today?

[PixMan]

Yesterday was a gathering of my wife's side of the family, so no shop time. I got oover there today for about 4 hours of work and a half-hour of cleanup.

First order of business was to add a detail I'd forgotten on the last part I'd made for dallen (David.) It was a flat measuring .094" x .125", only .0079" deep in the Ø1/2" round. It's for an index mark of the sight assembly, so I also added that using the tip of a 1/32" (0.0312") ball mill I have.



Now on to the tougher part, the "sight leaf". It's challenging to make (as discussed earlier), but I got a good start on it. I found a piece of tool steel about 5 feet long and 13/16" x .525", which I believe is A2 air-hardening steel, a very stable material. It won't be heat treated, I just needed something that wouldn't warp like a banana when I mill and grind down to .151" thick x .562" wide and over 4" long. All the 1018CRS I have would definitely get a bow in it.

Just two photos. One of the part roughed out, the other with the "easy" machining of the long, thin section.




It'll be next weekend before I can finish it, but I have a plan. First, mill the fat end to the overall length required. Locate and drill for the 1/4'-40UNS thread through, and tap it. (I'll need David to send me his tap or I'll buy one.) Use a 5/16" (.3125") corner rounding cutter to form the bottom semi-circular cylindrical shape. Now move to the surface grinder.

Take one of the 1" wide Ø8" wheels I have, a Norton 32A60-LVBS and finally use the radius/profile dresser I bought a couple of years ago. With that I can create a form on the wheel with 60º of a .155 radius to a flat face. That will allow me to take off the .0035" per side that it's oversize as I creep into the corner and make the full 300º radius. Sounds easier than it will be, but I have the tooling. All I need to gather up is the patience!