09-15-2012, 11:30 PM
I wanted to make a wrench for the 22mm nut on my QCTP. I picked up a socket at the big box. I wanted to mill a flat at an angle to receive a tipped hole for a handle. I held the socket in a v-block in the vise, and eyeballed the angle. That was the last thing that went right.
The first couple of passes with the 1/2" 2-flute cutter went OK. But after that, even a .005 DOC was too much. Eventually, I smoked the bit, but I got the flat spot I wanted. Drilling was another nightmare. Again, at the cost of a drill bit, I got the hole where I wanted it. Tapping, with a brand new 3/8-16 tap, was a non-starter. It wouldn't bite. Period.
So instead of a threaded handle, I turned the insert part close, put a slight taper on it with a file, and drove the sucker in. Tomorrow, I'll get a ball handle and call it done.
Where did I go wrong? Are all sockets hardened? Would carbide tooling have handled it better? A different drill bit? Can it be tapped at all?
Inquiring minds want to know.
The first couple of passes with the 1/2" 2-flute cutter went OK. But after that, even a .005 DOC was too much. Eventually, I smoked the bit, but I got the flat spot I wanted. Drilling was another nightmare. Again, at the cost of a drill bit, I got the hole where I wanted it. Tapping, with a brand new 3/8-16 tap, was a non-starter. It wouldn't bite. Period.
So instead of a threaded handle, I turned the insert part close, put a slight taper on it with a file, and drove the sucker in. Tomorrow, I'll get a ball handle and call it done.
Where did I go wrong? Are all sockets hardened? Would carbide tooling have handled it better? A different drill bit? Can it be tapped at all?
Inquiring minds want to know.