Cylindrical Square

[EdK]

Anybody ever make a cylindrical square? I'm thinking that maybe a wrist pin from caterpillar or diesel truck might work good. I've got this hankering for a cylindrical square for some reason.

Ed

[f350ca]

Would be best if the wrist pin was hollow. If the end is simply faced it may rock if slightly convex or dirt gets under the middle. I'd expect they are pretty hard, so recessing the end might be difficult.
Can't see needing it hardened, if you turned one between centers, and faced the edges of the ends. Then undercut the middle while in a chuck you should have one accurate enough for anything we'd ever do.
Ones also been on my list.

[EdK]

Greg,

I did a ton of Goggling "wrist pins" and most of them are hollow and a lot of the larger ones are already ground on the ends. I just need to find one at a good price on ebay.

Ed

[Mayhem]

Got any truck mechanics close by?

[ieezitin]

Your better off to make your own out of pipe or tube. Making them on the lathe is easy... make sets of 4 all equal length ranging from 1-1/2'' to 4'' in 1/2'' increments.

The beauty of these is you can use them as set ups on the mill or shaper and even on the face plate of a lathe, they fix to the table / plate like tool maker buttons. They take up less room than angle plates, they also provide great usefulness on the surface plate.

Anthony.

[EdK]

(08-09-2015, 06:54 AM)ieezitin Wrote: Making them on the lathe is easy...

You overestimate my machining abilities.

Ed

[EdK]

(08-09-2015, 04:41 AM)Mayhem Wrote: Got any truck mechanics close by?

I'm going to talk to a guy at work that has connections to large truck stuff.

Ed

[dallen]

If you can cut a test bar on your lathe with less then .0005 error in 4 inches you can make a square the ends should be dipped in so that it only sits on the rim at the outer edge.

In one of the home workshop series of books it tells how to make one, Harold Hall Lathework a complete course #34 is the one.

[EdK]

Found one on ebay for a reasonable price. About 4.125" long by 2.125" in diameter.

Ed

   

[PixMan]

That looks good, Ed.

I had picked one up locally a year or two ago, no longer recall just where I got it but I know it was under $20 because I just couldn't justify spending the hundreds or more it takes to buy one of the bigger ones that have the graduated curve markings on them. I also knew when I got it that I would have limited application for it.

As it turns out, I was correct. I *always* seem to forget I have it tucked away in a cabinet, safe from dings and rust. Oh well. ;)