Todays Project - What did you do today?

[Mayhem]

Nice work as usual Ken. Did you get a reply to your email?

[stevec]

(01-25-2015, 05:34 PM)PixMan Wrote: We have a winner!

Yup, I went with a Ø 0.332" (Letter Q) drill. I did have a GH3 class tap to use, though not my preference in style as it was a high quality HSS 4-flute hand tap.

I used to beat on engineers for putting tap drill size on a print at all. Just give the thread you want and let the machinist determine the right tools to do it with. I sent an e-mail back to the engineer who sent me the print, pointing out that if you actually use the drill specified, your resulting thread does NOT meet the spec for a Class 3 thread with the minor diameter being too large.

I guess I'm just a sloppy machinist but 7 thou oversize tap drill for a 3/8-24 thread wouldn't make a lick of difference for any application I might have.
I must agree however that "engineer's" specs need to be scrutinized.

Steve

[dallen]

still working on the wood, couple more coats rubbed in should do it.

[TomG]

Looks like it's filling in nicely David. Walnut is so porous that it takes quite a bit of oil to fill it. The stock I made for my wife took 15 coats before it filled in. I've heard that if you mix the first coat with sanding dust it will speed up the process.

Tom

[dallen]

(01-27-2015, 11:49 AM)TomG Wrote: Looks like it's filling in nicely David. Walnut is so porous that it takes quite a bit of oil to fill it. The stock I made for my wife took 15 coats before it filled in. I've heard that if you mix the first coat with sanding dust it will speed up the process.

Tom

I've done a little bit of everything to get it to fill in, scotch brite pads, steel wool, wet sanding with steel wool dipped in tung oil. used foam brushes (bad idea) anyway its finally starting to flatten out, I lost track of the number of coats a long time ago.

I just gotta get the wood finished so I can get back on the metal surfaces so I can color them.

the front sight was suppose to of been here yesterday which has given me a case of the redneck's, but it may be the weather seeing as how it was coming thru Cleveland Ohio. 

David

[f350ca]

For a filled surface I use steel wool to rub in the first one maybe two coats of tung oil. The wood fibres the steel wool shears off should mix with the oil and pack into the pores. French polishing on furniture accomplishes the same thing using Rottenstone and Pumice as the abrasive in a shellac binder with mineral oil as a lubricant. Tung oil is a penetrating oil, that seals the surface of the wood. Once its sealed it won't take any more so your building layers on the surface, and Tung oil doesn't do that very well. You'd be better to switch to a furniture oil that builds on surface for the last coats.

[f350ca]

Back in the cabinet shop.
Its been a BAD week for routers. My probably 30 year old Porter Cable 1/4 inch router literally exploded. The metal fan must have fatigued and shattered, the shrapnel took out the windings. They had a standard cast aluminum base that accepted this 1/4 inch 9 amp motor or a 1/2 inch think its 13 amp motor. The old motors were all metal housing and ends, built to last.
They still use the same base from what I gather but no longer make a 1/4 inch motor, only 1/2 inch which is probably a heavy monster like the 1/2 inch one I have.
I used this router with guide bushings that ran on templets I've made to mortise in cabinet hinges as well as entry door hinges. Try holding a monster router sideways while your letting in a hinge.
So this morning I spent 2 or 3 hours making a base plate for an old Black and Decker router someone gave me that was missing the plate. Nice little router but after getting the plate made I find the depth locking mechanism pulls the motor to one side so that the bit isn't entered in the bushing. Interesting side note, I made the plate from a sheet of 3/8 thick fibreglass sheet I got from god knows where. Nice and stable, hard so it wouldn't, wear machines nice but with the glass fibre does it ever eat HSS.
OK plan C.
Off to town and see what offerings the Home hardware and Canadian Tire (tupperwear) had to offer. Not much, some monster 1/2 inch ones that they rate at 2 1/2 hp. Now what good is a 2 1/2 hp hand held router. My wood shaper that probably weighs 4 or 5 hundred pounds and will spin a  6 inch dia cutter at 10,000 rpm only has a 2 hp motor. 
So the one place has a Makita trim router, nice small hand held unit. The base looks a little small but usable and after I get the guy to open the beautiful aluminum case that you could give your wife for a makeup case on Valentines day, I find it has a small guide bushing with it. HUMM. You have to take the plate off the base and this thing fits in a recess. We'll take it. So off we go and head back to the machine shop to make a brass adaptor that fits into the recess and crosses over to my existing brass guides. About an hour on the lathe and we have a nice fitting ring. Put it all together and guess what. The old Black and Decker piece of junk (but that was what you expected when you bought one) centred the cutter better. This new and improved, ergonomic, soft start, made in the orient, but packaged in a lovely aluminum case router with the plastic motor housing and cast clear plastic base, would allow the included 1/4 inch bit to rub on the guide bushing that came with it.
Sorry for the long winded rant.
So I guess its take this one back and head off to the city and see if there's anything to be had. My expectations aren't very high. After looking at the manufacturers web sites there doesn't seem to be much out there that looks well made anymore. 

[DaveH]

The posts on the 'Remington model 6' have moved to it's own thread here.  http://www.metalworkingfun.com/showthread.php?tid=2497

 
DaveH

[Highpower]

Finished getting my free snow thrower back together again. The scraper bar had been ground away years ago and the sheet metal of the lower housing and side panels began to get ground away as well after that for several more years. Bent, twisted, full of rust and holes, and folded over onto itself. Sheet metal repair/replacement, new crank main bearings, decarbon cylinder head and piston, polished exhaust ports (to reduce carbon buildup), total carb rebuild, new paddles, switched from a ratcheted hand lever on the chute to a hand cranked gear drive chute control, and retro fitted an electric starter as well. It's a good thing the price of the machine was right.   

   

   

   

All just in time for the national weather service to forecast 60° F temps this weekend. 

[EdK]

Nice rescue Willie.

Ed