-
Summary I wanted a die filer Design loads and safety factors were chosen Calculations were done to verify that none of the parts would fail in operation The die filer was manufactured from wood, aluminium, and 3D-printed plastic. Introduction I’ve been wanting to make a die filer for some time now. It is a power-driven file that allows you to easily cut complex shapes. Die filers are not meant for a very high material-removal rate; rotary files and cold-chisels exist for that purpose. Design Parts of the Die Filer The file is run up and down on a “filing shaft”,…
-
With only a center punch and drill press, it can be very difficult to drill small, straight holes. Though medium-sized drills can self-center parts by shifting them around till the center-punch mark is exactly aligned with the spindle, smaller drills tend to just deflect and drill an angled hole. To overcome this, a short, stiff “spot drill” is used before drilling to create a new divot, exactly aligned with the spindle, obliterating the old center-punch divot and taking out any misalignment it might have had. Locating large holes accurately can also be difficult, since the large chisel-shaped tip of the…
-
“The Vernier Caliper… may be used for accurate settings of dividers and trammels. Near the zero mark on the beam is a tiny indentation in the center of a small circle, and on the sliding jaw is another small cone-shaped mark. Set the vernier to the dimension required and then adjust the points of the dividers or trammels, by “feel” or with the aid of an eyeglass, exactly in the two marks.” — Machine Tool Operation, Part I, Fourth Edition, by Burghardt and Axelrod Unfortunately, not many vernier calipers today retain this feature, since the manual lay-out (i.e. scribing …
-
Summary By mounting a rotary tool in a cross slide vise, I was able to accurately grind tools in a drill press This setup was used to grind a spade drill into a shape suitable for drilling metal The setup was used to grind a counterbore Introduction Though most metal-cutting tools can nowadays be bought, there are still occasions when it’s more practical for a machinist to make their own tools. In some cases, the tool can be ground freehand on a bench-grinder, like a single-point lathe tool. For other tools, like drill bits and endmills, more precision is needed,…
-
I recently bought a used cross-slide vise on craigslist for $35. It is a machinist’s vise mounted on two ways at right angles, with leadscrews controlling the vise’s movement along each way. It’s meant to be used on a drill press so holes can be located in the same manner as in a vertical milling machine. The vise is also useful since it allows the piece to be moved under the spindle without loosening and re-clamping it as in a normal machine vise. The vise was originally bought at Harbor Freight, a store known for affordable but low-quality tools. …
-
A spinning gyroscope can balance on a pivot, defying gravity by remaining horizontal while resting just on the tip of its axle. Instead of falling off the pivot, the gyroscope circles around it. The explanation for this amazing feat lies in the effects of precession. Like all other objects, the rotating wheel of the gyroscope is subjected to gravity. However, as long as the gyroscope spins, precession overcomes gravity by transforming it into a force that causes the gyroscope to circle instead of falling. The Way Things Work by David Macaulay and Neil Ardley At the suggestion of my physics…
Tag: Machining
Cutting a piece of metal to make it into a nice shape.
