You can buy square holes!

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ctwo
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You can buy square holes!

Post by ctwo »

Said Mr. Pete.

Even better, I discovered that my lathe saddle lock is a 3/8" square. Guess what? I have a collection of 3/8" square holes, and a stripped 3/8" Taiwan socket drilled through nicely to make an L handle using a long-shouldered, button-head bolt. The threaded end will take a screw-on handle. Now it can live there and no more wrench bumping around.
Standards are so important that everyone must have their own...
To measure is to know - Lord Kelvin
Disclaimer: I'm just a guy with a few machines...
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mcostello
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Re: You can buy square holes!

Post by mcostello »

Haven't You ever heard the old story about holes by the roll?
You just buy a roll of holes, peel one off and put it where You want it.
Wrong place just peel it up and move it.
Worht their weight in gold for post holes. :wink:
Wolfgang
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Re: You can buy square holes!

Post by Wolfgang »

I replaced all the 1/4" socket head cap screws on my quick-change tooling with 1/4" square headed set screws. I found a tin can full of these at a flea market.
And used a 1/4" socket extension rod as the basis for the wrench.

No more picking swarf out of screw sockets! The set screws are self cleaning:-))
SteveM
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Re: You can buy square holes!

Post by SteveM »

Wolfgang wrote: Sun Sep 25, 2022 12:56 pm I replaced all the 1/4" socket head cap screws on my quick-change tooling with 1/4" square headed set screws. I found a tin can full of these at a flea market.
And used a 1/4" socket extension rod as the basis for the wrench.
No more picking swarf out of screw sockets! The set screws are self cleaning:-))
Nice idea.

Steve
SteveM
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Re: You can buy square holes!

Post by SteveM »

mcostello wrote: Sat Sep 24, 2022 8:15 pm Haven't You ever heard the old story about holes by the roll?
You just buy a roll of holes, peel one off and put it where You want it.
Wrong place just peel it up and move it.
I remember Bugs Bunny using those.

Steve
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Bill Shields
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Re: You can buy square holes!

Post by Bill Shields »

I really like this idea -> but have you looked at the $$$ for these square head set screws?

Sure...they are only $3.50 each,

but when you have 20+ holders with 4 screws in each....best part of $300 worth of screws

any more flea market buckets around?
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
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liveaboard
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Re: You can buy square holes!

Post by liveaboard »

I just went through that; I need 45 screws for the tool holders I'm making.
Square head screws cost silly money.

I settled on standard allen screws and machined the tips of them all to make "dog point" ends. box of 100 10x40mm screws was $27, not too bad.

After 20 minutes to make the simple screw holding jig, it took just 70 seconds to mount and cut each screw.
dog point screws.jpg
screw holding jig.jpg
earlgo
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Re: You can buy square holes!

Post by earlgo »

Geez I wish I had remembered square head bolts long ago. Thanks for reminding me. I applied them to my tool holder to prevent chips in the hex wrench holes. AND they were 'only' $0.80 each from Ace Hardware who sells Hillerman fasteners. I also found an old 1/4" drive extension as you suggested.
tool post with square head bolts.jpg
Thank you for the suggestion.
--earlgo
Before you do anything, you must do something else first. - Washington's principle.
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tornitore45
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Re: You can buy square holes!

Post by tornitore45 »

Is perfectly logical to assume that socket screw on a tool post will fill and pack with chips.
Yet I never, never once experienced the nuisance. Naturally it helped that I painted the bottom of each socket with antigravity paint.
Lucky me.
Mauro Gaetano
in Austin TX
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Bill Shields
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Re: You can buy square holes!

Post by Bill Shields »

Same stuff the ex President uses for hair spray
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
Wolfgang
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Re: You can buy square holes!

Post by Wolfgang »

Bill Shields wrote: Tue Sep 27, 2022 3:38 pm I really like this idea -> but have you looked at the $$$ for these square head set screws?

Sure...they are only $3.50 each,

but when you have 20+ holders with 4 screws in each....best part of $300 worth of screws

any more flea market buckets around?
That's a ridiculous price!

Before I found that (small) tin can full of 1/4-20-UNC square headed set screws, I bought a few at a local hardware store. I think they were perhaps 25 CDN cents apiece then, when the price for the same size socket head cap screws was about 45 CDN cents.

When I stumbled upon that tin of screws my eyes just lit up and I purchased the whole can. I don't recall that price, but it was a steal.

Now that I think of it, these screws are fairly easy to make in the shop, especially if a small self-centering four jaw chuck, or collet, is available.

Use 1/4" square cold rolled, and case harden them. The screws I have will mark the HSS bits, so I ground the ends off flat.
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liveaboard
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Re: You can buy square holes!

Post by liveaboard »

Sure; but how long will it take you to make 40 or 50 of those, and how much time will you save by using them as opposed to socket or regular hex head bolts?
I'm fairly crazy when it comes to burning hours to save dollars while getting what I want, but I decided against making square head screws.
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