At last, a faceplate

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liveaboard
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At last, a faceplate

Post by liveaboard »

I kept waiting for something to turn up on ebay, but anything that came up had a silly price or was pickup in person only, a thousand miles from nowhere.

So I had 2 broken hedgecutter knives that are 2mm thick, and some spares that are 3mm thick. With a faceplate I could mill the mounting area of the knives on my lathe.

I had a test collar I made to fit the spindle a few years ago, and an iron flywheel from a junk car engine.
faceplate material.jpg
After a few hours cutting, pressing, drilling, and tapping, I have a face plate.
faceplate on lathe.jpg
I cut the old knives down, instead of wasting $5 on new ones.
faceplate with cutter blades.jpg
hedgecutter knife milled to 2mm.jpg
Satisfying.
Mr Ron
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Re: At last, a faceplate

Post by Mr Ron »

Necessity is the mother of invention.
Mr.Ron from South Mississippi
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Harold_V
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Re: At last, a faceplate

Post by Harold_V »

Well done!
I rarely use a face plate, but there are times when they are a must. I suspect you're going to get good use from your creation.

H
Wise people talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something.
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GlennW
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Re: At last, a faceplate

Post by GlennW »

You are a clever man!
Glenn

Operating machines is perfectly safe......until you forget how dangerous it really is!
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liveaboard
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Re: At last, a faceplate

Post by liveaboard »

Thanks guys; it's always fun to get a little praise from the gang.

I don't remember why I wanted a faceplate before, but I know that I have one for next time.
One never knows what jobs lie ahead.
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tornitore45
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Re: At last, a faceplate

Post by tornitore45 »

I needed a sacrificial plate for my rotary table. The local brakes shop gladly supplied a disk rotor, free.
Mauro Gaetano
in Austin TX
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liveaboard
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Re: At last, a faceplate

Post by liveaboard »

Never throw junk away...
jack extender.jpg
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Harold_V
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Re: At last, a faceplate

Post by Harold_V »

The front rotors for my '94 Dodge 3/4 ton pickup had an issue with parallelism. Even after being turned, the truck slowly returned to lumpy stopping. Factory replacements were in the $500 range, but I managed to find, online, some made in China for under $100. They have been on the truck for a few years now and have behaved perfectly well.

I didn't discard the originals, thinking one might be useful when I built the jib crane located in the foundry area of my shop. It was the perfect solution to the pivot on the top of the column.

DSC00125.JPG

I don't throw things away, but I'm fortunate to have adequate storage for my "junk".

H
Wise people talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something.
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liveaboard
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Re: At last, a faceplate

Post by liveaboard »

So if the crane jib pivots on a warped disk, does the jib go up and down as it rotates?

Joking, just joking!

In the animated movie 'the box trolls', the title creature creep out at night to rummage through the city rubbish, looking for scrap material to make clever things from.
Suitable for children and people like us.
pete
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Re: At last, a faceplate

Post by pete »

Nicely done liveaboard. Funny how rare it is today to see anyone use a face plate. Just like the job you used yours for, some times nothing else will do. And you sure can't beat the price for yours.
KellyJones
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Re: At last, a faceplate

Post by KellyJones »

Harold

Do you have plans for the jib crane? Or did you make it up as you went? I am thinking about a small jib crane for my shop too. ( I find as I get older, the rotary table and milling vise have put on a lot of weight...)

thanks
Kelly Jones, PE
A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.
George Bernard Shaw
(1856-1950)
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Harold_V
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Re: At last, a faceplate

Post by Harold_V »

Sorry, Kelly, there are no prints, as I built the jib crane from my head (no drawings), from materials I had on hand, with a few exceptions. The column is a piece of 6" well casing (schedule 40 pipe), and the arm of the crane is a piece of 6" I beam, both of which I bought. I purchased a length of the I beam, and decided that I could use half of it to reinforce the column, which has proven to be a good idea. The column was placed early in construction, and poured in place when the footings were poured. It extends beneath the floor by about four feet.

I suspect my design is unique, and offers the ability to level the beam. I'm restricted in lifting ability, but I don't foresee lifting anything more than about 600 pounds, which it handles in stride.

Trust me, I understand the need for a crane. How I wish I'd have planned one around my lathe and mill. My rotab has gained weight, too. And I now struggle to mount my four jaw chuck. I avoid doing so as much as I can. It's hell getting old.

To install chucks, it's not beyond reason for a guy to build a small rotating arm equipped with a boat winch. The arm could be, somehow, attached to the lathe near the headstock. Give that a little thought. Same concept could be applied to a mill.

H
Wise people talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something.
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