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Re: Share your special tools

Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 10:11 am
by Steve Goodbody
Hi Greg - I've dropped you a PM.

Karl - thanks also for sharing - that's an elegant little gadget!

Best regards
Steve

Re: Share your special tools

Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2020 1:02 am
by Steamer Al
Here is a die for making little D shaped washers, for the nut on a taper plug valve. Used a design from an old Live Steam magazine, but the depth collar and index pin are my addition.

Re: Share your special tools

Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2021 8:44 am
by milwiron
Despite the looks of this I swear I really was a toolmaker and machinist my entire adult life.

I wanted a little chop saw with decent guts for cutting leaf springs and heavy spring wire. I can take this outside and keep the fine dust and swarf far away from machines. Of course I could have bought an angle grinder stand online for 30 bucks, that would have been way too easy and quick.

Couple-o-things: The cable tie is only holding the cord, the single bolt and fitted saddle on the handle give it plenty of rigidity. The guard isn't missing from the photo, nope... it's hopelessly lost in my shop. I do have a polycarb shield I place over the wheel.
Denny
minichopsaw.jpg

Re: Share your special tools

Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2021 3:30 pm
by partime
That is an excellent adaptation of your little grinder Denny! Just cutting spring material myself and I may have to borrow the idea!
Just finished my belt grinder and have the same complaint, it's a dirty machine and needs to be moved outside.

Tender Bead is Re: Share your special tools

Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2021 5:17 pm
by gwrdriver
KarlKobel wrote: Sun Nov 29, 2020 9:20 amAmong the many challenges . . .'beading' for the tender. -
Karl,
I'm very glad to see you've had success with this arrangement. I have the same job to do for my engine and this is exactly how I'd planned to do it.
One thing I'd planned to include in the block is a "gib" or stop of some kind to prevent the beading rotating as it exits the cut, but it appears that may not be something I need to be concerned about. My bead will be 3/16" brass, possibly 7/32", and be offset a bit from a full 1/4 wedge.

Re: Share your special tools

Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2021 6:52 pm
by KarlKobel
GWRdriver,

The clamping jaws of the vice on the cross table seem to hold it from turning, even with stainless steel.

Karl

Re: Share your special tools

Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2021 7:10 pm
by Greg_Lewis
Before you go to the pain of making the half-round beading, check jewelry sources. I found a roll of half-round brass just the size I needed. I don't know all the sizes available but you might get lucky. Go to Ebay and enter "half round brass." It comes in a roll, you can straighten it out by clamping one end in a bench vise and pulling hard on the other end, gripping it with Vise Grips.

Re: Share your special tools

Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2021 7:30 am
by gwrdriver
Greg,
Note that ours are ¾-round, per Karl's sketch, and I've never found a commercial source of anything but ½-round.

Re: Share your special tools

Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2021 3:50 pm
by Greg_Lewis
Ooooh, glad I didn't have to make that! There are better ways to suffer. :roll: