trying-it

Vern check iForge Blacksmith Projects #9 I think Bill Epps did a BP on IFI for the guillotine tool, but it must be higher than #200 in the index and unavailable at the moment. I have a unit made by Bill himself.

How far back in "the old days"? Excerpt from: machine tool: Definition from Answers.com "During the 16th century, the art of lathe making advanced, and the lathe was adapted for making screws. Although early screws were used as fasteners, the application of screws for delicate adjustments was far more important. This use of screw adjustors ensured the accuracy of the machine parts produced. In addition to screw making, various adaptations of lathes throughout the 17th century using cams and patterns enabled the wood lathe to cut complicated figures, not just circles with different radii." ************ Using a common nut & bolt: Grind several grooves inside the nut and you have a thread chaser for a bolt. Grind several grooves on the outside of the bolt and you have a thread chaser for a nut. Both work great for restoring rusted or dinged up threads. A little more precise grinding and profiling within those grooves and you have created a thread cutting tap and die.

Yes when using a LH twisted drill rotating in a CCW direction many RH threaded broken bolts and studs can be removed almost as fast as the bolt or stud broke. If the item is not removed with this method you now have a hole drilled for an Easy-Out. BTW: If you are getting paid to remove the bolt or stud for a customer, tell them the price of the machining charges up front. Also might be a good idea to have them step out of the shop for a cup of complimentary coffee or something. My minimum charge for this type of work was $20. I was usually finished in 5-minutes or less total time!

Clothes dryers have a great blower inside. Check some of your regional appliance repair shops. See if you can find one with a bad electric motor. Don't take much to remove the motor and add some sort of handle for the crank.

To reiterate: "What would you make if you had a lathe?" Best answer I think should be ---- More room in shop so you could then put a milling machine in there too. LOL Machine shop equipment is worse than blacksmithing tools in regards to the more you have, the more you want.... first you want a machine then it is on to bigger sizes for bigger machining capacity and other machine types for more versatility. Let's not forget that the machines then need tool holders, tooling, and workpiece holding devises. But then if you have the right machines, tooling, etc. even those can be made. Have fun! BE safe!

"Real time"? I must be running on artificial time here then. LOL

Click-Click.......Giddy Up BOB?

Ooops, my email addy is trying_it@hotmail.com

Yep hammerin here is still on Aug 15, 16, 17. All invited. Use my email address for further contact information and put IFI or hammerin in the subject area. As Jeremy warned a few posts back.... we may forge around the clock again this year as was done last year. Good Lord willing and Mother Nature plays fair this should be another great gathering.

Most manually operated lathes are ran CCW so that if a chuck wrench is accidentally left in the lathe chuck, and machine is started, the chuck wrench is instantly thrown at the operator. School of Hard Knocks: Crash Course, Pass/Fail grade options A few posts back it was mentioned that drills are used with the machine operated in CCW. I wonder if those posting individuals have ever seen a left hand twist drill? They then require that the lathe be ran in a CW direction for proper cutting action. Any ideas why I may want to use a LH drill vs a RH drill for some applications?

A whole new niche market just waiting to be entered. BTW, who ever said pattern welded billets all had to be beat into sharp pointy objects? For the hardcored die hards that believe that, may I suggest lathe turned plumb bobs from pattern welded billets. LOL

car: modified dash panel pull switches, gear shift knob, hood ornament,... what else. Materials could be laminated wood, plastic, anodized aluminum.... Damascus/pattern welded billet.

After John's last post, why do I have these mental visions of the tomcat (with a couple feathers around its mouth) trying to convince us that it had nothing to do with Tweetie Bird's sudden disappearance.

A lathe is the only machine tool capable of reproducing itself; it can do all the required machining operations. A lathe can do turning, milling, drilling, threading, shaping, grinding operations, etc. and also do metal spinning. Materials machined can be metals (ferrous and nonferrous), plastics, wood, and most any other material desired. A lathes limitations are only tooling and operator influenced. What can be made is only limited by the users imagination.

http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f9/august-adjust-6880/#post64758

Where in Central Illinois? I'm northern edge of southern Illinois, near Nashville/Pinckneyville region. Having a hammerin here Aug 15, 16, 17.

Does mud count as a view? Shop building is fully stuffed (understatement) with machine shop, welding, and woodworking equipment. My smithy is outside until I can put an addition on my current 32' X 45' building. Mother Nature has not been kind to us here this year. If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Mud here; mud pies anyone? Ceramic slip... heavy emphasis on the "slip" part.

OOOPs, meant to type - smoke and CO detectors. Guess some of that subject matter from those chemistry classes is still lurking within my brain cells someplace; CO = carbon monoxide, CO2 = carbon dioxide.

Number 1, where are you located? Number 2, even in the best of circumstances Mother Nature has a way of playing tricks with draft/chimney draw. There are smoke and CO2 detectors available. A just-in-case exhaust fan system might come in handy occasionally. Exhaust fans also come in handy if you decide to do some type of welding inside too. Just my $0.02 worth. BE safe and have fun.

Rich sounds like something that might even make great subject matter for a BP.

I am no bladesmith, but love making and using pattern welded stock. Sure blades need high quality start materials used in the billet making process, but as stated my final uses are generally not blade related. I save band saw drops, lathe/mill/drill chips, bandsaw dust (dry cut), etc. and keep each material seperate for later use. These can be mixed with other materials and forge welded together using the "canned" Damascus process. Final products such as jewelry, lathe turned objects, split crosses, etc. merely scratch the surface of currently hidden and/or overlooked niches and markets.

A Henrob needs to be attached in place of a standard A/O torch and uses the A/O rig's gauges, regulators, hoses, and tanks. Only changes to be made are the pressure settings on the regulators as a Henrob torch operates best at the recommended manufacturer's 4# setting on both tanks, thus the economical gas consumption. It works great for welding, small isolated, drawing temper colors, cutting, piercing, etc. For general shop use buy the complete A/O rig and torches. Later add a Henrob to your equipment; you will be glad you did!

Andrei, Cutting 6" plate or thicker LOL. After buying and using my Henrob, I can now kick myself for ever buying my 50 amp plasma cutter that requires a steady supply of Dry air. DRY air in Mudville, USA? That would be like a having an actual snowball fight in Arizona someday!

Many states are praying for rain while other states are praying for it to stop for a while! As with many other things in life it is feast or famine. Mother Nature sure is not happy this year in America's Heartland and she is definitely letting it be known. Future food prices, among other things, will soon reflect the hardships endured this year in Mid-America. "Levee breaks, threatening eastern Mo. homes" Levee breaks, threatening eastern Mo. homes - Midwest flooding - MSNBC.com

Punch presses are mostly designed for sheet metal or thin plate fabrication. I ran many a punch press in my lifetime and consider myself lucky that I still have all 8 fingers and both thumbs complete. I'm real lucky as I had one particular beast triple punch during one cycle instead of a single punch; apparently a dog had a little too much wear on it. Many I have worked with were not so lucky as they do have fingers missing. Or in the case of one dear friend, both hands are missing to the wrists as a result of just setting a press up with dies and the machine cycled at the wrong time. Just a heads up warning from an old concerned IFI member. BE safe - Stan