vapremac

Nice looking piece of equipment, a very handy addition to any shop. Hope it gives you many years of reliable service..........MERRY XMAS !

Have you tried MSC ,Grainger or Reid supply ?

I believe Jim is right, at the machine shop where I did my apprenticeship we had a machine that utilized grinding wheels just like that and mounted the same way. We used it, mainly because we did work for the local Caterpillar dealer, to resurface cylinder heads. As far as using it on a machine without knowing what type of abuse it was subjected to.........don't think I would do it.

Jim, Beautiful work,the attention to detail is amazing! The anvil on the paper towel holder is a nice addition...........come to think of it one that size would be nice little chain pull on a ceiling fan or light.

I like it, as a pipe smoker and collector I would buy it do to the fact that I don't have an animal themed pipe tamper.

The 3-4 things you started,were they simple or complex projects?

Nice work, keep us updated. I work with metal and deal with metal suppliers on a daily basis and keep very close watch on material prices, even at my cost H13 is outrageous. It is a good choice for your given application, the chromium and molybdenum content gives it excellent abrasion resistance and hot work capabilities. After doing some research ( I know I'm opening up a can of worms here, LOL) full rockwell hardness of 23-28 on H13 cannot be achieved unless perfect conditions are met and one has the proper equipment to do so. On the other hand 4142 might be a good alternative cost wise and the fact that full rockwell hardness of 27 can be achieved by raising both materials to 1200 degrees. The cool down soak and reheat on H13 is where it gets a little tricky. Yes, with the 4142 material there may be a downside as to not having the "abrasion resistance " but let me say this,when I machine this material if you do not keep some type of flood coolant going it will "work harden". When this happens a file won't even touch it and you think you're dealing with H13. So basically what I'm saying is, for the light user there are alternatives. Check out John Crouchet's website (Texas wrought iron) see what he makes his tooling for his fly presses out of. Food for thought and my .02

Nice mill, hope it serves you well. I see the pic of the rotary phase converter, are satisfied with that brand or have you had it in service long enough to give an in depth review?

Nothing better than seeing the old iron!! Like previously mentioned, it is a horizontal milling machine and yes they are "old" technology. With a little elbow grease and tlc that would be a handy little machine to have around. The cutters do resemble saw blades but come in all different sizes, shapes and angles. That machine more than likely has a 7/8" or 1" arbor size for the cutters and they are still very much readily available from new to used. A word of caution, they will hurt you, machine tools demand respect and do not have a conscious ! I have a very large horizontal mill that I operate allmost on a daily basis and that ole gal and I have a very clear understanding of whos the boss. Given the design of the machine in your pics I would say it most likely predates WW2. Keep us updated if you move forward with it.

Thanks for the replies and the great technical info! I was kinda thinking it would be nice to have such a vast arsenal of sizes to choose from and locate hole position much easier.

Hello everyone! Wondering if anyone uses iron worker punches and dies in their flypress and how well it works? Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks......

I use the lennox diemaster 2 series blades in my saws, leaves a nice smooth finish and good service life cutting 4140 DCF PHT all day long. You get what you pay for.................

Adjustable turning tool, pins slide in a t-slot groove to suit the job at hand. The 1" shank makes it work well in either the anvil or vise jig block I posted a picture of in the "Show me your vise tools" thread.

Vise jig block, accepts 1" square shank tooling. Really handy for quick tool changes.

Parallel would probably be the more ideal setup, in a series you would have low pressure at the second cylinder and more than likely they wouldn't stay in "time" with one another. One hose to an adjustable manifold, split from there to each cylinder. Hope this helps.

Parafin wax....heat the area well with a torch,while still hot rub the wax block on the heated area. You can watch the liquid wax get pulled into the hole. That method hasn't failed me yet and it usually only takes one application of the wax to work.

I am by no means an HVAC tech but IMHO I do not think this would be a very effective/efficient method of transferring warm air. Maybe if the pipe had some sort of insulation wrap? What about ceiling/floor vents to let the heat rise?

Thanks for the responses! Jim Coke, I'll do my best to offer up my knowledge in any way possible and yes I've been known to make a few rather interesting tools in my shop.

Been a lurker on the site for a little while and the wealth of knowledge and experience, as well as the talent that is portrayed is truly amazing. Although I am not a blacksmith, I do work with a wide range of metals very extensively on a daily basis ,I'm a one man machine shop and the blacksmithing side of metalworking has grabbed my attention. Looking forward to learning ,sharing and problem solving with others.................