by Howie Grunert If you are anything like me, you have a Digital Read Out (DRO) on your milling machine; here is a trick you may not be aware of that you can use the DRO for. Most DROs have a function called “Bolt Hole Pattern,” where you can assign a center point for a [...]
by Howie Grunert If you need to turn a disk, especially a thin one that cannot be clamped in the lathe’s chuck, then read on. You will need to make a simple fixture first. Start out with a cylinder of about Ø1-1/2” and about 1-1/2” long; dimensions are not incredibly important. Face one side of [...]
by R.G. Sparber I get one of three reactions from people who see this new drill table format. Some say they hate it, some ask why I bothered, and some really like it. The basic idea was to be able to start with a needed hole diameter and use it to find the closest number, [...]
by Steve Jasik I bought some M3 disposable razors some time ago and removed the blades from them for one of my projects. I could not quite bear the idea of simply tossing the handles, so I took a good look around the shop and thought they just might work with my Swiss pattern files. [...]
by R.G. Sparber Before we had the need for interchangeable parts, machines were made by “cutting to fit.” There is nothing wrong with this approach in the hobby shop. The vise I built depends heavily on cut to fit techniques. Many holes must perfectly line up, but this is done by match drilling. Overall accuracy [...]
by Ian MacGregor There are low-cost carbide router bits available, frequently found on sale at your local tool supplier, which can be used on your vertical mill to save you dollars, as well as setup time. V-grooves, edge chamfers, and rounded edges are just some examples of milling operations that I have done using these [...]
