Category Archives: Process

Ball Turning

Posted on July 20, 2018 by dave49

My “standard” bronze frame reel has two surfaces that are cut to a spherical shape, one is the spool retaining screw head (convex) and the other is the waist on the knob (concave; at least, concave motion of the cutter). … Continue reading →

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Tool Post Grinding

Posted on January 2, 2018 by dave49

I have been selling “Ferrule Shrinking Tools” again; they are used by bamboo rod makers to reduce the diameter of a female nickel silver ferrule and improve the fit. Since I have pretty well satisfied the total rodmaker demand for … Continue reading →

Posted in Abrading | 2 Comments

Using the Ferrule Shrink Tool

Posted on November 25, 2017 by dave49

I have started selling the ferrule shrinking tool again. If you are interested, see my blog page: Ferrule Shrinking My experience with the tool is recorded in two blog posts: Ferrule Shrinking Ferrule Tool Article Recently Chris purchased a tool … Continue reading →

Posted in Ferrules, Forming | Leave a comment

Leo’s Foot Fixtures

Posted on November 11, 2017 by dave49

Below is some correspondence from Leo. When I have needed to make curved surfaces on reel feet, I have used my mill with either a rotary table fixture or a ball end mill. Leo shows how to do the same … Continue reading →

Posted in Fixtures, Foot, Turning, Work Holding | Leave a comment

Ratchet Cutting

Posted on October 21, 2017 by dave49

This blog post records my setup for cutting ratchet teeth. I having been building reels one at a time, so this setup is needed for each reel. The bushing/ratchet blank is held on a mandrel in a 4 jaw chuck … Continue reading →

Posted in Milling, Ratchet/Gear | Leave a comment

Compliance Reduction

Posted on October 17, 2017 by dave49

The problem that I am having with my MiniLathe is that the support of the cutting tool is too compliant. It is really disconcerting when a cut-off blade dives under the workpiece. Chatter is a problem with all types of … Continue reading →

Posted in Fixtures, Turning | 1 Comment

Cutting a Steep Taper

Posted on September 27, 2017 by dave49

I want to make a special brass washer, flat on one side and conical on the other. The stock is 7/16 inch diameter brass, and the cone angle is 60 degrees from parallel to the stock rod axis. It is … Continue reading →

Posted in Turning | 4 Comments

One Piece Spool, Again

Posted on August 15, 2017 by dave49

This post is not so much about how to make a one piece spool (topic covered June 2013) as it is about a comparison of two types of metal lathe available to hobbyists. I now have both a MiniLathe (China … Continue reading →

Posted in Spool, Turning | Leave a comment

Diamond Toolholder

Posted on June 6, 2017 by dave49

Somehow the Diamond Toolholder (a.k.a. Tangential Toolholder) came to my attention and I thought it sounded like a great idea. Uses a standard 1/4 inch HSS bit, easy to sharpen, easy to adjust height. So I put my money down. … Continue reading →

Posted in Cutting, Turning | Leave a comment

Thrust Plate for Compound Slide

Posted on May 30, 2017 by dave49

I have had a MiniLathe for several months now, but am still having trouble making it function well enough to replace my Sherline lathe for routine reel making operations. One particular problem is that the dial of the compound slide … Continue reading →

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