Category Archives: Reel Parts

Toenail Clipper

Posted on February 14, 2012 by dave49

I have made about a dozen reel feet by now, but alignment to cut a radius at each end of the foot has been a recurring pain. I made a simple fixture to help with trimming to the right length, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alignment, Foot, Work Holding | Leave a comment

Using the 4 Jaw Chuck as a Vise

Posted on February 7, 2012 by dave49

Sherline’s 4 jaw chuck was designed to fit on the lathe spindle, but can also be used on the vertical mill. This is very handy; when I make end plates for raised pillar reels I frequently move the work between … Continue reading →

Posted in End Plate, Fixtures, Work Holding | Leave a comment

The S Crank

Posted on January 26, 2012 by dave49

I am down to the last part on two reels to be done at the end of the month. It is the nickel silver crank. The outline of my crank is formed by a series of circular arcs so that … Continue reading →

Posted in Crank | Leave a comment

Knobs

Posted on December 13, 2011 by dave49

I am getting down to the final details on the first two reels of my winter 2011-12 production. This week I am making knobs of a variety of materials. This is “Alternative Ivory”, a plastic substitute for the real thing. … Continue reading →

Posted in Knob, Materials | 1 Comment

Second Expanding Mandrel

Posted on December 6, 2011 by dave49

When I prototyped my aluminum frame reel (blog post of 10 Aug 2011), I fastened the rear bearing cap with two small screws. For the “production” reels, I did not want protruding screw heads, and so decided to secure the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bearing Cap, Fixtures, Work Holding | Leave a comment

Bonding Fixture

Posted on November 23, 2011 by dave49

The Delrin assembly on the left is a fixture that holds the spool ends square on the shaft while Loctite 609 adhesive sets up. The ends fit a bit loose (0.001-0.002) on the shaft because there has to be some … Continue reading →

Posted in Bonding, Fixtures, Spool | Leave a comment

Starting a Threading Die

Posted on November 18, 2011 by dave49

I am finishing end plates, and that involves a lot of tedious hand work and a lot of waiting for the tumbler to do its job. There is a feeling that no progress is being made. So as a remedy, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cutting, Screw | 6 Comments

Aluminum End Plates

Posted on November 12, 2011 by dave49

I have been having trouble making end plates for my “aluminum frame reel”, and had to scrap a couple of parts that were nearly finished. The problem was pillar lugs that were not symmetric. At 1.5 inch radius, an 0.1 … Continue reading →

Posted in End Plate, Milling | Leave a comment

Boring with the Lathe

Posted on November 2, 2011 by dave49

I have been making end plates for my “aluminum frame reel”. I start with a section of rectangular bar, round the corners for lathe clearance, then remove almost all the material with a roughing end mill. Then I make the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cutting, End Plate, Turning | 2 Comments

Fixtures for Spool End

Posted on October 17, 2011 by dave49

After deciding that the expanding mandrel (previous post) was inadequate, I started thinking about ways to support the spool end blank at its rim. Axial runout must be minimized. This is what I made and think works well. Here you … Continue reading →

Posted in Fixtures, Milling, Spool End, Turning, Work Holding | 2 Comments