Category Archives: Tools

Magnetic Base

Posted on May 31, 2017 by dave49

This is my new magnetic base for indicators, and I am finding it to be very useful. It is just the right size for use on MiniLathe and MiniMill and has plenty of articulation. All the joints tighten when you … Continue reading →

Posted in Alignment | Leave a comment

Right Angle Bracket

Posted on April 27, 2017 by dave49

Little Machine Shop offers this cast iron right angle bracket for use on MiniMills. I bought one and immediately drilled it to accommodate my Sherline rotary tables. It is much heavier than the aluminum bracket offered by Sherline. I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Fixtures, Milling, Work Holding | Leave a comment

More MiniLathe Tooling

Posted on April 13, 2017 by dave49

I have used a Sherline lathe for about 9 years to make reel parts. In that time I developed many fixtures to facilitate lathe operation. Now that I am converting to a MiniLathe, new tools are needed. Here its a … Continue reading →

Posted in Alignment, Fixtures, Turning | Leave a comment

MiniLathe Tooling

Posted on April 4, 2017 by dave49

In 2015, I replaced my Sherline mill with a MiniMill (Little Machine Shop 3990). The switchover was simple; I only had to make some special hold down clamps to continue using my Sherline rotary table with the new mill. Now … Continue reading →

Posted in Tools, Turning, Work Holding | 1 Comment

A Foot Fixture for the Lathe

Posted on July 24, 2016 by dave49

Since starting this hobby in 2010, I have built about 50 reels. For every one of these, I shaped the top of the reel foot with a vertical mill using this rotary table fixture. This is a labor intensive process … Continue reading →

Posted in Fixtures, Foot, Turning | Leave a comment

More of Greg’s Reels

Posted on March 17, 2016 by dave49

Greg is an Ohio based bamboo rod maker. In November 2014 I posted pictures of two reels that he made from my plan set (eclecticangler.com). Greg is now seriously into reel production, using CNC to assist on the more complicated … Continue reading →

Posted in CNC, Reels by Readers | 6 Comments

Engraving Practice

Posted on March 5, 2016 by dave49

The engraver is running; here is a practice part. This was done on scrap bronze with a .018 inch diameter end mill turning at 24000 rpm and travelling at 4 inches/minute. The groove is about .005 inch deep. My design … Continue reading →

Posted in CNC, Engraving/Marking | 8 Comments

First CNC Part

Posted on February 29, 2016 by dave49

My CNC engraver has progressed to the point that it is ready to use. Before buying design software, I decided to try hand coding a G code program. The task here will be to mill the complex perimeter profile of … Continue reading →

Posted in CNC | 5 Comments

CNC Control Panel

Posted on February 20, 2016 by dave49

The control panel for the engraver is now wired. The front has some switches to give me direct control of stepper enable, spindle power, etc. Here is the back side. There are three switching power supplies. If there are any … Continue reading →

Posted in CNC, Engraving/Marking | 2 Comments

Wired

Posted on February 12, 2016 by dave49

I now have all the wiring anchored to my CNC mill. Quite a bit of the labor was in mounting the limit switches. The engraving mill will connect to its control panel by 7 four pin connectors: 3 for step … Continue reading →

Posted in CNC, Engraving/Marking | Leave a comment