Category Archives: Tools

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

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

Expanding Mandrel

Posted on October 16, 2011 by dave49

I machine my spool ends (vs. spinning or forming) and it is something of a problem to hold them so that all surfaces can be cut. On seven reels to date, I have clamped the 0.75 diameter back side hub … Continue reading →

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

Shaft

Posted on October 13, 2011 by dave49

I have been trying to make the rather complex end plates for my aluminum frame reels (blog entry of 10 Aug 2011), but having serial failures. So I decided to take a break and make some really straightforward parts, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Alignment, Reel Parts, Shaft | Leave a comment

New Tool Plate

Posted on October 3, 2011 by dave49

When milling the profile of a raised pillar end plate, I screw the work to a tool plate. For the first two raised pillar reels that I made, I used a tool plate that I originally made for milling S … Continue reading →

Posted in Fixtures, Work Holding | 1 Comment

Roughing End Mill

Posted on August 30, 2011 by dave49

I will be building several copies of my “Aluminum Frame Reel” this winter, and I am beginning to think about quicker ways to move metal. At present I have 0.1 hp lathe and mill from Sherline. I think that the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cutting, Milling | 1 Comment

Using the Foot Fixture

Posted on May 28, 2011 by dave49

This post is of interest to anyone who bought my plan set at The Eclectic Angler, and will be making the foot fixture of drawing 1015. I started to use the fixture this morning and went through a “deja vu” … Continue reading →

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

Speed Calibration

Posted on May 24, 2011 by dave49

Sherline lathe or mill speed is set with a knob, but the only indications for the knob are which direction to turn to go faster or slower. I have gotten along with just this for about a year and a … Continue reading →

Posted in Measuring | Leave a comment

Full Text of Article in “Power Fibers”

Posted on May 6, 2011 by dave49

Editor Todd Talsma of Power Fibers gave me permission to print my article here as well. Since the April 2011 issue of the magazine is available on-line (and free) for just 3 months, this seems like a good idea. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Articles, Documents, Tools | 2 Comments