Category Archives: Work Holding

Chuck Spider

Posted on July 1, 2020 by dave49

I finally sold my Sherline lathe, my first machine tool. I could do this because I have made enough upgrades and fixtures for my newer minilathe to produce all reel parts with just it and my mill. The last consideration … Continue reading →

Posted in Ring, Turning, Work Holding | Leave a comment

Faceplate for Minilathe

Posted on October 9, 2018 by dave49

I was working on a new reel design, and realized that several operations would best be done with the parts clamped to a faceplate. The problem, however, is that on my Minilathe, the carriage cannot travel far enough left to … Continue reading →

Posted in Fixtures, Turning, Work Holding | 2 Comments

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

Gerrit’s Vise

Posted on August 28, 2017 by dave49

In addition to making reels, I have dabbled with rod ferrules and reel seat hardware. Gerrit (The Netherlands) has found yet another project for the home shop machinist, fly tying vises. This is a beautiful design and execution. I wonder … Continue reading →

Posted in Work Holding | 5 Comments

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

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

Screwless Vises

Posted on May 24, 2015 by dave49

I do not know why these are called “screwless” because clearly there is a screw that pulls the jaws together. I believe that this is a good design because the angled screw pulls the held object down flat onto the … Continue reading →

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Custom Jaws

Posted on May 17, 2015 by dave49

For my current line of bronze frame reels, the starting point for the front end ring, and for the rear end plate, is a disk sawn from the end of a 3 inch diameter bronze rod. This disk must be … Continue reading →

Posted in Work Holding | 1 Comment

Handling Large Bar Stock

Posted on December 11, 2014 by dave49

My current reel design has a brass or bronze frame. The “5 weight reel” is a little less than 3 inches over the pillar lugs, and the “3 weight” is a little less than 2.5 inches. I made the first … Continue reading →

Posted in Work Holding | 2 Comments

Precision Washer

Posted on May 8, 2014 by dave49

For my next reel design, I need a washer 5/16 inch OD, 1/8 inch ID, and .010 inch thick. I have had a similar part in past designs, and tried to make it by parting off the thin washer from … Continue reading →

Posted in Work Holding | 2 Comments