https://doug.sdf.org/ Recent content on Not Another Home Shop Blog Hugo -- gohugo.io en-us Mon, 05 Jan 2026 02:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/about/ Thu, 21 Feb 2019 17:41:00 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/about/ This is a blog documenting a few of the projects made in my home shop. I'm just pissing about here and not a professional metal worker in any manner. https://doug.sdf.org/links/ Wed, 01 Jan 2014 17:41:00 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/links/ Selected links of helpful or unique web sites. https://gadgetbuilder.com/ John Moran's site with great projects like the 4 Facet drill sharpener. http://mikesworkshop.weebly.com/ Great site with many shop projects. I found the "making gear cutters" articles especially useful. http://www.frets.com/HomeShopTech/hstpages.html Frank Ford's site with many useful projects. I used some of his ideas for a mill stop when designing my mill's soft/hard stops. http://www.deansphotographica.com/machining/projects/projects.html Dean has some nice engine builds documented with great photos. https://doug.sdf.org/2026/01/05/using-a-geometric-die-head-with-the-south-bend-10k-lathe/ Mon, 05 Jan 2026 02:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2026/01/05/using-a-geometric-die-head-with-the-south-bend-10k-lathe/ Several years ago a Rubometric Die Head was purchased for a really good price at the popular online auction site. At that time an article was posted here about how it works, but I never showed the entire procedure for using the tool to make parts. Since an assortment of threaded studs for the lathe's T-Slot cross slide was needed, now was the perfect time to break-out the die head and document how I use it. https://doug.sdf.org/2025/09/16/grizzly-g0678-knee-mill-motor-bearing-replacement/ Tue, 16 Sep 2025 02:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2025/09/16/grizzly-g0678-knee-mill-motor-bearing-replacement/ During the last few months I've noticed a slight intermediate noise coming from the mill which has been slowly getting worse. After a bit of troubleshooting, it seems to be coming from the electric motor. While it isn't sounding horribly bad yet, right now I'm in-between projects so it's a good time to perform some maintenance. Better to do this now before this problem becomes much worse and risk damage from spinning a bearing in the motor housing. https://doug.sdf.org/2025/07/12/building-elmers-geared-steam-engine-pt3/ Sat, 12 Jul 2025 02:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2025/07/12/building-elmers-geared-steam-engine-pt3/ The Elmer's Geared Steam Engine build will be completed in this article. The valve rod is constructed with an interesting technique for turning small diameters. The gears are installed and lapped together for smooth running and finally assembly commences with gasket making and switching over from screws to studs. A piece of clear acrylic is crafted to use as the valve cover so the valve action can be observed while the engine is running. https://doug.sdf.org/2025/06/08/building-elmers-geared-steam-engine-pt2/ Sun, 08 Jun 2025 02:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2025/06/08/building-elmers-geared-steam-engine-pt2/ Construction of the Elmer's Geared Steam Engine continues in this article. A major piece of the project is completed which has many machined features: the engine cylinder. With that component completed, work starts on the many smaller parts of the engine like the steam chest and eccentric. The ER11 collet chuck is highlighted which is a very handy piece of kit for tiny end mills and drills. This engine build will be wrapped-up in the next article. https://doug.sdf.org/2025/05/12/building-elmers-geared-steam-engine-pt1/ Mon, 12 May 2025 02:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2025/05/12/building-elmers-geared-steam-engine-pt1/ Presented for your reading pleasure is a small series of articles documenting my build of Elmer Verburg's Geared Engine, often called Elmer's Engine #5, the name of which is derived from the chapter number of the compilation book which describes this engine and many other projects. The cycloidal gearing of this engine makes it a fairly unique project and interesting to watch while running. This engine was not built from a kit and is mostly comprised of bar stock. https://doug.sdf.org/2025/01/03/a-t-slotted-cross-slide-for-the-south-bend-10k-lathe-pt3/ Fri, 03 Jan 2025 02:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2025/01/03/a-t-slotted-cross-slide-for-the-south-bend-10k-lathe-pt3/ Machining of the T-Slotted cross slide continues with drilling and tapping the compound mounting screw holes and engraving compound index marks in the top of the cross slide. Some paint was bought that was color-matched to an original South Bend accessory and that was applied to the cross slide. After seeing how well additional oilers worked with the saddle, some new oilers were also added to the cross slide for lubricating the dovetails. https://doug.sdf.org/2024/12/02/a-t-slotted-cross-slide-for-the-south-bend-10k-lathe-pt2/ Mon, 02 Dec 2024 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2024/12/02/a-t-slotted-cross-slide-for-the-south-bend-10k-lathe-pt2/ Machining of the T-Slotted cross slide continues with some metrology of the old cross slide and the newer saddle to make sure the dovetails will be cut at the correct location. The dovetails are then machined with the dovetail cutting tool. Machining the gib requires some custom fixture hardware, so that is manufactured and the gib is shaped to size. Holes are then drilled and tapped along the side of the cross slide for the gib mounting screws. https://doug.sdf.org/2024/11/05/a-t-slotted-cross-slide-for-the-south-bend-10k-lathe-pt1/ Tue, 05 Nov 2024 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2024/11/05/a-t-slotted-cross-slide-for-the-south-bend-10k-lathe-pt1/ The newer lathe saddle finally spurred me on to start the Model Lathe Accessories (MLA) T-Slotted cross slide casting that I had in storage for quite a few years. This new cross slide will add quite a few capabilities to the lathe that are really nice for model engineering: a nice surface to attach work for line boring, the possibility of using a rear-mounted toolpost and the nicest feature is that it will be brand new. https://doug.sdf.org/2024/10/23/saddle-upgrade-for-the-south-bend-10k-lathe/ Wed, 23 Oct 2024 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2024/10/23/saddle-upgrade-for-the-south-bend-10k-lathe/ A unplanned auction win resulted in a upgraded saddle for the South Bend 10K lathe. In this article we review the saddle to appraise it's condition and then start fitting the new saddle to the existing lathe hardware. The saddle was also upgraded with additional oilers for improved lubrication against the lathe bed. This saddle upgrade will also lead to a compound upgrade and a new, freshly machined T-Slot cross slide. https://doug.sdf.org/2023/12/24/making-a-shop-test-bar/ Sun, 24 Dec 2023 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2023/12/24/making-a-shop-test-bar/ Test bars are very straight, very round bars used to setup machinery and work fixtures in the shop. They can also be handy for inspecting run-out in chucks and collets. You can buy them commercially, but like most metrology equipment they can be very pricey and therefore hard to justify for the limited use seen in the home shop. In this article a moderately priced bar is made that should satisfy most home shop needs. https://doug.sdf.org/2023/11/01/making-a-keyway-broach-bushing/ Wed, 01 Nov 2023 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2023/11/01/making-a-keyway-broach-bushing/ The last project required a keyway to be broached in a shop made gear. I already have a nice Hassay-Savage keyway broach kit, but as is so often the case, the kit didn't have a guide bushing for the particular sized hole used in this gear. Rather than wait a week to get the correctly sized bushing via mail order, this article will show how to make one in the shop out of scrap so the job can be completed in a timely manner. https://doug.sdf.org/2023/09/04/single-point-threading-27-tpi-on-the-south-bend-10k-lathe/ Mon, 04 Sep 2023 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2023/09/04/single-point-threading-27-tpi-on-the-south-bend-10k-lathe/ If you are working on old gas light fixtures or strangely enough, microphone stands, you might have the need to single-point cut a 27 TPI thread with your South Bend Lathe. While this particular thread setting isn't directly available through the QCGB, with the addition of a 42 tooth gear into the gear train cutting this thread is possible. Back in the day there was enough interest in this that South Bend sold the optional gear. https://doug.sdf.org/2023/07/21/making-a-change-gear-for-the-south-bend-10k-lathe-pt2/ Fri, 21 Jul 2023 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2023/07/21/making-a-change-gear-for-the-south-bend-10k-lathe-pt2/ The gear creation project continues with indicating the blank to run true, setting the cutter height, cutter depth and finally cutting the blank with an involute gear cutter. After the blank is deburred, the gear is inspected with the two wire method and a recommended web page with gear information is shown. After that, the gear keyway is cut with a broach and another way of making gears is shown. https://doug.sdf.org/2023/06/12/making-a-change-gear-for-the-south-bend-10k-lathe-pt1/ Mon, 12 Jun 2023 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2023/06/12/making-a-change-gear-for-the-south-bend-10k-lathe-pt1/ Several future projects in the work queue will need some shop made gears. Almost all the necessary tooling for gear making is already in the shop and I would like to make a gear now to help streamline the process for making future gears. Since I already have a set of the proper involute gear cutters for the lathe's change gears, I'll start with making a gear that will allow single-point threading on the lathe a thread TPI that is not available as a selection with the lathe's QCGB. https://doug.sdf.org/2023/05/07/south-bend-10k-lathe-digital-spindle-tach/ Sun, 07 May 2023 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2023/05/07/south-bend-10k-lathe-digital-spindle-tach/ After the VFD installation, sometimes when using the lathe I wished for a tach to keep track of the spindle RPM's while adjusting the variable speed control. While not completely necessary, it is sometimes convenient to have an accurate gauge of spindle speed than just a guess by the sound of the lathe and location of the drive belts. Luckily, digital tachs using a hall effect sensor are accurate, cheap and relatively easy to install as shown in this article. https://doug.sdf.org/2023/03/11/making-a-dead-blow-knocker/ Sat, 11 Mar 2023 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2023/03/11/making-a-dead-blow-knocker/ In the hobby shop it's a quite common need to gently tap objects into various forms of alignment. A soft blow hammer works great for this, but sometimes it's difficult to get enough room for a good swing or the item to be moved is quite small. This shot filled dead-blow knocker, with non-marring Delrin and brass ends, is very handy in such cases and is a fun weekend project that is machined entirely on the lathe. https://doug.sdf.org/2022/12/17/south-bend-10k-lathe-vfd-installation-pt3/ Sat, 17 Dec 2022 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2022/12/17/south-bend-10k-lathe-vfd-installation-pt3/ Time to wrap-up the VFD installation for the South Bend 10K lathe by installing the motor into the lathe cabinet and making a custom mounting bracket to mount the VFD and avoid any unnecessary holes. The VFD was installed in a slightly unusual position so it is discussed why I didn't go with a more typical controller spot and why this was the best position for my usage. Also an emergency stop switch was installed that will completely kill power to the lathe. https://doug.sdf.org/2022/11/10/south-bend-10k-lathe-vfd-installation-pt2/ Thu, 10 Nov 2022 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2022/11/10/south-bend-10k-lathe-vfd-installation-pt2/ Immediately after it was purchased the SB10K lathe had been using a 115V single phase motor which is not usable with a VFD so a different motor (3 phase) was required. This article goes over what specifications were desired in a replacement motor and what motor was eventually installed. For the VFD, various features and models are discussed and then I elaborate on why I went with the VFD that was eventually installed in the lathe. https://doug.sdf.org/2022/09/30/south-bend-10k-lathe-vfd-installation-pt1/ Fri, 30 Sep 2022 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2022/09/30/south-bend-10k-lathe-vfd-installation-pt1/ A variable speed drive is a nice option for any piece of metal shop equipment. For the lathe, it's especially handy to be able to adjust the spindle speed during a cutting operation, like increasing the RPM's during a facing operation so the cutting speed at the tool is constant as the cut diameter gets smaller. In the next few articles I will describe how I installed a variable frequency drive into my old South Bend 10K lathe. https://doug.sdf.org/2022/08/05/indicator-holder-for-the-grizzly-g0678-knee-mill/ Fri, 05 Aug 2022 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2022/08/05/indicator-holder-for-the-grizzly-g0678-knee-mill/ It's a good idea to regularly tram the mill head with an indicator to make sure it's maintaining a proper alignment with the table. It's more convenient if this operation can be accomplished with the milling vise installed. Having two preset positions and utilizing a Starrett 196, this indicator holder can sweep the mill table with the vise installed to check head tilt and can also sweep a circle in the center of the mill table to check head nod as well. https://doug.sdf.org/2022/05/20/repairing-a-general-170-tap-wrench/ Fri, 20 May 2022 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2022/05/20/repairing-a-general-170-tap-wrench/ I have an old USA made General 170 Straight Tap Wrench in a handy 7 inch size that works well for taps 1/4" and under. Even though it has seen a bunch of use, it still works fine except for one major defect: whenever the jaws are opened the moving jaw falls out from the wrench. This can still be a good tool again and it deserves a repair so it can be used for another fifty years. https://doug.sdf.org/2021/10/07/running-the-pm-research-number-3-engine-on-steam/ Thu, 07 Oct 2021 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2021/10/07/running-the-pm-research-number-3-engine-on-steam/ In this build, the PM Research Number 3 steam engine that was previously machined from a casting kit earlier in the year will be connected to a Jensen 2 1/2" electrically heated boiler. This model engine will then become a live steam engine! A PM Research dynamo, another previous machining project, will be run off a drive belt powering a small light bulb to provide a working load for the engine. https://doug.sdf.org/2021/09/08/grizzly-g0678-knee-mill-factory-vfd-settings/ Wed, 08 Sep 2021 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2021/09/08/grizzly-g0678-knee-mill-factory-vfd-settings/ The variable frequency drive (VFD) on the Grizzly G0678 mill is a great feature. It's extremely handy to adjust the speed of the mill from zero to 2250 RPM's by the simple act of turning a knob. Certainly much easier than moving belts around! Being an electronic device, however, the VFD might unexpectedly quit working one day. Rather than wait until after the drive is inoperable, I went through all 100+ VFD settings and documented the factory-shipped values. https://doug.sdf.org/2021/08/06/another-er32-collet-chuck-for-the-south-bend-10k-lathe/ Fri, 06 Aug 2021 12:45:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2021/08/06/another-er32-collet-chuck-for-the-south-bend-10k-lathe/ A few years ago I made a very handy ER32 collet chuck for my lathe. Made from a single piece of steel, it was a great hobby project that featured internal threading, metric threading and creating a precise internal taper. Unfortunately over the years it's been slowly getting more inaccurate with run-out. It can be corrected with some machining, but I thought it might be interesting to adapt a different style of ER32 collect chuck to this South Bend lathe. https://doug.sdf.org/2021/06/08/building-a-float-lock-drill-press-vise-pt2/ Tue, 08 Jun 2021 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2021/06/08/building-a-float-lock-drill-press-vise-pt2/ The float lock drill press vise build concludes with this article. In this build I got a chance to experiment with some single point ACME threading on the lathe while turning between centers. After the vise body was completed, the second major part of the build, which was devising a way to fasten the vise onto the drill press table in a clean and usable fashion, took almost as long to complete as the vise itself. https://doug.sdf.org/2021/05/04/building-a-float-lock-drill-press-vise-pt1/ Tue, 04 May 2021 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2021/05/04/building-a-float-lock-drill-press-vise-pt1/ With a drill press, many times you want to drill a hole whose location is marked with a center punch. With the float method, using slight quill pressure with a drill on the punch dimple will allow the work to automatically align under the drill bit. Continuing to hold the work while actually drilling, however, is another matter and this is where the float lock vise really shines. After aligning the work as described above, with a simple tightening of the lock lever the work is held safely and securely in the float lock vise. https://doug.sdf.org/2021/02/26/building-the-pm-research-number-3-steam-engine-pt2/ Fri, 26 Feb 2021 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2021/02/26/building-the-pm-research-number-3-steam-engine-pt2/ The highlights of the PM Research #3 steam engine build continues. First, the work is started on the cylinder which features quite a few machining operations. Next, the machining of the eccentric and showing how that part is setup in the 4 jaw chuck. Lastly, wrapping up construction with the final assembly of the engine. A small video at the end of the article shows the engine running on compressed air. https://doug.sdf.org/2021/01/17/building-the-pm-research-number-3-steam-engine-pt1/ Sun, 17 Jan 2021 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2021/01/17/building-the-pm-research-number-3-steam-engine-pt1/ The PM Research #3 was chosen as my next steam engine project, specifically the kit with the bronze and cast iron castings. This will be a modest step-up in complexity from the last steam engine build, which was the PM Research #2, since this engine uses a valving design more typical of a full-sized engine and has a more full-scale appearance. Also the design of this engine should allow it to work well on steam. https://doug.sdf.org/2020/12/15/rubometric-self-opening-die-head/ Tue, 15 Dec 2020 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2020/12/15/rubometric-self-opening-die-head/ On the popular online auction site, a Rubometric D 3/4" die head was listed for sale with a poorly-worded title. Since these die heads usually sell new in the four figure range, I didn't think my bid at the low initial starting price would be the highest for very long. At the end of the auction, however, I was surprised to find that I had won the die head (and more) for less than the price of a new set of chasers. https://doug.sdf.org/2020/11/09/ball-turner-for-the-south-bend-10k-lathe-pt3/ Mon, 09 Nov 2020 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2020/11/09/ball-turner-for-the-south-bend-10k-lathe-pt3/ In this article construction of the boring head ball turner will be completed. Mr Swash came up with a clever idea for the tool's cutter by using a RCMT 0602 carbide insert which are available at a very reasonable cost with a lathe tool holder. Since this insert is round it seems to work well with the arc cutting motion of the tool. Also, a small video is included showing the ball turner in action. https://doug.sdf.org/2020/10/11/ball-turner-for-the-south-bend-10k-lathe-pt2/ Sun, 11 Oct 2020 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2020/10/11/ball-turner-for-the-south-bend-10k-lathe-pt2/ The build continues on the boring head ball turner with the completion of the machining of most of the major parts. Cutting the AXA dovetail was an especially interesting part of the project which also required a surprising amount of precision. The dovetail machining provided a chance to play with the Randy Richard (Randy Richard in The Shop on Youtube) dovetail cutter which worked great even with the relatively hard tool steel. https://doug.sdf.org/2020/09/21/ball-turner-for-the-south-bend-10k-lathe-pt1/ Mon, 21 Sep 2020 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2020/09/21/ball-turner-for-the-south-bend-10k-lathe-pt1/ Using the lathe for turning balls and adding a radius to rod ends is a common enough occurrence for me to warrant specialized tooling. Years ago I bought a kit version of such a tool with the frame made out of aluminum. It worked, but it was difficult to set the tool depth and it's lightweight design (like a tuning fork) meant that it wanted to chatter during cuts. Something better was needed. https://doug.sdf.org/2020/08/17/jensen-55-steam-engine-rebuild-pt-2/ Mon, 17 Aug 2020 13:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2020/08/17/jensen-55-steam-engine-rebuild-pt-2/ The Jensen 55 rebuild continues with making some new teflon gaskets and the general assembly of the cleaned, polished and painted parts back onto the main board with the completed engine and boiler. Two videos are also available at the end of this article to show the steam engine operating off of steam: one video demonstrates the slow-running capabilities of the engine while the other shows the engine driving a toy machine shop. https://doug.sdf.org/2020/07/27/jensen-55-steam-engine-rebuild-pt-1/ Mon, 27 Jul 2020 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2020/07/27/jensen-55-steam-engine-rebuild-pt-1/ Bought this Jensen 55 a few years ago at the Cabin Fever Expo auction in Lebanon, PA. It's been sitting around patiently but now it's time to get to work and bring this engine back to it's former glory. The Jensen 55's gimmick is that it uses two cylinders timed so that at least one is in a power stroke. This allows the engine to be self-starting and run very smoothly at slow speeds. https://doug.sdf.org/2020/06/22/dumore-series-16-sensitive-drill-press/ Mon, 22 Jun 2020 12:45:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2020/06/22/dumore-series-16-sensitive-drill-press/ Dumore has been making quality high-speed electric tools since such a thing has been in existence. While well known in the machinist world for their lathe tool post grinders, they also sell a nice sensitive drill press that's optimized for small work. In this article I will show you a bit about the drill press, some recommendations about small drills and a fixture plate that makes it easier to handle small work. https://doug.sdf.org/2020/05/19/grizzly-g0678-knee-mill-dro-install-x-axis/ Tue, 19 May 2020 12:45:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2020/05/19/grizzly-g0678-knee-mill-dro-install-x-axis/ The X axis DRO scale would prove to be the most challenging part of this DRO installation as I wanted to ensure I didn't lose any of the mill's Y axis movement. This meant the scale would have to be installed at the front of the mill table. For extra difficulty, I also wanted to have adjustable X axis hard stops and working power feed limits. All these features would have to fit in a relatively small amount of space. https://doug.sdf.org/2020/04/13/building-the-pm-research-number-2-steam-engine-pt-2/ Mon, 13 Apr 2020 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2020/04/13/building-the-pm-research-number-2-steam-engine-pt-2/ Construction continues on the PM Research Number 2 Steam engine so make sure to check out Part 1 of this build if you haven't already. It's time to go back to the lathe and experiment with using CA adhesive aka Crazy Glue for holding small parts. The CA glue is used to temporary hold parts to a scrap aluminum round and is easily released with heat or a soak in acetone. https://doug.sdf.org/2020/03/23/building-the-pm-research-number-2-steam-engine-pt-1/ Mon, 23 Mar 2020 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2020/03/23/building-the-pm-research-number-2-steam-engine-pt-1/ After building Mr Pete's wobbler from bar stock, I felt confident enough to tackle a casting kit from PM Research: the entry-level Steam Engine #2. Since this engine is basically the same design as the other wobbler, the challenge with this build will be dealing with castings which can sometimes be tricky to machine. Also, you only get one shot making a part so if you screw it up, you will have to order a replacement from the manufacturer. https://doug.sdf.org/2020/03/02/grizzly-g0678-knee-mill-dro-install-z-axis/ Mon, 02 Mar 2020 12:45:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2020/03/02/grizzly-g0678-knee-mill-dro-install-z-axis/ For a mill, the DRO Z axis configuration seems to come in a few flavors. Some installations attach the scale to the quill, while others measure the movement of the knee. Some complicated setups can use scales on both the quill and knee at the same time so that the final Z axis number displayed on the controller is a combination of both scales. For this Grizzly G0678 mill, I will use one scale to measure the knee movement. https://doug.sdf.org/2020/02/04/er32-collet-chuck-for-the-south-bend-10k-lathe/ Tue, 04 Feb 2020 12:45:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2020/02/04/er32-collet-chuck-for-the-south-bend-10k-lathe/ Collets are a valuable piece of tooling for any lathe. With less run-out than a typical scroll chuck, they firmly grip the work without marring while being contained in a small, streamlined package. In this article I will describe constructing my first collet chuck which was machined from a single piece of bar stock. This chuck, which uses ER32 spring collets, will screw onto the spindle of the lathe in comparison to this lathe's native 6K collets which seat directly inside the spindle with a draw bar. https://doug.sdf.org/2020/01/13/grizzly-g0678-knee-mill-dro-install-y-axis/ Mon, 13 Jan 2020 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2020/01/13/grizzly-g0678-knee-mill-dro-install-y-axis/ When you are installing DRO scales, they must be placed so that they are working within the same plane as what they are measuring. The instructions provided with the scales state they must be parallel and perpendicular to the machine slide movement within 0.1mm (.004"). Unfortunately, most of the cast surfaces of the mill are not square to the machined surfaces, mostly due to pattern draft. We will have to install square surfaces onto the mill for scale attachment points. https://doug.sdf.org/2020/01/02/grizzly-g0678-knee-mill-dro-install-intro/ Thu, 02 Jan 2020 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2020/01/02/grizzly-g0678-knee-mill-dro-install-intro/ A DRO is probably one of the most important upgrades you can make to a manual mill. By removing concerns with screw backlash or losing count of hand wheel rotations, the DRO allows you to work faster with less chance of user error. Even compared to a new mill, the linear scales of a DRO system are much more accurate than typical mill lead screws. Add in a few advanced features such as center function, bolt circle function and the ability to easily switch from metric to imperial units and it's easy to see why a DRO system is such a popular upgrade. https://doug.sdf.org/2019/12/19/grizzly-g0678-knee-mill-replace-oil-lines/ Thu, 19 Dec 2019 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2019/12/19/grizzly-g0678-knee-mill-replace-oil-lines/ The Grizzly G0678 mill has been a good mill, but from the very first day of ownership the oil lines have always had a slow leak. After the mill sat for a week or so, one side of the oil system would always drain down into the drip pan so it would take several pumps from the oiler to get the system full and flowing again. The DRO installation was coming, so it was time to get this annoyance fixed. https://doug.sdf.org/2019/12/11/grizzly-g0678-knee-mill-knob-jobs/ Wed, 11 Dec 2019 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2019/12/11/grizzly-g0678-knee-mill-knob-jobs/ While the handwheels on the Grizzly G0678 mill are large and of a decent quality metal construction, I wasn't very happy with the stock axis lock handles or dial lock thumbscrews. For the DRO installation, the lock handles for the X axis would have to be changed anyway so it was a good time to upgrade the knob hardware to something that's a bit nicer to use for all the lathe axes. https://doug.sdf.org/2019/11/06/repairing-a-led-work-light-for-the-mill/ Wed, 06 Nov 2019 12:00:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2019/11/06/repairing-a-led-work-light-for-the-mill/ For several years I've been using a LED work light bought at the local home improvement center for machinery lighting. The promise of LED lighting is a bright, low wattage illumination source that will last a long time. While this light did great on the first two items, it didn't nearly have the promised lifespan. I could just replace the light with a new one, but then I would have to adapt the custom mounting bracket for a different light, so it's easier (and cheaper) to repair the old one. https://doug.sdf.org/2019/09/16/making-a-2-die-holder-for-the-lathe/ Mon, 16 Sep 2019 12:00:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2019/09/16/making-a-2-die-holder-for-the-lathe/ Several years ago I chanced upon a really good deal on an almost complete Greenfield Tap & Die 2" diameter threading die set. On the lathe, most of the time I just single-point threads of the size covered in this set, but sometimes it would be handy to use a die, especially for tapered threads like NPT. Because of it's long handles, using the set's die holder is impossible on the lathe so I will need to make a holder to support the dies with the tail stock. https://doug.sdf.org/2019/08/13/building-mr-petes-da-wobbler-engine-pt-2/ Tue, 13 Aug 2019 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2019/08/13/building-mr-petes-da-wobbler-engine-pt-2/ Construction continues on Mr Pete's DA Wobbler steam engine so make sure to check out Part 1 of the build first. With machining on most of the parts completed, it was time for the initial fit of the cylinder to the plinth to determine the location of the steam ports. In his video, Mr Pete showed a clever trick to get these ports perfect the first time. A small sharpened rod is inserted into the ports in the cylinder and used as a transfer punch to mark the position of the steam holes in the plinth. https://doug.sdf.org/2019/07/24/building-mr-petes-da-wobbler-engine-pt-1/ Wed, 24 Jul 2019 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2019/07/24/building-mr-petes-da-wobbler-engine-pt-1/ In the early spring, Mr Pete of Youtube fame posted a series of videos about constructing a Dual Action (DA) wobbler model steam engine from bar stock. While I already had an unbuilt casting kit from PM Research of a similar design (the 2A kit), I thought it would be a good idea to build this engine first as a learning experience. When you screw a part up, it's easier and quicker to make another from bar stock than order a replacement casting from the manufacturer. https://doug.sdf.org/2019/06/26/led-mill-spindle-light/ Wed, 26 Jun 2019 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2019/06/26/led-mill-spindle-light/ Several years ago I made a LED spindle light for the mill. While it worked well enough at first, over time I became dissatisfied with the amount of light it produced and the lack of an oil-proof enclosure was making it unreliable. It was time to build a new one and improve upon the original design by sealing the LEDs in epoxy and ramping up the light output with 3 COB halo rings. https://doug.sdf.org/2019/06/01/featherboard-t-slot-holders/ Sat, 01 Jun 2019 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2019/06/01/featherboard-t-slot-holders/ While this Kreg featherboard fit reasonably well to my new Dewalt table saw, I wasn't that enamored with the plastic wedge-lock friction-fit hardware. It's a universal design created to fit as many sized miter slots as possible and while it works reasonably well a direct fit into the miter gauge T-Slot would work better. Luckily it looked pretty simple to convert the hardware to use custom milled aluminum T-Slot holders. https://doug.sdf.org/2019/05/18/jensen-20g-steam-engine-rebuild/ Sat, 18 May 2019 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2019/05/18/jensen-20g-steam-engine-rebuild/ Bought a Jensen 20G a few years ago on the well known auction site. While it's a little rough around the edges, it's fundamentally very sound and has the capability of being a very nice model steam engine with a cast iron base generator. The cast iron based generators have been out-of-production for quite a few years now and are very desirable. While I'm not exactly sure, I would say this engine was probably made sometime in the seventies. https://doug.sdf.org/2019/04/30/spring-loaded-mt2-tap-guide/ Tue, 30 Apr 2019 12:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2019/04/30/spring-loaded-mt2-tap-guide/ A spring loaded tap guide assures your tapped holes are straight when hand tapping. I have a 1/2" one from Fisher and it's always worked great. I decided to make a new one that directly fits into the Morse Taper 2 socket of my lathe for a few reasons: I should be able to get more point travel with a larger device, another tap follower would always be handy and that it would be fun project. https://doug.sdf.org/2019/04/08/slip-on-live-tailstock-chuck/ Mon, 08 Apr 2019 18:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2019/04/08/slip-on-live-tailstock-chuck/ Sometimes you require tailstock support while turning an object, but for whatever reason lack or can't use a center hole. A Jacobs #100 armature chuck works well for small work, but for something bigger you really need a small lathe chuck attached to a live center. Bison makes a nice one but they tend to be rather expensive for a piece of tooling that is used very infrequently. How about a cheap 4 jaw chuck that just slips onto a live center? https://doug.sdf.org/2019/03/25/aligning-a-tool-post-drill-chuck/ Mon, 25 Mar 2019 18:43:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2019/03/25/aligning-a-tool-post-drill-chuck/ Sometimes using a tool post mounted drill chuck is handy for drilling a deep hole as it's easier to use saddle movement to clear the chips. The trick is getting the crossfeed set correctly so the drill bit is exactly aligned with the spindle. Some of the tool post chucks for sale use an alignment pin held by the chuck, but I've made a simple alignment device that uses the tailstock so you don't have to disturb the work in the chuck. https://doug.sdf.org/2019/03/02/edge-pro-mill-table-stop/ Sat, 02 Mar 2019 10:25:35 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2019/03/02/edge-pro-mill-table-stop/ Needed another item to get free shipping, so I bought a Edge Pro Mill Stop. These mill stops allow you setup work in the vise at exactly the same position for repetitive operations. I wanted the table version so I didn't lose any Y-axis travel. This stop was designed for the standard Bridgeport 5/8" T-Slots, but my mill uses the smaller 1/2" slots with 3/8" studs. It shouldn't be too hard to make it fit. https://doug.sdf.org/2018/07/18/grizzly-g0678-knee-mill-z-socket-adapter/ Wed, 18 Jul 2018 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2018/07/18/grizzly-g0678-knee-mill-z-socket-adapter/ Made a crank adapter for the knee on the mill. This allows you to move the knee with a drill, in this case via a 3/4" hex. Basically a poor man's power feed. While you can get this type of adapter commercially, my mill doesn't follow the Bridgeport standard so it was DIY or nothing. On Frank Ford's website he presented a novel idea on how to cut the notches. https://doug.sdf.org/2018/02/13/2-boring-head-showdown-criterion-vs-chinese-import/ Tue, 13 Feb 2018 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2018/02/13/2-boring-head-showdown-criterion-vs-chinese-import/ Last year I was finally able to score a nice used Criterion 2" boring head. Since I already had an import clone, I thought it would be interesting to compare. The boring head on the left is the USA-made Criterion DBL-202 and the one on the right is the imported 2" clone from Shars. Both are attached to an R8 adapter. I tried to align each at the R8 taper just to show that the Shar's head is a bit longer. https://doug.sdf.org/2017/12/30/hf-20t-hydraulic-press-crank-table-lift/ Sat, 30 Dec 2017 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2017/12/30/hf-20t-hydraulic-press-crank-table-lift/ If you have one of those popular 20T hydraulic shop presses, you quickly realize what a pain-in-the-butt lifting and lowering the table can be. This press is usually located in a dark corner of a small room (actually an old horse stable) with limited access, so after I almost dropped one of the big arbor plates on my toe I decided it was time for an upgrade. So this summer I added a winch table lift to Big Orange. https://doug.sdf.org/2017/12/21/harbor-freight-4x6-bandsaw-mods/ Thu, 21 Dec 2017 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2017/12/21/harbor-freight-4x6-bandsaw-mods/ Since I needed to roll the 4x6 drop saw into the main shop to cut quite a bit of metal for this summer's main fabrication project, I thought it was time to complete all the mods I wished to perform on this faithful tool. Some of the mods were performed a few years ago, like the drywall mud pan shavings catcher which actually works quite well. The big improvement this time was the folding work table for cutting in the vertical position. https://doug.sdf.org/2017/12/17/portable-storage-case-rack-on-casters/ Sun, 17 Dec 2017 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2017/12/17/portable-storage-case-rack-on-casters/ If you make or repair stuff, it doesn't take long to amass quite a collection of small parts and hardware. While it can be quite satisfying to dig through your stash and find that needed item to finish a project, it can also be twice as discouraging to know you have it and can't find it. It sucks having to stop what you are doing and waste an hour going to the hardware store or wait days (or weeks) for a mail order to arrive. https://doug.sdf.org/2017/06/15/cameron-164-micro-drill-press/ Thu, 15 Jun 2017 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2017/06/15/cameron-164-micro-drill-press/ For many years I've been watching Mr Pete's videos and always appreciated his little Cameron drill press. I do mostly model work and always thought the Cameron would be a handy tool. You can still buy one new, but they are quite pricey so I was on the hunt for something used. After a few years of getting outbid on Ebay, I was finally able to score a Cameron 164 Micro drill press for a decent price. https://doug.sdf.org/2016/08/22/south-bend-10k-lathe-apron-clean/refelt/ Mon, 22 Aug 2016 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2016/08/22/south-bend-10k-lathe-apron-clean/refelt/ With the QCGB and lead screw removed, removing the apron was a piece of cake: just remove the two cheesehead screws. Here's what it looked like. Oh, yeah... it's completely full of crap. And that folks is why South Bend touted the double-walled apron on their bigger lathes. It's a wonder it was still working at all, although I did have a problem with the half-nuts interlock which would need to be fixed. https://doug.sdf.org/2016/08/21/south-bend-10k-lathe-qcgb-clean/refelt/ Sun, 21 Aug 2016 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2016/08/21/south-bend-10k-lathe-qcgb-clean/refelt/ Awhile ago I replaced the spindle felts, set the bearing clearance etc on my South Bend 10K. I intended to finish the rest of the lathe in a month or so, but now it's two years later! That's the trouble when you have a working lathe, you would just rather use it then do the maintenance, but now it's past time to finish the job that was started. It also didn't hurt that I made a pledge to myself not to put a DRO on the mill until the lathe is finished. https://doug.sdf.org/2016/05/03/collet-and-tooling-rack/ Tue, 03 May 2016 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2016/05/03/collet-and-tooling-rack/ Once I had a dedicated toolbox just for the mill, it was time to make some holders for the mill tooling. Someone on Ebay is selling collet holders made out of 1/2" PVC sheet. If you paint it black and then machine it you get a nice contrast with the white PVC. Of course, where's the thrill in buying something already made? Unfortunately I don't have my table saw any more, so I had to cut the pieces with a saber saw and use the mill to clean-up the cuts. https://doug.sdf.org/2016/05/03/harbor-freight-18-end-cabinet-casters/ Tue, 03 May 2016 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2016/05/03/harbor-freight-18-end-cabinet-casters/ Like most people, I'm always in need of more tool storage space, but it's gotten really bad since I bought the mill. Unfortunately the shop is 99.95% full, but somehow I managed to clear-out enough room for a Harbor Freight 18" end cabinet. I've had the Harbor Freight 44" Red Roller for a few years now and it's been a good toolbox. Of course, I don't have enough room to just hang the end cabinet off the 44" cabinet as intended, so I had to make a frame for some casters so it can be used as a stand-alone. https://doug.sdf.org/2016/05/01/grizzly-g0678-knee-mill-gibs-and-head-adjustment/ Sun, 01 May 2016 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2016/05/01/grizzly-g0678-knee-mill-gibs-and-head-adjustment/ Adjusting the gibs, along with tramming the head to the table, is one of those final adjustments the owner is expected to do. Here's how I did it. The gibs exist to take-up the slack in the dovetails. If they are too tight, you wear the dovetails excessively. If they are too loose, the table flops around in the breeze. This is something you need to take some time with and get right, but the good news is that after they are adjusted that setting should be good for a long time. https://doug.sdf.org/2016/04/03/making-25/32-nuts/ Sun, 03 Apr 2016 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2016/04/03/making-25/32-nuts/ On my SB 10K, the nut used to tighten-down the steady rest is sometimes awkward to reach. It's obvious that SB intended the use of the tailstock wrench, unfortunately over the years the original nut was lost and replaced with a modern 7/16-14 HD nut. The tailstock wrench is 25/32 and it's been a long time since you've been able to buy a nut that size. Well, I have a lathe and a mill that just happens to have a rotary table installed so this seems like a good time to make some nuts. https://doug.sdf.org/2016/03/29/jacobs-14n-super-chuck-refurb/ Tue, 29 Mar 2016 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2016/03/29/jacobs-14n-super-chuck-refurb/ I bought an older Jacobs 14N Super Chuck off of Ebay a few years ago. The chuck was in great shape with virtually no wear, but wow was it hard to turn: very gritty. I finally decided to pull it apart and clean it. I made some custom arbor spacers on the lathe so the actual chuck disassembly was quite easy. My press, Big Orange, had no trouble separating the chuck parts. https://doug.sdf.org/2016/03/12/grizzly-g0678-knee-mill-quick-adjust-quill-stop/ Sat, 12 Mar 2016 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2016/03/12/grizzly-g0678-knee-mill-quick-adjust-quill-stop/ I like using stops for repetitive operations and the one on the quill can come in very handy. Unfortunately, like most mills and drill presses the stop is just a knurled nut and it can take quite a few twists to get it into position. Quick adjusting nuts are available, but almost all of them are for SAE threads and all the threads on this mill are metric. The project is to make a new threaded rod for a quick-adjust stop nut. https://doug.sdf.org/2016/01/26/mla-lathe-indicator-holder/ Tue, 26 Jan 2016 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2016/01/26/mla-lathe-indicator-holder/ Made a indicator holder from a casting kit from Model Lathe Engineering (MLA-8). My lathe doesn't have a DRO and probably never will, so for precision X movement I usually use a Shar's magnetic-backed dial indicator reading off the saddle. It works great, but sometimes it would have been nice to have the extra movement a 2" indicator provides. Unfortunately, I found that using a magnetic back on this indicator doesn't work well because the long stem interferes with the lathe's gear box. https://doug.sdf.org/2015/12/28/slotting-saw-arbor/ Mon, 28 Dec 2015 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2015/12/28/slotting-saw-arbor/ For my next mill project I will need to use a slotting saw. The blades were bought on Ebay a few months ago, but I still needed an arbor so I made one today. And here it is completed. https://doug.sdf.org/2015/12/10/grizzly-g0678-knee-mill-powerfeed/ Thu, 10 Dec 2015 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2015/12/10/grizzly-g0678-knee-mill-powerfeed/ I recently finished installing an X power feed on the G0678 mill and I took a bunch of pictures. This power feed came from Enco when they had their latest sale. It's marked made in Taiwan, seems nicely made and was $225 shipped which is a pretty good deal (Those were the days!). Here's the stock hand wheel and dial arrangement on the G0678 mill. This mill is a bit different then it's other 6x26 cousins in that the dial rests on the hand wheel. https://doug.sdf.org/2015/11/21/leveling-the-grizzly-g0678-knee-mill/ Sat, 21 Nov 2015 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2015/11/21/leveling-the-grizzly-g0678-knee-mill/ Found some more pictures of some work I did last week on levelling the mill. It turns out the threaded holes in the bottom of the casting are 1/2-13 which makes finding levelling hardware easy. After chasing the holes with a tap to clean them out and making sure they were well oiled it was time for the levellers. I bought this set at Amazon, but McMaster's and other sources have the same thing. https://doug.sdf.org/2015/11/15/my-new-grizzly-g0678-knee-mill/ Sun, 15 Nov 2015 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2015/11/15/my-new-grizzly-g0678-knee-mill/ Well, I have been sitting on these pictures long enough so here's a post about my new mill, a Grizzly G0678. It's a 8x30, variable-speed knee mill. A little background. I've been shopping for a mill since the day after I bought a 1974 South Bend 10K lathe. I couldn't handle a Bridgeport-size mill in my tiny shop, but wanted something a bit bigger than the G0704 that popped-up on CL 5 miles down the road. https://doug.sdf.org/2015/06/13/lathe-qctp-drill-fixture/ Sat, 13 Jun 2015 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2015/06/13/lathe-qctp-drill-fixture/ I would like to thank Mr Frazier for posting this project in a forum as I found this bit of lathe tooling to be very helpful and quite a time/frustration saver. I don't have a mill yet, so drilling accurately through a bar can take quite a bit of time to set up on the drill press, but with this tool it's so much easier as you start already on center and perpendicular to the work. https://doug.sdf.org/2014/11/01/extended-center-drill-holder/ Sat, 01 Nov 2014 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2014/11/01/extended-center-drill-holder/ I made an extended center drill holder A center drill holder is a common enough project, usually using a scrapped taper drill bit or drill chuck adapter. The trouble with these is that my SB 10K only has 2" of quill travel and the typical holder just isn't long enough. So I read somewhere about an extended version and thought it would be a fun afternoon project. The project started with a $5 JT33 to Morse Taper 2 Drill Chuck Arbor. https://doug.sdf.org/2014/10/27/metric-transposing-gears-for-sb10k/9a/ Mon, 27 Oct 2014 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2014/10/27/metric-transposing-gears-for-sb10k/9a/ When I was lathe shopping last year, I had a list of features I wanted in a lathe: cross feed, tumbler reverse, QCGB and the option of cutting metric threads with change gears. The SB 10K I ended-up purchasing met all those needs well (and I really like it) but I was left scrounging around for the metric gears. South Bend manufactured a set specifically for these lathes (the 9A & 10K) back in the day but they are hard to find. https://doug.sdf.org/2014/10/09/getting-reverse-to-work-on-a-120v-split-phase-motor/ Thu, 09 Oct 2014 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2014/10/09/getting-reverse-to-work-on-a-120v-split-phase-motor/ Having reverse available on a lathe can be quite handy, but getting it working on a 120V split-phase motor with a drum switch can be tough. Here's how to get reverse working with the motor described below. Here's the motor: http://www.grainger.com/product/DAYTON-GP-Mtr-4K913?s_pp=false&= And a pic of the label: First off, a safety notice. While this circuit isn't unsafe, it's not as safe as it could be because the neutral-line is not switched: it's always connected between the motor and the outlet with a wire nut. https://doug.sdf.org/2014/09/11/south-bend-10k-lathe-spindle-refelt/ Thu, 11 Sep 2014 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2014/09/11/south-bend-10k-lathe-spindle-refelt/ I've had my South Bend 10K since this spring and was lucky enough to purchase a lathe that was in pretty good shape. While a large overhaul isn't necessary, I felt it was time to start on some preventative maintenance. Since the lathe doesn't need new paint (although it would look nice), I'm just going to do small repairs on the lathe between projects. The first and most import job on the repair list is pulling the spindle and replacing the spindle oil wicks. https://doug.sdf.org/2014/08/13/installing-a-threaded-backplate-on-a-4-jaw-chuck/ Wed, 13 Aug 2014 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2014/08/13/installing-a-threaded-backplate-on-a-4-jaw-chuck/ When I bought my SB 10K earlier this year, the 6" 4-Jaw chuck that was included in the deal had a backplate that was for a different lathe. The chuck was a bit rusty and dinged-up, but still seemed to be solid and tight. The goal of this project was to make the chuck usable for this lathe. Here's the Logan 6" 4 jaw chuck disassembled. A threaded lathe backplate was purchased from tools4cheap. https://doug.sdf.org/2014/07/06/drill-press-quill-stop/ Sun, 06 Jul 2014 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2014/07/06/drill-press-quill-stop/ The HF drill press has been performing yeoman service in the shop for a few years now, but one thing that really bugged me about this tool was the quill stop. Instead of the typical nut-on-a-threaded-rod setup, it uses a pinch bolt and sleeve on the collar of the handle. It's not that intuitive to use and if you don't have the bolt really tight it slips. Grizzly has the same style of drill press with the quill stop I wanted, so I d/l'ed the manual for the parts numbers and ordered a quill clamp, bracket and spring-loaded split-nut. https://doug.sdf.org/2014/05/17/got-my-first-lathe-a-south-bend-10k/ Sat, 17 May 2014 18:33:39 -0500 https://doug.sdf.org/2014/05/17/got-my-first-lathe-a-south-bend-10k/ Thought I would show-off my new-to-me SB 10K lathe I picked-up a month or so ago. But first, why I bought it. For a few years now I've been thinking about getting some machining equipment for my small workshop. With my interest in RC models and model steam, being able to make precise parts has and will come in handy many times. At first I looked at the tiny 7x lathes, but after watching quite a few machinist videos on Youtube (Mr Pete, Doubleboost, Keith Fenner), I realized that a 10" lathe would be much more capable and still fit in the shop if I moved some junk around.