Thread: What are you working on?

Originally Posted by outback

Yes it is. Slicker than snot on a glass doorknob.

That x/y attachment is $119.95

https://www.micromark.com/MicroLux-X-Y-Table-Attachment

The step clamps are $34.95

https://www.micromark.com/product/8061

I drilled out 3 pins the other night. One was the Ern/Ator, then I have a Boker King Cutter that was in cracked bone scales & I had another Boker that had the scales I wanted.
A person can always make their own clamp system, I just like the step clamps because I thought they were pretty slick. They have sales at times also. They had a 10% off sale a couple weeks ago.

I just pinned this King Cutter back together.

Originally Posted by engine46

I bet you have some left handed drill bits as well.

I DO, Steve. They seldom work, but when they do, It's cool!

Yep, I seldom used mine but when I did, they worked out pretty good. I loved it when they would grab & unscrew the remaining bolt out of the hole. I have 2 sets because a couple in my first set broke but I can actually get a friend of mine where I used to work, sharpen them. I'm sure I mentioned I sharpened cutting tools like drill bits, spade drills, end mills & so on but they were big for oilfield machine shops. Some was carbide & ya gotta use diamond wheels for that stuff. It's good but it's also brittle.

I have indexes of both left and right bits. Both have a spot in the shop for sure.
Also, that's a good price on a cross slide vice Steve if the run out or play isn't too bad. Perfect hobbyist size.
Big advocate for a good cross slide vice in the shop if holes have to be square and you are attempting any kind of metal lay out and fabrication work.
Tools, sort of another acquisition disorder for me I suppose... hehe.

Originally Posted by MikeB52

I have indexes of both left and right bits. Both have a spot in the shop for sure.
Also, that's a good price on a cross slide vice Steve if the run out or play isn't too bad. Perfect hobbyist size.
Big advocate for a good cross slide vice in the shop if holes have to be square and you are attempting any kind of metal lay out and fabrication work.
Tools, sort of another acquisition disorder for me I suppose... hehe.

Mike, the cross slide is made of aluminum but as you can see, it works great! I'm done hand drilling my pins. This thing has me sold. I drilled out those 3 pins the other night like it was nothing. No more screwing up special collars either. I could drill 'em out by hand but it seemed every time there were some nice collars, my drill would slip or the razor would.

Can I borry that, Steve? I could bring some over!

Yeah sure. You know what was so cool was I didn't even use a center punch. I got it centered up & barely started with the drill bit just touching the top of the pin until it made a mark enough to start drilling. If I saw it needed to be moved a hair, I did so & I repeated the process until the bit started drilling straight. If it didn't start yet & ya turn the handle down too soon, the bit would flex a little & that told me it needed a little more but then after I barely let it touch for a couple minutes where it cut a little away, it did just what a center punch does but better. I love the thing! I'll have to see if I can do a small video of it. It was well worth the money to me.

I book marked that site Steve. If I can't find anything like it on holidays I can always go back to that site. I have a few left hand drill bits in my extractor set. Tools can be a giant acquisition disorder. When I was contracting I had a ton, some things in doubles and triples. I am glad to not be contracting anymore.

Originally Posted by RezDog

I book marked that site Steve. If I can't find anything like it on holidays I can always go back to that site. I have a few left hand drill bits in my extractor set. Tools can be a giant acquisition disorder. When I was contracting I had a ton, some things in doubles and triples. I am glad to not be contracting anymore.

I did all my major tool buying when I turned wrenches for Harley dealers. I bought Snap On tools then. Now I buy these small tools but like I said, that drill press with the x/y attachment is the best tool I have bought in a long time. I filed the top of a pin flat & I laid it on the wrong side. That was when I found out I could actually start with a rounded top! I felt like a dummy but hey, it worked! Just barely rest the bit on top of the pin & let it make it's mark just like a center punch, then if it was centered, it was on after that. If it wasn't just turn the knobs just a hair one way or the other & repeat until you made a mark enough to drill. You could always tell when it was centered by making the little mark first. You saw the pics. That site has some cool things.

Originally Posted by RezDog

I book marked that site Steve. If I can't find anything like it on holidays I can always go back to that site. I have a few left hand drill bits in my extractor set. Tools can be a giant acquisition disorder. When I was contracting I had a ton, some things in doubles and triples. I am glad to not be contracting anymore.

Shaun, I would bet they will have a sale for Christmas.