Author Topic: My playpen  (Read 20272 times)

Offline tangler

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 834
  • Christchurch, UK
My playpen
« on: April 14, 2013, 12:04:24 AM »
As promised, here are a few pics of my unfeasibly tidy workshop,  an 8ft 6inch x 11ft 3inch partitioned off section of the garage:





I made the central bench for making musical instruments. It's weighed down with cast iron dumbell weights so it doesn't shift when I'm planing and scraping wood but can be moved around when used as an assembly bench (tool dumping area).  The green pattern makers vice can be bolted through a hole in the top when required.

The mill is a Sharp Mk II, retro fitted with VFD and DRO.  It can be converted to horizontal mode (which I seldom use) and also has a slotting attachment (which I've never used).



The early 1970's Myford has a third party power cross-feed and now has 3 phase VFD
 


One of the accessories I use surprisingly often is the hand turning rest



The dividing head is to the Timmins design but modified for direct indexing with 24 holes or by using the plates etc. from the HDA





A few more tools, a tilting table - note what happens with insufficent hold down when milling



A Eureka backing off device and some gear cutters



Finally, the pillar tool with sensitive drill



All the kit's there so now to start making it mucky again...

Rod





Online steamer

  • Global Moderator
  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12697
  • Central Massachusetts, USA
Re: My playpen
« Reply #1 on: April 14, 2013, 12:17:47 AM »
Sweet shop!....Thanks for showing that to us!

Dave
"Mister M'Andrew, don't you think steam spoils romance at sea?"
Damned ijjit!

Online Kim

  • Global Moderator
  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7862
  • Portland, Oregon, USA
Re: My playpen
« Reply #2 on: April 14, 2013, 12:45:13 AM »
Great shop! And very tidy!  You have a lot of nice equipment there in a very small space.

Looks like a great place to enjoy some quality time :)
Kim

Online steamer

  • Global Moderator
  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12697
  • Central Massachusetts, USA
Re: My playpen
« Reply #3 on: April 14, 2013, 12:54:29 AM »
Tangler,

I notice you have a small drill press and the pillar tool.....Do you think they are complimentary?

Is it sensitive enough for really fine drilling?

I have a need for the tapping attachment...as well as the staking, and the punch...but I wanted to know how the drill behaved.

Worth the effort?...compared to the small drill press?

Dave


"Mister M'Andrew, don't you think steam spoils romance at sea?"
Damned ijjit!

Offline Don1966

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6817
  • Columbia, MS
Re: My playpen
« Reply #4 on: April 14, 2013, 02:04:26 AM »
Nice shop Rod, you have us here envious of your tools. I am still in the process of completing my Hemingway divining attachment. I love your Pillar Tool and I do have all the casting and kit for it just have to get the time to build it. Did it take very long to complete it and do you have the staking attachment also?
I also have the Myford Super 7 lathe and love using it. Also have the VFD to install on it when time permits. Thanks for showing us your shop.

Don

Offline b.lindsey

  • Global Moderator
  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 13860
  • Dallas, NC, USA
    • Workbench-Miniatures
Re: My playpen
« Reply #5 on: April 14, 2013, 02:09:25 AM »
Nice "playpen" Rod!!  Thanks so much for sharing the pictures. I am envious of having such a nice space to work in as well.

Bill
« Last Edit: April 14, 2013, 09:37:59 PM by b.lindsey »

Offline larry1

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 27
Re: My playpen
« Reply #6 on: April 14, 2013, 04:56:21 AM »
Rod,  Great shop,  Great machines.      larry
larry, southeastern kansas

Offline tangler

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 834
  • Christchurch, UK
Re: My playpen
« Reply #7 on: April 14, 2013, 11:20:16 AM »
Guys,

Of course I wish I had more space, it would be nice to have a separate wood working shop - what you can't see is the large woodworking bandsaw pushed into the other part of the garage that houses the push bikes and a tandem (which encroaches into the workshop to the left of the brown door).

 

I use the pillar tool mostly for tapping.  The drill press has a bit of slop in the quill so the pillar tool drill is much better for small drills.  By carefully following GHT's instructions you end up with a very nice precise and sensitive machine.  The speed can also be quite a bit more than the drill press.  I was looking for a dedicated motor and ended up with the cheapest grinder I could buy which runs at 3000 rpm, with the current motor pulley top speed is about 4500 but this could easily be increased.  I'll probably mount a pig tail for a polishing mop on the other end of the motor spindle.  My mill has a rising table but no quill.  I've toyed with the idea of making an attachment for the drilling head so I can mount it on the mill to make co-ordinate drilling easier.

I don't currently have a use for a staking tool but I have made a pair of rivet snaps and a holder for number/letter punches.

Thanks for taking an interest,

Rod

Online steamer

  • Global Moderator
  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12697
  • Central Massachusetts, USA
Re: My playpen
« Reply #8 on: April 14, 2013, 03:35:45 PM »
Thanks for that Rod!   My "new" mill has a quill and a good top speed, but I haven't tried really small drills yet....perhaps I should.

Though I have always been infatuated with that pillar tool.....and with all the capabilities.....I may build one anyway!

Dave
"Mister M'Andrew, don't you think steam spoils romance at sea?"
Damned ijjit!

Offline Mosey

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1598
  • Rosemont, New Jersey, USA
Re: My playpen
« Reply #9 on: April 14, 2013, 04:00:53 PM »
Dave,
Let us know how the tiny drills do on your new mill. Someone we know bought a small variable speed Micromart drill press and fitted an Albrecht 0-1/8" chuck to it for sensitive drilling. It works. Of course there are quite a number of Aciera sensitive drilling machines on the 'Bay.
Mosey

Online steamer

  • Global Moderator
  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12697
  • Central Massachusetts, USA
Re: My playpen
« Reply #10 on: April 14, 2013, 04:06:39 PM »
Will do Mosey...

I found plans for a drilling attachment to go onto an Aciera F3 a while back....A machine that also doesn't have a quill.

I've attached them here....perhaps they would be food for thought on other quill-less machines.

"Mister M'Andrew, don't you think steam spoils romance at sea?"
Damned ijjit!

Offline zeeprogrammer

  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6811
  • West Chester, PA, USA
Re: My playpen
« Reply #11 on: April 14, 2013, 05:03:33 PM »
Beautiful shop Rod. Thanks for the invite. I do enjoy seeing shops.
Carl (aka Zee) Will sometimes respond to 'hey' but never 'hey you'.
"To work. To work."
Zee-Another Thread Trasher.

Offline CliffH

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 27
Re: My playpen
« Reply #12 on: April 14, 2013, 05:29:11 PM »
Lovely shop, Rod.
The downside is when I look at mine...so, not back to the drawing board, instead, off to the workshop and see if I can get some order into it
CliffH
CliffH

Offline Bake915

  • Jr. member
  • **
  • Posts: 4
My playpen
« Reply #13 on: April 14, 2013, 06:39:26 PM »
Hi Rod

Very impressive setup you have.  Could you tell me more about your drill press/tapping setup?  Im not familiar with it, is it from a kit that you made?  Manufacturer?  Vintage?  I could use something like that in my shop.  Thanks, for taking the time to put it up!

Online steamer

  • Global Moderator
  • Full Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12697
  • Central Massachusetts, USA
Re: My playpen
« Reply #14 on: April 14, 2013, 08:00:20 PM »
The Universal Pillar tool is a device cronicled in Model Engineer by George H. Thomas...many years ago...and is still pretty popular

Hemingway carries castings and drawings in the UK

http://www.hemingwaykits.com/acatalog/Universal_Pillar_Tool.html

and in the States...
Martin model and pattern

http://www.martinmodel.com/MMPtools-subfiles/Pillar/tools-pillar.html

Martin carries two versions of the unit...1 with a longer arm.

The best write up I've seen on the subject was done by Home Shop Machinist actually, and is in "Projects" II I believe....if you call Village Press, you can get the issue.  Very nicely done write up with drawings and blow by blow set ups.

Dave
"Mister M'Andrew, don't you think steam spoils romance at sea?"
Damned ijjit!

 

SimplePortal 2.3.5 © 2008-2012, SimplePortal