Building The (UPT) Universal Pillar Tool

[Don1966]

Dave this is for you Buddy.
I quess you could say I have been multitasking. I started the Dividing Attachment and in the process I found I need the use of the Pillar Tool as well. In general I quess I need one tool to build another tool. So this is my journey attempting to build the Pillar Tool. The first thing I need to do was to make a few parts before any of the column arm were to get drilled. I first had to make a few gauge plugs, mounting stub and locking pads. The locking pads have to be in place to be drilled and milled with the arms. All the arm have to be cut to height and faced then marked out before any drilling begins.
I also need to make a spring loaded holder for staking of my Micro drum knob for the Dividing Attachment. I face and drill the bases and yes there are two, I also have the Alloy base to mount the Pillar Tool to the Myford lathe.
So this is my progress so far as I have the Staking tool complete and will remake the Micro Drum for the Dividing Attachment when I get a chance.
Ok the first photo shows the plug guage blocks and and mounting stub.Tthe mounting Stub will screw into the sacrificial Plate to secure the arms once the .875 hole has been drilled.

This photos are shots of the plug guages. I messed up on the first plug but I think I scared myself because the next two were spot on as you can see from the photos. It will be a while before I do that again.


While I was at the lathe I made the Spring loaded holder. I cut it to .750" and kept it on the collet to move it to the mill the cut the slots and drill the holes for the spring leafs.


The Spring loader Holder all complete. I had to insert a square piece and pin it with 1/16" pins, then file flush to the holder to get the square hole. The leaf springs were made from a broken bandsaw blade and they hold two 5/32" ball bearings. The bearing insure the punch is always secured at the same place. This will hold the number punches in a straight line for marking out the dial numbers on my Dividing attachment Micro drum.

While at the lathe I also made all the brass locking pads. Then I started to mill the bases by securing the base in the vise and making the rough cut then using the face mill to litely skim over the bottom to smooth it out.
Ok as long as we are  on the mill, I also drilled the mounting holes, then placed it on the faceplate on the lathe to bore the column opening.

I also drilled and bored the alloy base that mounts the Pillar tool to the lathe.


I will continue on another post.

[steamer]

Thanks bud!   You know I like that tool!
 

[Don1966]

With the bases out of the way I next started to mill the arms to size by clamping them in the vise and shimming them to get them as straight as I could. The first arm I just happen to start on was the Sensitive drill attachment arm.

The arms and base all ready for more action.

Ok now were are ready to start marking out. I used my digital height gauge and one of the reasons was that I could zero it at any point I wanted while marking out. In this case I touched the bottom of the arm to be marked and zeroed the height guage and moved it to the top of the first round part of the arm. Noticed the value and divided it by half to get the first mark. I also squared it as good as possible.


Once I marked the first point I again zeroed the guage and dialed in the first clamping pad point.

After that operation I dialed the height value for the main arm hole.Then I zeroed the guage again and dialed in the value for the next securing pad just below it.

Now it was time to tram the mill. I needed to mount the sacrifical plate to it.
\
With the mill all tram and ready, I need to take a pass over the sacrifical palate to insure it was flat, before I mounted the arms to it. I also drilled a 3/8" hole and taped it 3/8x 24.

Setting up the arms for drilling .

Once I have them drilled, the holes for the locking pads have to be drilled to depth.

Bofore boring the holes I had to drill a 3/8" hole into the small part of the arm. The reason is that we will bore the .875" hole first and you will see why. I also had to drill the pinning holes which were 1/16" for the locking pads. The pads had a slot milled into then to keep them from rotating when securing.

Boring the 875" hole.

Then we turn it around and now you see why we bored the .875 hole first. The mounting stub was made with a .875" diameter just for this purpose. It had a 3/8"x 24 threaded stud on the end to mount it to the mounting plate and a securing hat for the arm. I finished clamping the arm down with more hardware. The mounting stub is on the left side clamping the arm down and also insuring that the dimenisions are held true because we have multi arms to bore and we want all to be true to each other. I have to confess here that I cheated a little because I just happen to have two boring heads. I used one for the 3/4" hole and one for the .875" hole. This also help ed me maintain the same sizes after the first.

A shot at the completed parts as it stands for now.

 I will continue with the progress as time permits. The locking pads securing ball handles will be the last to be made. Reason is that I will have to build another tool. The tool is a spherical turning tool and that will be another thread.

Don

[vcutajar]

Good progress Don.  It's a vicious circle; making a tool to make another tool for another tool.

Is that a Hemingway casting?  How did you make that square hole?

Vince

[Don1966]

Good progress Don.  It's a vicious circle; making a tool to make another tool for another tool.

Is that a Hemingway casting?  How did you make that square hole?

Vince

Hi Vince, glad you looked in. Yes those are Hemingway casting and I have a few misalignment issues, but not to bad. The square hole you see in the spring loaded holder was made by slotting it with a endmill and them inserting a piece back into the slot and pinning it. I inserted a letter punch into it with a .001 shim and drilled and pinned it in place after that filed the edges down flush to the holder.

Don

[Jo]

This is another tool that I am planning to make  One day....

Don you are going to have a very well equipt workshop when you are done 

Jo

[ths]

Don, you'll love having the UPT. I love mine, mostly used for tapping, but I also did the number stamping for the GHT lathe micrometer dials with it. The drill head is mostly complete, in fact just needs a motor rigged up. Looking forward to watching it take shape.

Cheers, Hugh.

[sco]

Looks a useful tool Don - can you make one for me as well as Dave? 

Simon.

[steamer]

I don't recognize the square base.....what is that for?

[b.lindsey]

Nice project Don andsome great progress even in these couple of posts    I'll be watching with interest.

Bill

[steamer]

Don

Great progress!....the right up in Projects in Metal used "Tommy" bars instead of ball handles.

Dave

[steamer]

Is that square base for mounting to the Myford lathe bed so you can drive the drill with the lathe?

Dave

[steamer]

Looks a useful tool Don - can you make one for me as well as Dave? 

Simon.

I think he means the thread Simon .....we've talked about this tool a couple of times....I'll get to making mine



Dave

[fcheslop]

Another on my build list well one day
I'm getting tool envy
best wishes
frazer

[ths]

Dave, with that base you can mount it to the lathe bed and use the cross slide as a compound table, or mount it on the cross slide for drilling into pieces held in the chuck. Should it take your fancy!

Hugh.