Re: Using wood for mini-lathe and mini-mill accessories
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I suspect it is uncommon in the world of making accessories for machine tools.? But certainly not a bad idea.? What it is - is -prototyping.? When I was an Engineering Manager I promoted the notion "prototype early and often."? It is a fast way to find out if things make any sense or have any surprises.? It has another benefit that won't matter to the "lone wolf" home machinist.? And that is making it much easier for others to see the design who may not comprehend very well just looking at drawings.? (Of course, this might also include the design engineer!)
Charles E. "Chuck" Kinzer
On Friday, April 19, 2024 at 03:22:51 PM PDT, Walter Wpg <walter.wpg@...> wrote:
Like many of us here, I have made a few accessories for my mini-lathe and my micro-mill - stops, carriage clamps, indicator holders, things like that. I don't think I have ever copied an existing design, mostly because I don't have easy access to the large blocks of steel or aluminum that those designs often need. So, I figure out a design based on the raw materials that I have on-hand. In figuring out a design, I almost always make up a proof-of-concept model made out of wood. I don't have a huge scrap bin of steel, brass, and aluminum, but I do have plenty of hardwood, Baltic Birch plywood, and lots of woodworking tools. With the wood model, I figure out approximate dimensions, where to put holes and fasteners, will the accessory interfere with features of the lathe, etc. I'm not afraid to re-make wood parts that aren't quite right. Eventually, when I have the design worked out, I'll make a metal version. But in some cases, the wood model has been good enough for my needs. I used a wooden spindle crank for a number of years, and I still use a couple of wooden indicator holders (which have embedded rare earth magnets).
I am the only one doing this?
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