Just Pulley-ing My Leg

 A year or so back, I had heavily modified am early 1940's tiny lathe with the intent of using it to turn pens.  There are a number of small lathes that are likely cheaper than the cost put into that one, but for some odd reason, I love the old iron, and did it anyway.

The results were, less than stellar.  Indeed, it did work, but I had to take my time because the stepper motor did not have enough torque.  And that is with a small pen.

So, enter the next chapter.  Someone over on the hobby machinist forum sent an old sewing machine motor to me (think Pfaff 130, and you have the footprint of it), just for the cost of shipping.  With the pulley that was on it, I found myself in a bit of a quandary - I needed more modifications to see if this would work.  So, I set about creating a new belt tensioning system.  I patterned this variation off of a cars alternator - where it is installed and then tightened over an arc-bracket.

I made the bar using my drill press, because, I didn't have a rotary table large enough for the arc (mine is 4", the arc is 8" - but that is due to only having a scrap bar with an 8" arc that was an off cut for the 127-tooth compound gear), and also because I was too lazy to drag out the milling machine onto a cold back porch and cut it.  Really, it was because I was way too lazy.

But, it was close enough for what I needed.

So, I drilled a series of holes, then used an endill in the drill press to smooth out the arcs.  I drilled a few extra holes in some bar stock, and used a 1/4"-20 bolt to put it all together.

Next, I needed a pulley.  So I grabbed another off-cut/drop (2" diameter aluminum), chucked it up, and made a 2L pulley that was as large as this lathe could accept, but small enough to fit (1.950" with the belt).  This was faced, drilled, then reamed.  It was then turned on the boss, then the flat part of the pulley, then the angles.

The result is a usable 2L pulley to match the one on the sewing machine motor.

I wired the motor to test it, and once that checked out okay, it was time to put it all together.

This immediately feels like more torque than the stepper.  But, the proof is always in the pudding.  What is the end result?  Let's give it a try. I ran through the normal steps preparing a pen blank (this time, I chose a  gun-metal "mini" bolt action pen kit from Penn State Industries - I have a lot of family that love the regular ones, so I thought I'd give this more "unique" variant a whack.)

1. Usually, mark the blank lengthwise to keep grain lined up.  In this case, it's small, and I was fixing another pen while I was at it, so this step didn't matter.
2. Cut off two chunks to fit your pen tubes, about 1/4" longer than the tubes themselves.  Again, this was small enough, and I was using a scrap blank I had from another project.
3. Drill the centering hole for the blank(s).
4. Glue in the tubes.  Many people just use CA glue.  I have always loved 5-minute epoxy for this.
5. Barrel-trim the ends to get it flush with the brass tubes (don't take off brass or it might not fit).
6. Put the tubes on the appropriate bushings, then on the mandrel, and turn.
7. Once to slightly larger than size, use the lathe to sand the blanks.  Get as high a grit as possible for the best finishes.
8. Remove from the lathe and assemble according to the instructions. 

So, once I got to the lathe part, I grabbed a photo.

They do look fantastic (I had two on there - I was repairing another pen while I was at it).  Then, assembly prep :

Then, the final assembly.

While the motor was slightly "under-powered" (It IS a 1/5 HP sewing machine motor), it still did the trick.  I do have to take things a little slower with this, but it does mean I don't have to drag out the larger twin for this little thing.  I can simply pick it up, clamp it to a work bench, plug it in, and turn a pen. 

The Spindle Depth Stop

I had a small run of parts on the lathe that needed to be the same length.  There are a couple of ways to do this, such as :

1. After creating the part (and making sure both ends are faced, but a wee bit long), measure the length of the part.
2. Calculate the amount you need to remove by subtracting the final length of the part from your previous measurement.
3. Re-insert the part into the chuck (or collet), and measure the length of the stick-out from a known reference point.
4. Subtract the distance you need to remove from this stick out measurement.
5. Face the part until you reach that distance calculated in step 4. 

However, I'm lazy, and that's a little too much effort.  I'd rather do that only once, and on a single-run part, I'd have to do that, anyway.  The micrometer stop does a bang up job of getting it right on once you've gone through that.  But if I have four parts?  Uh-huh.  I'm too lazy, since I could insert the parts into a depth, while leaving the carriage/cross-slide in the one position.

It's time to make a spindle depth stop - something that locks into the spindle so you have a consistent reference point on all the parts.

Mind you, my spindle has either a collet closer attachment installed, or it has the big fat gear used by the collet, so I can't just throw a standard one in place.  But, just in case, my South Bend Heavy 10L (large spindle bore) regular, non-gear depth-stop was also designed.  This spindle depth stop can fit all three, just by making the locking spider for all three.  That's only two extra parts, allowing this to fit three different configurations.  I also wanted to use as many parts that I didn't have to make.  Because, again, I'm lazy.

Okay, okay, enough blab.  Let's get to it.  Grab the materials (I'm going to use CR1018/cold rolled steel).

 

First, let's get the stainless-steel 3/8"-16 all thread cut to length.  I used a 36" bar, and cut it at the 24" mark.  No precision necessary here, I just have two variations in case I don't like too much sticking out the back for an extra long part.

Next, I already had the nuts in hand (that's not what I meant, and you know it) for the 3/8"-16 all thread, and a 5/8"-11 nut for the locking lug.

First part to "really" make was the locking lug.  Really, it was a simple turning job for the most part.  Turning to 0.625" for the threaded end, threading to 11 TPI to match the nut, and then getting the main body set, the internals bored for clearance for the threaded rod (and one end threaded to 3/8"-16 of that internal bore.  The hardest part was the "cone" on the end.  What I had drawn up in the plans had a 17.615 degree angle, and to be honest, you just need it "close".  Using the compound, you can set the angle, then lock that in.  Do not change that angle until you have completed your locking spider(s)!

This was my first taper turning, and I went with a standard 17 degree.  I don't care how close I am to 17 - it's not moving until I've made the entire thing.

Next up was the washer.  It was coming from the same large stock as the spiders, so it's easy to slap in there and turn, face, and bore.

You just might notice that the proportions aren't lining up with the drawing.  I actually opted to make this 1/2" thick instead of 1/4" thick, and I bored out 1/4" of the internal bore to match the larger diameter on the locking lug I've finished.  This will give me a little more expansion room, and allow me to use less material on the spiders.

Now I just need at least one spider. I'll do the gear-based spider first :

Then, I'll do the collet attachment spider :

Now, I'm not making this next spider, because I have that fat gear that sticks out for the spindle attachment.  It means I can't really use it.  However, I drew the plans up anyway, just in case someone needed them.

So, I started out creating my two spider blanks.  I chucked up the material, faced one end and the diameter in order to get the base set up.  I also rough-turned one to get it not quite to dimension (I'm 0.050" oversized on the outside).  I did not go all the way to dimension yet because I needed the bore set up so that as stresses are relieved, the outside will then be truly concentric to the bore.

Once I had a close-but-no-cigar dimension on the outside, I turned (pun is not intended) to the inside for the boring process.  First, I used drill bits to get it to 0.5" (needed to get to 0.810"), and then I could use the boring bar.

Once the inside bore was complete, it was time to also turn the taper.  This is the exact reason why the compound was not moved - it already has the matching taper from the internal part, so I knew it would be a match made in heaven (or at least on the lathe).

With the spider's internal bore/taper and the locking lug fitting as they should, I went back and turned the outside down to the final dimension, and then turned the 0.125" circular relief groove using a rounded insert (could only find metric, and it was close enough).  Yes, in the following photo, the lathe is OFF.  I refuse to lose a hand.  But, I did it to provide a visual on the groove.

After the groove, I removed the chuck from the lathe and ensured I had a snug slip fit into the targeted location.  At that point, I could pull it out of the chuck and do a test fit up.  It definitely locks in there, but without the expansion slots, it won't truly lock.

I do know that I need to remove more on the outer end (largest diameter face), because I didn't get it short enough to fit on the locking lug.  So, into the chuck it will go with some brass shim stock to protect the finish, and then I can face it down to size until I have a perfect arrangement.

It's not often you hit the target width so closely.  I thought it was close enough, and assembled everything (not usable until the slots are cut).

Now, the remaining task is to cut the slots into the surface.  There are six slots, but using a band saw (my slitting saws are not large enough), it's only three cuts.  So, next I need to build a jig to keep it perpendicular to the saw blade, mark the three cuts, and then start slicing.  This had my anxiety running high, because there is no way I'm willing to lose a finger.  And, with two separate spiders for different dimensions, I need something adjustable for that smaller diameter.  I need it to be at least close to parallel to the axis.  So, after thinking on it for a month, one morning, I needed to get out of the house, and I ran out and grabbed some 2"x1/2" aluminum flat bar, and simply marked out a few parts.  Cut, drilled, tapped for M3 screws (because I didn't want to wake my wife early in the morning), and I had this little thing.

I can thread those two screws in or out, depending on the diameter of the spider end, so there is the adjustability that I needed for the two spiders.  It allows me to adjust those two screws until I have a parallel setup, and I can then feed that into the bandsaw blade without fear of something catastrophic.  It does fit like I hope.
 

The next task was the actual cutting of the slots.  The jig held up quite nicely, though I should have adjusted the screws part way through.  While there, I also drilled relief holes where those slots ended so that there wasn't a hard corner or edge to start cracking on.

I used a triangular (bastard) needle file to deburr the slots (outside and inside), and a round needle file to remove the burr on the inside where the drill bit broke through.  But, once that was done, I had a relatively decent part.  A quick test fit of everything together....

Now, it's time to try it out.

It locked in there without much of a tightening on that large nut (it could still slip, so I'd likely use a wrench when I really need it).  Functioned pretty well!

The second one can now be chucked up and replicated to the dimensions of the first (with the smaller diameter for the collet attachment tube).

I Drove a Porch

No, it's not misspelled.

As you age, so do things around you.  I knew of a couple who was getting long in the years, and their back porch was becoming rickety.  The "porch" was simply a set of welded metal steps.  And if I stood on them without moving, they'd rock back and forth.  Seriously, it was the only way for me to look like I had any dance moves.  So, their daughter volunteered her and her siblings to build them something new. Somehow, I ended up becoming a de facto decision maker.

I started out by making "dad" mark out where it was going to go.  While they headed off to take care of some legal things, one of the siblings hubby and I (and their kids) ran over to get started.

We fired up an auger to drill footings - but by the time we got it running, the young lad had already dug three of the holes.  Ah, youth and vigor.

We dropped some "Sonotubes" in place, shoved some rocks in the bottom to stabilize it a bit more, and filled them with concrete followed by some 4"x4" post base brackets, and let that set up overnight.

The next morning, we started installing vertical posts.  I made the young lady of the group do the bolt hole drilling - she did fantastic.  Truth is she did a lot more than that.  She worked on the actual decking, the stairs, etc.  She ran the drills, the impact drivers, etc.

Part way through, another siblings kids showed up.  They just cranked through the project, and did fantastic.  Apparently, I was simply there to be beautiful.

But, I was the idiot who climbed onto the roof panels before they were fully anchored in place.  Those sheets had to be screwed down from above, so someone needed to, and I've had a good life.  I figured I had less life to lose, eh? 

Anyway, we put up the railing, and built a "roof line" that was close to the house roof line.  Unfortunately, it needed to be "separate" so that we didn't require a permit.  We kept it close, but still separate.  In one weekend, we got the foundation, the frame, the deck, and the base of the roof built out.

We still need to install the moisture barrier and the roofing itself, but the basic shape is there, and it is much more stable. 

Rebuilding my Roller Saw Horse Stand

My workshop is fairly limited in size.  While that can be changing, in the immediate time, I don't have a lot of space.  It means I have to be able to set up in a mobile fashion, e.g. I take over the back patio when I need to.

I've used saw horses to set up a large work bench before.  And about 6 years ago, I did what I shouldn't do, and I used roller stands (the kind you'd use to allow long boards to roll off of a table saw, jointer/joiner, or a planer).  Now, they "roll", which they are supposed to, so the idea 6 years ago was tested to keep them from rolling when needed.  I used some 2" PVC pipe, which (when cut lengthwise to allow the arms supporting the rollers to slide into the "pipe") seemed to fit absolutely perfectly on the rollers.

The problem is that over time, the wood split, warped, and encountered some heavy water damage.  They became unusable (not quickly, but just over time).  I needed something that would last a little longer.  So, I made a few purchases, and set to work on "revision 2".

Here's what you'll need : 

• Two HDPE sheets measuring 3/4" thick x 12" wide x 48" long
• Four aluminum angle iron 1-1/2" x 1-1/2", with legs that are 1/4" thick (thick enough to act as a "nut")
• 48" of 2" PVC pipe, cut into 12" lengths
• Eight 2" wide x 1-3/4" thick x 3" long HDPE bars
• Sixteen heat-set threaded inserts for assembly screws of your choice
• Two thread inserts for "locking pins"
• At least two transfer punch screws (4 is preferable)
• One countersink screw bit
• One drill bit for tapping screws of your choice
• One drill bit for clearance of the same screws
• One drill bit for the thread "locking pin" inserts
• One drill bit for the heat-set threaded inserts 
• Eight spacers (I used drops from other projects) that need to be the same length - about 1" in length, maybe 1" in diameter
• One (or more if you break them) tap
• A soldering iron with a heat-set insert tip
• A screwdriver

How to :

1. Identify (and mark) which side of the angle iron is to be the "surface" side.
2. Drill the tapping-size holes for the screws of your choice into the aluminum angle iron.  I used 5 on each surface-side, with spacing at uneven (check that, my CDO/OCD had issues, but I wanted to decrease linear distance the surfaces would be screwed down with).  Two pieces of angle-iron are used per "saw horse", and the downward legs will face each other.  Orientation is key here.
3. Tap the holes.
4. Drill four holes along the downward legs of ONE of those angle iron bars per horse (if building two horses, you'll do two).
5. Tap these holes.
6. Use the transfer screws in the downward legs and bring the two pieces of angle together to mark the other set.
7. Drill the clearance size holes in the second piece of angle aluminum.
8. Put your spacers in between, and screw the two pieces of angle together into a structural arm.
9. Center the arm on one piece of HDPE sheet, and mark ONE hole on the HDPE sheet.
10. Drill that hole for the clearance size.
11. Bolt the HDPE sheet and the structural arm together with that one bolt.
12. Mark the opposite end of the structural arm to the HDPE sheet.
13. Drill with the clearance size, and connect the two together.  The two parts should not move at this point from each other.
14. Use the remaining holes and either use transfer screws, or use transfer punches.
15. Drill the remaining HDPE holes for structural arm attachment.
16. Countersink the holes from the top-side of the saw horse table top. 
17. Attach the two together (note, they might come off the table later in this process, see step 27).
18. Use a hole-saw in a jig (I just built a square "box" I could clamp them to on the drill press, then clamped that box to the drill press table) to cut an arc on one side lengthwise.  This should be about 2-3/8" in diameter, but I just used a 2" hole saw and made two different runs so that they matched.
19. Drill two holes (threaded insert sized)that will be perpendicular to the arc all the way through the bars.  These will allow threaded inserts to be set in from each end, and allow the pipe to be screwed to these blocks.
20. Use threaded inserts on the back side of the HDPE blocks as well (allowing the blocks to be attached to the HDPE table top surface).
21. Heat-set inserts into the blocks.
22. Once cooled, use transfer screws on the non-arc side of the blocks to mark them onto the HDPE table top.
23. Drill (clearance sized) holes for each block.
24. Countersink the remaining holes.
25. Attach the blocks (permanently - we shouldn't have to remove them again) to the table tops.
26. Use the PVC pipe as a guide and mark the arc pattern into the angle aluminum structural bar.  If the pipe clears, you don't need to do anything.
27. If the pipes do not clear the structural arms, remove one piece of aluminum angle at a time, and grind or cut the clearance so that the pipe will not touch the aluminum. I gave between 1/16" to 1/8" of clearance.
28. Once clearanced, re-install the piece of angle aluminum and tighten the screws.
29. Repeat for the other one as necessary.
30. Use a table saw to cut the pipe lengthwise. A word of caution - PVC pipe is under tension, and when it is fully cut through, will snap together and pinch your saw blade.  This is extremely dangerous.  There are other options, but if you go this direction, find a good way to hold the pipe securely without having your fingers close, go slowly, and if it pinches the saw blade and brings it to a halt, do NOT panic.  Just turn off the saw, and work things free.
31. Use the table saw to cut the pipe to the width to clear the roller arms.
32. Use the transfer screws to mark the pipe in conjunction with the HDPE bars.
33. Drill the holes in the pipe and countersink so that you can attach the pipe to the HDPE bars.
34. Drill the CENTER of the table top to take the threaded inserts.
35. Countersink the remaining clearance holes (PVC pipe, table top, etc).
36. Screw everything together. 
37. Heat the inserts up and screw them into the table.  These allow you to put in a pin and prevent the workbench from sliding on the HDPE. 

The screws themselves won't be holding the weight; they just keep things from moving around and shifting.  It means that you don't need shear strength in picking your hardware.

The end result can just clip together when you need a "saw horse" mode from your roller stands.  When you need roller stands, just take them back apart.

They are quite nifty for the "mobile" or "temporary" workshop.