Category: Tools

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First cuts with TOG’s DIY CNC router

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A few months ago we’ve mentioned a DIY build of a CNC router. The project turned out to be more complicated than we anticipated. The steel-based construction is not very forgiving, and the large size of the machine doesn’t help. Still, due to all the help from many members we managed to overcome a number of difficulties and do a few test engravings in MDF.

MDF is not a difficult material to mill – the most noticeable problems are the awful dust and the fluff around the edges of the cut.  The furry edge is easily fixed using sand paper, but the dust will probably require some more drastic measures in order to protect our lungs. Eventually we’re planning to cut and engrave a variety of materials, many of which have interesting properties but are incompatible with our laser cutter.

Visit us during one of our Monday CAD nights to see the new machine in action or in the video below.

 

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More lathe work

Our lathe is finally getting some good use! This time, a small partHose adapter - work in progress was made from aluminium, a coupling for connecting two pieces of tubing for the water cooling system in the upcoming CNC router project. It will replace the existing temporary hose-and-clamps hack.

A piece of bar stock was clamped in a 4 jaw chuck, made into a cylinder and turned down to about 16mm diameter. Next we turned half of it down to about 6mm and drilled a 4.5mm hole through it, using a drill chuck. Lastly we smoothed the edges slightly and parted the whole thing off.

The end result is more fIt fits!unctional and looks a lot better!

The whole operation went smoothly in overall retrospection. However, we had few small issues to deal with on the way. Firstly, it wasn’t obvious how to set gearing for the power feed, as the manual wasn’t very clear. Another problem was that the  square shape of stock, required the use of a 4 jaw chuck, which is not self-centring.  That adds a couple of extra steps to set up, as centring of the stock has to be done manually in such a case.

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Lathe up and running

latheLast night we had our lathe up and running for the first time since we moved to Blackpitts. We were using it to centre-drill some rollers that are part of a 100 year old mangle. One of our members is restoring the mangle to use as a printing press. Keep an eye out here on our website for details of the project.

 

If you’d like to take a look at the lathe, drop in sometime. The other major piece of equipment that we are almost ready to restart is our laser cutter. We’ve already had the laser firing and are working on alignment. Watch this space.

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Fixing TOG’s drill batteries

batteriesTOG’s drill batteries were on their last legs. We were barely getting a few minutes of use after a charge. Time for some new batteries. Two new batteries were almost the price of a new drill, so we looked at buying a brand new drill. There was nothing wrong with the old drill …. just that the batteries were bad.

After a bit of searching on the ‘net, a set of 12 new cells was on its way to TOG for just €15. The battery pack was opened up and the old cells removed. The new cells were fitted with the same layout. Lots of pics here. After reassembly, the battery charged fine and the drill is back in action. Just need to do the second battery now.

 

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Fixing the Saw

motorOur electric mitre saw went on the blink. It was sparking like crazy, and on closer examination, it had lost a copper segment from it’s commutator. It was a decent enough saw. Not quite a cheapo one, but not quite a professional one either. A search on the ‘net revealed that a new armature assembly would be over half the cost of a new saw. Beyond economic repair in other words. It would be a shame to trash a decent saw for such a small fault. So we’re trying to fix it by making a new copper segment.

pics here

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Metal Lathe

latheLate last year TOG took delivery of a new toy…. a brand new metal lathe. At about 600Kg, it’s probably the heaviest bit of equipment that we have in the space. We had some fun getting it in the door……and yes we did measure the door before we ordered it 🙂 . A bit of heaving and ho’ing with an engine crane and we soon had it up on its cabinet stands. We spent a few weeks assembling it, reviewing all the accessories and getting it all tested. We have 3 and 4 jaw chucks, live and dead centres, steady rests and a number of other tools and accessories.

We’ve had some great instruction from one of our members relatives. We’re now slowly beginning to use it. Our crafters kindly made a nice protective cover from some spare vinyl. The lathe is a great addition to our workshop . We have a brand new MIG welder on the way too, thanks to one of our regular workshop user/members.  We even have a CNC Mill in our sights too….right Ed 🙂 .  Drop in and have a tour of our workshop. You can see all of our tools and equipment. More pics here…..Lathe Pics