Recent content by JDLaCoss

Evidently I've just drawn the short straw with Speedy. First order took almost six weeks and they acted like it was an inconvenience to talk to me when I called to ask. Second order came much faster, but piano wire looked like it spent a year in the rain. I'm glad everyone else has good luck...

I'm not familiar with the design, but will a gasket not seal it when you tighten the head down?

Here is a model of the modified cylinder. I cut the crankcase and one of the basic blocks for the cylinders, then decided I didn't like how chunky it looked. As long I get the order of operations right, I think the I'll like the modified cylinder and it should be pretty easy to machine.

Abby, I do like your idea of making a custom cutter with the drill rod. I guess I'm so new to this that I hadn't considered tooling that wasn't found in a catalog. (It's ok to roll your eyes ;-) ) Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best. Thanks!

Hi Jon. I have a ProLight 1000 that I refitted to run off LinuxCNC. A really nice unit as far as small mills go, but still just a small mill. I thought about your method, but my thinking was that type of cut leaves the bit perpendicular to the workpiece and will cause thinning at the end of...

I'll give it a try. I thought slitting saws still had a pretty short arbor (typically). Maybe I just wasn't looking in the right places. Thank you to everyone for all the feedback.

Hi to all! I'm hoping someone can impart some wisdom on a new guy. I'm trying to machine the cylinders for a radial I found on GrabCad. It's a relatively simple piece, but one part has me stumped. Is there a good/easy way to machine the grooves in the sides? I am working on a benchtop...

I have to agree that a good craftsman shines regardless of the medium. I actually prefer the look of a wooden model for a display piece. There is a warmth and depth that is difficult to duplicate in metal. I've seriously considered making one myself, but good wood is nearly as expensive as...

Looks good. Curious on the cold roll....The finished parts appear almost brass colored. Is that just the lighting, or are you putting some sort of protective finish on when you are done?

Haha! Ditto! Embarrassed to say how many bits I went through figuring out various parts of this. Learning by trial and error ( lots of error ) gets expensive.

I milled a block into a T shape to make it easy to hold in the vise. Then I drilled and tapped holes for each of the connecting rod lengths in the block. I faced all my rod blanks to thickness, then drilled the rod-end holes to JUST fit a 4-40 screw. Once I had all the blanks ready, I...

Here's a pic of the latest try at the valve links. Spent quite a bit of time learning a good way of polishing them, but feel kind of guilty about it now after having read some of the other posts. ;) Made from steel bar welding stock I found at the local hardware store. Have no idea what type...

I can't speak for all mini-mills, but my setup does support local coordinate systems like G54, G55. I am using linuxCNC which seems to have a pretty extensive set of options. I am trying to mill to depth where possible to preven alignment issues. The valve rods in particular don't allow that...

Thanks for the insight. You are correct in assuming that I am using a CNC. I have tried machining the thicker material then flipping, and that seems to work alright. I've had some issue getting zeroed properly again (close, but not dead on) after flipping. Somehow I always seem to be off just a...

Hi all! I've been hovering around here for a long time, but I think I'm finally ready to start BUILDING something. I have a small amount of engineering background, but no real machining experience. So why not start with something easy like the Bernay!? ;) Actually, the individual pieces...