Cedge
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- Jul 12, 2007
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I like to file metal. I know it's mindless drudgery, but I can get a lot of thinking done while accomplishing something constructive. Weird?... maybe, but it's one of the ways I cogitate. Hey... Marv Klotz highly recommends such mindless activity...LOL
Last year I attended a huge used book sale and picked up a set of 1955 Popular Mechanic's Year books. It's a fantastic 12 book set of plans, instructions and tips for darned near anything you can think of. I've enjoyed the books far beyond their $15.00 price. In one of the volumes is a set of drawings and instructions for building a small motorized filing machine. The design is pretty simple and the instructions state that amazing accuracy and beautiful contours can be had by using the little machine, while saving lots repetitive motion.
I've been mulling the idea of building one, ever since, with an eye toward using the lathe as the power source. I'd pretty much worked out the kinks in my mind... well sorta....and the project was on my list of "to do's" when I got another "round tuit".
As some of you know, I made a nice used tool purchase from an old guy, name of Clarke, the other day. I returned today, at his invitation, and picked up a few more odds and ends that I thought I might find handy. In the mix was a small and unusual little tool that I immediately knew would become my filing machine. I got everything home and put away, then I dug out the "portable jig saw" and began playing with it. Below is a progression of the process as I thought my way through how it's going to work. I thought it might be fun to do something a bit different and let everyone follow along on an unscripted "build" and to share the paths it takes along the way.
Here is the $3.00 oddball little beastie, as I found it. I have no idea what would have driven it in normal use. It's a freestanding unit with a 1/4 inch drive shaft which appears to be used in a chuck of some sort.
After a little clean up, I had a peek at the internals and found it was a "scotch yoke drive instead of gears. Nice, since it's a sturdy mechanical engagement and pretty easy to repair if things go pear shaped sometime in the future.
After a bit of study, I decided the existing shaft was a little short to safely chuck in the lathe without the jaws striking the body, so I rummaged in my newly organized tool boxes and grabbed a small flea market find I had picked up a couple of months back. It's a small 1/4 inch drill chuck with a straight arbor which is about 2 inches long. It's a beautiful fit and it added just enough extra length to make things feel a little more safe.
Here is the little unit positioned on the lathe bed and chucked up for a test run. I tried it with the base plate on top, but that configuration raised the proposed work surface a little higher than felt comfortable. By rotating the assembly 180° it lowered the work zone and mated up perfectly to the 1/2" aluminum bar stock that will probably form the new base. This added a lot of stability and killed the little bit of existing vibration in the system.
The photo shows the elevation of the proposed work surface. The plan is to front hinge it so that filing an angle will be as simple as adjusting the table to the required degree and locking it in position. The table will also be longer to the right, in order to give a bit of extra working room. If you look closely, there is a small chip shield sitting on the chuck end of the table. This will be mounted on the right edge and will provide some protection from the spinning chuck. The larger shield on the lathe can also be brought into play if needed.
Here is the configuration, shown in context of the general work area. There should be enough room to comfortably operate the filing table, but I'm sure some adjustments will come as this one progresses.
Hang with me, here.... this little project has no specific time frame or specifications and I'm sure it will take an interesting twist or two before it's done.
Steve
Last year I attended a huge used book sale and picked up a set of 1955 Popular Mechanic's Year books. It's a fantastic 12 book set of plans, instructions and tips for darned near anything you can think of. I've enjoyed the books far beyond their $15.00 price. In one of the volumes is a set of drawings and instructions for building a small motorized filing machine. The design is pretty simple and the instructions state that amazing accuracy and beautiful contours can be had by using the little machine, while saving lots repetitive motion.
I've been mulling the idea of building one, ever since, with an eye toward using the lathe as the power source. I'd pretty much worked out the kinks in my mind... well sorta....and the project was on my list of "to do's" when I got another "round tuit".
As some of you know, I made a nice used tool purchase from an old guy, name of Clarke, the other day. I returned today, at his invitation, and picked up a few more odds and ends that I thought I might find handy. In the mix was a small and unusual little tool that I immediately knew would become my filing machine. I got everything home and put away, then I dug out the "portable jig saw" and began playing with it. Below is a progression of the process as I thought my way through how it's going to work. I thought it might be fun to do something a bit different and let everyone follow along on an unscripted "build" and to share the paths it takes along the way.
Here is the $3.00 oddball little beastie, as I found it. I have no idea what would have driven it in normal use. It's a freestanding unit with a 1/4 inch drive shaft which appears to be used in a chuck of some sort.
After a little clean up, I had a peek at the internals and found it was a "scotch yoke drive instead of gears. Nice, since it's a sturdy mechanical engagement and pretty easy to repair if things go pear shaped sometime in the future.
After a bit of study, I decided the existing shaft was a little short to safely chuck in the lathe without the jaws striking the body, so I rummaged in my newly organized tool boxes and grabbed a small flea market find I had picked up a couple of months back. It's a small 1/4 inch drill chuck with a straight arbor which is about 2 inches long. It's a beautiful fit and it added just enough extra length to make things feel a little more safe.
Here is the little unit positioned on the lathe bed and chucked up for a test run. I tried it with the base plate on top, but that configuration raised the proposed work surface a little higher than felt comfortable. By rotating the assembly 180° it lowered the work zone and mated up perfectly to the 1/2" aluminum bar stock that will probably form the new base. This added a lot of stability and killed the little bit of existing vibration in the system.
The photo shows the elevation of the proposed work surface. The plan is to front hinge it so that filing an angle will be as simple as adjusting the table to the required degree and locking it in position. The table will also be longer to the right, in order to give a bit of extra working room. If you look closely, there is a small chip shield sitting on the chuck end of the table. This will be mounted on the right edge and will provide some protection from the spinning chuck. The larger shield on the lathe can also be brought into play if needed.
Here is the configuration, shown in context of the general work area. There should be enough room to comfortably operate the filing table, but I'm sure some adjustments will come as this one progresses.
Hang with me, here.... this little project has no specific time frame or specifications and I'm sure it will take an interesting twist or two before it's done.
Steve