rcplanebuilder
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- Aug 29, 2009
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:big:
Seeeeee. They are "Sissy tools". lmao.
Make no mistake. Macguyver has nothing on me, and I am the king of thrift, and love the innovative how to's.
There is of course a difference between mills being used for a hobby and one that is being used for production, and production tooling.
I actually only use 1/64" parallels, it's all I own. And I do a lot of put and take parts through the mill. I also use <gasp> coolant! lol. I'm pretty sure a few drops of oil isn't going to hold parallels in place when I am running 800 parts with 3000 drilled holes and 1600 tapped holes , and I have 2 flood coolant nozzles flushing chips through the cross holes. But I can appreciate the simplicity and logic of that, for those who are not using their mill in that fashion.
As a business item, it really is part of the vice. I can't have chips getting behind, nor beneath the parallels. These things suck the parallels up tight to the back, and down tight to the bottom, so tight that you can't get chips stuck on top, behind, or beneath them. You can also brush out chips from between the jaws, blow out chips with air from between the jaws, and even flood them out with coolant, and still never touch the parallels, or get a chip stuck.
The economics of them? Well, if you are only making toys as a hobby with the mill, they are pricey I suppose. When you are running a business, the math goes like this. (they were made by SPI, and were like $43 when I bought them in '96 BTW) ...I just packaged up an order for $80 in parts before I sat down here. So, if I bought a set today, they were paid for in one order of 2 items, and will last a lifetime, and make my life easier from this day on... Could I make a set of those telescoping keepers in the time it took me to make those parts I just sold, which are laid out for fast production, on and assembly line? Not hardly. Would the materials be cheaper? Nope. So, for what it cost me to make 2 business items, in time and labor, they are paid for, ...forever, nothing but asset, ...and then I get to write them off too.
Kinda like justifying a Tap-matic, powered cross slide, and a DRO... For business, or for pleasure? I am now setting up for a job with 3,200 drilled holes, and 1,600 tapped holes. They won't fail once, and I won't scrap a single part from chips under, behind, or on top of the parallels, and they won't float away with the flush coolant. :big: It all comes down to "how many items do I have to sell to pay for the luxury item?" ...In this case it was "One"... Case closed. lol.
But, I still have to say... When I am not making parts for money, and it's all play time on the mill, would they be worth it? I can't live without them, they are simply a part of the vice. Hell yeah they are still worth it! If nothing else, make some as a fun project, you won't regret it, especially if you have a whole set of 1/64" parallels, you'll never use anything else. Set 'em and forget em... Trust me ;D.
I know, I know.... Big business, small business, employee, employer, hobbyist, it doesn't matter. They are "Sissy tools"... :big:
And no, you can't borrow them!
I have to go make parts now...lol. No more fun and games tonight... (And yes, I do wish I had a Mazak 6200Y for some of my parts, but that's for sissies, lol)
http://www.maidenusammp.com
Cheers.
Seeeeee. They are "Sissy tools". lmao.
Make no mistake. Macguyver has nothing on me, and I am the king of thrift, and love the innovative how to's.
There is of course a difference between mills being used for a hobby and one that is being used for production, and production tooling.
I actually only use 1/64" parallels, it's all I own. And I do a lot of put and take parts through the mill. I also use <gasp> coolant! lol. I'm pretty sure a few drops of oil isn't going to hold parallels in place when I am running 800 parts with 3000 drilled holes and 1600 tapped holes , and I have 2 flood coolant nozzles flushing chips through the cross holes. But I can appreciate the simplicity and logic of that, for those who are not using their mill in that fashion.
As a business item, it really is part of the vice. I can't have chips getting behind, nor beneath the parallels. These things suck the parallels up tight to the back, and down tight to the bottom, so tight that you can't get chips stuck on top, behind, or beneath them. You can also brush out chips from between the jaws, blow out chips with air from between the jaws, and even flood them out with coolant, and still never touch the parallels, or get a chip stuck.
The economics of them? Well, if you are only making toys as a hobby with the mill, they are pricey I suppose. When you are running a business, the math goes like this. (they were made by SPI, and were like $43 when I bought them in '96 BTW) ...I just packaged up an order for $80 in parts before I sat down here. So, if I bought a set today, they were paid for in one order of 2 items, and will last a lifetime, and make my life easier from this day on... Could I make a set of those telescoping keepers in the time it took me to make those parts I just sold, which are laid out for fast production, on and assembly line? Not hardly. Would the materials be cheaper? Nope. So, for what it cost me to make 2 business items, in time and labor, they are paid for, ...forever, nothing but asset, ...and then I get to write them off too.
Kinda like justifying a Tap-matic, powered cross slide, and a DRO... For business, or for pleasure? I am now setting up for a job with 3,200 drilled holes, and 1,600 tapped holes. They won't fail once, and I won't scrap a single part from chips under, behind, or on top of the parallels, and they won't float away with the flush coolant. :big: It all comes down to "how many items do I have to sell to pay for the luxury item?" ...In this case it was "One"... Case closed. lol.
But, I still have to say... When I am not making parts for money, and it's all play time on the mill, would they be worth it? I can't live without them, they are simply a part of the vice. Hell yeah they are still worth it! If nothing else, make some as a fun project, you won't regret it, especially if you have a whole set of 1/64" parallels, you'll never use anything else. Set 'em and forget em... Trust me ;D.
I know, I know.... Big business, small business, employee, employer, hobbyist, it doesn't matter. They are "Sissy tools"... :big:
And no, you can't borrow them!
I have to go make parts now...lol. No more fun and games tonight... (And yes, I do wish I had a Mazak 6200Y for some of my parts, but that's for sissies, lol)
http://www.maidenusammp.com
Cheers.
