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[Bill]

This tool is sort of on the fringe of this newsgroup, but I never saw it before today.

It's gotta be doable for (much?) less than $50. You can treat it as a "Guess what it's for" post! : ) I thought it would nicely accessorize a tap and die set. I sought to find a tap and die set at my local Sears "going out of business" sale, which my wife told me about yesterday... but I could see I was late to the party. It felt like a funeral at the store...I'll miss it. I couldn't help but think of happier times (concrete memories of this, that, and the other)...details omitted.

[Bill]

This tool is sort of on the fringe of this newsgroup, but I never saw it before today.

It's gotta be doable for (much?) less than $50. You can treat it as a "Guess what it's for" post! : ) I thought it would nicely accessorize a tap and die set. I sought to find a tap and die set at my local Sears "going out of business" sale, which my wife told me about yesterday... but I could see I was late to the party. It felt like a funeral at the store...I'll miss it. I couldn't help but think of happier times (concrete memories of this, that, and the other)...details omitted.

[krw]

I picked up a set of something like this at Woodcraft a couple of years ago. The set of four (large/small x SAE/metric) was more expensive than that, though.

They're well worth the money.

Sears has been dead for four decades but just haven't admitted it. Pull the plug, already.

[John McGaw]

I've had one of those, in a more limited form and not so all-inclusive, for decades now. Most of the time it isn't needed but when it is usually _really_ needed. Has definitely been useful in the WW shop since most of my big equipment is metric and I don't have a huge stock of that hardware on hand.

[Bob La Londe]

This tool is sort of on the fringe of this newsgroup, but I never saw it before today.

It's gotta be doable for (much?) less than $50. You can treat it as a "Guess what it's for" post! : ) I thought it would nicely accessorize a tap and die set. I sought to find a tap and die set at my local Sears "going out of business" sale, which my wife told me about yesterday... but I could see I was late to the party. It felt like a funeral at the store...I'll miss it. I couldn't help but think of happier times (concrete memories of this, that, and the other)...details omitted.

*************

I've got a set of those or very similar. I use them once in a while to see what something is, but never to check a thread I am cutting. If I am using a tap or die I just trust the tap or die to be what it is. If I am single form thread milling or or turning an external thread I use pitch wires and a micrometer. If it?s a one off single application I may just check it against its mating part.

[Clare Snyder]

First of all, 120 vs 240 makes no difference in smoothness - just cuts the current in half. I wouldn't worry about getting 240 for anything under a 9 inch.

The 7 has been fine - I've made lots of little parts for projects over the years - pins and bushings for linkages on the airplane project, some modified parts for the cars over the years - most recently a new gearshift for the '96 Ranger. Some bicycle parts and repair parts for the lawn mower. No major lathe projects

[Bill]

Clare Snyder wrote:Some bicycle parts and repair parts for> the lawn mower.> No major lathe projects

Funny you should mention lawnmowers. Having replaced the lower portion of the handle on my lawnmower twice (at about $45 each time for the part), I decided that the next time I'd try to find another way to repair it. The handle is made of hollow tubing. If I fitted and inserted (and bolted) into the top half a *solid" steel extension, that would definitely take care of the connection there. And I could cut off enough meat at the other end, as necessary, to fit two bolts that attach to the frame/base. I never thought of the "joinery/fabrication" in the previous sentence before. Until now, I have been trying to think of a way to use angle iron, since it is strong and available, but I have not envisioned an easy way to attach it at the base. I like your approach, of using the lathe, better. Appears I would need one having a 1" bore or so. I'll add a stroke to the "reasons to have a lathe column"... ; )

Bill

[Puckdropper]

Bill wrote in news:DbxWD.150487$ [e-mail]:

You can put an endmill in the lathe and use it as a mill, but it doesn't seem to work all that well. At least it didn't on my little Taig. It seems to me that milling on the lathe is more of a "checkbox" feature than anything actually useful.

Puckdropper

[Spalted Walt]

Last day to use your 25% off coupon!

[Bill]

I bought myself a very inexpensive angle grinder as a Christmas gift at Menards on "Black Friday". I never had one before. But for $14.99 with 20 grinding and cutting disks in the box, I have one now. HF even had one for the low price of $9.99, but w/o the disks. It's only about 4 Amps, which I observed is low compared to many other models, but like I said, I never had one before; I'll see how I like it. For its first test, come spring, I have some nice heavy galvanized sheet metal that I am recycling for my own use (I need to cut the "bended-appendages" off of it).

I mention the above because for the precision I need, an angle grinder appears to be able to accomplish much of what a mill does (not the drilling of course). I'm seen people on YouTube use them to shape knife blades. Of course, it would be of any help for an convex cut such as a hole.

Bill

[Martin Eastburn]

A endmill takes some power to cut with. In a lathe one takes light cuts at the correct surface speed. A taig may not be enough mass to keep it working well.

I assume you have a tool post vice. And you are using the compound to slot..... moving work into and away from the mill.

I have an 11x44 and it came with two precision chucks. It is a nice Horse Power or so on it and is oversized to stay cool. The ways are chrome which make it like new. One of the items I bought was a nice digital indicator.

Mart> Bill wrote in news:DbxWD.150487$ [e-mail]: >