Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
Shop and Tools: Tips and Tricks
- Thread starter Muckin_Slusher
- Start date
2020AT4
Transgender tailgate operation specialist.
Toolmaker to be precise.Well, about 2 minutes of google searching says that form tapping is better for copper than cutting threads.
Where I work, that kind of work would be done in the machine shop, by machinists. That's why I assumed your gender er I mean profession
We dont even have a machine shop anymore.I am the goto guy for shit like this and if I had exotic (Please...dont get me started...) shit like form taps....
As above, sulphurated oil (meant for god knows what) was the best I could find. My hands will stink for days.
Obviously buying tooling wasnt an option (Time) and we had 1300 people going who were going to be out of work for a day if this wasnt able to be done.
First three holes sucked ASS as even though I went .005 over on the drill size, they were closing up on the tap. I pinned them and was able to go .010 over and stay within spec.
This was a grounding lug for a Connential washer our product goes through before brazing. It caught fire due to excess grease and lack of water a few weeks ago and melted the seal to this part and today it shit the bed.
Its all in a day as we never have what we need, just want to vent and hopefully make someone chuckle.
2020AT4
Transgender tailgate operation specialist.
Believe it or not we cant have moly-d.
They took away cool-tool, Stainless cutting oil, tapmagic and the other shit I disremember the name of.
They took away all spray paint and spray on DyChem, brush on only.
Plant is in NJ.
Found the root of the problem
Fixt.
Punch all the holes into 0.206" through holes.
Redline the drawing to show through bolts with nuts.
Hand back to Engineer.
😎
2020AT4
Transgender tailgate operation specialist.
dUDE, WE DIDNT EVEN HAVE GUN TAPS UNTIL A COUPLE YEARS AGO.Found the root of the problem
Fuck, I cant even capslock good.
We go by two sayings at work:
The beatings will continue until morale improves!
And the old rag, We have done so much for so long with so little...
Interesting side note, 1/3 (statistically) of the people in this country and and 1/2 of all snowmexicans (who have this appliance) trust our equipment to not burn their house down.
2020AT4
Transgender tailgate operation specialist.
So uhhh, you need work?
![[486]](https://data.irate4x4.com/avatars/m/0/94.jpg?1700178133){kind=avatar}
[486]
ugh, that guy again?
I've heard that you use cream (as in the milk product) for machining copper.
Dunno, but I'd give it a go for tapping as you can do it near a floor drain
Dunno, but I'd give it a go for tapping as you can do it near a floor drain
So uhhh, you need work?
You have no idea now how much I miss manufacturing these days... Don't tempt me.
Oh man... I could see that crap going rancid if not swapped out frequently. I shop I worked at ran all canola oil in their machines which got strained and filtered, but rarely disposed of. I don't miss that smell.
Crawl
Well-known member
A tool I made to do one thing, one day that has really came in handy time again.
My personal shop is like move something to do something. It’s my own organized chaos.
The shop I work in still has molyD as a tapping lube, but cool tool, and spraying dye-Chen blue was never a thing. Brush on was used, but they just announced that a new, water based dye is mandated.
arse_sidewards
Red Skull Member
- Joined
- May 19, 2020
- Member Number
- 71
- Messages
- 8,558
Those OEM jacks are the shit for all sorts of ghetto projects where you need something to be adjustable.
Saloon65
Red Skull Member
Does anybody else here use toothpaste on little welding burns? I’m always amazed at how many people have NEVER heard of that as long as it’s been around..
No, but now I'm going to throw one of those little travel tubes in the welding toolbox and try it.
Saloon65
Red Skull Member
i’ve got one of those in every tool box now.
A tool I made to do one thing, one day that has really came in handy time again.
90's Nissan 4x4's came with these excellent little screw jacks. Most of the pick n' pulls around here pull them before they go out to the yard, but every now and then I find one. I think I have 5 or 6 by now.
The OEM shaft is like 3/8" so you can just chuck it in a drill and spin up the jack.If you do the socket trick, an old, cheap universal is even better than a socket.
arse_sidewards
Red Skull Member
- Joined
- May 19, 2020
- Member Number
- 71
- Messages
- 8,558
If anyone knows a good ghetto solution for measuring travel on a machine that doesn't have markings on the handles now would be a good time. I can do half an inch at a time with a dial indicator but squaring that up gets old quick.
Yeah the Nissan one is my favorite for actual jack use since it has a nice base. I have a couple of them but they live in vehicles for that reason. The stamped style ones lend themselves better to bolting/welding to other shit. Bolt them to old brake rotors/drums and they make some great light duty jack stands.90's Nissan 4x4's came with these excellent little screw jacks. Most of the pick n' pulls around here pull them before they go out to the yard, but every now and then I find one. I think I have 5 or 6 by now.
If you do the socket trick, an old, cheap universal is even better than a socket.
GLTHFJ60
Stupid is as stupid does
Longer travel dial indicator?
3" Dial Indicator
For most of what I do on my lathe, a 3" dial indicator would mean I don't have to look at the dials.
Trav-a-dial? Keep an eye on ebay....I think I picked mine up for $120-ish.
Watch this one. $125, 3 days to go with no current bids.
trav a dial | eBay
Trav a Dial. Condition is "Used". Shipped with USPS Priority Mail. Works as it should nice and smooth, crystal is clear and easy to read 0.001" resolution. Has magnetic base attachment which is cracked.
www.ebay.com
707offroad
Bro-tastic
- Joined
- May 19, 2020
- Member Number
- 280
- Messages
- 36
they sell cheap digital readouts that can be bolted to the carriage & bed. I have them on my lathe
arse_sidewards
Red Skull Member
- Joined
- May 19, 2020
- Member Number
- 71
- Messages
- 8,558
The cheapo 2" dial indicator seems to be the way to go. This is just a stopgap until I get a DRO.
A DRO setup is like $500 (mag tape and encoders a reputable manufactuer, Chinese digital display). If I'm gonna spend $100+ I'll just wait a month and buy the DRO
They stop being cheap when you need them to be 8ft long.
707offroad
Bro-tastic
- Joined
- May 19, 2020
- Member Number
- 280
- Messages
- 36
Are you constantly using the whole 8 feet of bed? how much precision are you looking for?
Saloon65
Red Skull Member
Getting harder to find: Southwestern Industries made those, they've moved on to making CNC's and such and discontinued those and all the parts. I've been scrapping for repair parts on those for a few years now.Trav-a-dial? Keep an eye on ebay....I think I picked mine up for $120-ish.
Watch this one. $125, 3 days to go with no current bids.
trav a dial | eBay
Trav a Dial. Condition is "Used". Shipped with USPS Priority Mail. Works as it should nice and smooth, crystal is clear and easy to read 0.001" resolution. Has magnetic base attachment which is cracked.www.ebay.com
arse_sidewards
Red Skull Member
- Joined
- May 19, 2020
- Member Number
- 71
- Messages
- 8,558
Well if I'm gonna spend the money to slap a DRO on it I'm not gonna settls for only being able to use the DRO in certain points on the bed. Besides, with a mag tape DRO all the money is tied up in the reader head. The difference between 4ft and 8ft is like $30 in tape and $30 in support channel.
I have no delusions about being able to do sub-thou work but I want the DRO to be able to do sub-though. I figure I want to be able to measure one order of magnitude better than what I can actually hit.
[486]
ugh, that guy again?
make some fuckin' dials?
ain't hard to brain out the pitch of the screw, or measure out the travel per turn on the carriage (though carriage dials always seem to be a little bit wonky)
GLTHFJ60
Stupid is as stupid does
That's not a bad idea actually. Make some scribe marks on the handle sleeve or whatever every 5 thou on the cross slide and compound, that should be plenty to get you in the neighborhood.
2020AT4
Transgender tailgate operation specialist.
If I cant jog my memory today Ill look tomorrow and give you the name of the new DRO we just got.
It was cheap-$300-400ish for the XY bridgeport unit and surprisingly good for the cost.
If the total length is within the range of whatever the largest measuring devise you have, measure with that until youre within the range of your indicator, then switch to that for the last - .500 .
Im talking Vernier's, not a tape measure.