Stuff I've made

[Hdskip]

Having spent my adult life in manufacturing, it seems I'd rather make stuff than my it. I'd like to share some images of things I've made. Thanks for looking

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[nagantguy]

Real nice looking stuff, find a need for a specialty tool or a tweak to an existing one and make it, very cool. What is the second down on the right? I'm guessing some sort of jig or a site pusher maybe?

[Hdskip]

Actually it is a precision grinding vise for use on a surface grinder. I worked many years as a tool and die maker. It was a design I came up with for small parts. It is 6'' long and 2" square. I've got 2 tool boxes of things like that. All were made to perform my work more efficiently and most of it wasn't available commercially or was so expensive I wouldn't pay for it. Thanks for the comments

[MrWolf]

Nice work, you just gave me an idea.

[Hdskip]

What idea?????? Inquiring minds want to know!! :bigsmyl2:

[Der Gebirgsjager]

You, Sir, are a real craftsman. Thanks for sharing your projects. Very nice.

[leebuilder]

Thanks for sharing. Love to make stuff, not that I mind spending money, just prefer it. Home made will soon be something of the past.
Be well

[Ole Joe Clarke]

Hd, you can send me that toolmakers vise, I won't tell anybody. :-) It will fit nicely into my Gerstner & Sons tool chest, that I bought new in 1965. It's 51 years old about this time of year.

[Hdskip]

Hd, you can send me that toolmakers vise, I won't tell anybody. :-) It will fit nicely into my Gerstner & Sons tool chest, that I bought new in 1965. It's 51 years old about this time of year.

I might, maybe consider trading for the Gerstner Chest, but I'm not sure that would do it. Been a lot of parts through that little vise. I'll just have to put it back in my Kennedy that I got in '72. Sounds like you done some projects like this.
Gary

[MrWolf]

What idea?????? Inquiring minds want to know!! :bigsmyl2:

The hammer utilizing a bolt. Was going to mess with a soft but firm impact.

[merlin101]

That's some pretty cool stuff you made especially those cast iron frying pans! :bigsmyl2:

[Virginian]

You sir are a true craftsman!

[Ole Joe Clarke]

I have a few things I made when I worked in the shop. I still have a .007 diameter drill that I used. My Gerstner still has a few tools in it, mostly memories though.

[Hdskip]

I've been teaching high school kids precision machining for the past 20 years. I still make chip nearly every day though.

[Hdskip]

That's some pretty cool stuff you made especially those cast iron frying pans! :bigsmyl2:
I really sweated doing the skillets :bigsmyl2:. That's more work than I want to try. The wife loves the rack and hooks they are hanging on though.

[Fishman]

Thanks for sharing.

[bubba.50]

what is the little round gadget between the vise and the fryin' pan rack?

[Hdskip]

what is the little round gadget between the vise and the fryin' pan rack?

It is a 2 1/2" diameter leather punch that I needed for some of my leather work. I've made several of these of different sizes. I've also made a patch cutter of similar design for cutting muzzle loader patches.

[bubba.50]

thanks. patch-cutter was the only thing that came to mind but couldn't really tell at that angle. neat stuff.

[Hdskip]

thanks. patch-cutter was the only thing that came to mind but couldn't really tell at that angle. neat stuff.

I see you are in Va. I'm near Staunton

[bubba.50]

I'm down 81 from ya a few miles in Pulaski County.

[izzyjoe]

Cool stuff you made there, I enjoy making tools myself!

[John Taylor]

Made several of these over the years for customers. Finally gave the idea to Pacific Tool and Gauge. Works great for turning a taper on a rifle barrel without moving the tail stock.
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[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Ive got buddy wanting me to make him a hammer (if that's what you call it) for leatherworking. Do you have a plan for the ones you made? I am in school now for precision machining. Good stuff by the way! Thanks!

[gandydancer]

I'm down 81 from ya a few miles in Pulaski County.

I'm right next door to you bubba.50 Wythe county. gandy.

[smokeywolf]

Mr. Taylor, I like your adjustable offset center. Is it a live or dead center?

[Hdskip]

Made several of these over the years for customers. Finally gave the idea to Pacific Tool and Gauge. Works great for turning a taper on a rifle barrel without moving the tail stock.
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That's a great idea John, I like it.

[Hdskip]

Ive got buddy wanting me to make him a hammer (if that's what you call it) for leatherworking. Do you have a plan for the ones you made? I am in school now for precision machining. Good stuff by the way! Thanks!


I'll check my prints and see. If not I can make you a sketch. Give me a couple of days.
Gary

[Plate plinker]

what is the little round gadget between the vise and the fryin' pan rack?

Looks like a button cutter. Cuts the blank that get wrapped over the metal. Custom buttons anybody?

By the way nice RACK.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

Once I showed my merry little bunch of Bedouin in Saudi Arabia a Liverpool chronograph, with a silver case hallmarked in 1897, which I had restored to working condition, and good timekeeping by the standard of any mechanical watch. They were impressed, but most especially when I showed them my tools, and they found I had made my own little copper hammer. I heard some of them talking with their friends afterwards, and saying "W'allah, Mr. John so clever, he made his own hammer!"

[John Taylor]

Mr. Taylor, I like your adjustable offset center. Is it a live or dead center?
Yes it is a live center.

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[Ole Joe Clarke]

Wow, nice looking machining.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

Yes it is a live center.

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Yes, and a most impressive piece of work. But those with less ability or inclination can achieve the same with a micromet-adjustable boring head with an arbor to fit the tailstock. The off-the-peg version takes up a bit more of your length between centres, though.

When I used the boring head I dispensed with ball races (although it could be done), and sandwiched a single ball bearing between cup-shaped indentations cut with a ball nosed end mill in the muzzle and the centre held in the machine.

Live centre or not, there is movement and change of pressure at every revolution. If it was conical I would plug the rear of the bore, and have plenty of oil or grease in there.

As a cheap way around this job you could just get a soft steel cylindrical ended mandrel for your tailstock, offset the tailstock by the desired amount, and either mill your ball bearing cup or drill and ream it for a smaller size of morse tapered centre. Two or three of those should cover most of your barrel tapering needs, and then you can recentre your tailstock forever.

I also used a second lathe tool adjacent to the cutting one, consisting of a steel bar with a smooth HSS head driven fairly lightly against the barrel with a spring. (An alternative might be a piece of rubber sheet epoxied between the tool body and the bearing surface. The idea is to use it as a travelling steady. It isn't as good as the official kind, at the top and rear of a workpiece which can therefore only be cylindrical. But it does help damp down the vibration.

[BigEyeBob]

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Some of the stuff Ive made Pic 1 is some clamps and a small vice ,Pic2 is a small anvil from railway line Pic3 a series of pullers for various applications,
Pic 4 universal joints for use with a dial indicator , Pic 5 an attempt at a bullet mould for my 500 express double rifle ,Pic 6 a work bench Pic 7 various tools for bullet sizing and a cake cutter for pan lubing from left bullet die to swage 308 200GNRN JWords up to 316 , universal decapping die , cake cutter , modified Lee dies for odd ball cartidges , bullet sizing die for 300Sherwood.Pic 8 air air operated Jerry can pump (I hate lifting Jerry cans to refuel ) Pic9 my large smelter .
I've made a lot more stuff but the pics are hiding some where on this @#^*! computer .I'm working on a universal swiveling bench vice at the moment , using a trailer hitch and ball. Will post pics when its done if interested.
Also have a huge list of more projects , I'm slowly getting through them .

[Ballistics in Scotland]

The railway line anvil is good. The inexpensive ones in that size are usually cast iron, and far more brittle. South of the equator and north of Capricorn sounds a bit as though you might have settled for less than George Stephnson's original 4ft. 8½in. gauge. That seems a bit like the Israelites going for the golden calf.

[BigEyeBob]

The railway line anvil is good. The inexpensive ones in that size are usually cast iron, and far more brittle. South of the equator and north of Capricorn sounds a bit as though you might have settled for less than George Stephnson's original 4ft. 8½in. gauge. That seems a bit like the Israelites going for the golden calf.

Northern Territory , we only have one train here goes from Darwin to Adelaide Sth Australia some 2,500klms straight down the center standard gauge I believe.
Plenty of other rail systems in the southern states , Queensland settled for narrow gauge and still sticks to it. All the other states use standard gauge .
Queenslanders are born with pointy heads.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

How the Ku Klux Klan must envy them! I just assumed that since there are a lot more north-of-Capricorn people in Queensland, that is where you probably were. No insult to your head or railways was intended.

[John Taylor]

This the one that Pacific Tool makes. It has a live center but is a little longer than mine. It also adjust in both directions. I asked them why they made it adjust in both direction and was told that some people might want to cut a taper in the opposite direction, I said turn it over. I had sent them one to copy and they had to change it. It does work OK, they sent me a sample. I hear they also gave a couple to each of the gun smithing schools.

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[smokeywolf]

John, looks like maybe angular contact bearings. Have you seen any significant wear using angular contact bearings as opposed to standard ball with added thrust bearings?

[John Taylor]

John, looks like maybe angular contact bearings. Have you seen any significant wear using angular contact bearings as opposed to standard ball with added thrust bearings?
The bearing are the least expensive I could find and they have been going strong for many years. I think they were a couple buck each. It would be nice to have thrust bearings but the cheap ones are doing fine.
Several years back I made a bull nose center using Timken bearings, sort of an over kill.