Making that Bullet Collator

[GWS]

FYI I renamed the entire Drop Tube's folder today. The versions designed for prox are the official latest version. They are now just labeled with the original file names. Drop_Tube_X and Drop_Tube_Alt_X. Everything else is legacy at this point and they have have been tagged with "Orig" at the end. Since I took the time to also make the light sensor versions of the Alt tubes, I kept them in there and tagged them with "Light". Just a little house keeping. As GWS said, the options are getting voluminous at this point.

I hope "Orig" doesn't make it worse. New folks too often get committed, like XDrebel did, buying the other options (which are more fidgety to use) then you are stuck with supporting 3 times the parts. Maybe "Legacy" would be a better word to get your point across.

Or what if you could only have the latest tools/parts in the main section, and add another "Legacy Parts" section for the folks who already committed to other sensors.

Just thinking that would lessen the confusing choices new folks have tying to decide what to buy. Proximity Switches are just so much simpler and adjustment-free....thanks to your drop-on housing design, and size options on the downtubes.

[TylerR]

I hope "Orig" doesn't make it worse. New folks too often get committed, like XDrebel did, buying the other options (which are more fidgety to use) then you are stuck with supporting 3 times the parts. Maybe "Legacy" would be a better word to get your point across.

Or what if you could only have the latest tools/parts in the main section, and add another "Legacy Parts" section for the folks who already committed to other sensors.

Just thinking that would lessen the confusing choices new folks have tying to decide what to buy. Proximity Switches are just so much simpler and adjustment-free....thanks to your drop-on housing design, and size options on the downtubes.

All very good points. I had considered using "Legacy" as well, and since you just threw it out there I will go with it. I think I will avoid moving them out of the folder for now, but very well might down the road.

Edit: Actually you know what, I am going to move them. Heck with it.

[GWS]

Wish I had our manual writer's skills....the manual could be streamlined too for the same reasons......I don't even know what software he used. So I'm not much help.

[TylerR]

Wish I had our manual writer's skills....the manual could be streamlined too for the same reasons......I don't even know what software he used. So I'm not much help.

It is just in MS Word. I have it and do make tweaks from time to time.

[GWS]

It is just in MS Word. I have it and do make tweaks from time to time.

That's a relief, good.....I thought he had some special software like Publisher which I haven't even seen in years......which I used once writing a newsletter for our local gun club.....but then old age comes.....

[TylerR]

That's a relief, good.....I thought he had some special software like Publisher which I haven't even seen in years......which I used once writing a newsletter for our local gun club.....but then old age comes.....

If you have any change suggestions feel free to email me. I don't want to re-write the thing but I am always open to tweaks here and there.

[noacess]

I pre-ordered this printer and then proceeded to wait over two years for this to happen. Glad I finally made it

[rogerandre]

You have three options to choose from:

-Drive a pin directly thru the motor shaft.
-Use a hex adapter
-Use a hex adapter with a pin

Most people go with option two.
I use the last option. You can drive a pin thru the brass adapter easily, and the pin eliminates the possibility that the hex gets rounded out in the clutch.

With hex pin support, by drilling a hole in the shaft of the motor ?

[XDrebel]

Getting close to being done with this one hopefully. Have to finalize the wiring to motor and proxy switch.
Need to swap the APP Press onto the base and the Inline Fabrication Quick Change Mount to see if I got the location right and check the height of the mounting tube I actually need so it will work with the LEE Clear Plastic Feed Tubes.

This has been a fun and challenging project from the start. Thank you to those that helped along the way. I soon realized that me being slightly OCD about part fitment, it led me to designing some custom parts to achieve what I wanted to achieve. I hope TylerR and others who have worked on this project feel I have added to this projects possibilities.

The other photo is the current collator I had originally started with that is somewhat smaller that I had done basically the same with. I wanted it to be dedicated to the press I was using, but able to changed attachments for caliber I was processing.

[RedBarachetta]

Can those files be downloaded?

[XDrebel]

Can those files be downloaded?

RedBarachetta they are not available yet. I'm making some changes I needed to make after I actually put it onto the InLineFabrication Quick Change mounting plate. There are a couple of ways that the one issue I had can be eliminated depending on personal preference. Give me a few days and I will try to get everything finished up and I will try to post some better images of the final design I game up with.

I will also need to be get all the final versions of the stl files gathered together to be sure I send the right ones. I will get in touch with TylerR and let him make them available through the Contributors file if he decides to do it that way. I will also be glad to answer any questions they may arise. I used Fusion 360 to do all my parts modeling and will also down the road make the original Fusion 360 file available if someone needs it to make changes.

[TylerR]

RedBarachetta they are not available yet. I'm making some changes I needed to make after I actually put it onto the InLineFabrication Quick Change mounting plate. There are a couple of ways that the one issue I had can be eliminated depending on personal preference. Give me a few days and I will try to get everything finished up and I will try to post some better images of the final design I game up with.

I will also need to be get all the final versions of the stl files gathered together to be sure I send the right ones. I will get in touch with TylerR and let him make them available through the Contributors file if he decides to do it that way. I will also be glad to answer any questions they may arise. I used Fusion 360 to do all my parts modeling and will also down the road make the original Fusion 360 file available if someone needs it to make changes.

I am definitely willing to add. I looked at you pics but not exactly sure what you have going on. looks like a square tube mount that can adjust height?

[XDrebel]

I am definitely willing to add. I looked at you pics but not exactly sure what you have going on. looks like a square tube mount that can adjust height?

TylerR here are a couple of better pics . As you can see in the 1st pic, the APP and the Collator are now one unit mounted on the InLine Fabrication Quick Change Plate. The 2nd pic is it mounted in the Quick Change Base. Hopefully these are better than the others. I had to download a photo image resizer and I didn't have the right options picked to keep the ratio the same when resized.

Also it is setup to allow the Lower Sliding Clamp to be loosened and the Collator raised to remove and change out the Lee Clear Rigid Tube say from the 10mm used on .223 to the 13mm to run 9mm. The Sliding Clamp Lock Ring Holds the height that has been preset. Beings the tubes are the same length, once the tube and APP insert are swapped and installed in the App Main Bracket. The Lee Tube Adapter is then swapped out in the Drop Tube and your ready to rotate back around and raise enough to re-align the Lee Tube and then lower into position and tighten the Lower Sliding Clamp Unit back in place.





I hope that explains it a little better. I know this setup isnt for everyone. But those of us with limited room and swap out the presses we use, I believe it's handy. Also beings I do larger quantities of case prep at times. I usually do the de-priming and primer pocket swaging on the APP. When I'm done or want to change over to one of my other presses to do sizing, etc, it is simple to do and it gets it all out of the way or put back in place.

I have made changes to a couple pieces. So I'm in the process of printing them again. Also making a hardware list of the bolt sizes used. So it will still be a few days before I have everything finalized to send it to you to look over.

Right now everything is made using a 1 inch round piece of tubing.

[RedBarachetta]

It was the base plate that first caught my eye. I recently broke my square post base plate and need to print a new one anyway.

[XDrebel]

This base uses 1in. round but shouldn't be a problem to convert to a square post. It is designed to mount between the APP press and the InLine Fabrication Quick Change plate. There is also a bin hanger mount on the right side that I stopped using due to me processing larger quantities at a time. But I left it in the design.