Lathe Spider / Clamp Nut - Part 2 HM 2022-11-24 | Part 2 of the spider construction and testing. Watch Part 1 - turning and threading of the spider clampyoutu.be/irAP-aCx3h0.DIY Edge Finderyoutube.com/watch?v=uwIlFZtzkxMSieg SX3 Z Axis Powerfeed Hackyoutube.com/watch?v=C9ek-Om88dk
Tool post quality of life improvement - DTI holder attachment HM 2025-05-03 | This is a simple 16mm round bar tool post attachment for my DTI holders so I don't have to keep dragging my magnetic bases around.
Sieg SX3 Spindle Lock HM 2025-04-13 | A simple spindle spline lock.printables.com/model/1263570-sieg-sx3-spindle-lock
Sieg SX3 R8 spindle run-out Test HM 2025-03-14 | I replaced the stock MT3 spindle with a R8 spindle and also replaced the bottom taper roller bearings with SKF roller bearings. Top deep groove ball bearing and thrust bearing combo was replaced with anothe SKF tapered roller bearing as well. After some preload adjustment and warm up the run-out at the taper and an end mill held in an ER16 precision collet was well under 0.005mm. Small wins 😂
Sieg SX3 R8 spindle with SKF tapered roller bearings top and bottom. Good enough I reckon. HM 2025-03-14 | ...
AXA Tool Post Drill Chuck Holder - Carriage drilling HM 2025-01-11 | A slideshow show and tell on making a AXA drill chuck holder
A Rigid Cut Knurling Tool HM 2024-09-28 | This is an experiment in designing a rigid 45° cut knurling tool. I'd call this a success compared to my previous attempts. I used Dorian knurling wheels that I picked up on eBay and made rigid holders with the angle set to 45°. The dovetails on the holders allow them to be held very rigidly but also allow the height to be adjusted to accommodate larger range of diameters.
Cut Knurling with a Form Knurling Wheel HM 2024-05-18 | A proof of concept use of a form knurling wheel for cut knurling.
Set Tru Chuck Backplate HM 2024-04-01 | A demonstration of the DIY set-tru chuck backplate. There's nothing fancy here, I turned a backplate with some extra space for set screws to push against and another coupling plate that bolts on to the chuck with set screws to allow adjustment. This leaves the chuck in its original state.
Spring Style HSS Parting Tool Holder HM 2024-01-27 | Spring Style HSS Parting Tool Holder, based on design from Hangar Queen channel, youtube.com/watch?v=QgXlAst4R7kOverall verdict is very positive. I don't have huge issues with my solid tool post and for larger diameter stock I normally use the tool upside down. The spring style tool holder makes this better and allows parting with almost no chatter leaving a smooth finish.Freecad design files on GitHub, feel free to modify it to suit your needs.github.com/hobbymachinist/designs/tree/main/spring-style-parting-tool-holder
Impero 3mm HSS Parting Blade Performance HM 2024-01-08 | Performance of Impero 3mm tapered parting blade with ~26mm dia 1020 mild steel at roughly 600rpm.The Impero parting blade is HSS with 12% CO and is more durable than standard M42 parting tools.
Milling a PCB with 0.2mm traces HM 2023-06-24 | I've been fine tuning my PCB milling since it's been too cold and damp to work in the shed. I've got the process streamlined for consistently milling out smaller traces, as small as 6-7mils. If anyone's interested I can make a longer form video.
Lathe bed leveling and lead screw alignment HM 2023-04-01 | A quick show and tell of how lead screw misalignment and bed not being leveled perfectly can result in surface finish issues.tl;dr 1. Check your lead screw alignment, especially when half nut is engaged.2. Check and make sure your bed is level. This Old Tony has a great video on that. A bed that's not level will turn tapers :)I'm also trying out Play.ht for Text To Speech, because I hate doing voice overs. I need a good microphone, a quiet room and patience - scare commodities at the moment. #machining #australianmachinist #lathe
Automated Left Hand Threading with ELS HM 2023-03-18 | Finally ended up adding left-hand external threading option to the ELS threading function. Along with the diagonal in-feed, it cuts nice clean threads as seen at the end.The ELS cuts the the threads left to right for left hand threads and the nuts are tightened anti-clockwise.#australianmachinist #els #lathe #machining
Threading using Diagonal In-Feed with ELS HM 2023-03-15 | This is an experimental change to simulate a diagonal in-feed as shown in @machinists-shortcuts video youtube.com/watch?v=uqm1-uEaE4cI've updated my Electronic Leadscrew threading function to follow the recommendation by adding a Z offset which is half the depth of cut at each pass that results in a ~26.5 degree in-feed angle. It results in a much cleaner cut, with better chip formation.#machining #australianmachinist #threading #electronicleadscrew #els
Surface Gauge Build - Part 1 HM 2023-01-28 | This is probably a 3 to 4 part build series on making a Surface Gauge / Squareness Comparator. I opted to base it on the Hermann Schmidt MG-1 design. I'm still tweaking the FreeCAD CAD files as I build it, but if you're interested I can upload them somewhere.I still haven't worked out how to heat treat this given I don't have furnace or a torch for flame hardening. If you know some place in Melbourne, Australia that can do one off heat treat of small parts, please let me know.#shoptools #machining #australianmachinist
Parting with Power Feed HM 2023-01-21 | Initial test of parting with power feed using the Electronic Leadscrew. I added a feature to retract the tool periodically to help with chip clean up and it worked very nicely.One thing of concern is the torque required for larger diameter stock is going to stall the 1.2Nm stepper that drives the X axis without reduction. I need to replace it with a bigger stepper motor or add a pulley reduction.#machining #australianmachinist
Using a 6mm wide HSS parting blade on a bench lathe HM 2023-01-12 | I wanted to test if my small bench lathe can use a 6mm wide HSS parting blade and initial tests indicate that it is indeed doable. It's a Paramount Browns FI-550 lathe with a modified 600w 3-phase motor and pulley reduction from 1400rpm to 120 rpm.It is counter intuitive but the larger parting blade is more rigid, forgiving as long as the motor can provide enough torque. I ditched the quick change tool post and just used step clamps to hold the blade down to the solid tool post mount.#machining #australianmachinist
Precision Turning on a Budget Lathe with Electronic Leadscrew HM 2023-01-06 | Playing with some closed loop feedback settings on my electronic leadscrew project and I'm getting consistent results hitting target dimensions within +/- 5uMAt the moment it only works for single axis linear movements with automatic backlash compensation for trapezoidal leadscrews. The DRO optical scale itself has a backlash of +/- 5uM so not going to get any better than that I think. I would still use a ballscrew if I were to fully convert the lathe to use CNC, but for a hybrid manual lathe I'm quite pleased with the results.The most tricky part is making sure the tool offset from stock is measured accurately. It's more accurate if you take an initial skim pass, then set the tool offset before actual turning.#electronicleadscrew #australianmachinist #machining
DIY Spring Loaded Center Punch HM 2023-01-05 | A DIY springtools style center punch with changeable tips. The advantage with this style of center punch is you can control the depth of indentation and with interchangeable tips you can make longer / narrower or even flat tip punches.#machining #australianmachinist
Rotary Table Fixture Plate - Part 2 HM 2022-12-29 | Finishing up the fixture plate for the rotary table. Nothing mind blowing just drilling, reaming and tapping a lot of holes.Learned a few things about tooling and travel setup to reduce time. #australianmachinist #machining
Rotary Table Fixture Plate - Part 1 HM 2022-12-25 | Here I'm turning some oversized mild steel stock, facing it relatively flat on both sides and then boring 2 alignment holes - one at the bottom to mate with the boss on the rotary table and another on top to help align the fixture plate to spindle & the work pieces. Note: Initial plan was to make a 16mm top alignment bore & I didn't have a reamer that size, which is why I had to do 2 setups. In hindsight I over complicated this whole thing. I should've done all the boring & reaming in one setup, 10mm top alignment reamed hole is quite sufficient.#lathe #australianmachinist #machining
DIY Double Ended Chamfer Tool HM 2022-12-20 | Here I make a double ended chamfer tool that uses TCMT110204 inserts. It can be done very quickly without a lot of setup work.Edit: As Maxim pointed out (and I messed up in the video edit), a sharper relief was ground under the cutter / insert seat for interior chamfer. The tool will otherwise rub against the stock as you can hear in the video around 7:15. It should cut cleanly after grinding relief as shown subsequently.#australianmachinist #lathe
Rotary Table Fixture Plate Registration Boss HM 2022-12-10 | I purchased a small 4" Vertex Rotary Table and wanted to make a fixture plate to hold small parts and the toolmakers vice when needed. Here I'm making a Morse Taper 2 registration boss to precisely locate & align the fixture plate.
DIY Indexable 12mm Boring Bar HM 2022-12-03 | Decided to make a 12mm indexable boring bar for my import boring head that I purchased a very long time ago and has been sitting unused.
Lathe Spider / Clamp Nut - Part 1 HM 2022-11-19 | Decided to make a spider and spindle nut combo since I got tired of cutting stock down and ending up with small nubs. I decided to replace the existing spindle clamp nut with one that is extended to function as a spiderPart - 2youtube.com/watch?v=ACw7Q0LUVQk
Steel Chess Set - Making Pawns HM 2022-11-13 | What better way to test most of the features in my ELS ? I started making a small chess set out of stainless and mild steel. This clip shows the process of making the pawns.
Sieg SX3 Z-Axis Power Feed Hack HM 2022-11-09 | A very quick weekend project and quality of life improvement. I got tired of cranking the Z axis up and down for tool change and made a replacement nut with shaft that allows me to use the drill driver.
Power Drawbar on a Sieg SX3 Mill with MT3 spindle HM 2022-11-04 | Small modification to enable captive drawbar based tool ejection from taper. A bronze bushing reduces the friction between the drawbar nut and captive sleeve. This allows removal of tool under power.
Zero run-out with a bump tru tool and ER collet chuck HM 2022-10-22 | Tips on improving run-out with ER collet chucks using a bump tru tool. Yes, I wear thicker gloves when handling tools, cleaning and thinner Nitrile gloves when my hands are close to a running machine. I wouldn't recommend it unless you can't avoid them like me.
Making a JT6 Drill Chuck Arbor HM 2022-10-07 | I recently purchased a Vertex keyless drill chuck for the lathe and was pretty happy with the quality. So I bought another for the milling machine but wanted to use a straight shank arbor to make it easier for me swap it out for end mill arbors / tooling. I have some 1045 stock around, so had a go at making one. I'm not completely happy with it, but seems acceptable so far. If it falls out, I may have to try regrinding the taper.
Robin Renzetti Dial Test Indicator Holder - The lazy machinists good enough version 😜 HM 2022-10-04 | Robin's original design and buildinstagram.com/p/BXgCo2VgoZA/?taken-by=robinrenzettiinstagram.com/p/BXoiVnRj3bK/?taken-by=robinrenzettiStefan's build seriesyoutube.com/watch?v=37TLOf3GWwMStefan's drawingshttps://gtwr.de/wiki/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=english:downloads:solid_indicatorstand.pdf
DIY Edge Finder for Milling Machine HM 2022-09-10 | Easy weekend project on the lathe and mill. Make yourself a modular edge finder in under an hour.The wiggler end is turned from a 10mm hardened chrome linear shaft, the body from 10mm stainless steel rod and the end cap from brass.Edit: I was recommended Tom Lipton's video after I posted this, not sure how I missed it. It's a similar design but he obviously does a much better job at explaining and making a more precise edge finder. The key part regarding lapping the mating surfaces is very useful, it will help improve the kickback. Highly recommend you watch that.youtube.com/watch?v=u-UsU6jFcEs
Lathe Dial Indicator Holder HM 2022-08-27 | This is a simple dial indicator holder for an Aloris style AXA toolpost based on a design in Home Metal Shop Club Newsletter.http://www.homemetalshopclub.org/news/14/newsletter1401.pdf#page=4I've slightly modified it to suit me, you can find the Freecad design and drawing on GitHubgithub.com/hobbymachinist/designs/blob/main/axa-dial-indicator-holder/axa-dial-indicator-holder.pdf
Cheap Lathe Ways Cover HM 2022-07-29 | I had to move the DRO out of the way to allow me to turn larger diameter stock and I had an idea to use aluminium foil as a temporary way cover. It's attached to the steel plate that secures the DRO with a magnet and it works really well. I might actually keep it on permanently :)It's easy to stretch or fold as needed and when worn out cheap and easy to replace.
Solid Tool Post Mount HM 2022-07-21 | Quick and Dirty Solid Toolpost Mount. I machined some 1020 mild steel block I had around, drilled 4 holes for M8 T-Nuts. A hole with M12 thread to secure the QCTP was drilled and tapped.The QCTP is held down using a single 16mm shaft with 15cm stick-out to be used for a Stefan Gotteswinter style DTI holder. Nothing too fancy at this stage, but it works really well. I was planning to add a piece of steel adjacent to the QCTP to pinch it from rotating, but it's really very secure so not sure I need it. Overall pretty happy with it, feels more rigid allowing me to take really deep cuts in mild steel.
Cut Knurling Mild Steel with Electronic Leadscrew HM 2022-04-16 | This is a follow up video about Knurling with the ELS after I ironed out the issues with the knurling cycles and slowed down the spindle to ~50RPM.I ended up using S1214 mild steel. OD = 14mm, 12 multi start threads cut both ways at 45 deg lead angle to a depth of 0.15mm.Previous Video: youtube.com/watch?v=CuhETNLABmg
Automated Diamond Cut Knurling Cycle with ELS HM 2022-04-13 | Proof of concept automated diamond cut knurling with ELS. There is much room for improvement, it's really hard to do this at RPMs greater than 250 due to the acceleration required for the pitch to achieve the appropriate helix angle. Might be better suited to hand cranked spindle and slower cuts.
Concave External Arcs with ELS HM 2022-04-10 | Turning right handed Concave Arcs with Electronic Leadscrew. Apologies for the shaky camera, I'm in the middle of setting up a camera holder. The video quality should be better in future videos.
DIY ER40 Collet Chuck - Longer Run-Out Test HM 2022-03-22 | Testing run-out at length. I didn't have anything super accurate, so used a 1/2" shank I found lying around.
Making ER40 Collet Chuck using the Electronic Lead Screw. HM 2022-02-26 | This is the first real world test of the ELS turning, threading and taper functions. I wanted to make a ER40 collet chuck mated directly to the spindle taper with as low run-out as possible. I ended with a decent end result, almost no measurable run-out at the collet taper and about 5-10 microns with collet spring and stock secured.
Carriage Gibs and Lock HM 2022-01-31 | A quick show and tell.I've replaced the factory installed carriage lock that required a hex key to tighten with brass gibs that can be adjusted in 2 directions to secure the front of the carriage improving the finish on turning operations. Tightening the gib screw also locks the carriage quickly without requiring any external tool.
Ball Turning with ELSv2 - Electronic Leadscrew HM 2021-12-27 | First attempt at automated ball turning in 2 steps. The first step is to turn a partial arc to a shoulder and then flip the part of around using the shoulder to hold it. The second step then completes the ball turning with a full arc.I got the offset slightly wrong when turning flipping the stock around but end result is not too bad - emery cloth and polish covers up all the mistakes.In the next attempt, I will try to do this in one pass that reduces the chances of errors with part flipped around.
Sieg SX3 detachable spindle lock HM 2021-12-21 | This was a quick hack since I got tired of holding the spindle lock wrench while unscrewing the drawbar. Holds the spindle in place and I can unscrew the draw bar with one hard.Quick release mechanism that uses a few magnets I found around.2 flat bars bolted down to another one with M4 grub screws 50mm apart acting as the locking pins.
ELS v2 - Electronic Leadscrew DRO HM 2021-12-05 | I had sort out some issues with a slightly bent leadscrew on Z axis. It's still not fully fixed but I replaced the saddle gibs with a brass gib I made and snugged it up. It's managed to keep the error low enough to make it usable. I'm waiting for a replacement leadscrew from Optimum.Meanwhile, I've installed TTL optical DRO scales with 5uM resolution (only resolving to 10uM / 0.01mm in software). I might eventually replace the naive backlash compensation with a closed loop version but for now it's accurate enough for my needs.If the closed loop system works, I may not have to swap the leadscrew for a ballscrew to improve accuracy.
ELS v2 Electronic Leadscrew - External Reverse Taper HM 2021-10-24 | Test turning of reverse or left handed taper with 0.1mm depth of cut.
ELS v2 Electronic Leadscrew - External Taper Turning HM 2021-10-22 | First test with roughing at 0.5mm depth of cut which is a bit aggressive for this insert and finishing spring pass at 0.05mm. Insert was a bit worn out with all the testing without coolant, so finish looks a bit rough.
ELS v2 Electronic Leadscrew - External Taper Fail HM 2021-10-20 | Roughing worked fine but the final finish pass failed. The interpolation on Z axis and the steps generated are incorrect.
ELS v2 Electronic Leadscrew - Turning stock to 12mm OD HM 2021-10-16 | Turning stock to 12mm OD before threading
