In my last post I detailed the design process for a collapsing stock for my custom Crosman 1322. Now that I had a design, it was time to start making!
Tag: metalworking Page 2 of 3
Machining, welding, brazing, bending, folding, spindling and mutilating metal.
In a previous post I wrote about modifying a Crosman 1322 air pistol into a rifle. I did that project for someone else, but I have a Crosman 1322 too. I wanted to make my own custom rifle. Mine would be a little different, though. I wanted something very compact, that would easily fit into a small backpack and quickly deploy into a rifle capable of hunting small game.
A good friend found an old toolbox on a property he purchased. He gifted me some of the contents, and one of the items was this neat old “Unbrako Socket Screw Calculator”. If you have really sharp eyes, you might have seen it sitting in the lid of my toolbox in this post. It’s a very simple device that provides a machinist with all the measurements they’d need regarding socket screws. Let’s take a closer look.
We’ve all heard “measure twice, cut once”, right? But if you don’t mark the measurement, you might as well not bother measuring at all.
To mark wood, you could use chalk, or a pencil. But those don’t work very well on metal. You need something more precise. You need a scriber, and layout fluid.
As a maker, I see faults in the things I made that nobody else will ever notice. Awhile back I posted about a steam engine I built. I learned a lot, and I was really pleased that it ran well. But as always, I saw the faults, and I wanted to make another, better attempt.
My lathe is rated at a seven inch swing, meaning that it can accommodate a piece of metal 7″ in diameter. You could maybe mount something that big somehow, and it would be able to rotate. But you couldn’t get a cutting tool to reach the outside diameter of the piece. In truth, the lathe really can’t work over about 5″.
A friend of mine is a cigar afficionado, and smokes outside on his patio. He was lamenting that he needed a better ashtray. He wanted an ashtray with wide enough grooves to accommodate a fat cigar. It must stay on the table even in high winds. And it had to look “industrial”.
One of the things I really like about owning a machine shop is that it lets me find creative solutions to difficult problems. And often along the way I find myself forced to find creative solutions to new problems that crop up while solving the first problem! Today’s project provided a little of both.
Keeping a tap straight and square the the hole you’re tapping is really important. Not only does it ensure that the threads are strong, it helps prevent you from breaking off the tap in the workpiece. But it’s not easy: holding it perfectly square to the work while you turn it takes a lot of practice. Or a better tap wrench…
I remember a quilting class where the instructor had a porcupine quill in her tools. It seemed like an odd item to find in a sewing kit, but when she showed us how she used it, I promptly got one for myself.
When you are making a quilt, you sew across multiple seams, and it can be difficult to get everything to lie flat while you are doing this. A stiletto helps keep things lined up and neat.
The long narrow tip allows you to guide the fabric through the machine without getting you fingers close to the needle. I personally have never (knock on wood) stitched through a finger, but I know a number of people who have.
You can use a stiletto to punch a hole in fabric or leather, either for stitching of adding grommets. It can be used to help turn the edge of applique under before stitching it down.
A fancy brass stiletto
I had seen a brass stiletto with a needle tip. It had a cap to protect the tip from getting damaged and reduce the risk of it poking anyone or anything when not in use. I showed it to Walt, and he decided he would try to make one. He made several, some which were used a gifts and some that were sold.
He will show you more about how he made them in one of his shop project posts.
I use mine every time I am at the sewing machine.
No, this post has nothing to do with a song by the Byrds. Nor anything to do with Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (the source of the lyrics for the song). Last week I promised a brief demonstration of what a metal cutting lathe does. So here we go!