Metro Detroit Metalworking Club

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November, 2007

President’s message : OK, summer is over, fall is well underway and its time to spend more time in our shops. Being in your shop does some good, but even better is to show and tell what you do so the rest of us can benefit from it, too.  Even if your project is less than a complete success, or not yet done, we still want to see it and hear about it. Anyway, much more is learned from mistakes than successes. Everybody is cool about it, we all made a big mistake sometime. There are a bunch of guys here with intelligence and experience that can help with whatever you might be in the midst of. That’s what I am going to do next meeting – I need some help. (I am in awe of the quality of the work you guys do, however. Before I bring something in, I do extra deburring and file off a few more tool marks).

MDMC Minutes of 10 October 2007 by James Howard

The meeting was called to order at 7:30 pm by the president, John Osborne. There was no treasurer's report. 

John Osborne demonstrated a set of short drill bits, similar to milling machine bits, from ENCO of Reno, NV,  @ around $3-4 each, which he has found to be a fine substitute for centering drills.

James Howard, who writes the minutes, inquired of the availability of a telephone list of all attendees as an aid in making follow-up calls to presenters of whom he may require additional details or clarifications.  There is no formal attendance list and the dues-paid list of members does not include all attendees.  Mr. Howard will keep a personal running list of all visitors, potential members, and/or any new presenter. 

Ron Schmidt, using fine photographs, reviewed two tooling aids used on his shop mill.  These are:

1.  A set of good quality pie tins cut to fit fore and aft of his mill cross slide to catch machining chips.  Clearance holes are located to clear the cross slide attachment bolts and a simple pair of plastic pipe caps cover the bolts and the clearance holes.

2.  A lathe tailstock Morris Taper chuck locking tool mounted on the lathe bedplate, providing an anti-rotation feature on the Morris Taper, which tended to rotate when he was tapping a hole in a the faceplate.  The tool locates an appropriate size round bar into the keyhole of the Jacobs, preventing it’s rotation under load. 

Earl Austerberry remarked that the closed A. J. Fisher store, formerly in Royal Oak and a great vendor of small model ships and hardware parts, had opened a shop in New Durham, NH.  Information at www.ajfisher.com or X978 462 4555.

Steve Huck demonstrated a beautiful 1/4 scale 1933 Bugatti gasoline engine that he believes can be made to run, although not accomplished at the time of the meeting.  He built it with a small lathe and mill in around 80 working hours.  Information is available at www.bugattibuilderss.com. 

NEXT MEETING: THE RICK-O-MATIC

Is the Rick-o-Matic a machine, is it a man, who  knows, but they are often seen together. A long-time contributor to this club, Rick Chownyk, wants to give a talk about “Cheap and Free CNC”, and we will let him. If you think CNC might be too expensive, too hard or too mystifying, Rick will show and tell you that its not.  Rick’s machine is scratch built of steel, can also be built of pressed wood, drawer slides and bicycle chain. These do light duty but useful work engraving, PCB drilling, machining wax or cutting foam for lost foam casting.

            Instead of building from scratch, another way to go is to convert an existing machine. In any case, Rick will tell you what needs to be done, where the free software is and how to find used and surplus parts that can modified to give good service in a CNC machine.

            CNC machines are satisfying to build. When it makes things without you touching it, you know you are on a different level of metal work.

Steve Huck with his fabulous model engine. Looks too nice to actually run it.

John Osborne showed a calliper with 2 pointers, one for Metric, one for English units. Now when the battery gives out on his electronic callipers, work can still go on.

Other.