Useful Hints and Tricks (open thread)

The other day I came up with what I think may be a use for those empty pill bottles that I seem to keep for what ever reason. I don't know why but I just cannot see throwing them in the trash.
Anyway, I have a selection of tapered pins that are packaged in plastic bags.
I grabbed a piece of scrap wood, got out the 1 1/4" Forstner bit set the drill press and this is the result. With a few labels I now have a place to put those dang bagged pins. Also, I have a quick reference number in case I need to reorder.
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And if this is not crazy how about this one from several months ago.

Back at it in the wood shop and the label machine. Actually I am pretty proud of this one. It is a great way to store all of those bushings and it looks better than those boxes. I have one in walnut and my buddy has one in oak.

BTW the bottles are from candy oils they worked out great.

 

Useful Hints and Tricks

The other day I came up with what I think may be a use for those empty pill bottles that I seem to keep for what ever reason. I don't know why but I just cannot see throwing them in the trash.
Anyway, I have a selection of tapered pins that are packaged in plastic bags.
I grabbed a piece of scrap wood, got out the 1 1/4" Forstner bit set the drill press and this is the result. With a few labels I now have a place to put those dang bagged pins. Also, I have a quick reference number in case I need to reorder.
-> posts merged by system <-
And if this is not crazy how about this one from several months ago.

Back at it in the wood shop and the label machine. Actually I am pretty proud of this one. It is a great way to store all of those bushings and it looks better than those boxes. I have one in walnut and my buddy has one in oak.

BTW the bottles are from candy oils they worked out great.

 

Re: maybe it should be under tools?

Looks great to me and unless voted down seems like a good place for th' topic. Kinda reminds me of those useful blurbs you'd always find in Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, etc.
One I recall was baby bottle caps nailed to basement rafters, the bottles used to store nuts, bolts, washers, etc.
A lotta websites have a forum, "Helpful Hints and Tricks" or similar for just this type contribution.
Now, I don't know as it would get enough replies to create a separate forum but hey!
Howzabout let's change the title and see how it flies!
Thanks for GREAT ideas!

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

Works for me.

BTW the bottle caps have a nice snug fit in the block.

I thought about storing suspension springs in one as well.

Unlike glass these do not break if they hit the floor.

Actullay it would be better if I didn't have any of those little bottles around.

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

I really need something for bushings, as my cardboard holder has seen better days.
Looks like an airline liquor bottle dispenser you are using.
The pins always end up making holes in the bags they come in, so pill bottles would work great. I have lots of stuff (allen screws, c clips, washers, wire terminals, etc.) stored in baby food jars.

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

Here's one you may like:
Ever need to file an extremely small thin washer or spacer? You didn't?
Oh well. I did.
I cut the head off a nail and drove it into this wood block.
Now I can place the spacer on the nail and file away with absolute control of the piece!

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

Hey, that one would save the finger nails!

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

Well these are neat! Here's one I may have shared once before:

I have a both types of bushings and reamers for my KWM machine, and both in brass and bronze. The machine is sort of a nuisance to store too, so when a friend died I went to his sale and bought the typewriter holder. The paper trays hold the bushings, cleaning brsh, extra reamers, &c. , and the cabinet keeps the bushing tool free from dust and under wraps when not in use.

Both sides fold down, and the left wing sets a little higher than the right, for those times I want the machine to be higher up. Either way, it is the perfect solution.
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'nother one!

We all know the lathe will last longer and stay cleaner if covered up when not in use, right? Well the junk shop near me had this for sale for 10 bucks! It's a sewing machine lid. You can find the old domed singer ones sometimes, too.

Also, an old roll-front bread box will do a pretty nice job holding cutting stones, oil, odds and ends.

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

Did you ever re-bush the bearing of the strike side fourth wheel in the back plate, and later find when you went to push the gathering pallet back into place on the extended fourth wheel pivot on the front plate, that you pushed the bushing in the back plate, out? Or on an Urgos triple chime GF movement, when you rebush the time side third wheel pivot in the back plate, when you proceed to re-assemble the spring loaded wheel on the front side that drives the center arbor, that you push the back bushing out? Well I have had these problems in past years. That is until I made the simple tool you'll see in the image. With the clock facing up on assembly pegs, adjust the height of this tool to the correct height, and slide it under the bushing in the back plate. Then proceed and assemble the front components with no problem. This is simply a block of aluminum drilled and tapped, a machine screw or carriage bolt of the correct thread with the head cut off, and a brass cap fitted to the top end to prevent damaging the pivot or the bushing. Slick!

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

Here's one I contrived very recently. Often I find need for strong light on my subject movement and teeter the lamp base on the stand's upright.
Here's a "CRASH" just waiting to happen.

Small nail in a scrappa wood; hole in the upright - VOILA!

Lamp holder platform.

Hole in upright is larger than nail. When not needed, lift and remove platform!

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

Scottie, that looks like the same nail (prior to wacking) that you had for the bushings. LOL

Hey guys, I really like the ideas and a couple I will borrow for my shop as well.

Here is another that I cannot take credit for. This is a clamp that fits in the vice on my table / bench. The orginals were made of good tool steel. The ones I have were made with square key stock that you can get at the local hardware (guess there are not many of those left). They work great, very fast and can be used in both vertical and horizontal position.
Cost is, a piece of key stock, two socket head cap screws and a few minutes on the mill. Oh yes, drill and tap two holes also.

I will assemble in the horizontal and unscrew the vise and reposition a plate, filp it vertical to test run the movement.

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

A while back, I needed a small clamp to hard solder a broken rack tail on a Korean clock. I made this one out of a couple of woodruff keys and some 4-40 threaded rod and hex stock. A couple of bushings filed at an angle took care of the rounded backs of the keys. Took maybe half an hour or so - the longest part being spent filing the tips down small enough to fit the job.

Another little tip - I mounted my small machine tools on cutting boards, so I can hang them on the wall out of the way when I am not using them. I have a 6mm Booley lathe, my Unimat 3 and my springwinder all mounted that way. (The Peavy PA amp in the closet does double duty as a beat amplifier when I am not playing music jobs. I use a clamp on musical instrument tuner pickup that I got for under $20.00 from my local band instrument store.)

The office supply drawer dividers are a handy way to store pocket watches while they are apart, waiting for parts on order.

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

Dave, this is what I use to hold 2 pieces close together for soldering. A couple of alligator clips on a steel bar. They can easily be moved closer or further apart. Hold it in a vice or lay it on a piece of hardwood.

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

When we eat Chinese food, I order Hot and Sour soup . The plastic containers are useful for holding odds and ends (spare small suspension springs, for example); the lids are good for trays. When I take off a dial, the hands, washers, taper pin and dial screws go on one; the dial on top of that. The movement screws and (if needed) backboard screws go in another and on top of the dial. Preferably all away from the work area, lest one hit it and knock the whole kit and kaboodle on the floor (I've never done that of course ).

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

I guess it's a safe bet you meant to say that it's take-out food.

I usually eat my hot & sour soup in a Chinese restaurant. I don't think they'd like finding clock parts in it.

("Waiter, there's a hand in my soup!" )

Speaking of trays and containers, one of my favorites for holding and sorting parts are muffin trays. Some are styrofoam throw-away items and hold more than four; they come with the baked goods from supermarket bakery departments. Another good source for really tiny part storage are the trays found on some packaging of assorted chocolates.

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

Here; A beat amplifier for the severely hearing impaired:
ALTEC 807 enclosure with 511 sectoral horns and two, 15", 4168B woofers and X-over.
KIENZLE under test.

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

Scottie,

I was expecting to see an 'ear trumpet'. (Those were 'before my time' - same as antique clocks. But maybe some here know what I'm referring to.)

Non-toxic. Environmentally friendly. Requires no batteries.

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

Neet horn Scottie... a modified Klipsch

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

Frontloaded and tuned ALTEC 807

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

Ahhh ... 807's...........

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

HArold - I have alligator clips set up like yours, but needed to clamp an L-shaped piece onto the flat end, so I could "sweat" solder between them.

Scottie - I'll bet that rig isn't quite as portable as my Peavey 600 and the "black widow" under it. You could sure rattle windows with yours, though!! LOL

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

I use a third hand fixture for the alligator clip setup.

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

This is a very interesting thread, Thanks! A lot of good Ideas and ingenuity! some are amazing I never knew you could solder alligators!....hoo-boy

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

I use this PVC pipe collar as a support for doing bushing work. I added this removable grate for work that needs support like with a small movements. Spacing of the grate is wide enough for all of my KWM cutters. It fits flush with the collar and just drops in. I use this together with a small drill press which I rewired to be controlled by a variac.

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

A rerun for many here, still a good'n - attaching hands to a movement - this one a wiener, where pressure must be applied to the minute hand to load tension washer. You don't wanna bend the crutch or put the anchor pivots at risk in the process.
A small box with two notches provide clearance for the crutch. Other types of boxes and cutouts may be necessary for other types of movements.

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

If you buy a used lathe - or if like me, you don't trust the lathe you have, you can use a razor blade to check how well the tailstock lines up to center on the headstock. (You can also use it to test whether you have a cutting tool on center against a piece of round stock, if you are using a "fixed" tool post. If the cutting edge of the tool is on center, the blade will be vertical.) Chuck a piece of scrap in the headstock, and turn a tapered point on it. Place a center in the tailstock, bring it up to the headstock, and nip a razor blade between the two. If the centers agree, the blade will be both vertical and perpendicular to the ways. (The side of the tip over tool rest makes a nice perpendicular line for "eyeballing", if you shove it up against the base of the headstock.) For this photo, I purposely threw the tailstock off-center by putting a piece of paper between it and the bed way on one side. Your test will probably not be this far out of whack, so , while clamping the razor blade, rotate the headstock or the tailstock, and watch to see if the razor blade moves. If rotating the headstock makes it move - the bearings need adjustment. It will probably wobble back and forth in one or both planes. (It does on all four of my lathes when I rotate the tailstock spindle.) When I need to do accurate work, I do this first and find the "sweet spot", then take care not to rotate the tailstock spindle.

(WHEW!! - It took more time to type this than it does to do the test.!)
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When tapping a drilled hole, I chuck the tap in the drill press, and start it in turning the quill by hand. That way, I know the tap is not going in askew. I do the same thing using a die to cut external threads - I leave the workpiece in the lathe, and use the tailstock with a flat pusher to keep the die perpendicular to the workpiece.

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

Dave B

Thanks for that tid bit! It makes sense when you thing about it. My father was a machinest and pasted away about six weeks ago. One of the things that he taught me was, when tapping with a machine (drill press, lathe or mill) chuck the tap up a little loose. The machine can start up (slower speeds) and then feed it in with pressure. The tap will spin in the chuck before the threads will strip. Takes some practice but it does work.

Scottie, thanks for the box idea. I've had that one happen.

Interesting how many have viewed and posted. Keep 'em comming. I like learning something every day!

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

bkerr - I have don it that way, but when the chuck spins, it wipes out the lettering on the tap - the next time I am fishing for one, I can't read the durned thing! That is why I stopped doing it, and just turn the quill by hand.

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

Possible tap could be doubled - chucked? One chuck holds the tap securely; other chuck holds the first chuck and can be loosely held.
Zatt possible?

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

I've never considered the possibility of using a tap with anything but a hand tool. Might be slower, but I'm usually not in a big hurry when cutting threads.

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

I agree. A straight hole with the lathe will tap straight. Why risk breaking off a hardened tap inside your part?

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

Thirded!
You need to keep reversing the tap to break the swarf off as well.

My metalwork teacher in school used to say "half a turn forward and a quarter of a turn back". Same applies to external threads with a die.

I do use a lathe, but only to centre the tap or die, and use the hand tools to hold it and certainly never under power.

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

Agreed on the chip removal Mike. Getting the bugger started straight is where this one works well. Chucked in the tailstock the tap has to be dead on straight. Once started then you gan go to a T handle and finish.

BTW - you can not brake the tap if it spins in the chuck first. When it spins it means it has started, now go to the t - wrench by hand.

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

The only tapping method used with a tap that i know of, is to use a tapping head which has a clutch in it. To put a tap in a chuck and try under power to tap is headed to disaster, in my opinion.But to each his own.

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

This thread is a perfect candidate to become a sticky. It is well needed communication.

I think using the lathe to initially guide the tap or die might be related to the issue of size.

Some of us don't see so good as we use to.

And I can imagine that using the lathe not only would help to guide the initial placement and continuing then on to keep the cut true,

but,

also to help one from losing the part (fumblin fingers).

And doing this by hand turning the quil only, heck yes...!

You can still go half forward, 1/4 reverse. Me, I like half forward, full out, blow out chips, squirt some more lube and do another half again.

No hurry...!

Dave, I like the idea of using a razor to find tailstock sweet spot. I have seen (on ebay ad) where person demonstrated how well headstock/tailstock alignment, but the person used paper.

Makes much better sense that a razor would amplify any minute differences where paper might not.

I have an arrangement with two headstocks facing each other. Been working on achieving the greatest accuracy I can in aligning the two. I had to pad the bottom of one of the headstocks with thin layer of sandable epoxy. I may switch to aluminum shims and just take my time sanding.

This arrangement came about from buying identicle parts lathe for cheap.

The arrangement of two headstocks facing each other solves allot of tooling issues to complete a lathe.

I currently use it to install .07 tungsten wire in standard phonograph needles.

When drilling the 2nd tailstock holds the bit while the 1st holds the needle and spins. I grind a flat spot on needle tip first.

Other uses:

Trueing balance wheel (watches, etc..) Headstock holding balance wheel at pivots or on arbor depending on what I am doing. (trueing I hold them on abor).

Live center.

Tailstock collet device.

If I can arrange an axis parallel to the lathe body, I think I can rig a gear cutting mill. There may also be certain advantages to having index plate on one head and not the other.

There are certain awkward things to remember. Like if I was to tap an object the 2nd headstock has to be able to slide on the rail and yet have the index pin in. As the second one would hold the tap while the 1st spins (by hand).

I find allot of times I do things on the lathe that I just spin by hand. A light touch with maximized precision.

RJ

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

" ... start it in turning the quill by hand." is what I said. I have done machine tapping, but that is a whole different trip (and requires spiraled machining taps, too, which don't come cheap) Unless I am cutting threads by the normal lathe methods, I don't use any power except my hands. (and I try to avoid lathe thread-cutting by using pre-made taps and dies whenever I can)

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

I don't worry about popular opinion or making "attaboy" points. It's what works that counts for me.

RJ

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

RJ - is there some way to permanently attach the shim to the bottom of your tailstock, so that it will stay with it when you move it on the ways? I think sandable epoxy might work, but wonder if it is hard enough to withstand moving much - same thing with aluminum. maybe "full hard" brass sheet? I don't know - am just guessing.

Another tip: A handy source for shim stock is feeler guages available from most automotive parts stores in lengths of 12". I bought one of each, and put them al on a large split key ring. When I need a shim, I can easily try several until I find the right one, and snip it off the length with a pair of "aircraft" snips. (I copied the etched-on thickness up near the key ring with a Sharpie, so I don't have to worry about cutting the thickness off as I snip piecs off for various uses.)

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

Sounds good. But, the different is really slight. Thinner than masking tape, which is what I first used.

The fiberglass is ok, but, I was looking for a more permanent solution.

I'll look into the feeler guages and see.

RJ

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

"Look into a feeler gauge";
Hmmmmm. Never tried that.
Anyway, here's one. The mechanic's helper. NO shop should be without at least one. Here, three: One, a jointed end, one a pencil style, and th' big boy for fishing stuff out from underneath th' fridge. A jillion uses for 'em like picking up teeny hands or microsize washers, bolts, nuts, etc. near impossible to pick up with your fangers.
Mechanics' helpers - ours too.

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

You are right Scottie on those tools.
I keep them near the bench when things land on the floor.

Here is another one for you. I work on quite a few cuckoos. When putting the screws back in the case for the movement I keep a screw driver that has been magnetized to hold the screw so it does not drop off the end of the screw driver.

I also use the same screw driver as a chain grabber. when you are putting the chains through the case, the magnetized screw driver will grab the chain allowing you to finish pulling the chain through the case.

These two will save a bunch of time.

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

That extendable pickup tool is what I use when I do stoopid things like dumping a container of a gross of balance arbors off the workbench - see my thread in tools about building myself a demagnetizer.
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The other thing I use that works well for small parts is the foot and ankle cut off of a pair of panty hose. Put it over the end of the vacuum cleaner pipe, and hold it in place with a gumband. Vacuum the floor, and all your missing bushings and whatnot will be in a nice handy nylon bag, for you to sort out on a rainy day.

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

If anybody ever needs plastic medicine bottles to store parts in let me know....I work in behavioral health and hate to throw them out...I use the larger ones to hold screws and hands while I tinker with a clock. Plus too, when the monsters get nosey, it makes it easy to find what they have been playing with.


One reason that things "Disappear"

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

Aha! That's a furst fer me. I can no longer say I've never seen a cat burglar. Thanks!

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

Scottie - Just make sure your cat doesn't see that picture. They're smart, you know, and learn by example.

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

Be very very careful that is a "demon cat" you can tell by his RED eyes! hoo-boy

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

LOL! EVIL is an understatement!
Now here is Mama evil!! A.K.A. THE SECOND REASON THINGS DISAPEAR

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

In doing work on cases I often need a small dab of epoxy I use Acraglass from Brownells designed for gunsmith work its two parts and can be colored. I found the bottom indention of a coke can is ideal for mixing, or (any aluminun can) I prefer beer to be the very thing, small, desposible and clean. Simple but it works.....hoo-boy

 

Re: Useful Hints and Tricks

Ever need to make a nice circular disk in styroforam or a hole perhaps? Find an appropriat size can, cut off top or bottom and the resulting edge will cut a beautiful hole or disk like magic with near zero crumbs!