I've been following you for Mabey 4 to 5 years now. I've been able to apply the knowledge I've learned from your channel in home guarge. It's truly a great feeling. Thank-you.
Thanks for the video; it's great that you pass this along to the family. My father was a bricklayer and I took up the trade. My son has been instructed (by me) in the trade but gave it up to become a baker. Any lesson learned is not wasted, just redirected! Greg
Loved the video. I need to make some v-blocks and the techniques you show are very helpful. I also want to get a set of those angle blocks when they come out.
Great work as always Steve! I have 2 suggestions, an old or new tooth brush really good brush to get in the vice jaw corners, and a great general chip cleaner in small parts. Also Joe Pie showed using a dead blow hammer vs other hammers to tap in parts. I didnt believe the difference till I tried it, world of difference in tapping in a part on parallels and locking them down! Enjoy your videos, work, suggestions, and all the shops out there sharing thier knowledge and best practices! Steven, Columbus Michigan
Hi Steven, Thanks for the advice. I actually have a dead blow and have used them at other places of work for decades. My personal preference is the lead hammer. In my experience it is not the hammer but how you use it that makes all the differences in the world. The reason a dead blow is effective is that it counters to some degree the bounce back that takes place when you strike a part. There are other ways to counter bounce back and in many cases much more effective than a dead blow. This may be a good topic for a future video. I have met Joe Pie before and have much respect for him, he is a great teacher and has a lot to offer the machining community. I enjoyed many of his videos. I say this because I in no way want to disrespect him even though we may have some minor differences and preferences. I you ever get to the other side of the state stop by for a visit. Steve
that's excellent! good to see "the children " feature in a video!!! :). please please, more technical heat treating, I've been holding out until you get your oven so I can learn!
Hi Emma, We will be using that oven a lot in the future. Right now I am dialing in the numbers to get the results I want for hardness and draw back. I have A2 and S7 figured out fairly good now. I was having problems with the preheat which I never used in the past and it was throwing the results off. Stan's oven is great and well built, I love it a lot already and more each time I use it. Steve
Your milling machine seem in great shape, nice results with minimal efforts... Shell mills are usually a good way to take advantage of the lower powered machines, just that you end up with blue chips hailing all over you... Practical to be able to treat parts in house for testing purpose or small runs. 🙂👍
Hi Pierre, We try to keep up with the maintenance on our machines to make them last longer and retain the accuracy throughout there life span. I hate working on abused and neglected machines. Steve
Thank you for this video and so many others you made! I was planning to make some v blocks but for small/mini lathes and thought it would be easier to make a through hole before cutting the v to serve as a relief but thought about the drill not being true to the end, am I right? You’re awesome!
That depends on the length of the hole and the condition of the drill and the rpm,s and feed rate of the drill. If the drill is sharpen correctly you will have a straighter hole. If the drills feed is to heavy and the rpm,s to slow you will have a hole that is not true. You can drill half way from both sides to make the hole more true. Steve
@@SolidRockMachineShopInc wow, steve, thank you so much for taking some of your precious time to reply to my comment! I sincerely appreciate it! I’ll check which drills I have brand new before tackling this project. After all the barracks that you’ve mentioned plus my lack of experience, I believe I must take it with a lot of caution!!! Anyway, I appreciate your insight and let me tell you that, between you and a few more here, I’ve learned a lot and now I’m at the stage where I’m dangerous but not professional yet! Lol Stay warm!
Really nice work you guys. I guess it’s just me being cheap and saving every piece of metal that I can; I’d probably have roughed out the vee with a slitting saw. As sharp as y’all are; bet there is another tool in the cutout.
Hi Eric, Thanks. I do the same thing and save a lot of steel cutouts using the band saw. In this case I have a lot of A2 already on the shelf and the shape of the V cutout would be more work than it is worth to re-purpose in this case. Steve
Understand completely. I have started to do a bit of blacksmithing and thought: “ man that cutout of A2 would make a perfect side set or cutoff tool for the power hammer “. Really appreciate the work you guys are doing together
Great video! I want to make my own v-blocks, which steel do you recommend to use for it? Thanks in advance and congrats for the effort and precision you put on each project!
Hi Eugenio, I have a smaller matched pair of V blocks. Because of the type of work I do I never needed a matched pair but if I do I can build them. Steve
I enjoyed the video and learned a great deal. I have to say, I don't want to bring any negativity here but the audio was a bit out on this video. Not that it stopped me from watching.
I like your new vise jaw setup. A lot of possibilities for modular fixtures. Did you heat treat them or leave them soft for future screw/dowel pin holes? It's good to see the younger generation taking an interest in the trade. I'm looking forward to the next video.
Hi Rob, We use DC53 and harden them to 58-60 RC, we also do cryogenics on them too. All the tooling will work with the existing holes. Thanks for watching. Steve
Did I understand you were having trouble getting the right hardness with DC53? I have done many batches of the stuff in my oven and I usually come out real close to 62RC after a triple temper. If you want to tell me your procedure I might be able to figure out what is going on or I can tell you what I do.
Hi Brian, I believe I have it figured out. I was having the same trouble with A2. The trouble was with the preheat operation. I went back to the way I used to do it without the preheat and it is working fine now. Most of the DC53 will still go out to heat treat because I have them do Cryogenics on it too. Steve
Is it normal that a2 sparks when machined? I assume it was not in a hardened state. I’ve never worked with it. also I thought most inserts had large radii so that you needed to take a decent depth of cut. You appear to be taking a very shallow cut. Did you select a specific insert for that or did you custom grind them like Stephane Goettswinter does? This is a very different type of work than the simple stuff I do but really interesting.
No, the inserts were a little dull and it was light cuts at high RPM. This cutter can handle large cuts .100" - .250" depending steel you are cutting and it is great for light finish cut too. I hand grind a radius on inserts using the bench grinder for now. I have a fixture in mind for the future that will be used on the surface grinder with a diamond wheel. Steve
Those "hot Shot" ovens are nice. We should be selling the Vise Jaws soon. I have a CNC source that is going to helps us with them so we will only have to focus on the grinding. Steve
@@SolidRockMachineShopInc that sounds good. when doing production work it definitely helps to either have it done on cnc, or if manual, at least have power feed and rapid on both x and y like those k&t mills
Looks like a fun project. I'm sure your adult son and daughters love it when your refer to them as "the children" even if they will always be your children. :) I assume you will be grinding these of course. Can you make reasonable ones with just a mill?
Hi Barry, They will always be my children and I use that term with great affection, they have been a real blessing to my wife and I. Yes, we will be grinding the V Block but you could do a fairly good job on the mill if it is dialed in correctly. It would be interesting to see how close it could be built by hard milling. You got my curiosity up now, maybe I will try that before the grinding just to see. Thanks. Steve
22:46 - From my understanding "V-Blocks" are precision tools, and making one requires precision machinery. The way this V-Block is being seems like its done by a Bridgeport? The reason I ask is because I would like to know how to mill a precision straight line cuts, i want to mill a reference edge on an Aluminum block plate so that I can install linear guide rails onto the aluminum block plate which usually requires a precision reference edge.
This was done on a Acer mill. The way I have the vise altered I can hold dimensions less than .001". If I want better than that I move to the surface grinder and can hold dimensions less than .0001". Most projects I do are ruffed out on the mill or lathe and finished on the surface grinder. Steve
I like to use a small diameter end mill for the relief. If the relief is to big then it will limit how small of a diameter you can hold. I use a 1/8" end most of the time. Steve
Wash your hands in hot water with a little bleach in it. Use a fingernail brush. Teaching small engines and machine shop for 37 years taught me this works very well.
Yes we have. Right now I am going through health issues that keep me from working in the shop. The most I can do now is put people on a long waiting list for orders not knowing when I will get healthy enough to work in the shop. There is no payments or obligations for those on the list. Steve
Do you develop tools? Is it possible to get drawings please? I'm an apprentice,live in UK and just want to practice making my own tooling instead of paying someone else doing something that I can do my self and learn. Thanks a lot, great video!
I am sorry but I can't give out the drawings. Some of the tools we make have engineering that will look like a mistake to the naked eye when in reality it is a key part of the design and function of the tool. The tools we make will be my children's future so I am very protective of what I release and what I keep to ourselves. Some of the things are basic like the Squaring cubes and vise attachments some is very complex like our Wire EDM tooling. The simple stuff can easily be reproduces without prints. Steve
@@SolidRockMachineShopInc no worries, totally understandable, I understand that the things that might look weird or even wrong to an eye are the way to go.
Yes it can be easily be reproduced, but it's the experience and the knowledge that is important,but im currently in progress of making a bench block using ams5630 which is airspace stainless and heat treated after to make a most out of it, most capability and use out of a single use tool, don't you agree that putting multiple minds and fresh ideas to an object can improve the capability of a single item to great factor. Which I believe is the way to go about the future, even tho I'm young and stupid I can still produce an item that has a great deal of use and functional purpose in a single item which will save space, functions of many other items included into one. Thanks for the reading.
Yes, I try to get as much use out of a single tool as much as possible. The radius knurling tool I built for the mill is one example, another is the gang tooling fixture I built for it too. I agree with the multiple minds as long as they are the right minds. This can be a great hindrance if someone with less experience but with authority pushes his idea over those who are at a higher level of understanding than he is. I see this all the time with supervisors who have way less experience than those he supervises. I would much rather have one or two minds that know what they are doing rather than a dozen that are so so. In my experience, I have seen most supervisors take the path of least resistance and bring everyone down to the lowest common denominator rather than take the time and resources to train the lowest common denominator to a higher level. I wouldn't call yourself stupid, I can tell with this little bit of dialog we are having that you put thought to what you do. Don't ever lose that because it will be the key to your success. You might lack experience but that will come with time. You can speed this up if you have someone who is wise in the trade help point the way for you. There are three levels of learning that, if mastered, will make you a great toolmaker. You have knowledge, understanding and wisdom. All three are different, but important. It starts with Knowledge and knowledge is the facts. Knowledge by itself will just puff one up and make him arrogant. In order for knowledge to be of a benefit it needs to be used with understanding. Understanding is comprehending the knowledge one has. I can see this when I train someone. I give him the facts but this many times overwhelm them without an understanding of the facts. I have seen this in one of my sons. I would ask him if he understands what I just instructed him in and he would give me that deer in the headlight look. I had a hard time getting to his level of understanding because his thought process is different than most people. He told me one time that he wanted to give up because it made no sense to him and he felt like he was a failure. I encouraged him not to give up and assured him the failure was on my part, not his and that I needed more time to understand the way he saw things. A short time we connected and I could literally see when the knowledge clicked and he understood what I was teaching him. He became so good that he ended up training his brothers and sisters what I taught him. The third level is wisdom. Wisdom comes when a person understands the facts laid out before him and uses it. In my boy's case, I gave him the knowledge to make boring bars, after he understood the facts he applied them, his first set was good with a few mistakes that he learned from. The first set was slow and awkward to a degree. By the time he did about 20 bars, he mastered it. He can now make them as good as I can and almost as fast. He has become wise at making boring bars. When I train, I focus on understanding; the way you do something more so than the how. As a student, always focus on the why's more than just the facts, and most importantly practice and apply your understanding which will make you wise. In this trade you will often hear people boast of all the years of experience they have. Many times you will hear them say, 'I have 30 years or more experience', but upon examination you find what he really has is one year experience 30 times over. You come up with an idea for a tool that you would like to have and if it is not too labor intensive, I will try to help out. You sound eager to learn and I like that. Steve
We haven't done it yet. I have ongoing health issues right now that that go back almost 2 years. The little time I get to be in the shop I am trying to get customer orders out. The last six months have been really rough, I doubt that I got more than 30 hours in the shop during that period. I think things are starting to turn around now so hopefully I will get to spend more time in the shop. Steve
@@SolidRockMachineShopInc Sorry to hear that ,happy that you are doing better now.I was just curious to see how you do it, as I am a retired Tool&Die maker and thru my 55 years of toolmaking I pretty much made all sorts of V Blocks, Angle Plates , 1-2-3 /2-3-4 blocks, Sine Bar, Sine Plate, 3 sizes of Toolmaker's Vises, etc etc.
I see that you have an Indi Square. I also own one. I also have the granite reference squares to calibrate it. Do you have calibration squares to do the same. Not testing you. Perhaps you have a better way to calibrate them. I love your work By the way.
Hi Mark, The Indi Square was a generous gift from Randy Cheney. I do not have a granite square but I have a 5" block that is flat, parallel and square less than 50 millionths in 5" closer to 20 millionths. I use that to calibrate the Indi Square. That is more than close enough for me. Steve
@@SolidRockMachineShopIncI am fond that you responded. I find your response very interesting. I have in my inventory a Federal .000020" indicator for checking square. Maybe perhaps overkill but would appreciate your view on my indicator.
@@SolidRockMachineShopInc Which squareness checker do you like best i.e. which one is more accurate (Indi-Square or the Squaremaster)? I see you have the indi square and Stan Z. has the square master. Also, thank you for the response to my tongs question. I searched MSC for tongs; did not find anything similar to yours. I found tweezers. Is there a better search word you would recommend? Thanks, Bob.
@@robertwynne5944 Our Indi-Square was a generous gift from a viewer Randy Cheney. It works very well and I love it. Stan's Squaremaster is very nice too. I have never used the Squaremaster so I cannot answer which is better. Here is a link to the tongs www.mscdirect.com/product/details/31194350 Steve
Waving your hands/fingers around near a spinning cutter!? That has *bad idea* written all over it!! :-O Turn off the spindle when you're not actually cutting!
I have been doing this for over 40 years with no issues. Many times the camera angle makes it look like you are almost touching a moving part when in fact you are not even close. Steve
Why in the hell is that block so far up in the vise? if it sits lower as in make it so the vise has about half the block clamped to. It would be much more stable By a lot. That block can fly out if u take a heavy cut to it
It is the best and fastest method I know of for squaring up a block to high precision that you witnessed in this video. Many people do not understand the principles applied here. Here is our video that explains the concept ua-cam.com/video/pgl_NbQXshQ/v-deo.html it will make sense after watching this. In this process we are not taking heavy cuts. Steve
Machinist of 35 years. I was interested and and smiling about your V block video. Until you put your finger multiple times close to a running cutting tool.
I've been following you for Mabey 4 to 5 years now. I've been able to apply the knowledge I've learned from your channel in home guarge. It's truly a great feeling. Thank-you.
That is awesome!
Thanks for the video; it's great that you pass this along to the family. My father was a bricklayer and I took up the trade. My son has been instructed (by me) in the trade but gave it up to become a baker. Any lesson learned is not wasted, just redirected! Greg
You're welcome Charles.
Steve
I love those little angle plates. They should be really handy. Maybe Kathy can make me a set of angle plates for my collection!
Thanks for the new video. I will be looking forward to this series.
You're welcome Kevin.
Steve
@@SolidRockMachineShopInc is there a follow-up video for this V block? Nice work.
Great work and new product. Good seeing everyone working in the shop.
Hi Randy,
I have a set with your name on them in the works.
Steve
@@SolidRockMachineShopInc Thank you Steve, I will use them. Merry Christmas to you and the Family.
Always fun to see the creative minds at work
Thanks Larry.
Steve
Great video, thanks
Great idea for your vise jaws.
Thanks.
Steve
Loved the video. I need to make some v-blocks and the techniques you show are very helpful. I also want to get a set of those angle blocks when they come out.
Thanks, we should have the angle blocks soon.
Steve
Great video. Thank you so much Steve.
You're welcome Tom.
Steve
Nice project Steve made several while in my Apprenticeship . Along with several other useful tools.
Hi Anthony,
Got your stickers a few days ago. Kathy will have ours to you in the mail tomorrow.
Steve
The jaw system is just brilliant.
Thanks Russell, we have 5 sets almost ready for heat treat right now.
Steve
great project .. Thanks for sharing.. Most enjoyable
You're welcome Dan.
Steve
Thanks Steve and family for sharing this video. All the fixtures you make is giving me spare time projects. (whatever that is)
You're welcome Eric.
Steve
Great work as always Steve!
I have 2 suggestions, an old or new tooth brush really good brush to get in the vice jaw corners, and a great general chip cleaner in small parts. Also Joe Pie showed using a dead blow hammer vs other hammers to tap in parts. I didnt believe the difference till I tried it, world of difference in tapping in a part on parallels and locking them down!
Enjoy your videos, work, suggestions, and all the shops out there sharing thier knowledge and best practices!
Steven, Columbus Michigan
Hi Steven,
Thanks for the advice. I actually have a dead blow and have used them at other places of work for decades. My personal preference is the lead hammer. In my experience it is not the hammer but how you use it that makes all the differences in the world. The reason a dead blow is effective is that it counters to some degree the bounce back that takes place when you strike a part. There are other ways to counter bounce back and in many cases much more effective than a dead blow. This may be a good topic for a future video. I have met Joe Pie before and have much respect for him, he is a great teacher and has a lot to offer the machining community. I enjoyed many of his videos. I say this because I in no way want to disrespect him even though we may have some minor differences and preferences. I you ever get to the other side of the state stop by for a visit.
Steve
Steve, and kids long time no see! Nice set up techniques and tools you have developed. I like the vise jaw system. A dream for tool maker, Bravo Zulu!
Thanks Warren.
Steve
that's excellent! good to see "the children " feature in a video!!! :). please please, more technical heat treating, I've been holding out until you get your oven so I can learn!
Hi Emma,
We will be using that oven a lot in the future. Right now I am dialing in the numbers to get the results I want for hardness and draw back. I have A2 and S7 figured out fairly good now. I was having problems with the preheat which I never used in the past and it was throwing the results off. Stan's oven is great and well built, I love it a lot already and more each time I use it.
Steve
Your milling machine seem in great shape, nice results with minimal efforts...
Shell mills are usually a good way to take advantage of the lower powered machines, just that you end up with blue chips hailing all over you...
Practical to be able to treat parts in house for testing purpose or small runs. 🙂👍
Hi Pierre,
We try to keep up with the maintenance on our machines to make them last longer and retain the accuracy throughout there life span. I hate working on abused and neglected machines.
Steve
Learn new method of machining V-block. thank you very much. Will try in our work-shop
You are welcome
Very instructive. I learned a lot.
Thanks Jeff.
Steve
Good video Steve...the Hot Shot will be a great edition to the shop..!
Thanks TC,
I agree, I already love that oven a lot. We will be doing more videos with it in the future.
Steve
Awesome tooling!
Thanks.
Steve
Thank you for this video and so many others you made! I was planning to make some v blocks but for small/mini lathes and thought it would be easier to make a through hole before cutting the v to serve as a relief but thought about the drill not being true to the end, am I right?
You’re awesome!
That depends on the length of the hole and the condition of the drill and the rpm,s and feed rate of the drill. If the drill is sharpen correctly you will have a straighter hole. If the drills feed is to heavy and the rpm,s to slow you will have a hole that is not true. You can drill half way from both sides to make the hole more true.
Steve
@@SolidRockMachineShopInc wow, steve, thank you so much for taking some of your precious time to reply to my comment! I sincerely appreciate it! I’ll check which drills I have brand new before tackling this project. After all the barracks that you’ve mentioned plus my lack of experience, I believe I must take it with a lot of caution!!! Anyway, I appreciate your insight and let me tell you that, between you and a few more here, I’ve learned a lot and now I’m at the stage where I’m dangerous but not professional yet! Lol
Stay warm!
Much appreciated!
Thanks Paul.
Steve
Looking good👍.
Thanks Clarke.
Steve
Good Steve and family!
ATB, Robin
Thanks Robin.
Steve
Hola amigo excelente trabalho e projeto!Aqui aprendendo com seu trabalho,obrigado!
Thanks.
Steve
Enjoyed and picked up some tips...
Thanks Chuck.
Steve
Nice build. I need to build 1 eventually
Thanks Craig.
Steve
Nice job , Cheers .
Thanks.
Steve
Hello , i enjoy SRSMI the quality is unbeatable. MERRY CHRISTMAS
Thanks Wayne.
Steve
the "mic fault" sounds like a pilot communicating to the passengers on a plane, a nice juxtaposition.
The microphone is the hardest thing for us to control with all the issues that affect it.
Steve
👍 enjoyed as always. Thanks!
Thanks James.
Steve
We thrown in at temp too at my job
Heat plays a big roll in precision grinding and controlling it makes a big difference.
Nice work
Thanks.
Steve
Really nice work you guys. I guess it’s just me being cheap and saving every piece of metal that I can; I’d probably have roughed out the vee with a slitting saw. As sharp as y’all are; bet there is another tool in the cutout.
Hi Eric,
Thanks. I do the same thing and save a lot of steel cutouts using the band saw. In this case I have a lot of A2 already on the shelf and the shape of the V cutout would be more work than it is worth to re-purpose in this case.
Steve
Understand completely. I have started to do a bit of blacksmithing and thought: “ man that cutout of A2 would make a perfect side set or cutoff tool for the power hammer “. Really appreciate the work you guys are doing together
Thanks Eric,
I can see were the cutout would be of more value to a Blacksmith.
Steve
Great video! I want to make my own v-blocks, which steel do you recommend to use for it?
Thanks in advance and congrats for the effort and precision you put on each project!
If money is not an issue then CPM 3V at 62 RC. I make mine out of DC53 58-62 RC. A2 would be 3rd choice
You should have done 2 at a time for extra long parts...Matched pair of V blocks is the secret to machining round parts on the mill...
Hi Eugenio,
I have a smaller matched pair of V blocks. Because of the type of work I do I never needed a matched pair but if I do I can build them.
Steve
I enjoyed the video and learned a great deal. I have to say, I don't want to bring any negativity here but the audio was a bit out on this video. Not that it stopped me from watching.
We were having troubles with the microphone. Hopefully we have that taken care of.
Steve
I like your new vise jaw setup. A lot of possibilities for modular fixtures. Did you heat treat them or leave them soft for future screw/dowel pin holes?
It's good to see the younger generation taking an interest in the trade. I'm looking forward to the next video.
Hi Rob,
We use DC53 and harden them to 58-60 RC, we also do cryogenics on them too. All the tooling will work with the existing holes. Thanks for watching.
Steve
Yeah, every machine shop I ever worked in had I machete too. Just in case the apprentices got out of line.
Lol! I use it to cut the brush that ans wild grape vines that grow to close to the shop.
Steve
Lol, as an apprentice, our Journeyman carried a yard stick around to slap our hands if we were about to do something stupid/unsafe.
Did I understand you were having trouble getting the right hardness with DC53? I have done many batches of the stuff in my oven and I usually come out real close to 62RC after a triple temper. If you want to tell me your procedure I might be able to figure out what is going on or I can tell you what I do.
Hi Brian,
I believe I have it figured out. I was having the same trouble with A2. The trouble was with the preheat operation. I went back to the way I used to do it without the preheat and it is working fine now. Most of the DC53 will still go out to heat treat because I have them do Cryogenics on it too.
Steve
Is it normal that a2 sparks when machined? I assume it was not in a hardened state. I’ve never worked with it. also I thought most inserts had large radii so that you needed to take a decent depth of cut. You appear to be taking a very shallow cut. Did you select a specific insert for that or did you custom grind them like Stephane Goettswinter does? This is a very different type of work than the simple stuff I do but really interesting.
No, the inserts were a little dull and it was light cuts at high RPM. This cutter can handle large cuts .100" - .250" depending steel you are cutting and it is great for light finish cut too. I hand grind a radius on inserts using the bench grinder for now. I have a fixture in mind for the future that will be used on the surface grinder with a diamond wheel.
Steve
Great commercial for the oven but where is the vid for the finish grinding? - That is something I WOULD like to see.
We are not done with the v block yet, got side tracked to other videos. We do have videos showing the grinding of other v blocks.
Steve
i need to get one of those hot shots and one of those jaw sets
Those "hot Shot" ovens are nice. We should be selling the Vise Jaws soon. I have a CNC source that is going to helps us with them so we will only have to focus on the grinding.
Steve
@@SolidRockMachineShopInc that sounds good. when doing production work it definitely helps to either have it done on cnc, or if manual, at least have power feed and rapid on both x and y like those k&t mills
Looks like a fun project. I'm sure your adult son and daughters love it when your refer to them as "the children" even if they will always be your children. :) I assume you will be grinding these of course. Can you make reasonable ones with just a mill?
Hi Barry,
They will always be my children and I use that term with great affection, they have been a real blessing to my wife and I. Yes, we will be grinding the V Block but you could do a fairly good job on the mill if it is dialed in correctly. It would be interesting to see how close it could be built by hard milling. You got my curiosity up now, maybe I will try that before the grinding just to see. Thanks. Steve
@@SolidRockMachineShopInc sometimes steel comes out better when the finish pass is hard milled, i do that with 17-4 all the time
22:46 - From my understanding "V-Blocks" are precision tools, and making one requires precision machinery. The way this V-Block is being seems like its done by a Bridgeport? The reason I ask is because I would like to know how to mill a precision straight line cuts, i want to mill a reference edge on an Aluminum block plate so that I can install linear guide rails onto the aluminum block plate which usually requires a precision reference edge.
This was done on a Acer mill. The way I have the vise altered I can hold dimensions less than .001". If I want better than that I move to the surface grinder and can hold dimensions less than .0001". Most projects I do are ruffed out on the mill or lathe and finished on the surface grinder.
Steve
have you finished the modular set that you were talking about? its a nice thing to have
Yes we have.
Like your videos, very informative. The machette? Incase of unwanted visitors?😉
Thanks Lex,
LoL I use it to clear brush and small trees around the outside of the building.
Steve
How do you know how much to cut the relief at? In terms of the size? Is there a ratio or some sort of calculation or is it just done by feel?
I like to use a small diameter end mill for the relief. If the relief is to big then it will limit how small of a diameter you can hold. I use a 1/8" end most of the time.
Steve
@@SolidRockMachineShopInc but is that just by the feel, knowledge and experience?
All the above. To make sure we are talking about the relief at the bottom of the V right.
Steve
I cant keep my nails as clean as yours while handle mill and lathe 😅. Nice project tho.
That's alright, I'm an apprentice and I got to scrub my hands every evening to keep my hands clean😂
Wash your hands in hot water with a little bleach in it. Use a fingernail brush. Teaching small engines and machine shop for 37 years taught me this works very well.
Ah man, I gotta go to Hi-Tech heat treat. Your cheating
Did you ever come out with these jaws and attachments? I would love to get a set
Yes we have. Right now I am going through health issues that keep me from working in the shop. The most I can do now is put people on a long waiting list for orders not knowing when I will get healthy enough to work in the shop. There is no payments or obligations for those on the list.
Steve
Hi Steve, what sort of mill do you have? I am looking to buy one and I am wondering if you are happy with yours. Cheers Al
This is the Acer mill we have aceronline.net/acergroup/em-5vk.htm I have ran many different brand mills but like the Acer best.
Steve
Do you develop tools? Is it possible to get drawings please? I'm an apprentice,live in UK and just want to practice making my own tooling instead of paying someone else doing something that I can do my self and learn. Thanks a lot, great video!
I am sorry but I can't give out the drawings. Some of the tools we make have engineering that will look like a mistake to the naked eye when in reality it is a key part of the design and function of the tool. The tools we make will be my children's future so I am very protective of what I release and what I keep to ourselves. Some of the things are basic like the Squaring cubes and vise attachments some is very complex like our Wire EDM tooling. The simple stuff can easily be reproduces without prints.
Steve
@@SolidRockMachineShopInc no worries, totally understandable, I understand that the things that might look weird or even wrong to an eye are the way to go.
Yes it can be easily be reproduced, but it's the experience and the knowledge that is important,but im currently in progress of making a bench block using ams5630 which is airspace stainless and heat treated after to make a most out of it, most capability and use out of a single use tool, don't you agree that putting multiple minds and fresh ideas to an object can improve the capability of a single item to great factor. Which I believe is the way to go about the future, even tho I'm young and stupid I can still produce an item that has a great deal of use and functional purpose in a single item which will save space, functions of many other items included into one. Thanks for the reading.
Yes, I try to get as much use out of a single tool as much as possible. The radius knurling tool I built for the mill is one example, another is the gang tooling fixture I built for it too.
I agree with the multiple minds as long as they are the right minds. This can be a great hindrance if someone with less experience but with authority pushes his idea over those who are at a higher level of understanding than he is. I see this all the time with supervisors who have way less experience than those he supervises. I would much rather have one or two minds that know what they are doing rather than a dozen that are so so. In my experience, I have seen most supervisors take the path of least resistance and bring everyone down to the lowest common denominator rather than take the time and resources to train the lowest common denominator to a higher level.
I wouldn't call yourself stupid, I can tell with this little bit of dialog we are having that you put thought to what you do. Don't ever lose that because it will be the key to your success. You might lack experience but that will come with time. You can speed this up if you have someone who is wise in the trade help point the way for you. There are three levels of learning that, if mastered, will make you a great toolmaker. You have knowledge, understanding and wisdom.
All three are different, but important.
It starts with Knowledge and knowledge is the facts. Knowledge by itself will just puff one up and make him arrogant. In order for knowledge to be of a benefit it needs to be used with understanding.
Understanding is comprehending the knowledge one has. I can see this when I train someone. I give him the facts but this many times overwhelm them without an understanding of the facts. I have seen this in one of my sons. I would ask him if he understands what I just instructed him in and he would give me that deer in the headlight look. I had a hard time getting to his level of understanding because his thought process is different than most people. He told me one time that he wanted to give up because it made no sense to him and he felt like he was a failure. I encouraged him not to give up and assured him the failure was on my part, not his and that I needed more time to understand the way he saw things. A short time we connected and I could literally see when the knowledge clicked and he understood what I was teaching him. He became so good that he ended up training his brothers and sisters what I taught him.
The third level is wisdom. Wisdom comes when a person understands the facts laid out before him and uses it. In my boy's case, I gave him the knowledge to make boring bars, after he understood the facts he applied them, his first set was good with a few mistakes that he learned from. The first set was slow and awkward to a degree. By the time he did about 20 bars, he mastered it. He can now make them as good as I can and almost as fast. He has become wise at making boring bars. When I train, I focus on understanding; the way you do something more so than the how.
As a student, always focus on the why's more than just the facts, and most importantly practice and apply your understanding which will make you wise.
In this trade you will often hear people boast of all the years of experience they have. Many times you will hear them say, 'I have 30 years or more experience', but upon examination you find what he really has is one year experience 30 times over. You come up with an idea for a tool that you would like to have and if it is not too labor intensive, I will try to help out. You sound eager to learn and I like that.
Steve
So were is part two of this project? Ive looked in your channel but I don't see it!
We haven't done it yet. I have ongoing health issues right now that that go back almost 2 years. The little time I get to be in the shop I am trying to get customer orders out. The last six months have been really rough, I doubt that I got more than 30 hours in the shop during that period. I think things are starting to turn around now so hopefully I will get to spend more time in the shop.
Steve
@@SolidRockMachineShopInc Sorry to hear that ,happy that you are doing better now.I was just curious to see how you do it, as I am a retired Tool&Die maker and thru my 55 years of toolmaking I pretty much made all sorts of V Blocks, Angle Plates , 1-2-3 /2-3-4 blocks, Sine Bar, Sine Plate, 3 sizes of Toolmaker's Vises, etc etc.
I see that you have an Indi Square. I also own one. I also have the granite reference squares to calibrate it. Do you have calibration squares to do the same. Not testing you. Perhaps you have a better way to calibrate them. I love your work By the way.
Hi Mark,
The Indi Square was a generous gift from Randy Cheney. I do not have a granite square but I have a 5" block that is flat, parallel and square less than 50 millionths in 5" closer to 20 millionths. I use that to calibrate the Indi Square. That is more than close enough for me.
Steve
@@SolidRockMachineShopIncI am fond that you responded. I find your response very interesting. I have in my inventory a Federal .000020" indicator for checking square. Maybe perhaps overkill but would appreciate your view on my indicator.
If it is the one I am thinking of then those are nice indicators, some of the best made in my opinion.
Steve
Just wondering why you grip your material by so little?
It is a very accurate way of s squaring up a block. You need to clamp high so that the part will set flat on both parallels.
Hey Steve, where did you get your tongs from?
Hi Robert,
I got them from MSC.
Steve
@@SolidRockMachineShopInc Which squareness checker do you like best i.e. which one is more accurate (Indi-Square or the Squaremaster)? I see you have the indi square and Stan Z. has the square master. Also, thank you for the response to my tongs question. I searched MSC for tongs; did not find anything similar to yours. I found tweezers. Is there a better search word you would recommend? Thanks, Bob.
@@robertwynne5944 Our Indi-Square was a generous gift from a viewer Randy Cheney. It works very well and I love it. Stan's Squaremaster is very nice too. I have never used the Squaremaster so I cannot answer which is better. Here is a link to the tongs www.mscdirect.com/product/details/31194350
Steve
Best way to square a block is useing a big ball bearing with a flat on it. I
Why you mount so high in vice?
We explain the method in this video starting at a little past the 7 minute mark. ua-cam.com/video/L5VT4GAB96M/v-deo.html
what is the name of the machine that mark what you want to cut it's in minute 15
That is a Mitutoyo Height gage.
Steve
Do you sell vise jaws and angle blocks by chance i would love to buy them ?
We do sell them but are out of stock right now.
Ok muito bem esta péça aqui em Portugal chama-se boca de lobo .
Só não percebo é porque é que com tanta superfície de aperto na prensa ele aperta uma peça tão alta por apenas uns 5mm
Yes, I agree you don't understand the process.Here is our video that explains the concept ua-cam.com/video/pgl_NbQXshQ/v-deo.html
Steve
Waving your hands/fingers around near a spinning cutter!? That has *bad idea* written all over it!! :-O Turn off the spindle when you're not actually cutting!
I have been doing this for over 40 years with no issues. Many times the camera angle makes it look like you are almost touching a moving part when in fact you are not even close.
Steve
Why in the hell is that block so far up in the vise? if it sits lower as in make it so the vise has about half the block clamped to. It would be much more stable By a lot. That block can fly out if u take a heavy cut to it
It is the best and fastest method I know of for squaring up a block to high precision that you witnessed in this video. Many people do not understand the principles applied here. Here is our video that explains the concept ua-cam.com/video/pgl_NbQXshQ/v-deo.html it will make sense after watching this. In this process we are not taking heavy cuts.
Steve
Machinist of 35 years. I was interested and and smiling about your V block video. Until you put your finger multiple times close to a running cutting tool.
That is camera effects. My hands are no where as close as they appear in the video.