Thanks, mister wizard for the extra shop tricks. I think back to the little jigs and fixtures that my dad would make to help out with his projects and be amazed at the ingenuity. I can't thank you enough for the video instruction on what a machinist thinks about while setting up for a machining operation and the ordered sequence of steps employed. A real treasure. Larry Ogle
Mighty fine jigs, Class act, BTW. I bought both of your books, Money well spent and the best part is all kinds of new doors are opening. Thank you so very much Tom.
Tom, You do know what they say about a ox in a china shop. If you listen to the ox you will swim, The china man must have read your books as i did. it,s an honer to learn from a great man that will take the time to teach. You and your wife have great thanks giving in the china shop or at home.(YOU BET)
Your Tooling is Awesome...all about Innovation and Creative use of Shop-tooling. Jigs & Fixtures are everywhere, nice work at "OX TOOL" Company. Thanks! Thomas J. Vanderloop, Author, Technology Instructor, & Manufacturing Contractor; CMfgE & LSME
Hi Tom, To be more efficient or accurate, that's where the imagination gets to work, creating the simplest possible and most efficient jig is what makes the difference between a good machinist and a great one, so far I'm delighted to still learn from a great one... Thanks, Pierre
Hi Pierre, I think my head just swelled up a little bit. Thanks for the nice comment. Don't worry. Mr Bpzo can tell if I'm getting too big for my apron. Cheers, Tom
Hi Tom Thank you for sharing! Ingenious ....simple/smart Watching your videos there are so many lessons that help me become a learned "hack" that is always trying to improve! Chuck
Those racks are going to be like having a big hairy dog. I had a white German Shepherd / Husky mix, 2 years after she passed, I'm still finding hair everywhere. Years from now, you'll probably still be finding white chips hidden in places ;) Like hair, they probably build static and find things to cling on to travel on. Great info as always.
Round stock in the vise is quicker. I do feel old since you mentioned jigs and fixtures harken back to olden times. My Arthritis is flaring up. Thanks Tom this is a enjoyable video as you always manage to do.
Oh I think cutting them to overall length in a vise is I agree a neat thing to do rather than just using a collet and stop to cut to overall length. Either or I guess makes no difference yet I have just done a oal with round stock using end mill, bridgeport , and a stop on one end. This is overall length of round stock.
Yes I love bending the springs using the vise. I love all the versatility we have available to us in a shop to use what we have on hand. You give many good examples of that in your books and videos. When someone sees that for the first time they are amazed and often drop their jaw in amazement. That is at least people who truely love the trade and enjoy our work. Keep up the good work.
Lew Sou Hey Lew, Got it thanks. Sometimes I don't have much time to analyze the comment. These things stack up like cordwood. Thanks for the comment. Cheers, Tom
This is great video, people who don't know what is engineering "how can I buy in the market?" or "NC machine", but actually we need to consider how to make our things by own tools or ideas. If my wife ask me to buy something, 70% rejected because that can do achieced with what we have.
+JP-Manager Hi Jp, Invest in tools that can make things. This is the best investment you can make. Folks that can make stuff will never go out of style. Thanks for the comment, Cheers, Tom
Jig and fixture as a trade is dead? HECK no, I am not dead and I am still working in industry as a jig and fixture builder and in the later 20 years as a jig and fixture / tooling inspector. You are about 98% right though, I am in aircraft mfg for the largest U.S. maker. Our parts are too big for CNC equipment and we have thousands of drill jigs, assembly jigs and the like. In today's world though, you are correct, if it will fit on a CNC, it is not cost effective to set up sequential drill stations with holding jigs :P
wayne parris Hey Wayne, Thanks for the neat comment. Good to see somebody is still making and maintaining this type of tooling. You can build something like an airplane with something as simple as a hand drill. Well almost. Thanks for the comment. Cheers, Tom
Hey Tom, It has always been my experience that things work better when the legs are spread a little more! One thing you didn't mention is that a "jig" is an Irish or Scottish dance! So whip out the bagpipes, put of a kilt and go for it! (I would pay money to see Mr. Wizard in a kilt!) Joking aside, thanks for the video! You are getting those pipette racks down to an assembly line operation. I don't know you have ever put up a video where I didn't learn something. Thanks again! Have a good one! Oxen Dave
Hey Dave, Thanks for the comment. Might need to look into kilts for the machine shop. Could be good in the summer. I once won a bet about a man wearing a kilt. Might have to tell the story one day. cheers, Tom
oxtoolco I actually like my kilt, and wish it still fit. It is almost like the sheet-metal work apron you showed earlier this year, and is made of heavily oiled deer hide to bead off the constant rain in the islands. I used to wear it each year at the "Ye Olde World's Faire" in Hawaii when I was a member of the SCA, waaay back before "larping" and all of that, we hosted mock battles for crowds of folks, and I had a bow with a set of arrows that had miniature boxing gloves for heads. I later found out that those little half-dollar sized "Everlast" gloves were used for sparring fighting cocks, a huge illegal blood-sport in Hawaii, but that's another story. Good times drinking mead as a wee lad on warm Summer Days, thanks for the flash-back! Aloha, Chuck.
That was cool. Seeing a real machinist solving problems is something that won't happen for me outside youtube, so thanks. Was the screw needed to hold the metal to the bottom of that form, or could you have just used a pin and not have to constantly screw and unscrew the spring?
Hey Doc, The screw helps keep the flat against the form and prevents it from lifting. You would have more curve in the flat section with just a pin. Thanks for the comment. Cheers, Tom
Still getting caught up on video backlog ... Looks like the spring steel could be a bit sharp on the edges. Maybe some other operation or tool dip grip for the finishing touch? Probably no real need but maybe you'll get some feedback on actual operation eventually. Very nice work though Tom.
Hey Keith, A pass on the scotchbrite wheel works for softening the edges. I ended up using the thicker material cut with the circular pads. If I had my choice I would tumble them over night to smooth them out like silk. I got some feedback on the racks all right. They want more! Thanks for the comment. Cheers, Tom
The sheet metal piece won't perfectly be shaped with right angles when being released from the die. That's not because the gap is wider than the upper die. It's because of metal's spring back effect. When you create the desired curvature (KL) of the sheet metal, you literally apply a momentum making the metal deform within its plastic region. After unloading, the curvature (Ku) will be different from KL because of the spring back. To achieve a perfect right angle, you should do bending plus stretching (tension).
A true teacher knows how to find and ask the right questions to get the right answers. How are machine tools manufactured? Machine tools are self-reproducing machines and can manufacture themselves. And manufacture their jigs and fixtures, tools and dies, measuring instruments of all kinds micrometer, caliper, templates, etc. How do they manufacture themselves? By using the lathe to make itself directly and indirectly AND TO MAKE FIXED DRILLS and then using the lathe and drill to make the metal planer. (And manufacture their jigs and fixtures, tools and dies, measuring instruments of all kinds like the micrometer, caliper, templates, etc.) Then the metal planer makes more precise and larger parts for the lathe and fixed drill which in turn creates more precise and larger parts for the metal planer. (And manufacture their jigs and fixtures, tools and dies, measuring instruments of all kinds like the micrometer, caliper, templates, etc.) Then how do they do that for each other? By making and using the 1st generation jigs and fixtures made by the 1st generation lathe and 1st generation drill to machine the 1st generation LARGER SIZE jigs and fixtures to handle MUCH LARGER SIZE metal block stocks to reproduce the 1st generation lathe and drill and then the 1st generation lathe and drill is used to make the 1st generation metal planer TO HELP REPRODUCE EACH OTHER (LATHE, FIXED DRILL, AND METAL PLANER) AND THIS TIME WITH A 1ST GENERATION PRECISION ACCURACY. (And manufacture their jigs and fixtures, tools and dies, measuring instruments of all kinds like the micrometer, caliper, templates, etc.) And then by USING both the 1st generation lathe and 1st generation fixed drill and 1st generation metal planer is used TO MAKE THE 2SD GENERATION MUCH LARGER SIZE AND MUCH MORE PRECISE lathe and fixed drill and metal planer to make each other and to make make the 2SD GENERATION MUCH LARGER SIZE AND MUCH MORE PRECISE JIGS AND FIXTURES. (And manufacture their jigs and fixtures, tools and dies, measuring instruments of all kinds like the micrometer, caliper, templates, etc.) Then the 2sd generation much larger size and much more precise lathe and fixed drill and metal planer and jigs and fixtures are used to make the 3rd generation much, much larger size and much, much, more precise lathe and metal planer and jigs and fixtures. (And manufacture their jigs and fixtures, tools and dies, measuring instruments of all kinds like the micrometer, caliper, templates, etc.) The same systematic process is continued on the 4th generation level and so forth and so on that they need to use both the basic lathes basic fixed drills and basic metal planers and basic jigs and basic fixtures to make the rest of the ancilliary machine tool supporting equipment as they become too heavy and too large to be handled manually. (And manufacture their jigs and fixtures, tools and dies, measuring instruments of all kinds like the micrometer, calipers, templates, etc.) And at the same time until it becomes necessary to use the basic lathes and fixed drills and metal planers and their jigs and fixtures, tools and dies, measuring instruments of all kinds like the micrometer, caliper, templates, etc to make these jigs and fixtures "SCALABLE" to any size. And then to use all of the increased size and precision and different customized and specialized machine tools and jigs and fixtures, tools and dies, measuring instruments of all kinds, templates, etc to make these jigs and fixtures "SCALABLE" to any size to pave the way for other machine tools to come into existence like the SHAPER, MILLING MILLER, ADVANCED FIXED DRILL PRESS, VERTICAL MILLING MACHINE, TURNING MACHINE, BROACHING MACHINE, GINDER, ETC.
Hey Steve, The screw helps keep the flat against the form and prevents it from lifting. You would have more curve in the flat section with just a pin. The straight sections generally want to be clamped against bending force. Cheers, Tom
I had the same thought, and it looks like patience and reading of the comments has yet again proved useful, thanks for answering "our" question...and Steve, please find someone else's head to look through, the wind whistling in my ears is getting cold, hee hee!
Brilliant Mr Wizard! Umm ...you know what..lemme see , can you still see that....ahhh ok you can still see that ,ok LOL we always have a field of view Mr Wizard
Hey you never know what that camera might be looking at. I've scared myself a few times looking at the top of my head when editing. Thanks for the comment. Cheers, Tom
Hello Tom: I am a big fan and am learning a lot from you. Keep up the good work! I need to make a spring that is somewhat similar to the one you make in this video - I was wondering what SS alloy you used? I presume the clips did not need tempering after bending? I would prefer to avoid heat treating. Many thanks, John
Hi John, The material I used was full hard spring temper 301 stainless steel. McMaster sells it in lots of thicknesses and widths. www.mcmaster.com/#2416K79. Thanks for the comment. Cheers, Tom
Now I see where the "press" part comes in in Drill press. :-) I am surprised with as many of them as you had to do you didn't just make a mating die and turn your setup upside down so you didn't have to screw with that screw. You could just sit them on the pin and punch it.
Hey Brian, I only had to do 20 pcs. It took longer to talk about it on camera. That's a tough thing deciding on how far to go with a die or fixture. In jobbing work just enough is about right. Cheers, Tom
oxtoolco Did the assembled racks end up in another video? I've been watching quite a few of yours, but I'm afraid there are just too many videos on youtube, even within the categories I view, and not enough time to see everything. I still have to "go to work" and "go to bed" and all that nonsense. :(
heh, i'm late to view this, not sure how i missed it, anyway, ...i suspect that was a rack holder for a fractionator or fplc, or something similar. a couple or few decades back (early 80's,) i made 96 hole racks for holding scintillation type tubes under long needles so the lab tech could put some heavy gas in a tube for some sort of spectrophotometer reading, or whatever they were doing the gas was to protect whatever was put in the vials. made the other parts of the machine as well. there was no x-y indexing in the machine as they were all filled at the same time from a manifold with the 96 needles. the z axis was manually operated and the racks were registered when slid in place. the needles went pretty close to the bottom of the tube and were maybe 4 or 5" long. and the gas dump was worked with a timed solenoid valve using the technology (then) with ttl timer chips, probably a 555 perhaps? electro stuff isn't my forte, i found a simple schematic in a book probably. real pain changing out the long sharp surgical needles when they decided they needed a different gauge. they were spaced pretty close on centers. by luck i had screwed the manifold together with an oring to seal it. and the new needles were larger so the holes just had to be en-biggered. i think the tubes used were 5 ml vials, something pretty small anyway, there wasn't much space between the tubes so everything would fit in a small footprint needed for the next op. i wasn't a happy camper doing the job, they didn't know what they wanted and i didn't know what they wanted to do so it was poking in the dark so to speak. but after you jogged my memory i can look back and smile on it. thank you, very interesting vid, that folding with the vise is a novel approach i will exploit i think. I would rather use an arbor press than a mill though.
I think that there are charts that tell you based on a known length of metal of a known thickness, how much force you need to exert to bend them, including failure. I'm not 100% sure, i know there are charts for H beams and the like, but the idea is that based on that and a simple table scale one could make a simple jig to say "count" the force required in order to design the perfect release. Nothing important on a job of this size but just throwing my two cents out there.
He Aserta, You could calculate the force to squeeze the fingers of the clamps pretty easily. Deciding whether two pounds or fourteen pounds "felt" right is a little tougher. There are still some really touchy feely things like this in mechanical design. Cheers, Tom
You write on your surfaces a lot, what solvent do you keep handy and how do you store it so that it is easily accessible when you need to wipe the marks off?
Hey Max, Yeah I'm a bit of a tagger in the shop. I use denatured alcohol to clean the sharpie off things. Most of the surfaces are a little oily so it doesn't take too much to wipe the marks off. I have a couple of small squeeze bottles like the red ketchup bottles at a drive in. They have removable conic caps that keep the solvent from evaporating. They came from an art supply store. Cheers, Tom
Hi mate. I realise this is the type of work you do, but why not have a registration pin instead of screwing it to the block. I thought the use of the vice, as the bender was brillante. I was thinking, bending block, but this works just as well and it costs nothing. I like thinking of solutions to problems like this, making jigs that are repeatable. Marcel.
Marcel Timmers Hi Marcel, With a pin the flat part would bow away from the block. Screwing it down clamps it and makes it hold shape better. Thanks for the comment. Cheers, Tom
Hi Richard, Well the arbor press doesn't have a vise mounted to it that I can set the gap on. I was using the mill more like a precision press brake. Thanks for the comment. Cheers, Tom
Hiya Tom, Great to see a creative mind at work, you may have noticed me listed as a new sub, sausage fingers + cell phone = me losing all my favorite channels from my feed. I know you were probably gonna lose sleep over it, don't worry, I still love what you do :) Z
Early in my career (NARF Alameda) I saw the need for a jig to help our machine shop. I was admonished NOT to call it a jig. Puzzled, my supervisor informed me that "jig" had racial overtones that had no place in a professional environment. And thuse began my exposure to the silly politically correct world we live in. I called it a fixture, and saved taxpayers a bundle (rather "cost avoidance") in increased productivity and reduced scrap rate. Had I known you then, I'd have certainly insisted on call it an "Anti-Bozo Fixture."
Hey Berkeley, Thanks for the story. The PC thing certainly gets more mileage than it deserves. I thought this is what high school was for. To toughen you mentally and physically. All the best, Tom
Thanks, mister wizard for the extra shop tricks. I think back to the little jigs and fixtures that my dad would make to help out with his projects and be amazed at the ingenuity. I can't thank you enough for the video instruction on what a machinist thinks about while setting up for a machining operation and the ordered sequence of steps employed. A real treasure.
Larry Ogle
Hi Larry,
Thanks for the comment and compliment.
Cheers,
Tom
Jigs & Fixtures - conjures up visions of an old guy, usually English or German, with a pipe. Great Video!
Mighty fine jigs, Class act, BTW. I bought both of your books, Money well spent and the best part is all kinds of new doors are opening. Thank you so very much Tom.
Hey Randy,
Don't listen to that guy in the books. He's an ox in a china shop. Thanks for the comment and support.
Cheers,
Tom
Tom, You do know what they say about a ox in a china shop. If you listen to the ox you will swim, The china man must have read your books as i did. it,s an honer to learn from a great man that will take the time to teach. You and your wife have great thanks giving in the china shop or at home.(YOU BET)
@@oxtoolco Did you ever get that slurpee I mailed to you?
oxtoolco Nice work as usual Tom, there is always something to learn in your videos. Using the vise jaws was a labor saving move for sure.
Your Tooling is Awesome...all about Innovation and Creative use of Shop-tooling. Jigs & Fixtures are everywhere, nice work at "OX TOOL" Company.
Thanks!
Thomas J. Vanderloop, Author, Technology Instructor, & Manufacturing Contractor; CMfgE & LSME
Hi Tom,
To be more efficient or accurate, that's where the imagination gets to work, creating the simplest possible and most efficient jig is what makes the difference between a good machinist and a great one, so far I'm delighted to still learn from a great one...
Thanks,
Pierre
Hi Pierre,
I think my head just swelled up a little bit. Thanks for the nice comment. Don't worry. Mr Bpzo can tell if I'm getting too big for my apron.
Cheers,
Tom
Hi Tom
Thank you for sharing! Ingenious ....simple/smart
Watching your videos there are so many lessons that help me become a learned "hack" that is always trying to improve!
Chuck
Hey Chuck,
Thanks for the comment. Glad you can still be trained. Just don't fast forward through the good parts.
Cheers,
Tom
Those racks are going to be like having a big hairy dog. I had a white German Shepherd / Husky mix, 2 years after she passed, I'm still finding hair everywhere.
Years from now, you'll probably still be finding white chips hidden in places ;) Like hair, they probably build static and find things to cling on to travel on.
Great info as always.
Hey Scott,
They are slightly hair magnetic. The static surface charge picks up all the dog hair floating around. Glad to have them done.
Cheers,
Tom
Nice video Tom. I like that you are mixing in unusual fab work along with the machine work. Thanks again!
Hi Murph,
Thanks for the comment and feedback.
Cheers,
Tom
Round stock in the vise is quicker. I do feel old since you mentioned jigs and fixtures harken back to olden times. My Arthritis is flaring up. Thanks Tom this is a enjoyable video as you always manage to do.
Hey Lew,
Not following you with the round stock in the vise deal. You mean bending the springs?
Cheers,
Tom
Oh I think cutting them to overall length in a vise is I agree a neat thing to do rather than just using a collet and stop to cut to overall length. Either or I guess makes no difference yet I have just done a oal with round stock using end mill, bridgeport , and a stop on one end. This is overall length of round stock.
Yes I love bending the springs using the vise. I love all the versatility we have available to us in a shop to use what we have on hand. You give many good examples of that in your books and videos. When someone sees that for the first time they are amazed and often drop their jaw in amazement. That is at least people who truely love the trade and enjoy our work. Keep up the good work.
Lew Sou Hey Lew,
Got it thanks. Sometimes I don't have much time to analyze the comment. These things stack up like cordwood. Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
Always learning something from your videos. Thanks, Tom!
Hey Tom,
Great stuff man, Thanks for sharing!
Ray
You are a " Master Problem Solver " .. I always learn something from you.
Thanks for the video.
More good tips to store for future projects! Always learn something from you pros. Thanks Tom
Hey Steve,
Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
oh, wow - really neat. very cool how you came up with that bending die and the result looks pro.
Excellent video, seemed almost to short LOL..
Like to see more like this as CNC take over people are not being trained in this lost art.
Cheers,
Dave
This is great video, people who don't know what is engineering "how can I buy in the market?" or "NC machine", but actually we need to consider how to make our things by own tools or ideas. If my wife ask me to buy something, 70% rejected because that can do achieced with what we have.
+JP-Manager Hi Jp,
Invest in tools that can make things. This is the best investment you can make. Folks that can make stuff will never go out of style. Thanks for the comment,
Cheers,
Tom
Very interesting and useful. Our lab thermometers had those spring clips to hold them on the edge of a beaker or flask.
Hey Tom, great job on the jig.
Nice presentation, good idea Thankyou very much
Jig and fixture as a trade is dead? HECK no, I am not dead and I am still working in industry as a jig and fixture builder and in the later 20 years as a jig and fixture / tooling inspector. You are about 98% right though, I am in aircraft mfg for the largest U.S. maker. Our parts are too big for CNC equipment and we have thousands of drill jigs, assembly jigs and the like. In today's world though, you are correct, if it will fit on a CNC, it is not cost effective to set up sequential drill stations with holding jigs :P
wayne parris Hey Wayne,
Thanks for the neat comment. Good to see somebody is still making and maintaining this type of tooling. You can build something like an airplane with something as simple as a hand drill. Well almost. Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
I enjoyed that, tips & tricks. Your in the week videos could be called tips & tricks, 6 of them a week then the meat loaf, sorted.
Rob
Hi Tom, we used to differentiate jigs from fixtures, where a fixture held the part and a jig guided the tool.
Making specials for a particular job will never disappear - these were nice examples thanks. (BTW a few 'ums' and 'ahhs' less please! :)
It surely beats D'OH !
All the best in your exam bro.
Sounds like Sheffield labs music, awesome. Thanks for the Video's
Looks like we might have slipped by the bots. I think it was Pearl Jam or Soundgarden.
Cheers,
Tom
I was talking about your intro music...
thx
senocon Ahh yes. A musician friend did that little ditty for me. Thanks for noticing.
Cheers,
Tom
Very nice Tom, thanks
Hey Tom,
It has always been my experience that things work better when the legs are spread a little more! One thing you didn't mention is that a "jig" is an Irish or Scottish dance! So whip out the bagpipes, put of a kilt and go for it! (I would pay money to see Mr. Wizard in a kilt!) Joking aside, thanks for the video! You are getting those pipette racks down to an assembly line operation. I don't know you have ever put up a video where I didn't learn something. Thanks again!
Have a good one!
Oxen Dave
Hey Dave,
Thanks for the comment. Might need to look into kilts for the machine shop. Could be good in the summer. I once won a bet about a man wearing a kilt. Might have to tell the story one day.
cheers,
Tom
oxtoolco
I actually like my kilt, and wish it still fit. It is almost like the sheet-metal work apron you showed earlier this year, and is made of heavily oiled deer hide to bead off the constant rain in the islands. I used to wear it each year at the "Ye Olde World's Faire" in Hawaii when I was a member of the SCA, waaay back before "larping" and all of that, we hosted mock battles for crowds of folks, and I had a bow with a set of arrows that had miniature boxing gloves for heads.
I later found out that those little half-dollar sized "Everlast" gloves were used for sparring fighting cocks, a huge illegal blood-sport in Hawaii, but that's another story.
Good times drinking mead as a wee lad on warm Summer Days, thanks for the flash-back!
Aloha, Chuck.
As always, thanks’ for taking the time to make this video! And I support this site. ~M~
Great video as usual. Machinists use their mill for everything. Have you worked out how to trim your nails with the mill? Thanks for sharing.
That was cool. Seeing a real machinist solving problems is something that won't happen for me outside youtube, so thanks.
Was the screw needed to hold the metal to the bottom of that form, or could you have just used a pin and not have to constantly screw and unscrew the spring?
Hey Doc,
The screw helps keep the flat against the form and prevents it from lifting. You would have more curve in the flat section with just a pin. Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
That was cool thanks for the demo I can use that.
Still getting caught up on video backlog ... Looks like the spring steel could be a bit sharp on the edges. Maybe some other operation or tool dip grip for the finishing touch? Probably no real need but maybe you'll get some feedback on actual operation eventually. Very nice work though Tom.
Hey Keith,
A pass on the scotchbrite wheel works for softening the edges. I ended up using the thicker material cut with the circular pads. If I had my choice I would tumble them over night to smooth them out like silk. I got some feedback on the racks all right. They want more! Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
The sheet metal piece won't perfectly be shaped with right angles when being released from the die. That's not because the gap is wider than the upper die. It's because of metal's spring back effect. When you create the desired curvature (KL) of the sheet metal, you literally apply a momentum making the metal deform within its plastic region. After unloading, the curvature (Ku) will be different from KL because of the spring back. To achieve a perfect right angle, you should do bending plus stretching (tension).
A true teacher knows how to find and ask the right questions to get the right answers.
How are machine tools manufactured?
Machine tools are self-reproducing machines and can manufacture themselves. And manufacture their jigs and fixtures, tools and dies, measuring instruments of all kinds micrometer, caliper, templates, etc.
How do they manufacture themselves?
By using the lathe to make itself directly and indirectly AND TO MAKE FIXED DRILLS and then using the lathe and drill to make the metal planer. (And manufacture their jigs and fixtures, tools and dies, measuring instruments of all kinds like the micrometer, caliper, templates, etc.)
Then the metal planer makes more precise and larger parts for the lathe and fixed drill which in turn creates more precise and larger parts for the metal planer. (And manufacture their jigs and fixtures, tools and dies, measuring instruments of all kinds like the micrometer, caliper, templates, etc.)
Then how do they do that for each other?
By making and using the 1st generation jigs and fixtures made by the 1st generation lathe and 1st generation drill to machine the 1st generation LARGER SIZE jigs and fixtures to handle MUCH LARGER SIZE metal block stocks to reproduce the 1st generation lathe and drill and then the 1st generation lathe and drill is used to make the 1st generation metal planer TO HELP REPRODUCE EACH OTHER (LATHE, FIXED DRILL, AND METAL PLANER) AND THIS TIME WITH A 1ST GENERATION PRECISION ACCURACY. (And manufacture their jigs and fixtures, tools and dies, measuring instruments of all kinds like the micrometer, caliper, templates, etc.)
And then by USING both the 1st generation lathe and 1st generation fixed drill and 1st generation metal planer is used TO MAKE THE 2SD GENERATION MUCH LARGER SIZE AND MUCH MORE PRECISE lathe and fixed drill and metal planer to make each other and to make make the 2SD GENERATION MUCH LARGER SIZE AND MUCH MORE PRECISE JIGS AND FIXTURES. (And manufacture their jigs and fixtures, tools and dies, measuring instruments of all kinds like the micrometer, caliper, templates, etc.)
Then the 2sd generation much larger size and much more precise lathe and fixed drill and metal planer and jigs and fixtures are used to make the 3rd generation much, much larger size and much, much, more precise lathe and metal planer and jigs and fixtures. (And manufacture their jigs and fixtures, tools and dies, measuring instruments of all kinds like the micrometer, caliper, templates, etc.)
The same systematic process is continued on the 4th generation level and so forth and so on that they need to use both the basic lathes basic fixed drills and basic metal planers and basic jigs and basic fixtures to make the rest of the ancilliary machine tool supporting equipment as they become too heavy and too large to be handled manually. (And manufacture their jigs and fixtures, tools and dies, measuring instruments of all kinds like the micrometer, calipers, templates, etc.)
And at the same time until it becomes necessary to use the basic lathes and fixed drills and metal planers and their jigs and fixtures, tools and dies, measuring instruments of all kinds like the micrometer, caliper, templates, etc to make these jigs and fixtures "SCALABLE" to any size.
And then to use all of the increased size and precision and different customized and specialized machine tools and jigs and fixtures, tools and dies, measuring instruments of all kinds, templates, etc to make these jigs and fixtures "SCALABLE" to any size to pave the way for other machine tools to come into existence like the SHAPER, MILLING MILLER, ADVANCED FIXED DRILL PRESS, VERTICAL MILLING MACHINE, TURNING MACHINE, BROACHING MACHINE, GINDER, ETC.
Nice tips Tom. Why did you use a screw instead of just a dowel on the wiper die? Seems to me a dowel would work fine or am I missing something.
Hey Steve,
The screw helps keep the flat against the form and prevents it from lifting. You would have more curve in the flat section with just a pin. The straight sections generally want to be clamped against bending force.
Cheers,
Tom
I had the same thought, and it looks like patience and reading of the comments has yet again proved useful, thanks for answering "our" question...and Steve, please find someone else's head to look through, the wind whistling in my ears is getting cold, hee hee!
Brilliant Mr Wizard! Umm ...you know what..lemme see , can you still see that....ahhh ok you can still see that ,ok LOL we always have a field of view Mr Wizard
Hey you never know what that camera might be looking at. I've scared myself a few times looking at the top of my head when editing. Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
Hello Tom:
I am a big fan and am learning a lot from you. Keep up the good work!
I need to make a spring that is somewhat similar to the one you make in this video - I was wondering what SS alloy you used? I presume the clips did not need tempering after bending? I would prefer to avoid heat treating.
Many thanks,
John
Hi John,
The material I used was full hard spring temper 301 stainless steel. McMaster sells it in lots of thicknesses and widths. www.mcmaster.com/#2416K79. Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
A master class in elegant thinking, let's have some more, meatloaf is OK but sometimes you want prime steak. :>)
ATB
chris
Hey Chris,
Well I finished the blasted racks. Now I can get back to some proper project work. I'm still sweeping up white plastic bits.
Cheers,
Tom
Always good to finish a job, but leave the white plastic snow for awhile and have a white Christmas.
Chris Stephens
I'd agree, but his poor pooch has taken a liking to licking up the plastic chips...ask Tom how he knows, LOL!
Knolltop Farms Well, every animal needs roughage in its diet. :>)
Aeesome job
nice ...... but how much design manufacturing in jigs & fixture
upper die should always smaller than the lower die because a sheet metal essentially comes with a thickness.
Now I see where the "press" part comes in in Drill press. :-) I am surprised with as many of them as you had to do you didn't just make a mating die and turn your setup upside down so you didn't have to screw with that screw. You could just sit them on the pin and punch it.
Hey Brian,
I only had to do 20 pcs. It took longer to talk about it on camera. That's a tough thing deciding on how far to go with a die or fixture. In jobbing work just enough is about right.
Cheers,
Tom
Great job with the bending fixture. How about a drawing of what you are making. Are you copying some other holder or is this something unique?
Hey Kurt,
Good point. I may show the model of the assembled racks in an upcoming video if there is some interest.
Cheers,
Tom
oxtoolco
Yes please! Thank you for thinking of us, as "curious minds want to know" :)
oxtoolco Did the assembled racks end up in another video? I've been watching quite a few of yours, but I'm afraid there are just too many videos on youtube, even within the categories I view, and not enough time to see everything. I still have to "go to work" and "go to bed" and all that nonsense. :(
I do not think Tom posted a picture of the finished racks.
heh, i'm late to view this, not sure how i missed it, anyway, ...i suspect that was a rack holder for a fractionator or fplc, or something similar. a couple or few decades back (early 80's,) i made 96 hole racks for holding scintillation type tubes under long needles so the lab tech could put some heavy gas in a tube for some sort of spectrophotometer reading, or whatever they were doing the gas was to protect whatever was put in the vials. made the other parts of the machine as well. there was no x-y indexing in the machine as they were all filled at the same time from a manifold with the 96 needles. the z axis was manually operated and the racks were registered when slid in place. the needles went pretty close to the bottom of the tube and were maybe 4 or 5" long. and the gas dump was worked with a timed solenoid valve using the technology (then) with ttl timer chips, probably a 555 perhaps? electro stuff isn't my forte, i found a simple schematic in a book probably. real pain changing out the long sharp surgical needles when they decided they needed a different gauge. they were spaced pretty close on centers. by luck i had screwed the manifold together with an oring to seal it. and the new needles were larger so the holes just had to be en-biggered. i think the tubes used were 5 ml vials, something pretty small anyway, there wasn't much space between the tubes so everything would fit in a small footprint needed for the next op. i wasn't a happy camper doing the job, they didn't know what they wanted and i didn't know what they wanted to do so it was poking in the dark so to speak. but after you jogged my memory i can look back and smile on it. thank you, very interesting vid, that folding with the vise is a novel approach i will exploit i think. I would rather use an arbor press than a mill though.
Brilliant
I think that there are charts that tell you based on a known length of metal of a known thickness, how much force you need to exert to bend them, including failure.
I'm not 100% sure, i know there are charts for H beams and the like, but the idea is that based on that and a simple table scale one could make a simple jig to say "count" the force required in order to design the perfect release.
Nothing important on a job of this size but just throwing my two cents out there.
He Aserta,
You could calculate the force to squeeze the fingers of the clamps pretty easily. Deciding whether two pounds or fourteen pounds "felt" right is a little tougher. There are still some really touchy feely things like this in mechanical design.
Cheers,
Tom
oxtoolco True enough. I get carried away with odd things like that. :)
20:45, squeek squeek ->goosebumps
which jig is called multi operation jig?
One more "Oxism." To guard against "any Bozo activities." Just great! THX TOM.
:)
great thanks
You write on your surfaces a lot, what solvent do you keep handy and how do you store it so that it is easily accessible when you need to wipe the marks off?
Hey Max,
Yeah I'm a bit of a tagger in the shop. I use denatured alcohol to clean the sharpie off things. Most of the surfaces are a little oily so it doesn't take too much to wipe the marks off. I have a couple of small squeeze bottles like the red ketchup bottles at a drive in. They have removable conic caps that keep the solvent from evaporating. They came from an art supply store.
Cheers,
Tom
oxtoolco Beauty that's perfect.
I work in a check fixture shop in Tennessee
Hi mate.
I realise this is the type of work you do, but why not have a registration pin instead of screwing it to the block. I thought the use of the vice, as the bender was brillante. I was thinking, bending block, but this works just as well and it costs nothing. I like thinking of solutions to problems like this, making jigs that are repeatable.
Marcel.
Marcel Timmers Hi Marcel,
With a pin the flat part would bow away from the block. Screwing it down clamps it and makes it hold shape better. Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
Ok, see your point, cheers.
what's in the Shasta bottle? Coolant or mixer?
Hi Gaven,
Water soluble coolant. Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
why not use the arbor press for this type of bending?
Hi Richard,
Well the arbor press doesn't have a vise mounted to it that I can set the gap on. I was using the mill more like a precision press brake. Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
Hiya Tom,
Great to see a creative mind at work, you may have noticed me listed as a new sub, sausage fingers + cell phone = me losing all my favorite channels from my feed. I know you were probably gonna lose sleep over it, don't worry, I still love what you do :)
Z
Hey Stan,
Thanks for the sub. I know you don't hand those things out lightly.
Cheers,
Tom
Well done!
....13
Born to be wild..
+EvilScience Hi Science,
Thanks for the comment.
Cheers,
Tom
Sir you are ricode your video in Urdu please and reply
why not just put a pin instead of screwing it to the jig
+drach hart That's what I was thinking. Sure would speed things up. But I do like principles behind the idea.
flack vest lol
Early in my career (NARF Alameda) I saw the need for a jig to help our machine shop. I was admonished NOT to call it a jig. Puzzled, my supervisor informed me that "jig" had racial overtones that had no place in a professional environment. And thuse began my exposure to the silly politically correct world we live in. I called it a fixture, and saved taxpayers a bundle (rather "cost avoidance") in increased productivity and reduced scrap rate. Had I known you then, I'd have certainly insisted on call it an "Anti-Bozo Fixture."
Hey Berkeley,
Thanks for the story. The PC thing certainly gets more mileage than it deserves. I thought this is what high school was for. To toughen you mentally and physically.
All the best,
Tom
My Jr. High School metal and wood shop teachers were anything BUT PC! Don't get me started on how schools have changed since you or I went to school.
I think you watched too much T.V. when you were a kid.