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Tips/Techniques Making the Square Drive hole in a custom socket.

Tips/Techniques
Trev, it followed my joke about my welding skill. "Ol' Shakey, here. I use the braille method." I 'm decades past when I was merely an OK welder. Millwrights have to be able to weld.
 
Susquatch said:
Those welders are a selfish bunch. They don't want to teach anybody anything until we already know. Then they just want to argue. They use all kinds of jargon to confuse us too.

I think brail means to close your eyes and poke the weld rod/wire at some metal till it sticks, then turn the machine off, wait till everything stops glowing, cut the rod/wire, rinse repeat. It's a very slow process. But stuff eventually sticks together if you never look at it. Here is some of my finest braille:

View attachment 63280
Click to expand...
Thanks Obi wan:p
 
Unless it doesn't fit, this project is done.

The boys came over for several stints. Once for design, scoping it out, and order of ops. Then for work on the schedule 40 pipe. Then for the drive. And finally for final ops and assembly.

In the first session, I learned that 3 boys each 2 years apart, is a recipe for mischief, confusion, and jealousy. Two at a time from then on. We decided to go with a 1" hex drive (nut) on the drive. Sadly, no shaper work.

In the second session, we cut the main tube on the bandsaw, cleaned up the edges, and milled the drive slots. Schedule 40 pipe cuts like butter. They wanted to add ventilation slots all over the place too..... Thank God their Mom arrived to rescue me.

In the third session, we cut the drive plug from a piece of 3" bar on the lathe to the same OD/ID as the pipe. Lots of hands taking turns cranking handles. Lots of measurements. Tons of swarf. Waaaay too much cutting oil. Boys all got racing stripes from cutting oil. Mom won't be happy. The part fits like a glove.

On the 4th session, we cut the drive hex on the mill. We had decided on a 1" hex cuz I have a spare 1/2" drive 1" socket that their dad can have with the tool. God I love the DRO on my mill. Good lesson for them too. Aligned the hex using the hex surface of a collet holder. Too bad it wouldn't fit the part directly. Looked much better than it really was. But fit the 1" socket perfectly.

Final job was to attach the drive part to the sleeve. Started to be a bit of a debate. They wanted to weld, I wanted to drill and tap. Their gift, their call - welding it was. So we turned the pipe and the drive to add a weld groove and then the oldest tacked it together using my rosin core wire welder. Looks GREAT. So he finished the weld all the way around. I'd die to have welds that looked half as good as that 16 year old kid. When he was done, we chucked it back in the lathe and cleaned up the weld.

One happy old man and 3 very happy boys!

I was WAAAAY too busy being the Safety Rep. No pictures.
 
Susquatch said:
Unless it doesn't fit, this project is done.

The boys came over for several stints. Once for design, scoping it out, and order of ops. Then for work on the schedule 40 pipe. Then for the drive. And finally for final ops and assembly.

In the first session, I learned that 3 boys each 2 years apart, is a recipe for mischief, confusion, and jealousy. Two at a time from then on. We decided to go with a 1" hex drive (nut) on the drive. Sadly, no shaper work.

In the second session, we cut the main tube on the bandsaw, cleaned up the edges, and milled the drive slots. Schedule 40 pipe cuts like butter. They wanted to add ventilation slots all over the place too..... Thank God their Mom arrived to rescue me.

In the third session, we cut the drive plug from a piece of 3" bar on the lathe to the same OD/ID as the pipe. Lots of hands taking turns cranking handles. Lots of measurements. Tons of swarf. Waaaay too much cutting oil. Boys all got racing stripes from cutting oil. Mom won't be happy. The part fits like a glove.

On the 4th session, we cut the drive hex on the mill. We had decided on a 1" hex cuz I have a spare 1/2" drive 1" socket that their dad can have with the tool. God I love the DRO on my mill. Good lesson for them too. Aligned the hex using the hex surface of a collet holder. Too bad it wouldn't fit the part directly. Looked much better than it really was. But fit the 1" socket perfectly.

Final job was to attach the drive part to the sleeve. Started to be a bit of a debate. They wanted to weld, I wanted to drill and tap. Their gift, their call - welding it was. So we turned the pipe and the drive to add a weld groove and then the oldest tacked it together using my rosin core wire welder. Looks GREAT. So he finished the weld all the way around. I'd die to have welds that looked half as good as that 16 year old kid. When he was done, we chucked it back in the lathe and cleaned up the weld.

One happy old man and 3 very happy boys!

I was WAAAAY too busy being the Safety Rep. No pictures.
Click to expand...
I have made several custom sockets, some even for my own use...

My usual strategy is to drill the corners, right on the intersection of the Hex or 12 points, with a drill that will allow a decent sized end mill to be able to leave straight sides without having to muck about with extra end mills in decreasing sizes to get something usable.

Glad to hear that the boys were both interested, and involved (if chaotic, LOL!) You are training your replacements, in this world! Knowledge that is not shared, is lost.

A co-worker's wife, who was a Medic (Medical Aid) in the Military said something to me that stuck. "See One, Do One, Show One!" See it demonstrated, practice it yourself, then teach it to the next behind you, to truly 'learn' a particular skill or technique.
 
Susquatch said:
Ya, I figure that I could have made that in about 4 hours, but 4 days with the boys was amazing - even with the challenges. The goodbye hugs when they left with the finished tool were noticeably tighter and loving. I'm very happy.
Click to expand...
It's those moments spent with a grandfather that shapes the future of the kids. I know that the time spent with mine greatly forged my future and taught me that if another man could do it, there's no real reason that I can't.
That was a life lesson that each of them will carry for the rest of their lives. Congratulations, you've done good old man. :cool:
 
Congrats on getting it done the best way possible, with them involved! Don't feel bad about the no pictures. I started thinking about this a lot lately, about our constant need to document every last thing we do, sometimes for personal reasons, but mostly for sharing with "strangers" on the internet. My phone stays inside on the charger most of the time anymore. Enjoying the moment without the distraction of needing to document everything. Especially moments with the kids.
 
A job ~Well Done~ Sire Susquatch!

As a GRANDparent, myselph, I have taught the MiniPeoples various Arts & Crafts, including the youngest, my Grandson, How to Count !!! Before the age of >>>FOUR<<< (when GrandPaw was his WATCHER), He had learnt to count, to 144(inches), having seen me use my 12' tape, and was exploring it while I was making fried eggs: Devious Mind, must have been in his GENES !!!

Day ONE of Working the TAPE, his Most IMPORTANT lesson: Ask that old codgle, err GrandPaw (I Have BIG HANDS) . . .
ASK PERMISSION to TOUCH all of GRANDPA'S ~tools~

Day TWO, Tape Measures have 2 ends the SMART END & the Stupid End !!!

Day Three of working the TAPE • • • • • • • • • • Tapes have begginings & ENDS !!!!!

Oh, the MEMORIES, no photo's EXCEPT in my Mind's Film Library !

philip, from the Great Pacific NorthWET, Oregon, USA
"The Truth spoken softly, is LOUDER . . . .
. . . . . . . . than the Lies that are SHOUTED."
 
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