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Welcome to Westwood Metalworks, What is he building in there?

Ya, you are diving into to this way deeper than I care to get into lol. I'm a surface level caveman on this stuff John. Me make CNC toolpath on laptop (windows) in CAM, me generate Gcode file and save to folder on CNC computer (lixux/pathpilot), Me go out to garage and load file. Me press green button*, and get part.

*just kidding, there is no green button on the Tormach which kinda sucks. But you get the gist of my thought process here. I don't really care how it all happens behind the scenes under the surface, I just care that it works. Some things I just take at face value without having to know how and why it all works. Me have caveman understanding of most things computer related. Which is why when I encounter problems, or issues I lack the diagnostic skills necessary to problem solve, and go from 0-11 PDQ. Banging it with a rock or poking it with a stick usually doesn't help.....

Mechanical, electrical, pneumatics/hydraulics I can work my way through logically. Computers and software/hardware issues I get dumb real fast when stuff doesn't work right.....Thankfully there are forums full of smart people like yourself I can ask questions to :D, or youtube videos that can walk me through almost any problem encountered. What a time to be alive :D.
 
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Susquatch said:
Good outlook Dan. I get tired of hearing all the gripes about how bad things are getting. IMHO, they have never been better.

BTW, me like green button too! Especially for 3D printing!
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Oh, don't get me wrong, there's plenty of things in the world to gripe about....But what the hell can I do about any of it? I'm just another tooth on the cog. All I can do is just focus on the positives, and just keep doing what I do. Like making some "emergency" 1.5mm knitting needles out of Tungsten Tig electrodes for the Wife :D

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Dan Dubeau said:
Oh, don't get me wrong, there's plenty of things in the world to gripe about....But what the hell can I do about any of it? I'm just another tooth on the cog. All I can do is just focus on the positives, and just keep doing what I do. Like making some "emergency" 1.5mm knitting needles out of Tungsten Tig electrodes for the Wife :D

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Yeah, I’d really go with lanthanated tungsten for - wait what kind of yarn is it?

(You knit wool on DC, cotton on AC, pulse is good for synthetics… )
 
Dan Dubeau said:
Mechanical, electrical, pneumatics/hydraulics I can work my way through logically. Computers and software/hardware issues I get dumb real fast when stuff doesn't work right.....Thankfully there are forums full of smart people like yourself I can ask questions to :D, or youtube videos that can walk me through almost any problem encountered. What a time to be alive :D.
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Amen brother, that sums it up perfectly.
 
Finally got some uninterrupted shop time today while the kids were at school. Finished the flat platten attachment hinge for the grinder, and finally started going through a bunch of the tooling from my work boxes to integrate with my home boxes. Hopefully I can consolidate everything and get rid of at least one toolbox shortly. Actually I'm counting on being able to do that to actually have room for the grinder when it's finished lol. Taps galore, but do you think I could find a GOOD M12x1.75? I had to use the one from one of those cheap Canadian tire sets and hold my breath....Found a million M8's for some reason....:D I know I have some good ones around, but no idea where. I still have multiple drawers and boxes where the same things are stored. I'll do some digging after dinner while the CNC is running some other parts I'm programming right now.

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Chipping away, still lots to do......

So far I'm loving that Trimsol coolant. Good performing and not a spot of rust on anything. I think my skin is getting used to it now as the first day I used it, I got contact dermatitis and broke out in a few spots on my hands and arms. Never had that happen with coolant (or anything) ever and was worried I just pissed away a few hundred $$ for nothing, but it's gone away now, and it leaves my skin feeling silky smooth like it's moisturizer.
 
A good productive day today. I got the two wheel arms done tonight. All that's left is to machine now is the platen mount tabs, and a couple anti rotation tabs then I can start welding up the main frame and platen attachment. Oh still need to make (finish designing) the motor mount plate too, and cast the drive wheel....and the tension arm....and everything related to the work rest......:D

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Dan Dubeau said:
A good productive day today. I got the two wheel arms done tonight. All that's left is to machine now is the platen mount tabs, and a couple anti rotation tabs then I can start welding up the main frame and platen attachment. Oh still need to make (finish designing) the motor mount plate too, and cast the drive wheel....and the tension arm....and everything related to the work rest......:D

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I admire your ambition and envy your youth that I suspect is there and is helpful. If you're anything like me (and you're probably not) productivity will go to hell in about 10-15 years.
Keep posting but don't let in get in the way off your productivity!

I'm the guy on the right.

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I have those days where I'm the guy on the right too. Considering I've only worked 3 days this month I should have this entire grinder, and a few other projects done also so don't let the picture posting fool ya lol. It's not a whirlwind of activity over here......Couch gravity is too strong some days, and there are always other obligations to various things, but I find if I can just force myself to go out and putter around, it sometimes snowballs and those little 5-15min jobs that pile up sometimes and are barriers to other stuff get done, and I can focus on the bigger and more fun stuff like the above.
 
Well, yesterday was a wash. Oldest stayed home from school sick, and no sooner had I got home after I dropped #2 off at the bus the power went out.....It came back on 5 min before I went and picked her up at the end of the day. Thought about going old school with a hacksaw and file, but ended up just playing cards and board games all day with Jr. Not very often we get to hang out one on one, so I'll take that over making chips any time.

Today was a bit more productive in the shop though. Dragged my ass all morning and didn't get started until after lunch but I officially have all the parts machined for the fixed platen attachment, but still a few more to go before I can start welding. Hoping I can get an early start tomorrow though.

It's all in this pic somewhere.....still need to release a few parts from their stock though.....My 10" contact wheel came too, as well as the rest of the hardware I need to finish it, so no excuses now....:D
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This is the first time things have been layed out thus far. Encouraging.....

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I've taken a lot of pics thus far, and I'm really regretting holding off on the build thread until the end.... Tried to change it up this time and do something different than my usual work in progress style, but I'm not looking forward to sorting that all out and posting it now lol. Maybe I'll do a video....
 
Dan Dubeau said:
I've taken a lot of pics thus far, and I'm really regretting holding off on the build thread until the end.... Tried to change it up this time and do something different than my usual work in progress style, but I'm not looking forward to sorting that all out and posting it now lol. Maybe I'll do a video....
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Yes, that's where I'm at with trying to get my lathe running. Should have started at the beginning. Or maybe just a general 'What Stuart did' thread?
I certainly take photos at work and think 'I should post that, somebody might find it useful', and then... time passes.
 
I have two modes. I either take a million pics as I'm doing stuff of every operation with the intent of making a really detailed thread documenting all the little details. Or I leave my phone in the house charging on the bedside table and don't take any pics at all lol. There's no in between there.

Usually after the first process of taking all the pics, I start going through them later and realize most are complete crap, and the post ends up being a low effort "look over my shoulder" type build missing half the detailed info that I intended to include from the start :D. Trying to organize and create detailed descriptive thread (or videos) takes longer than actually doing the project sometimes. I really do have a great appreciation to those that take that time to put that effort in to document projects either as a detailed build thread, or a clear concise video (that isn't sponsored or trying to sell me plans for a janky make work project....). It's really a struggle for me at that stage of a project, as I just want to check it off the list and move on the the next one. I always tell myself I'll do better next time, but I am me.....

This morning I had full intentions of getting an early start, then I realized that MotoGP started this weekend, so the couch grabbed me pretty hard as I watched all the practice and qualifying sessions and sprint race while I programmed some parts still left to CNC. Done now, and heading out after hitting send.....I'll take more pics of course....:D
 
Another productive day. Didn't get to the axle turning like I was hoping to, but did get to some lathe stuff.

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Nothing fancy, just some adjustable rotational stops. They will get welded from the backside so the front side still looks clean like that. Don't think I'll get to the rest of the turning tonight. My back is screaming, and my lathe is short.....Just doing those was enough for today. That's a problem for tomorrow hopefully......I might square up the material for the tracking hinge after dinner if I'm feeling it. The mill is tall....:D. That's one of the last things to machine (besides the axles) and then I'm on to assembly. Another solid day and I should be done with all the components.
 
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Another thing I did today was cut down some parallels to 4" lengths. I've accumulated 5 sets of these things over the years, and now that I have double 4" vises in the Tormach, the extra overhang can actually get in the way sometimes. This part had some profiling on both sides of the jaws, so I would have hit the std 6" ones. Thought about seting up the surface grinder with a cutoff wheel, and doing it "proper", but elected for the get it done, zip wheel in an angle grinder method for expediency.....

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SO much better. I will zip an entire set down to 4" next time I get some play time, and maybe another set too. I don't need 5 anymore and the leftovers will be handy for small grinding vises, or other setup blocks.
 
One of the reasons I decided to design my own grinder is because I enjoy the challenge of coming up with different ways to do things. That's one of the most enjoyable parts of this hobby for me. One of the design goals of this grinder was to have the all contact wheels rotate around the same pivot point, and be the same vertical or horizontal. I have a 4" rubber contact wheel on the bottom of the flat platen attachment, and when I tilt the platen back 45*, the contact wheel comes up to the center of the pivot. Then when I tilt the grinder horizontally, it'll swing through the center of the wheel. This was an important feature I wanted to incorporate, and it took some head scratching to get it to work, and even more to actually fit in the space I had available. I was initially using a 2"sq tube for the backbone of the platen attachment, but another design goal I wanted to maintain was to keep everything as neat and tucked into the middle of the belt and clear down both sides as much as possible. I felt with the 2" tube, and 2" belt I'd have to shift it side to side, to do any shoulder grinding. So I made the switch to 1.5" sq tube on the fly........sure I'd updated the CAD model, but at no point did the alarm bells go off that I also needed to adjust the hinge geometry to accommodate for the dimensional change. I'd also taken that time to adjust the throat in the front to give me more slack belt room when I removed the platen..... Long story short, Those two changes affected my pivot geometry and I didn't notice it until last night when I was playing around in cad checking clearances in all positions for some new attachments I was working on, and discovered that for some reason, my carefully calculated hinge point wasn't bringing my wheel up to center anymore.....

Here's the model showing the issue. That horizontal line is the pivot point of the grinder, and as you can see, as built something was amiss....
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I was racking my brain trying to figure it out how and where it happened, until I hit on the tube change on the fly. Fault found, The designer and machinist were both blaming each other for that one....but where do I go from here? Between the tube change, and added clearance, the distance deficit ended up being 0.375", so I could either remake the entire piece making it 3/8" longer (not the most appealing fix), or ad a spacer. I thought about welding a piece onto the back of the hinge block and then trying to blend it all in to hide it, but an old co worker/journeyman of mine used to say, "if you're going to F*&K something up, at least turn the fix into a feature".... With that in mind, I decided to make a shim piece, and "turn it into a feature" Thanks Pauly. :D

Here's the updated model, showing the proper function again with the spacer.
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And here's the spacer ready for welding.
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Looks like it was meant to be there from the start lol. Now, I'll see if I remember how to TIG weld tomorrow for assembly day.......
 
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