Author Topic: Job Shop Work.  (Read 2421 times)

Offline Joules

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Job Shop Work.
« on: September 16, 2019, 06:05:34 PM »
I got an email this morning from a regular client if they could come round and have a chat as they had a problem, sure see you in an hour.   He turned up with a sorry looking, expensive plastic moulded part they had been using as a gauge for a few weeks.   I had this part for a few months to use for testing a component I regularly make for them, taking good care of the loan part.  It was all torn up where they had been setting some sprung pins to fit in a groove.  Can I do anything about it ?  Errrr, not the torn up part no, however I can make you a steel gauge.

Well the tolerance in the part he brought was long gone, but I did have some of my reject parts that I had made and not binned, so I had a known fit for this component, and my Delrin gauge pin.  I didn't have the groove dimensions that this part carried though so some swift "crap O cad" got me some numbers to start with.  Still looking dejected he asked if I wanted the parts to do the job by next week if I could fit them in, as they were busy and this was holding them up.  You got an hour or so to spare, we can go out to the workshop.

I grabbed the first bit of steel remotely like the size I needed, chucked it and started turning.  A combination of crap steel, blunt insert and wrong speed soon put paid to that attempt.   So I dug out some silver steel and started again with a sharp insert.  Machined the gauge end, flipped it round to finish off the handle.  At this point we realised this end could be used to set the pins and then final check on the other end that had the new groove.  That done a few test fits and polish the gauge, very happy customer left with new double ended steel gauge, turn around in about one and half hours from him arriving.

When he left I realised I hadn't taken a photo of the finished part, always worth keeping a record if only to show another customer the type of work you can do.   Anyhow, I still had the crap part I started making.   Having switched over to a sharp insert, bumped up the speed and use some cutting oil this time, much better job.  I had to polish the rough turned front surface, it looks worse than it is, but it's quite usable.  The surface behind the groove is spot on and just polished with Scotchbrite.  Tart it up with a bit of knurling as the part I make in Delrin can be a bit tight if it's undersize and would grab on my Delrin gauge pin.   Job done, I now have a steel gauge for the shop here as the lathe was still setup from the first one.   This also guarantees my parts will match the gauge they have.   Just a small job really but got a client out of the mire, he was very grateful and learned a bit about manual machining, that might come in handy next time he needs something similar doing, knowing a little about how its made.

Not every job here gets a CAD drawing, though I have since done a quick one just for the records.

 
Honour your mentors, and pay it forward.

Offline tom osselton

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Re: Job Shop Work.
« Reply #1 on: September 16, 2019, 06:44:40 PM »
Like!  :D