An update as to the progress of the tool holders...
After making the first unit with the dovetail cutter I decided to wait until the shaper was set up and I got myself up to speed with using it before continuing.
heres the first shaper made unit I did as a trial the other night... pretty happy with it.... gee this makes dovetailing soooo easy.....
![](http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm54/artieonedge/23062010480.jpg)
That time has come and tonight production line stuff happened.... sort of...
![Roll Eyes ::)](https://madmodder.net/Smileys/default/rolleyes.gif)
This is what I am using for stock and its trimmed up into sections on the old power hacksaw, but becuase of the existing large groove I had to weld it back together in a different orientation to do more than one holder at a time, see next two pics....
![](http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm54/artieonedge/03062010393.jpg)
![](http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm54/artieonedge/25062010481.jpg)
Once welded I used the horizontal mill in 'metal rip' mode to remove the bulk of the stock for the dovetail groove... this is much much faster than the vertical mill or the shaper, in fact it took just 12 minutes to remove 60 cubic centimetres of metal (40 x 15 x 100mm).
![](http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm54/artieonedge/25062010482.jpg)
Finish wasnt great but the metal was gone! The shaper is next.
![](http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm54/artieonedge/25062010483.jpg)
Took a cut right across the tops to flatten it and then a cut across the floor to remove the HZ mill tool marks, the next 2 are vids of the action, just click on them, sorry about the quality but im using my fone as my camera for this...
![](http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm54/artieonedge/th_25062010014.jpg)
![](http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm54/artieonedge/th_25062010015.jpg)
Once squared and flat (finish was just lovely....)... the dovetailing started!! Change tool holder to the angled unit, a quick shrapena dn away we go. Because this is a manual feed operation I have no vid of it nor pics of it happening.. BUT I do have a shot of a spectactular stuff up.... see if you can pic it..... it made me call it a night after I had fixed it... I was obviously tired...
Roughing the dovetail out....
![](http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm54/artieonedge/25062010484.jpg)
Thought it was almost finished... oops....
![](http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm54/artieonedge/25062010485.jpg)
Fixed.....
![](http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm54/artieonedge/25062010486.jpg)
Anyone notice that I had cut it to 70 degrees? USE MY GLASSES NEXT TIME! When I set the vernier on the shaper to the required degrees (30 from vertical) I had it on 20... just couldnt see the small number well enough
![:(](https://madmodder.net/Smileys/default/sad.gif)
SO I stopped there and will resume tommorow.... night all.....
Rob T