Paul's Garage Projects

Main body is made from a single piece of round bar taper turned down at each end, then milled flat in the middle on both sides. Drilled and tapped for M6 thread on the short side and counter bored deep enough for the tap to go all of the way to the middle. The counter bore was necessary due to both of my M6 taps having a limited maximum depth. Finished Project The bolt was again turned from a single piece of round stock. Turned to same size as the handle, knurled and then turned and threaded for M6. The hole was drilled in the centre, I then used a piece of tool steel mounted in the mill to slot the angled part of the hole. The slotting didn't come out particularly well so I had to finish up with a needle file - I'd probably just use a file next time. Metric Plans

After using my Chinese mini lathe for a year or so I decided it was time for an upgrade. Most projects involve the lathe and taking tiny cuts on larger stock quickly becomes tedious. I would say that they are great to learn on though, handling smaller projects well (even in mild steel). Anything over 50mm in diameter starts to become a pain. I spent weeks (possibly months) scouring the internet for information on the best lathe for a hobbyist, it was a tossup between the Boxford, a Myford or a Colchester Bantam. The Myfords and Colchesters tend to demand a high price, whereas the Boxfords seem to be cheaper, even for a good example. Although the accessories demand a premium - especially the traveling and steady rests. Shortly after pickup Keeping my eye on eBay and lathes.co.uk for some time, I eventually came across a Boxford MKIII BUD. Originally looking for a lathe with a thread cutting gearbox, such as the Boxford AUD, the lathe seemed too good to miss. Changing the gears manually

Eagle 66 oil can replica. Extra capacity since I ordered the wrong size pipe. Automatic centre punch. Replacement Z axis shaft for WM18 style milling machine.  

My Boxford lathe came with the original quick change tool post, which is quite hefty and sturdy for a small lathe. I'd been using a spanner to switch between tool holders, but this tends to get in the way. I didn't have a rotary broach so needed to be a bit more creative. I started by turning some round stock to a suitable dimension, marked the centre, then secured it in a hex collet in the mill facing upwards. The finished project I found the centre with a small drill bit, then moved the mill in the X axis across half of the measurement across the points of the bolt (minus half the width of the drill bit). Then drilled down around 10mm and turned the hex collet block to the next index, keeping it in the same place in the vice. I did this for all six positions of the hex block, which left me with something that resembled a tiny pepper pot.  I then used an end mill the same size as the measurement across the flats of the bolt to drill out the middle. There was then a small amoun

I had some spare metal knocking about in the garage and decided I needed an oil pot for use with my lathe. I'd recently been making an ER32 collet chuck so followed those dimensions for the thread. This allowed me to use the current gear settings in the lathe and the collet parts to check the thread fit. The finished project I used an end mill to create a flat bottom hole for a rare earth magnet. This is great for keeping the pot in place quite close to the working area on the lathe. Quite hefty for an oil pot, will definitely outlast me  

With ER32 Collett and Nut in place.  

New chuck key for the 4 jaw Aluminium and brass carriage stop Fixed steady made from what was lying in the scrap pile. Approximate dimensions Metric thread dial  

Complete assembly - surprisingly involved for something that looks so simple.  

Complete assembly. Could have done with a larger dial and a different internal design - this one was too fiddly to put together. Tool angle that seems to work well.  

Complete assembly After Blueing with added clip.  

Cutting setup All teeth complete before adding keyway  

Complete assembly - uses stepper motor to drive. Controls built around an Arduino. Clutch lever assembly Dog tooth clutch assembly Custom shoulder bolt. Dog tooth clutch assembly - had to remake this with deeper teeth. Also used five teeth instead of three Machined handle TIG welded together. Complete with bakelite handle.   Video shows power feed in action before the clutch was added.

DIY Quick Change Toolpost - first project with new milling machine. Fly cutter DIY Dovetail Cutter Soft jaws for vice using flycutter for facing. Impossible dovetail using dovetail cutter.  

I had some of the knot wheels for my angle grinder but both of the guards were too small. Didn't fancy using them without a guard, so it was time to make one. Using the original guard as a template I marked out the general shape of the top part on some 1mm sheet metal, then used the knot wheel as a guide to see how large the guard needed to be. Next a strip wide enough to cover the wheel was cut and roughly bent in to a curve. This was then tacked on to the top part and bent in to shape as needed. Guard part TIG welded up Then a clamping ring was created in the lathe to match the angle grinder and the guard. Holes were drilled and tapped for grub screws to keep it in place once installed. With the clamp ring welded on The clamping ring was also TIG welded on to the guard, which was quite tricky due to the difference in metal thickness. Concentrating most of the heat on the larger part allowed me to weld it without blowing through the thin metal. Ready for painting.  

Finished - took around four hours with my shaky hands.  

First test - crushing some round bar. Complete with trampoline springs that reset the press when the pressure is released.  

Made from angle and flat bar with some bearings for the rollers. First test - works well 4mm square bar  

Deadblow Hammer of Thor. Another TIG welding practice project Tap wrench Brass pen Mount for wobbly kitchen tap - now bolted to the bench Bike stand bolted to floor with space for dlock.