Getting my benchtop mill set up

[Ian]

Been working on this every night this week after the kids go to bed and spent a few hours on it today. Got all the drawers built, sanded, and polyurethaned with a sanding in between coats. Made drawer fronts out of some really ratty 3/8" CD yellow pine plywood scraps and mixed some stain to sorta match the rest of the shop furniture. Got those all poly'd and will lightly sand and recoat them all tomorrow.

I couldn't wait to see how the fronts would look so I went ahead and mounted one with the pull I'm going to use. Concept of the pulls is low-snag.



I also made some inserts today, this one for the collets and another for the end mills that will go in the top right drawer. Still have to sand and poly those after the glue dries.





Would you believe I haven't even plugged in the mill yet?

I did score some 1-2-3 blocks and a Mitutoyo edge finder from the zon. Got a 4" mill vise on the way too. Little by little.

 

[waco]

Awesome!

 

[Ian]

Thanks! So far I've got about $90 in it, all in hardware and finish.

 

[RicinYakima]

Ian, You are indeed a craftsman. Even I take pride in your work, and I just watch you do it! Congratulations. Ric

 

[Rick]

Mrs. Ian a few years back posted some pics on the other forum of the kitchen cabinets he built. Very impressive.

 

[Ian]

Got all but one drawer front finished and mounted. Turns out the apprentice cabinetmaker set the tablesaw fence 1/2" too narrow on one when ripping through the cut list. It has been remade and the final coat if finish is drying presently. Got all the inserts poly'd, sanded, and final coated too.

Then I went to the mail drop box and found my 4" vise and some tap guides waiting for me so that got unboxed, checked over, and set aside for cleaning and installation later.

Jackie "White" approves...

 

[JWFilips]

You Machinists get your shops setup right quick! And in style!
I was pretty happy with my hand tool shop when I was building Flintlocks....but over the last 8 years Just seem to have migrated into my cabinets and shelves ( I sort of Blame cast bullet shooting in modern guns for that!)
I inherited some nice multi drawer cabinets from my early days at the studio.....The bosses bought a very nicely supplied Camera Shop Studio along with the fist studio in 1973 when we started. Back then Kodak would supply dealers with high quality wooden multi-door cabinets to house their glass camera filters in! From day one I was always impressed with these! Well I now have them in my shop!

These are the fine tool cabinets:


although not a nice machine shop Figure I would post a few of my hand tools
My North facing wall Has my most used tools including my hand gravers
Some "one day to be guns" ..stocks on the right



This is only about 1/3 of my hand files & rasps....( the expensive hand rasps are in the drawer cabinets!)
Only motorized tools are a band saw for rough shaping stock blanks & a large and small drill presses Along with a Belt/ Disc sander, Bench grinder & a tool wet stone sharpener.... which I think I have only use twice in 30 years!

 

[Gary]

Wow!
How much that Vise weight Jim? It's a beauty!

 

[JWFilips]

A few more:
South wall.... What I was working on before the Cast bullet addiction!
14 gauge smoothbore (top) with my custom designed (to look like forged) 43" Don Getz barrel!
Next is an old 20 gauge original 1830's percussion barrel that is in very good shooting condition
And the bottom: that was to be my take on a 58 cal Flint Moravian Rifle (42") circa 1760-69
I got all of the brass hardware hand shaped ( took about 40 hours of filing..IIRC) of a close match to Reeves Goerings castings!
Those Moravians created some unique guns in the 18th C while the PA longrifle gunsmith were just starting to form their "Schools"!


Then my companion! My B-17 era Short wave Radio Given to me by my ( to be) Father-in-Law When I got really involved in astronomy in 1970
It reminds me of the many times and many years at Keystone College Observatory..Where WWV played non stop!
I would tune this to the best frequency that came through clear that day, and work on the guns I was building! Something very settling to me of the click click click of that sound!

 

[JWFilips]

Ian,
Sorry to hijack you post ! If you notice My engraver sharpening jig/box is sitting on the radio!
Jim

 

[JWFilips]

Wow!
How much that Vise weight Jim? It's a beauty!

Gary,
That is a Harbor Freight 6/7 inch cross vise / 3 axis: Just got that last year Probably up around 30/40 lbs
I used a simple 2 axis on my drill press since 1983...Now that I am old I treated myself! However since my shop is small I keep wacking myself in the back when I walk by it! Probably will be the death of me! Real easy to plain base a 2 cavity mould now , however!

 

[JWFilips]

On my work bench I have 3 Vises" A 4" ( Fine work), a 6" HF and a 8" Craftsman (Inherited from my FIL) All also have Wood and leather jaws I made for them!
Also there is a 90 lb anvil on the workbench
( sorry Ian doing it again)

 

[Ian]

Hijack away, Jim, We love to see this stuff!

 

[Brad]

Does anyone own even 1/4 the number of files Jim has?

 

[Ian]

Finally completely finished with the drawer banks and inserts. Took the mill table apart and cleaned it in my solvent vat to get all the "grease" and embedded grit out of the ways and gibs. All oiled and back together now. Now to do the top part of the column and head dovetail.

 

[Gary]

Crikes Ian, you don't even have the hanging tag off her yet!
I really like the pulls on the drawers, reminds me of the counter pulls they had in the Grocery store where I got my first job some 60 years ago.

 

[smokeywolf]

Does anyone own even 1/4 the number of files Jim has?

I'll bet that's not all of Jim's files. And yes, I might have close to as many as Jim.

 

[JonB]

Smokey, Jim stated (under the file photo), that was about 1/3 of his files

Brad, I thought I had a lot of files (about 40 or 50)...so yeah, I don't have 1/4 the number Jim has.
BUT, I have sold/recycled about 40 damaged/dull files over then years.

I'm still in the thinking process of how I will store/organize these files as I get handles put on them. That is part of my plan of decluttering my garage. I'd like to empty out some drawers for the most useful files.

 

[Ian]

Jon, I use wrench racks for mine. Plastic T-beams with notches moulded in them, get them in pairs and space to suit in your drawers, files lay crosswise. Alternate handle direction to maximize space. I'm going to make some out of wood for my mill chest, will post photos on rhis thread when I do.

 

[smokeywolf]

Smokey, Jim stated (under the file photo), that was about 1/3 of his files

Brad, I thought I had a lot of files (about 40 or 50)...so yeah, I don't have 1/4 the number Jim has.
BUT, I have sold/recycled about 40 damaged/dull files over then years.

I'm still in the thinking process of how I will store/organize these files as I get handles put on them. That is part of my plan of decluttering my garage. I'd like to empty out some drawers for the most useful files.

Missed that notation. I definitely don't have that many files. Might be closer to half of what Jim has.