Unusual Machine Shop Tooling

[Missionary]

That is true ^^^^^^^^^^ about most rural bred people. Hard working and take care of their own selves.

 

[Charles Graff]

I should probably clarify "Yankee or Yankeism". They are not bad people, immoral people or in anyway an inferior culture. They are....well....just different. They talk funny and eat funny foods, at least in part. I consider them much like the Irish, English or Australians. They are somewhat like me, but different in some ways.

I have taken my lumps on this issue. During my years of Missionary service in Ecuador, I was the only Texas in a gaggle of expat folks. They called me Tex and mocked the way I spoke. It wore thin after a year or so, but I keep the peace and my mouth shut. I tried to take it all in stride and with good humor.

 

[Missionary]

What years were you down here in the real South ?

 

[Charles Graff]

What years were you down here in the real South ?

77 - 81

 

[Bret4207]

I should probably clarify "Yankee or Yankeism". They are not bad people, immoral people or in anyway an inferior culture. They are....well....just different. They talk funny and eat funny foods, at least in part. I consider them much like the Irish, English or Australians. They are somewhat like me, but different in some ways.

I have taken my lumps on this issue. During my years of Missionary service in Ecuador, I was the only Texas in a gaggle of expat folks. They called me Tex and mocked the way I spoke. It wore thin after a year or so, but I keep the peace and my mouth shut. I tried to take it all in stride and with good humor.

No doubt on the food. The idea of willingly putting food in my mouth that has been dosed with the same stuff we use in pepper spray is just not my thing. Some cultures go for hot and spicy foods, others for savory foods. I prefer savory, good food doesn't have to burn the lining of your mouth and throat!

I've spent an awful lot of time explaining to people that NY does not consist solely of NYC, that's it's a mostly rural, agricultural state. Nope, all people know is NY=NYC. Just like Pa=Philly, Ill= Chicago, Maryland=DC, Mich=Detroit or Flint, NJ=Newark, etc. Oddly, most people not from there think Vermont is like a 1950's postcard or Norman Rockwell painting. Wrong! Funny how these things hang on.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

Anytime you categorize an entire classification of people by some external criteria – You Are Making a Mistake.

There are good and bad people everywhere, geography has little to do with moral values, intelligence, work ethic, or other such traits.

Smart people and dumb people live all over the world. Honest people and liars can be found everywhere.

Accents are formed by the environment you grow up in. Taste in food is mostly based in what you became familiar with at a young age.

Rural does not equate to good moral values. Some of the most despicable, depraved humans I’ve ever met lived in rural settings. I’ve encountered some very good people that lived and worked in giant cities.

Northern doesn’t automatically equate to good education, not does Southern equate to bad education.

There are some generalizations that are fairly safe to make. It might be difficult to find a Catholic church or Jewish synagogue in parts of east Tennessee. I wouldn’t expect to find the same quality of seafood in Beckley, West Virginia as in Nantucket, Massachusetts. But people are people wherever you go

 

[Charles Graff]

No doubt on the food. The idea of willingly putting food in my mouth that has been dosed with the same stuff we use in pepper spray is just not my thing. Some cultures go for hot and spicy foods, others for savory foods. I prefer savory, good food doesn't have to burn the lining of your mouth and throat!

I've spent an awful lot of time explaining to people that NY does not consist solely of NYC, that's it's a mostly rural, agricultural state. Nope, all people know is NY=NYC. Just like Pa=Philly, Ill= Chicago, Maryland=DC, Mich=Detroit or Flint, NJ=Newark, etc. Oddly, most people not from there think Vermont is like a 1950's postcard or Norman Rockwell painting. Wrong! Funny how these things hang on.

Texas food is not generally hot or spicy. It is mostly Southern cooking, influenced by German, Czech, Alsatian and other immigrant groups that came to early Texas. Texas-Mexican food can have some bite to it, but mostly not. We like food with robust flavor, but not hot or spicy.

Texas has always had a strong and influential Jewish population. During the Civil War a regiment of Jews from Galveston was raised for the Confederate Army.

Texas is a very diverse culture from all over the world. Folks think of us as cowboys and such, we that is one of those false stereotypes. Texas is so large and diverse, there are at least six different identifiable accents. I dare say there is as much mythology floating around about Texas as there is about NY/NYC. I will confess we are complicit in propagating some of it. We like being different.

 

[RBHarter]

I have some associates on another forum that are passionate Jonny Rebs so as long as one avoids the period 1860-1865 and immigration all is well . They used to give me a ration about being a Yankee in the Blue and Grey sense . The only reason the Battle Born state was inducted into the Union was to keep the gold and silver out of the south. Without mining Nevada doesn't actually meet the qualifications for statehood , or at least didn't . The rules seem to have been changed at some point . Aside from oil and long horns until about 10 yr ago Nevada was probably more Texas than stereo Texas . Heck I can draw a circle on a map that holds a herd of wild cattle that have killed a dozen horses in the last 50 years that thought they could push them to the fields in the valley .
A Winston cup Drag Strip , Top Gun , geysers, speed records , 2 off road races that are as brutal as Baja , a sanctioned possibly 230 mph open road race . 2 lakes you can see the curvature on . 1 of 7 tungsten mines on the planet . I think 5 of the 7 terminus lakes in north America and a river that runs south to north 250 miles and ends about 130 miles from it's head springs . 72% is held by the Feds .

 

[Bret4207]

Texas food is not generally hot or spicy. It is mostly Southern cooking, influenced by German, Czech, Alsatian and other immigrant groups that came to early Texas. Texas-Mexican food can have some bite to it, but mostly not. We like food with robust flavor, but not hot or spicy.

Texas has always had a strong and influential Jewish population. During the Civil War a regiment of Jews from Galveston was raised for the Confederate Army.

Texas is a very diverse culture from all over the world. Folks think of us as cowboys and such, we that is one of those false stereotypes. Texas is so large and diverse, there are at least six different identifiable accents. I dare say there is as much mythology floating around about Texas as there is about NY/NYC. I will confess we are complicit in propagating some of it. We like being different.

I would agree you are likely right. But you have to admit, Texas has done a darn good job at selling the "Cowboy" thing!!!!

 

[smokeywolf]

Other Tools Not Frequently Seen...
Surface roughness gauges. Three samples of each roughness callout: milled/turned/ground.


Geometric Die Head. Four chasing dies. Die head mounts in tailstock of lathe. Chasing dies snap out when tailstock hits a mechanical stop. A lever cams chasing dies in a few thousandths for a finish pass after the roughing pass. You can see the chasers are 1/2-13. Last time I used it was at Universal Studios on I think it was 80 pieces of 1/2" round stock.


Lathe Cam. It is about 1/8" thick. They come in different sizes and serve to allow for something to clamp down on with a 3 jaw chuck so you can bore a set of soft jaws.

 

[KeithB]

I have several of those surface roughness scratch gauges. Very handy. Love to have that geometric die head! And I've never seen a lathe cam like that, I may steal the design.

 

[KeithB]

I just got a used Scheer-Tumico 0-1 depth mike in the mail today. I have a pretty nice 0-12" depth mike set but I didn't want to alter any of the rods. I plan to use this mike to measure the depth of the hemispheric cavities in my ball molds. I have been using an 1/8" diameter ball bearing and a regular depth mike but it's like using thread wires, it's inexpensive and accurate enough but it's fumbly to use, especially for mass production. I'm going to take this mike to a local tool grinding shop and have them put a ball end on the measuring rod. I'm tired of dropping little balls smaller than BBs in the chip trough of the CNC mill! Much less likely to drop the mike.

 

[smokeywolf]

Scherr-Tumico made very nice stuff. I had one of their floor model optical comparators in the studio shop. Used it a lot.

 

[Rick H]

Those Thread chasing die heads were very common in any shop running Acme Gridley or Brown & Sharpe automatic screw machines. We used them for cutting the threads on the little trunnions that held the turbine blades on GE Jet engines used in the F-4 Phantom II's back in the early 70's. We didn't just chase them, we cut the finished threads in one pass. Our little job shop was the only place in the country making those. I worked a few 24hr shifts trying to make enough of those damned things to keep those birds flying.

 

[462]

Thanks, Rick, for doing your part in keeping the F-4 in the air. Those J-79 engines, smoky as they were, allowed them set some records, at least one of which still stands. They contributed to my lack of hearing, but that's okay.

 

[smokeywolf]

We didn't just chase them, we cut the finished threads in one pass.

Actually Rick, the Geometric Die Head is not meant for "chasing" threads. Mine and all the others I've seen are, like you say, for cutting the full thread. The threading inserts in the head are just typically referred to as "chasers".
The smaller lever on the back of the head (2nd picture) cams the chasers in just a few thousandths for a finish pass. I don't think this feature is standard on all Geometric Die Heads.

 

[Missionary]

F4's ! Another jewel to have close by.
Last practice run I saw was in West Germany. F4 came down the enter of our hilltop maybe 30 feet up. Got to near the hilltop open field center, stood it near straight up, lit the burners and off he roared up. Set the dry hilltop on fire which took 2 M60A1 tanks a good 10 minutes to crush out the flames with the tracks. Fantastic show !!

 

[popper]

If you read early S.W. history, cow-boys from Texas were detested! Figured most were rustlers/murderers from Texas/Mexico. Didn't fit the pueblo style of Santa Fe, the trail just glanced off the pan-handle. Texas was prime for raising cattle due to weather - after the big freeze, sturdier stock was brought in. Big ranches, - Adams, Goodnight, Flying T, Borland, King and many others - most in coastal or Rio Grande areas.
But I'm a Yankee by birth location.

 

[smokeywolf]

OK, here's a couple more.

Holdridge Radii Cutter.
Mounts to the compound on your lathe cross-slide. Good for forming concave and convex radii. Of course if you've got one of those highfalutin HAAS NC lathes you don't need this.
No sarcasm meant Keith. Just good-natured joshing.


Right Angle attachment for the quill on a Bridgeport knee mill.
Comprised of 3 main pieces: head (hole you see is for an R8 collet), rear support (attaches to underside of ram) for mandrel, and mandrel w/spacers. Allows for horizontal milling on a Bridgeport type knee mill. Also, the rare need to drill a hole on the X axis.

 

[RicinYakima]

Looked for a radii cutter for my 6 inch Atlas for a few years. They are worth more than the lathe.