TOOLING
BACK SPOT-FACE CUTTING TOOL

BACK SPOT-FACE CUTTING TOOL

An aluminum transmission's mounting bolt hole needed to be spot faced after a TIG welding repair. The situation called for a Back Spot Face Cutter, however the size cutter needed was not available. To make a cutter, I turned a short section of threads off the end of a...

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MAGNETIC BASE WORK HOLDER

MAGNETIC BASE WORK HOLDER

You can use a magnetic base from a dial indicator stand to hold your work while grinding parts like thin cover plates on a disc sander. It saves your fingertips. Tom Nichols Automotive Machine & Supply, Inc Cleburne, TX

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TRAM WORK PIECE WITH DOWEL PINS

TRAM WORK PIECE WITH DOWEL PINS

Use dowel pins or wrist pins that fit snug in your mill's T-slots to quickly tram or align a cylinder head, engine block, or vise. (shown using 18mm wrist pins). Also shown above is an alternative method. These simple to machine stepped pins, which fit snug in the...

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VARIABLE HEIGHT FIXTURE

VARIABLE HEIGHT FIXTURE

Often it is necessary to space the work piece up in the mill vise or off the machine’s table, when drilling or boring, etc. In addition to typical set of milling parallels, these shop-made variable height fixtures have proven to be very handy. Tom Nichols Automotive...

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AIR BLAST FOR MACHINE WINDOWS

AIR BLAST FOR MACHINE WINDOWS

Often, you cannot see through your CNC mill's cabinet window because coolant is splashing on the inside of the window. Rather than create a mess by opening the door to take a peek, install this simple window air blast tube. Your parts list will include a 12" piece of...

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MAKE NOTES

MAKE NOTES

Time is money and it helps to know where your tooling cuts, especially when it’s some that isn’t used every day. I use note cards, the back of my business cards, or tape to write myself notes for the next time I grab that tooling. Randy Torvinen Torvinen’s Machine...

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