I was surprised to find that, as I started, I couldn’t even view the website because the hosting company had updated some software without updating all the requisites so the site didn’t even work!  Sigh…

In any case, if you’ve been one of the ones who have been checking in, I apologize for letting this languish and will try to do better in the future!!!

I figured a nice Brass Knob would look good.   Something with a nice smooth curve and a polished look.  As I thought about it, however, I realized using the Lathe cross slide controls would make it very hard to get a smooth continuous curve.  Reading up on this kind of turning I learned that smooth curves like this, if not cut on a CNC lathe, are generally turned freehand.  I’ve done enough wood turning so I thought I’d give it a try…

Brass Knob with initial curves established.

Heck, that wasn’t so hard…  Let’s continue…

Brass Knob, all turned and polished, ready to be parted.

Here is the setup of the support I used to freehand turn the brass knob. The carbide turning gouge rest on the 123 block held in place with the magnet.

Brass Knob, ready to be removed from the brass rod stock.

Finally, with the knob left with just a little nub at the bottom of the base, I needed to make a clamp that would hold the knob while I machined the base.  I couldn’t use the vice directly on the soft brass, so…

First time I used the Boring head with the new MT2 post I got as a Christmas present. I needed the adjustable boring head to machine a two level hole exactly the same diameters as the brass knob.

Cross-section view of the clamp. Note the two tiers of diameters so the knob is held tightly at top and bottom without marring the polished surface.

Here is the knob, clamped on the Mill so that the nub can be milled off and a threaded hole can be machined exactly into the center of the base.

And here is the result!

Bandaid Dispenser upgraded with Brass Knob!

Bandaid Dispenser positioned near the Workshop to Office door!

The box was made of 3mm acrylic, cut on my CO2 laser and ‘melded’ together with acrylic solvent.

Part of that is due to the waste board that I have installed on the bed.  That consumes about 19mm of height.  But even accounting for that, most of the Z travel capability is unusable because the Z Post hangs so low.

After exploring various options for getting more Z range, I decided that lifting the whole top transport assembly 50mm would give me a enough range without introducing much risk or losing a noticeable amount of rigidity.

So, using my NEW Mini Mill, I was able to fabricate the pieces to add a rigid lift.  Here’s the new look:

Whole Router transport lifted 50mm.

Lift Corner Block

Lifter Parts

Reading up on various machinist’s fora, there were two recommendations for early add-ons to any mill purchase.  The first is to add a Digital Readout, which is needed to get around the normal backlash in the table positioning controls.  I knew this right away and added that upgrade as part of the initial installation.  The second recommendation is to add a power feed on the X axis (the long axis).  So this addition was expected and I ordered the parts and raw material right away.

It was necessary to use the Mill and the Lathe to make the custom parts so was, on the whole, a great first project for the ‘Machine Shop’.

Here is the design that I first captured in Sketchup, a 3D CAD program I’ve used for years.

Exploded Sketchup model of the power feed assembly.

Here are the pieces before assembly:

My first ‘machined’ part! The drive pin from the power feed to the table X axis lead screw.

Power Feed Parts ready for assembly. All but the gear motor, bearing, and coupling were machined in the ‘machine shop’.

Finally, here is the final power feed.  It works well, although I have to admit that I had to upgrade the motor to a slightly more powerful gear motor.

Completed Power Feed attached to the Mill Table. Electronics box below the power feed.

It took some creative rearrangement of other items in the workshop, but, having had a few years in the shop, I was able to determine what’s needed all the time and what can be tucked away and pulled out only when needed.  Consequently, here is my new ‘corner machine shop’!

Complete machine shop in a corner.

I’ll now be able to work on metal!  Not just cutting on the plasma cutter or bandsaw, but actually milling, drilling, and turning accurately!