Tool Box Handles

I guess tool box designers do not use the things they design, nor do they suffer with such as arthritis, loss of strength or have fat fingers.
I reckon they also don't have hands and fingers which may have oil on them which doesn't help either.

How anyone can reach down and grab barely a finger tip grip draw pull when draws are filled with tools etc is beyond me.
Do they just test these with empty draws? I guess they also sit not stand and have to reach down to open them.


I have just had to fit additional handles yet again to draws of another tool trolly/box so I can open them.

Only the White International boxes I have were ever factory fitted with decent hand grip type handles and I see even they now have gone the way of others.

This is similar to my handles in the  photo below on White International tool boxes and trolleys that I have. I know White International do not manufacture their own, they are made in Geelong Victoria or were.

The new style handles are folded or rolled over top edges often with a bit of flashing added as seen on the newer SupaTool trolley I have. You can just get enough finger tip in under the edge to open them when the draw is empty.

I formed new handles out of Aluminium 12mm x 5mm strip riveted to the centre with enough room to grab with 4 fingers and grip.   

I am glad I did not outlay for the price of a White International tool box and have to do the above.

Scarves for Family in The UK and Jam.

Sue has not been locked away by me honestly, nor has she been hiding.
She has been coping with the loss of her 91 year old mum and caring for our grandsons when they are here.
Much gardening has been done since coming home from Toowoomba.

Sue has also been suffering a lower back and hip problem...........did I mention she broke her wrist back in winter? Six weeks recovery, she had gone out walking Max, tripped and struggled to her feet to make her way home Max in tow. All healed now of course.

Jam's, Jelly and Marmalade's. Photos to come.

Sue was given a bag of Lemons, Oranges and Cumquats, along with picking up some Apples.

She made, a batch of,

Whiskey Marmalade, Orange Marmalade. Cumquat Mamalade.
She spotted a recipe for Lemon and Apple Butter on River Cottage series on TV and gave that a try.......goes great on Crumpets its thick and doesn't melt into them.
 From our own Locquat tree, Locquat., Apple and Ginger Jelly this is almost the appearance of Honey.

Just this week she has made a batch of Strawberry, Apple and Rhubarb jam.



Scarves for my/our UK female family.


 When Ray mentioned that his cousin Keith was coming out here for a holiday it was decided that we could send some gifts back with them but as usually happens, things didn't work out quite as planned. However, the scarves were always going to go overseas one way or another.

It began with a plan to spin up some wool and possibly some alpaca for the warp and then some more wool, silk and alpaca for the weft for use in weaving the scarves. I chose several bundles of wool and some alpaca which I dyed using an old microwave and acid dyes plus a packet of Kool-Aid brought back from the U.S. by a friend.

Since Ray was in contact with Lisa and she has a pair of Huskies, one of the scarves would have dog hair in it. So the spinning began. After producing seven skeins, it was time to start thinking about the weaving set-up.

I had some left over blue alpaca from a vest I made for Ray so that was also included.

Originally I had planned to use one warp and just change the colour and fibre content of the weft but found it would be easier to make individual warps and simple tie on the next weft since I was using a small two shaft table loom to do the weaving.

Below is the basis of each tie up for each scarf.

Below are the scarves after being woven drying in a light breeze.

The photos above left to right are in order to the weaving photos for each scarf below.

 

 The only scarf not shown here is the Red one Aunty Marjorie received which was made some time ago. It also has dog hair blended.

Cousin Lisa and her mum, Aunty Marjorie.

Left Aunty Pauline and right daughter/cousin Helen.





Below Uncle Ossie with his Coolibah clock and Aunt Adrienne with her scarf. 

Left.

My cousin Keith's wife Avis whom we gave her scarf to on our first meal together in Toowoomba.

Awaiting other photos will add them when I get them.

 While we were away in Toowoomba catching up with my cousin Keith and his wife Avis, Sue like normal was busy knitting up two pair of baby socks for Keith and Avis's grand daughter Jamie-Leigh who gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on 13th October.

During a conversation Avis said she had made a multi coloured jacket for the baby so Sue made the socks to match.

From Wood to Steel and a bit of Plastic

I have a 6x4 metal bandsaw and one of the things I had been meaning to do was afix a swarf catcher.

Mark was rearranging his ute when he came to pick up the boys one afternoon, he threw a plastic down pipe of cut on the ground which was destined for the bin. I snapped that up as it was just the right size it just needed a little alteration, a snip here a snip there and less mess.

With two wood lathes a Jet Mini VS which has 1"x10tpi on the spindle and my Nova 3000 which has 30mm x 3.5 my seven chucks I have a number of adaptors which fit the chucks to fit each lathe each chuck has different jaws fitted. These adaptors have to be changed if I wish to use the particular set of jaws on a job on the other lathe.

As I had altered the Independent four jaw chuck to 1"x10tpi I also want it to fit the Nova 300 so set about making a 30mm x 3,5 to 1" x 10tpi adaptor. This also allows me to use those chucks set up for use on the jet mini on the Nova without much hassle.

I am only a novice in machining and over the years have followed many a forum and youtube on machining to all those who gave clear and concise instructions many thanks. I have learnt much in doing this project.

I had paid a visit to Edcon where I had explained what I wished to make and left it to them to help me choose the required material/s, I bought other stock round bar also.

For this particular job it was suggested I try/use 4140 and I chose a nice 60mm round off cut twice the length required (you never know).

4140 is a 1% Chromium - Molybdenum (Chrome-Moly) high tensile steel alloy steel bar. A general purpose high tensile steel, used for axles, shafts, high tensile studs and bolts, gears and drilling rods. Generally supplied hardened and tempered. Generally only available in round bars, may use 718 Impax for block and flats. NOTE : Care should be taken with welding of this product, consult a welding specialist prior to welding
Once again as this wasn't done overnight in a day or even a week as explained in previous posts.

With my little $5 camera well out of action by now and use of new phone when I thought about it the WiP shots were few and far between.

Well I meant to write 4140 on the bar end not 1041.




Machining down to required 1" dia for the external thread. Centre bored out to 15mm.












The 1st gear change from what had been set prior purchasing the lathe to the required set up for cutting the internal 30mm x 3.5 thread.
The last time I had ever done this was in year 4 now year 10 in metal work at high school.
Changing the gears using the Myford chart ad double checking a few other charts showed I required.


This gear change didn't happen easy as they had not been removed in many years, gum had formed along splines, I had to tap the lead screw gear off very carefully. I then spent half a day cleaning all the gears and splines of sticky residue.

Ken came over and helped set up both lots of gear changes although I had fitted the gears required for the metric gear cutting I felt I needed someone more experienced to check on what I had done. The second change ken also came and ran through what to do again.














The above photos are prior camera death and show the new set up.


The test cut on external using the 30mm x 3.5 set up to check. I just use a large format Felt Tip pen to blue it. I was spot on.

 

All set up to cut internal thread. I was using my new boring bar set from Hare & Forbes, I had to re-grind the relief angle of the underside as the 2nd cut had it also cutting a 2nd thread.

Thetopslide was set to 30 deg's, slow rpm, and .010 then .005 cuts with final cuts as small as .001 and spring cuts.

Testing the fit of the adaptor, I had to leave the Myford chuck attached to the work piece as the whole set up for thread cutting would not be easy to go back to if I had removed the adaptor from the Myford chuck.
 The photo to the left is prior machining the collar in the adaptor.

Below the internal 30mm x 3.5 thread and shoulder cut.

The snug fit test of the 30mm x 3.5 internal thread onto the Nova 3000

 Below test cut of the 1" x 10tpi thread.

 

 Below left 1st Test fit of the Nova chuck with the 1" x 10tpi thread cut

Below Right as it should fit right up to the shoulder. This is mounted on the Myford.

 The adaptor all done except the holes drilled for the Tommy bar for ease of removal off the shaft.

 Mounted on the Nova 3000 with a Nova Chuck, the orange spacer allows for easy removal as the chucks can bind on the bearing face.

During he machining of the project I found one of the pulley grub screws on the Myford had come loose. This came to light when the motor was spinning but the chuck was not.

 I had to part off the waste end and decided to have a play doing some knurling, more practice required.











 One of the things required to do when using the back gears of the Myford ML7 is the adjustment of the grub screw it requires to be moved/slid to the edge of the gear bringing the back gears into play. An Alan Key with the short length ground fits best. It also must be replaced and locked when finished.

Excuse the gloves I am trying to avoid my Sirius from flaring up as much.  

I ran the adaptor and Nova chuck on the Nova lathe at 850rpm and visually there is not or minimal run out.

 

Camphor Vessel Design Change

After my last efforts I needed to assure myself not all wood was bad so I dragged a a piece Camphor I had rough turned 9 months earlier out of its hiding place..

I had a shape in mind and as can be seen to the left and above some voids were shall we say obvious.

I had generally shaped the vessel outside and inside leaving a wall thickness of about 1" 25mm all the shavings were then stuffed back inside and it was stored for about 9 months.






I set to remounted the bowl which was attached to a face pate and got hollowing the inside. The shed began to have the scent of camphor again.
I worked the inside shape and formed the top rim edge to about 5mm thick the  walls down to 10mm and shaping of the outside roughed further and smoothed.

 

I had spoken/chastised a neighbour/friend who had walked up behind me while I was working the inside of the bowl. The lathe spinning at approx 850rpm hollowing tool deep inside as was my left hand just at the entrance. All I noticed was a large looming shadow. I almost had a catch as I flinched and pulled the tool out there and then. As my garage door faces the street and I usually this time of year work with it open it could have been anyone. I have had sales people, JW's all just walk up behind me and some enter without so much as a thought to their own safety let alone mine.

The following day as I was getting the sides down to about 7mm the hollowing tool dug in on a hidden knot so tiny it was but grain change can do that.

The tool flipped up slamming my hand into the rim mean while the tool post although tight moved down and the thin rim suffered. I was lucky so was the bowl.

Photo above, sorry for the poor quality, is of the inside before the tool grabbed.

I took a day off turning till swelling went down and made the design change required.

 

Below.

First coats of Almond Oil brought up some great looking grain including whats known as quilting. Quilting was explained to Sue once by another turner as "Compression stress. This is the weight of the tree above that area pressing down much like people who have large thighs or ankles".

The finished bowl with four more coats of Almond Oil.

Oh one other reason Blog posts have been slow to happen was camera's! My little $5 special Sue won in a raffle the battery door broke an even using gaffa tape which I had been ding for 18 months wouldn't hold. Its had been dropped once to often the plastic door gone can't locate it.

Sue's Panasonic, the memory chips ALDI brand would lock up without warning can't take photos.

Yes I used the mobile phone I had some photos off that have been used in these and past posts. Our service supplier decided it wouldn't cover 2G any more so new phones purchased for us both. When I finally got time I downloaded all the photos off my old phone.

Then came our 40th Anniversary! All my sneaky plans for a few days away we hosed down greatly ah well I tried.