3D printing, spring making, and the belt-grinder bench build

More 3D printing fun!

I decided to get some more colors and some different types of filament for my 3D printer projects.

Blue and red PLA, some "natural" nylon and some black PETG

Again, I found a good and useful part by watching my hero, Mr. Pete, on youTube!  A lathe spindle thread protector!  I attempted to make one of these as a skill building exercise almost 2 years ago now, but I screwed up the inside thread and never got back to the project.  I really don't need one since I don't use the collets that go in the spindle.  I made a ER-32 collet holder that sits on the spindle threads, so I don't need to protect them when using the ER-32!  Nonetheless,  I wanted to make one of these spindle protectors on my 3D printer.  I found the reference on thingiverse, but the author of the part didn't include the CAD/CAM files so I couldn't use his design as a basis for my thread-protector.  I did find his references though and with some fussing about I was able to use openSCAD to develop my own design for a thread protector that should fit my lathe!

This is a prototype thread-protector that I made with the white PLA filament that came with my printer.

I got the dimensions off of the Logan lathe web-site (www.lathe.com)

I test fitted it on the lathe this past weekend - it's a damned TIGHT fit

But it does fit.

I plan to adjust the inside threaded diameter to be a smidge larger.  And not print it in white.  Ugh.

I already posted my files to thingiverse, so I will have to update those so people don't use this version and get it stuck on their lathe!

Fun stuff!

OK, was talking to a friend at work and he showed me some of the stuff he had printed.  This piece in particular caught my eye, so I printed my own copy!  Its so fun!

Nautilus gears that move!  All 3D printed (not in place though)

Making springs on my lathe for my belt-grinder

I needed to find a better torsion spring for my belt-grinder, but so many of the springs I could find commercially didn't have their strength in their specs!  I should have looked at MCMaster-Carr probably, but I didn't think about it until someone suggested it later (way too late).  In any case, I bought some 7/32" piano wire - 4 pieces of it - and went about trying to bend it into a spring by hand.  That didn't go to well.

My attempts to make a spring by winding it around a 1/2" mandril (rod) by hand

So then I remembered something about how lathes are used to make springs, so I checked out youtube to get ideas.  You just pretty much just put the lathe (metal lathe, of course) in direct drive/back gear mode and wrap the wire around a mandril held in the chuck.

My first "lathe-wound" spring!  Turned out pretty - but - I used too many windings and it didn't fit the area I had on my belt-grinder.

So I decided to use a bigger mandril and use fewer windings.

It worked - but this diameter is too BIG!  This spring didn't fit into the space either!

Actually, it did fit, but not well.  There was metal hitting and causing uneven torsion, which probably doesn't really matter in this application.

So I tried winding on a 3/4" mandril (actually some of the 3/4" DOM left over from the belt-grinder build).  This produced a decent looking spring that fit!  Unfortunately, I installed it to test for fit and never stopped to take a picture of it outside the belt-grinder.

Finally, success!  Still it was a bugger to get those spring ends into the shape I wanted!  Frankly, they don't look like I want them too, but I am done messing with them!

Belt-grinder bench build!

Now that I got the belt-grinder working and am happy with it, I decided to go right into making a bench for it to sit on (and thereby cleanup my workbench again).  I based my design on Jeremy Schmidt's design for his table, but I only used 1" square steel tube (because I had a bunch of that as scrap!)  I also changed the design in that I didn't want those drawers.  The storage space will be used for another purpose!

Lots of metal cutting and welding and grinding went into getting it this far!

Oh, and I broke another metal bandsaw blade!  Ack!

I am not using a metal table, instead I used this OSB that I found in my shop that was already cut to the proper width!!

Fitted on the table and ready to bolt down. But I didn't have any of the right size bolts on hand and the weekend was over already!

The controls are still a concern.  I might put them on the side of the bench.  I hate to lose the table space.  I am  currently thinking of using the space under the table for welder storage!

It fits in horizontal mode!  Whew.  I was worried the motor clearance might not be sufficient.

I have a video of this that I add below a bit later.

AND - I got my tractor and UTV back from the shop!

Yay!  But OMG, it was expensive.  The UTV needed all 4 wheel bearings replaced and a ton of drive components fixed.  But it works nice now.  I drove it around the property for the first time this year!

The tractor got new left rear lights and all of the fluids changed.  Also an engine tune up.  It wasn't that expensive compared to the UTV.

In any case, I am in pretty good shape for when my trees arrive.  I would still like to get my fence around the grapes put up and the grape arbor posts replaced (those that need replaced).  I hope to get some decent weather soon so that I can do that.  There's still time to do pruning too. 

New left-rear lights!

It's all nice and clean too, so I couldn't help but take some pictures!

UTV has had some major parts replaced.

Also, got a new  transmission shift cable

New wheel bearings for all of the wheels!  (you can't see them here - but I wanted to document it somehow!)

Trees have arrived! Last spring Snow?

Spring tree order arrived

Picked them up on the way to the farm on Friday.  This years order:  3 sour cherry trees to replace 3 dead ones (turns out that I should have ordered 2 more I think). 100 elderberries, 50 locust trees, and 50 strawberries.  I have no idea why I order so many elderberries and locust.  I could have cut each of those orders in half and been fine!

Anyway, I got right to work and planted the cherry trees where the old ones had died.

One of the 3 sour cherry trees I planted (well, I replaced 3 dead ones)

Then I planted the 50 strawberry plants in the front patch.  Somehow I didn't get a picture of that..  I put them in a row next to the old strawberries.  I had intended to plant 2 rows but evidently I planted them closer together then I did last year?  Well, I have one empty row left in the front patch now - I think I will put onions there.

Next up was to plant the elderberries.  I started by tilling the soil where the big patch used to be. Then I put in the elderberries between the "new" big patch" and the existing elderberry plot.  Then I extended the rows to even things up on the grass side of the existing patch.  All that used up only 50 of the plants.  I also planted grass seed where the garden used to be.  This should be all green with grass by the summer.

Definitely need to put up my electric fence though - deer have been nibbling on the fresh elderberry sprouts.

Next problem - where to plant the remaining 50 plants!  Oh, and its supposed to snow Saturday!

I decided to take down the rest of the road-side barbed wire fence and plant the elderberry plants down near the sheep!

See the white flakey things?  That's snow!

One row in!  That's 25 down...25 to go.  But not tonight - snows coming down too hard, its cold and windy and I am DONE

 Windy and COLD Saturday night .. The next morning:

Spring?  What happened?

Fortunately, early predictions of 1-3 inches were WRONG - thanks goodness!  Things warmed up and work continued.

After digging in the sod for the first row of elderberry plants, i decided that I would till that sod for the next row!

Planting in tilled sod is MUCH easier! Way faster too!  All 50 elderberries in!

Now for the locust trees!  I decided to remove some more of the barbed wire fence at the top of the hill.  I want to remove it all, but time was running short!

Looking out toward the sheep pens from the top of the hill - there used to be fence here - and shrubs, rose bushes, trees...

Looking toward the mountain from the top of the hill (standing about where the corner of the fence used to be).  That piece of fencing you see there is the LAST!

After I removed the fence, I tilled to break up the dirt and roots and even things out.  Then I tilled a section where I wanted to plant the remaining locust trees.  Ohm forgot to mention that about 9 of the 50 locust tress went to replace ones that had died from last years bunch.

I figured to put the remaining trees on the steep section of the hill.  Once these trees get big enough I don't plan on mowing around them!

Just a shot to put things in perspective.  Those are the black walnut trees on the lower right.

The trees are in!  You can't see them very well here - but they are there!

Other things

I did a few other things this weekend too.  Like knock down this dead tree that has been threatening me while I mowed...

I couldn't drag this thing with my tractor - combination of wet soil, no traction and a much bigger tree than first thought!  I will have to go back with a chain saw later.

Tool post grinder

I finally set up my new tool post grinder and did some measuring.  I also figured out how to adjust it for height - very cool!  The t-nut for the toolpost fits perfectly!  Better then the toolpost does in fact!

I set it up and turned it on - it runs!

I only have 2x #2 and a #4 pulley

Inside diameter of the pulleys is .5 inches

A number 2 pulley - I found two pulleys marked number 2...

The reverse threaded end of the motor spindle.  

One #2 is 1.214 inches in diameter

The other #2 is 1.272 inches in diameter!

I will need to get a spanner to remove this spindle - if I ever want to.  Teeth need to be 1.153" apart

With teeth 0.138" in diameter

Grinding wheel spindle diameter is 0.378" (3/8")

The larger diameter on the spindle is 0.635" (5/8")

The belt is about 22"  Its a flat belt. Not sure what to replace this with.

 I will shop around ebay for some grinding wheels and pulleys and belts I guess.

Spindle thread protector - more work 

Brought the ID to 2.121" (just a number between the min of 2.11" and the max of 2.14")

Got the inside threading tool set up.

OMG - thread takes sooo long!  Still not done!  Also, it looks like I have taken off too much in the ID!  How did that happen?

Suffice to say, I am gaining A LOT of experience doing this inside thread!  Broke 3 thread bits, had to re-adjust the compound and cross slide 2 times (at least) because I did not allow for enough room for the compound slide to complete the cut, and I forgot to tighten the quick change tool post once!  Also, the threading tool needed to be adjusted so that I could get a deep enough thread - 8 TPI is a deep thread and that bit isn't able to handle it with out being tilted in a bit...  I think I will learn to cut my own threading bits for future work.