Gonzo Machinist Strikes Again

Raise your hand if you are one of the idiots who took me seriously when I said I was going to quit trying to mill the base for my tool post.

SHAME ON YOU. You KNOW I don’t have any common sense.

Here is the jig I came up with.

I have one tool which I am actually capable of using to make precision cuts, so I used it. I refer to the table saw. I cut two pieces of red oak a few thousandths over an inch in depth. I stuck them under the base. I enlarged a hole in an old piece of steel scrap, ran a bolt through it, and put it in the compound with the bolt pointing upward. I dropped the base over the bolt and added a washer and nut. Then I used a feeler gauge to figure out how many paper shims I needed under the base to get it to the right height. The base was too high as well as too wide, so I had to use the side of the cutter, not just the end.

Base after a few passes:

Final result:

I used a few drops of Moly-Dee (per pass) as cutting fluid, since that was all I had.

I was terrified the whole time. You can imagine what would happen if the cutter had managed to turn the base. I took tiny passes. Probably ten of them, plus a final climb-cut pass.

I know I did this all wrong, but the tools dictated the method. The result is fine. The major imperfections in the cut are from two sources: the sad effort I made the other day, and the sad efforts of the Chinese people who made the base.

I had to rest. It’s exhausting, focusing your attention on a cutter while making tiny, slow cuts.

I have three more cuts to make. Maybe I can find a way to use the dry cut saw to do the final ones. This doesn’t have to be pretty. It just has to fit in the slot in the compound.

If I succeed at this, I’ll have a functioning lathe!