by Phil Kerner | May 27, 2014 | Bridgeport Lessons, Members Only: The Tool Room, Milling, Set-Ups
In this lesson, I'll go through the basics of setting up a small plate on a set of parallels. Here's what we'll cover: Setting parallels in the correct position The proper use of step-blocks The proper angle to set toe-clamps How to avoid marring your work when...
by Phil Kerner | May 26, 2014 | Members Only: The Tool Room, Set-Ups, Shortcuts and Time Savers
Here's a really neat tip for you... Every so often, I need to find the center of a square or rectangle really quick to punch a hole or to tap a thread. Basic for sure, but I still use this method at least once a month...so you might just want to have it in your...
by Phil Kerner | May 5, 2014 | Members Only: The Tool Room, Real Manufacturing Experiences, Set-Ups, The Basics - Workholding
Well, now. The folks at work seem to have a recurring theme the last few months: let's give Phil stuff that is twice as big as his machine! You probably already saw my lesson on those giant 42" x 42" frames I machined a few weeks ago. Well, at least these parts were...
by Phil Kerner | Mar 22, 2014 | Benchwork, Inspection, Members Only: The Tool Room, Set-Ups, Shortcuts and Time Savers
Back in my apprenticeship days, I fell in love with all of the cool stuff that we got to use every day: dial indicators, grinding vises, gauge blocks, v-blocks, wheel dressers and micrometers. As the years go by, I'm a little bit surprised by how many tools I not only...
by Phil Kerner | Mar 10, 2014 | Members Only: The Tool Room, Real Manufacturing Experiences, Set-Ups
Every single day, I always look at my work and see if there's something I'm doing that I think my members could learn from. Just the other day, I was handed nine of these parts that were turned in a lathe - with NPT threads on each end - and had to turn them into...
by Phil Kerner | Feb 10, 2014 | Members Only: The Tool Room, Set-Ups
Every shop does it. No matter how long they've been in business or how much equipment they have, somehow there always seems to be the temptation to take on work that is just way too big for their equipment. Well, I guess it was my turn this past week, and I was stuck...
