A Learning Adventure in the Workshop

Chip Guard Installed

I made the "chip guard" for the front of the CNC carriage last night out of aluminum and installed it with screws.

I also got the old PC that will be used to control the machine to boot-up.  Surprisingly easy for a machine that has not been turned on in six years.  The CD-ROM drive does not work, but I probably don't need it.  I can move all of the files to the machine via an old network card.

Back from the beach and CNC-machine nears completion

We returned from an excellent vacation week in the Outer Banks on Sunday.  Great weather, great time. Being away from the shop for a week was killing me though, so Monday I spent quite a bit of time in the shop (with my great wife keeping our kids busy). 

I virtually completed the physical construction of the CNC-Lathe attachment.  I mounted the 2nd stepper motor and built the cutter-head assembly out of UHMW plastic.   The cutter itself is made from 1/2"-square steel stock.  It will have a small screw-on carbide cutter insert shortly.

I also modified John K's design slightly for the 2nd stepper-motor mount.  The UHMW plastic that I have been using was flexing too much for my liking, so I built a UHMW box around the original motor-mount to provide more lateral strength.  Probably unnecessary, but I tend to overbuild things!

The only work left to do on the physical construction of the machine is to make the chip-guard for the carriage and add the carbide insert.  Both simple tasks.

Next steps are to wire the stepper-motors to the controller board, and the board to a power-supply and an old PC....then get the software working.  I am going to use an old PC that has been in storage in the basement for a few years as the navigation system for the CNC machine.  Therefore, the first task will be to bring the old junker PC back to life...I hope to work on that in the next couple of days.  After that,  we should be ready for power-on and see if this thing will cut wood!

Riverfront Park Documents and Photos from Peggy Standish

These are Peggy Standish's notes/speech from the May 26, 2004 Riverfront Park Picnic.   I just scanned and OCR-ed them.  They outline much of the history of the park and how the trains came to be there.  This document will become part of the Riverfront Park page on the main site shorty. 

Click here to download the PDF of Peggy's speech.

I also scanned many pictures of the delivery of the HK Porter locomotive and the bobber caboose from Station Square to the park that Peggy took when that event occurred.  Click on the Riverfront Park photo album for these photos.

Disposable Furniture

This past weekend I repaired two wooden garden benches that we purchased about seven years ago.  This was the second time in seven years that I performed major repairs on these benches and they probably won't be able to be repaired again (or rather won't be worth repairing).  In that same seven years, an Adirondack chair that I made sat out in the yard next to the benches.  This year I repainted it, and it looks brand-new....it will last many, many more years.   In fact after its new paint, it is indistinguishable from the two new Adirondack chairs that I made this summer.

Can you tell which of the chairs below is seven years old and which two are new?

While it may be true that you can buy furniture now-a-days for the same price as the materials to make it yourself (not to mention the tools)...there is no comparison is quality or longevity.  Something you make will last a lifetime, something modern that you buy will likely not last 10 years.

Robertson Square-Drive Screws

It may seem hard to get excited about a type of screw...but these things are great!  They don't strip, they stay firmly on the end of the driver and they drive easily.  I began using them when I started doing some pocket-hole joints last year (Kreg sells them with their pocket-hole kits), but now I use them for everything.   Essentially, instead of having the traditional "philips" head or regular "slot" head, they have a small square box opening in the top.  They require the use of a screw-driver with a square end on it.

I don't know why these things haven't replaced the other more common types.

CNC Carriage Complete

I completed the UHMW carriage on the CNC machine this weekend.  The runners for the rails are done and mounted, and the driver-nut for the lead screw has been made and installed.   I also ordered a 1/4" coupler from Reid Tool to attach the lead screw to the stepper-motor.   Once the coupler is installed, everything underneath the carriage will be done.  I tried to connect the lead screw to the stepper-motor using heat-shrink tubing as suggested by John K, but did not like the flexibility that remained in the joint...so I ordered the metal coupler with two set screws instead.

Discovered that the UHMW does not need to be tapped to allow for use of machine screws as was recommended in the plan.  The UHMW can be self-threaded by the screws themselves (into pilot holes) during construction....a major time-saver.

Next step will be the construction of the mechanism that rides on top of the carriage (i.e, the cutter-head and second stepper motor).

Katrina

Watching the events unfold in New Orleans gives me renewed perspective on what is important in life, and how lucky my family and I are to be able enjoy the leisure activities that I write about on this site.

As a FEMA contractor, my company and members of my staff are helping to respond to the disaster,  but it is clear that it will be years until New Orleans is recovered.

Please do whatever you can to help.  The easiest thing to do is donate.  Please click below to help, or find a similar organization to give your support.  Thank you.

Great, Great customer service from LGB of America!

LGB has once again exceeded my expectations for customer service.  I recently sent back the engine that came with our starter set more than 5 years ago for service.  It had stopped running after much hard use and was years out of warranty.  I instructed LGB that I was willing to pay what it took to repair it (it has sentimental value).  It came back in the mail yesterday with a new decoder, new motor shaft and new pick-up brushes.....and zero dollar bill!! Not even a shipping charge.

LGB products are not cheap, but they are very good and their customer service is top-notch!

I will remain a loyal customer.