Making A Set Of V Blocks

G'day everyone,
In this video I will be making a set of matched V blocks. It is a project that I have been meaning to get around to for quite some time, but due to a lack of time and the inability to get steel in the correct size and grade, it has been a project that I have never gotten around to doing.... until now. Because I am starting out with a piece of 300 grade low carbon steel, I will have to case harden it before I heat treat it.
#machining #heattreatment #diy
Timestamps
0:00 - Introduction
0:53 - Facing The Stock
2:12 - Cutting The V Groove
5:05 - Cutting The Slot and Cutting It In Half
6:38 - Testing On The Surface Plate
7:23 - Case Hardening The V Blocks
13:03 - Grinding the V Blocks
15:07 - Making The Clamp

[@InheritanceMachining]

I gotta say, man, I really commend your ability to crank these videos out on a weekly basis. That's no small feat! Nice project and looking forward to seeing your uses for these.

[@lolzlarkin3059]

The secret is, they're all side projects.

[@artisanmakes]

Thankyou, that is very kind. Not easy doing weekly videos, but with very careful video planning I can get it done. This video was for example filmed roughly at the same time as the tool maker vise, but adding filler videos and smaller projects allows me to space out posting the major projects. Plus I can film up to 3 projects at any one time and I can usually resuse a lot of footage in supplemental videos, such as the case hardening video from 2 weeks ago with used lots of footage from this project. Cheers

[@InheritanceMachining]

@@artisanmakes Sounds like you've got it down to a science, and it shows! Thanks again for the great content.

[@mitchstilborn]

Holy cow IM is here. *fangirls shamelessly*

[@MatthewMenze]

When do we get this collab?

[@sparkiekosten5902]

Those clamps! Marrying a blacksmithing look with smooth surfaces really set those clamps off nicely 💪💪👍👍

[@Molb0rg]

Yeah, nice touch of it all, lol

[@zsigmondkara]

It adds a bit of japanese aesthetic vibe to it, looks very nice.

[@Horus9339]

I really like the hammer finish on the clamp, it gives it a more natural look. Thank you for sharing your time with us.

[@sodster68]

Excellent work! Really like the contrast between the hammered outer surface of the clamp and the precision ground v-block. Science and art!

[@artisanmakes]

Thankyou, the finshish is really growing on me..Cheers

[@bscoffeeandwelding7236]

Love the hammered finish on the clamps they came out mint

[@peterspencer6442]

yeah it's beautiful, the shape of the curve works so well.

[@steveman1982]

Another channel with a Saturday night video I was waiting for!

[@nexlvl3578]

i like the clamps forget finish

[@KR-Roland]

Excellent as always ... quality and thoughtfulness ...

[@davidandrews8566]

Nice job. I respect your "do the best can I with what I've got " attitude. Greetings from the UK👍

[@sjorsdewit9394]

I like this a lot! This realy shows that with enough effort and patience you can make anything work if you set your mind to it even if tools and supplies are limited (like 90% of the time). Great job and thanks for putting it out there!

[@cavemaneca]

Excellent tools you've made here. I'm always impressed with how good your mill does with that cup wheel.

[@mp6756]

Hard work is always rewarded and you have proven that on each of your videos I've watched. Your videos are great fun to watch keep up the hard work.

[@charlvanniekerk8009]

A lovely video and a joy to watch. Thank you for sharing your journey on case hardening and how you achieve it in the home shop. I will say that your clamp was quite presentable! Cant wait to see these in use in future. Regards

[@firsttimejongbuild]

It always amazes me how you brave projects that most of us hobbyists only think about making, but don't bother and just buy lol. You are a very bold hobbyist my friend and you've come a long way. Thank you for sharing your projects with us, they surely Inspire many!

[@JETHO321]

Mate, you should have a million subs. It's always a pleasant surprise when you upload. Very nice job as usual. Also a quick tip is to drop the case hardened parts directly into a water bath once removed from the charcoal. That's how firearms get the pretty rainbow color case hardening.

[@tuffymartinez]

I love the honesty of your show & your curiosity/determination..... TM

[@graemefeatherstone7746]

Nice project, I made a set of theses as an apprentice at 16. Still have them and use them on a regular basis 43 years later. Keep up the good work mate. 👍

[@joell439]

Impressive…. Especially the forged clamps. 👍👍😎👍👍

[@bostedtap8399]

Excellent work, great additions to the shop. Thanks for sharing

[@dirtboy896]

Love your oldschool manual approach. V blocks were my first project in trade school, we even ran them on a surface grinder. Being a professional CNC machinist I wish I had the time to make a set like these for fun as a hobby machinist. Well done

[@RealCraftspirit]

Following you there, professional CNC machinist that would absolutely love to have more time and tools to do my own projects just like that

[@glitzyssbm4347]

@Craftspirit be a tool-die maker bro. 6 months of absolute chaos in the shop followed by 6 months of pretending to work making your own stuff. Companies don't like ordering 6 figure molds until they get their taxes back... So all the orders come in at once. It's a fun trade.

[@wyattselleck7236]

I like the look of the hammer marks on the clamp. Well done. 👍

[@paulolsen6770]

My jaw dropped watching you use a hack saw. Too funny.

[@bulletproofpepper2]

Start with the tools and skills you have. Everyone’s journey starts with the first step. Looks good to me. If make a small counter sink at the top of the hole you wish to thread it make taping straight easier. A Mr Pete trick. Thanks for sharing.

[@CraigsWorkshop]

Those came out great, and as for the finish on the clamps, they will work as well as any others out there, and they have more character than any others out there. A double win 👍

[@theamateurmachineshop2150]

Hello, a great video making v blocks with little equipment! Very ingenious methods using the mill as your grinder. I started a v block years ago that I never finished. Will try this in the winter. Thank you sharing!

[@daniloagostini4156]

Brilliant job!

[@mathewmolk2089]

Good work my brother, So few people today actually know how to use a hack saw. Good work with the first time pack hardening. ,,,, If anybody deserves a band saw, though. it's you. Don't sell the HF 4x6 short. Don't listen to the cork sniffers. It takes a little tuning but we have had one in our shop for over 30 years. - 2-Worm wheels, 1 moter, and installation of water and hydraulic feed cylinder and we use if a good 20 hours a week cutting 4140 round bar. Well worth the 3 hun they go for today. Like I said. You deserve one.

[@madewithscraps]

Thank you for this very well-done video. You covered all the steps thoroughly so we can all understand the procedure. Should I win the lottery; I will buy you a power-operated saw to save your arm for the next nice project. Looking forward to your other showings.

[@kinotransam]

I thought this was a This Old Tony video for a minute 😳 😂 Nice work good sir

[@gosolobox]

Solid work. Really enjoy the content on the channel.

[@jeffanderson4979]

Nicely done sir.

[@homemadetools]

You've really been producing a lot lately. We shared this video on our homemade tools forum this week 😎

[@LitchKB]

Hmm, never seen that case hardening method before. Kudos!

[@TZerot0]

Big fan of the clamps.

[@metalheartmachine]

I love fly cutters. Brave old school.

[@angargoy7181]

*Very good for the machining of these precision parts after the hardening treatment I knew you would have to end up using the grinder. Regards*

[@mrayco]

Very neat job 👌

[@mooloolahmark9807]

Hey there, you do good work, not just in the workshop but also videoing and narration too. Subbed! Mark, Queensland.

[@artisanmakes]

Thankyou, glad you enjoyed the video

[@paulthomas3782]

Great job well done

[@anthonymarino4260]

great project well done

[@taranson3057]

This is a great project. I could really use a set of these.

[@user-tw9io9nz2m]

That fly cutter is definitely earning its keep

[@HexenzirkelZuluhed]

You're getting quite good at that!

[@fardinfromIran7204]

Thanks for teach, you are a good master, FARDIN from Iran,, 🙏WOMAN, LIFE, FREEDOM, 🙏

[@JanBinnendijk]

NIce to see Precision parts made on hobby machines.. For Case Hardening you could also use "Hardening enveloppes" or Hardening foil, Heck, maybe even have your parts Canned.. some gift shops offer this, putting gifts in a Tin Can..

[@cesurkomando5335]

Nice job

[@claudiotadeusilveira]

Ótimo trabalho perfeito parabéns

[@robertwalker7457]

Very good thanks.

[@bigbob1699]

Always mill a slot to stamp your initials in. Nice tools can walk.

[@troyam6607]

Good Job fella!

[@user-et6wk8vx4c]

Отличная работа!

[@nikolaishriver7922]

Have you ever considered chain-drilling when cutting material?(For those who haven’t heard the term, it’s drilling a series of holes close enough together so the bores of the holes slightly overlap each other into one groove, a strait line, circle, or whichever pattern) It does waste a bit of material, but it makes the hacksawing so much easier. I use DeWalt pilot point bits for doing this in big chunks of material all the time. I just did this with a 12x8x1/2” steel plate and roughly chain drilled the shape of features, think a poor mans waterjet type of cut, and finished it with two passes per feature face on the mill. Just throwing the method out there for anybody. I know endmills don’t grow on trees for us hobby people, but drill bits sorta do. But, if anybody does this, be VERY careful with the drilled edges.

[@timwheeler1503]

I've used chain drilling quite a bit myself, it works great if you don't have a better way.

[@21gioni]

Somewhat unconventional but still worth it. I enjoy your channel as a boilermaker. I’ve learnt a lot about machining.❤

[@artisanmakes]

Glad you enjoyed watching

[@21gioni]

@@artisanmakes always enjoy watching

[@__austrianoldboy_9861]

nice done!

[@unfies]

After not hacksawing that mill backplate slug, glad to see the hacksaw return

[@artisanmakes]

Hehe, fun fact though, that hacksaw footage was shot about a month before I did the backplate :)

[@jimmyraynes3602]

thank you

[@allhailfoamy1]

Love the vid 👍. Also the reason you didn't get the same hardness as cold oil is the thermal shock from the quench. The oil being hot means the temp diff is not as massive allowing the piece to cool off more slowly.

[@artisanmakes]

Well yes, less martensite formation, but I don't need hardness for v blocks, which is why I chose this method, I needed minimal warping. Hot oil won't as much variation in temperature

[@jameshager9951]

I'm about to make these

[@steveb936]

Nice, Thanks

[@HM-Projects]

Looks great, my understanding is alloys are heat treated differently depending on what's in them. Some use water quenching for higher surface hardness. Also if you haven't watched it yet, there's a KZbinr with a series of build videos on making a microwave furnace. It might be something that'd interest you.

[@justRD1]

I wish you lived state side. I have like 5 portable bandsaws and I would totally send you one so you can put down that dang hacksaw…

[@ScheunenTecCNC]

Nice Work 5*

[@Smallathe]

Very nice work. I made my own forge too - I was (still am) about the fiber comming from those K-wool blankets. I (very carefully with full protective gear) coated my forge with refractory cement (about 5 layers - about 3 extra due to cracking and other issues. Two layers are good enough). You really don't want to breath these tiny fibers - it's like breathing asbestos. These tiny glass fibers induce silicosis - a process of forming lung cancer due to embedded particles in the lung that cannot be cleared out, just like asbestosis. FYI.

[@SiliconeSword]

For protecting stuff from scale, I like 2000* F Rust Oleum spray paint, as for knives I can do much less grinding before hitting good steel, really just light hand sanding actually.

[@user-xx2gz4wx9o]

ดีมีประโยชน์ ให้ความรู้มากมาย

[@crushed2death]

A suggestion when sealing the boxes with clay, maybe try rolling the clay into snakes rolling between your palms, then you have a rope of clay you can lay around the lid and mash into play like a continuous bead, it may fill the gaps a bit better.

[@thomasstone1363]

Absolutely superb. I could really do with a set at my dayjob

[@jackknopf5974]

This is sacrilegious.

[@old_guard2431]

My first reaction was that your time is worth more than the purchase price of a set of V blocks. However, you are assured of getting an end product which meets your specifications, and you (and your viewers) learn a lot on the journey.

[@DXBoyzofHardy]

If my boss saw this being made he'd be out of his skin

[@bat0106]

Same cheaper to buy them

[@ErikBongers]

Since you seem to be grinding on the mill more frequently, I am getting worried about the dust a bit. Perhaps you should bricolage (sew?) together a quick to install jacket - something that covers more than the hand wheels.

[@jonatasvasques3668]

Vai meus parabéns do tamanho da nossa distância pra vc amigo 👏👏🇧🇷

[@oldscratch3535]

You should give a cold air blast nozzle a try. Coming up with cooling solutions is tough for most home machinists. You may even be able to machine one. They have no moving parts, but I'm not sure about what the most efficient internal design looks like. Or, you could just buy one.

[@jackhalpin837]

We needa buy our guy a bandsaw!

[@Mudganon59]

I was using citric acid in granules to remove polymerized oil from aluminum part. I just sprinkle it on part and heat it with heat gun. When part cools its easily washed with water. Also i use it as an active flux for soldering when dealing with old oxidized nasty cables and for general purpose soldering. Obviously you cant use caustic soda on aluminum parts. I dont know if citric acid will work better that caustic soda for steel. but on aluminum it surely works great when heat is applied.

[@peterspencer6442]

I'll have to try this trick!

[@dcsensui]

Impressive work! You have an amazing machining setup but still cut thick pieces of steel by hand with a hacksaw? Thanks for taking the time to film your work.

[@ray5961]

You know what, I'm subscribing just for hack sawing 40mm of steel.

[@iangraham6730]

In your furnace, there is a guy with a telescope looking out 😄

[@lucianoonaicul3563]

awersome

[@machinists-shortcuts]

Really nice job. If you already had some vee blocks you could have used them to hold the parts square when machining the ends. No problem now though 😊

[@jrk1666]

A nice next big project could be a power hacksaw, a mechanism similar to that of the powered filer could be used, I imagine that sawing metal by hand is getting tiresome at this point. Great video and great work.

[@Ed-rt9qt]

I just wonder how he can saw that thick pieces of metal by hand with a hacksaw.

[@peterspencer6442]

He is way ahead of you :)

[@johncoops6897]

@@Ed-rt9qt - If you know how to use a hacksaw, cutting such a block is not really an issue. Also remember, that's how our grandparents cut steel "back in the day".

[@Ed-rt9qt]

@@johncoops6897 I know how to use a hacksaw, I use it often too.But it is not easy and needs a lot of muscular strength and patience.

[@KaranveerSingh97]

Oh boy. Bet you did learn a lot from this project

[@machineworld1873]

I love your vidoe

[@jackdawg4579]

Nicely done. How are you going with all the wet weather? Up here in Qld we are not getting as much as you, but plenty of flooding in the usual low laying areas around the place.

[@artisanmakes]

Thanks for asking, been pretty wet down here in NSW. The moisture hasn't been doing my tools too much good, I have to keep them properly oiled and such. Thankfully the workshop hasn't flooded. When I first moved in it flooded several times. Had to redo the sealing and drainage which I am happy about, given the flooding that other parts of the state has been getting. Cheers

[@MattysWorkshop]

Gday, the vee blocks turned out great, nothing wrong with them at all, where abouts in Australia are you, cheers

[@jamescopeland5358]

Cool

[@chrisriis]

Dude - love the end product (and video of course)! Have you seen anything like these for sale anywhere? I think we all need a pair.

[@geraldstewart]

Never make something you can just buy on Amazon

[@tedan8116]

Everything you doing are grate, nice jobs… Did you ever thinking to get a band saw instead a manual metal handsaw? 😉

[@RedDogForge]

an alternative to carburizing is "super quench" 4 gal of water 1 large bottle dish detergent liquid 1 sm bottle of "jet dry" 5 lbs of salt mix ingredients quench your 1018 - 1045 when your above the curie point works great for low to mid low carbon steels you can expect about a 50-52 rockwell descale with a soak in muriotic.

[@countdankula2746]

Did you use an angle block to tilt the workpiece in the mill vice???

[@user-tq2lf1zx8v]

Ukraine watching 👍🇺🇦

[@sayebsalah7742]

Nice video, both the quality of machining and filming ! A question though : For such parts, what's the adventage of case hardening VS making the part of higher carbon steel and quenching it ? It's quite time consuming and you dont get as much hardness as you could with the first method Btw, good work mate, keep them coming !

[@artisanmakes]

Thankyou. I tend to rely on case hardening to harden parts because getting large flat and square bar of high carbon steel is very difficult. My area of the world doesn't have a big demand for that type of steel in the manufacturing that happens, as a result of I really wanted to get a piece of high carbon steel, like what I used here, I'd be up for a minimum order of atleast 6 meters. Conversely getting my hands on low carbon structural steel is much easier. Cheers

[@jayhohonson7614]

I’ll take the old ones lol I’m used budget shop 😂

[@brwilkerson]

You should look into a mister and some compressed air for your mill

[@frejdroid]

Damn, came here to see you make V-Bucks

[@bigbob1699]

If you can make two blocks, try for three or four. They will always come in handy.

[@blindsquirrel4882]

Question: Why wouldn't you weld the top on? It should seal it totally, then you could cut it off after you heat treat it.

[@chris-graham]

you need to make a bandsaw next

[@peterspencer6442]

heresy! ;)

[@unfies]

Nuuuuuu !!!!!!!!

[@GTRliffe]

if you want too facegrind with no mess find a stainless steel tub your vice fits in with some room either side, about 50% of your mill table have the tub about 4” high (whatever fits nice) drill two hold too bolt the vice through too your table. This will catch all the sand your pretty much putting a bucket under and around your vice i use stainless cake tray found at a kitchen shop. that way it doesn’t compress when you bolt the vice on it

[@gregwmanning]

Blacksmithing looked like it went well