Die Stock (Die Wrench)! Let's Make One!

This episode on Blondihacks, I make a die stock for round dies, from scrap! Exclusive videos, drawings, models & plans available on Patreon!
/ quinndunki
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[@thomasaxtell6948]

You are definitely the COOLEST hobby machinist on KZbin!

[@kvlasblom]

And better than anything on TV too.

[@holgerreimer8321]

A Woman!!! It's so amazing

[@tedteer1665]

I have never commented on a video, but on this one, I must. You would be a phenomenal teacher!! I don't think I have ever watched a video where the person maintained such a perfect running commentary. Very clear, on point, perfect detail in each step, timing, you name it. Truthfully, a video like this should be the standard by which other instructional videos are judged. Great job! I look forward to watching more of your content!

[@ricklinde9147]

A nice opportunity to give us a knurling lesson.

[@jimsvideos7201]

I don't know about cool or anything, but you are the sort of person I enjoy knowing and I appreciate the head-start you've given all of us newer machinists or passing imitations thereof.

[@473mec]

During a high school shop class, the teacher played a film showing the difference between drilling, reaming, and boring. When the film reached the last section, the teacher said "Now this is boring" and in unison, everyone said, "You're damn right it is."

[@JimWhitaker]

The old jokes are the best. :-)

[@kendonahve924]

I'm really glad that you are one of us 🇨🇦 .

[@Self_Evident]

Quinn, you are not just cool, you are True Cool!

[@improprietary1]

that machinist clamp as a reference point is a neat trick

[@624Dudley]

I was thinking that too.

[@Chlorate299]

6:19 - it's amazing how many people don't understand this point. Undercuts, like chamfers, are what separate us from the animals.

[@lynnbryant9866]

Right. This is a 4-jaw chuck exercise in which a useful HAND tool is made from scratch with off-cuts from the scrap bin. Thus, the degree of accuracy demanded is perfectly in line with that which was delivered. Most excellently done. I enjoyed watching this video along with all the others. You rock.

[@MichaelCampbell01]

"...shoot out of there like a wet hot dog..." I can't even imagine the life you've led that brought you to that simile.

[@Blondihacks]

A long and messy one

[@paulshouse524]

@@Blondihacks Not to mention a long and messy hotdog.

[@Robert_Browne]

We've all put too much ketchup on a hot dog at least once in our life. It's a painful but necessary lesson on viscosity.

[@don4062]

All mine are wet.

[@hosshoffer7579]

@@Robert_Browne As Clint Eastwood said in a Sudden Impact, "Nobody, I mean NOBODY, puts ketchup on a hotdog."

[@hrishikeshb]

That gauge pin alignment method was pure genius! Thoroughly enjoyed this project! 😄

[@toolbox-gua]

26 min very well spent, with teacher Blondihacks, “as is tradition”!

[@lowguidoschopshop]

LOL, when you said you needed a bigger chuck I was thinking "wait can't you just move the jaws?" ooohh.. there it is.

[@MichaelKJohnson]

Ooh, TIL the trick of indicating against a floating dead center. Thank you!

[@moorejl57]

Loved the multi use of the 4 jaw and the trifecta of: as is tradition, Yahtzee and tappity tap tap.

[@josefkrakel9136]

2:10 "Blessed are those who recycle junk"

[@RolfMikkelson]

"For they shall inherit the (lathe catch pan) chips"

[@twotone3070]

Amen.

[@jibeji]

I am not into machining at all, but I love your videos! So well explained

[@josephalexander3884]

I had to do an imperial fist shake to Metallic Orr and you; unit agnostic, I laughed so hard. Thank you for making my day.

[@cavemansmancave9025]

If it ain’t chips, it ain’t scrap. 😎 Thanks, John

[@raymitchell9736]

I like your opening sequences and remarks and I try to imagine how one might find themselves in that situation... This opening sequence was a real headscratcher for me... when I saw that board flip up and the metal die moving with the phrase "This is either going to be amazing or I'm going to die... pray to the metallicor god of machining..." LOL 😂 and then I thought wait... 😬 how did you get into this situation in the first place? Dang! Guess I have to watch the video! That's how to hook an audience. Good Job!

[@Blondihacks]

I have only myself to blame for these terrifying scenarios

[@IngvarMattsson]

@@Blondihacks You sure you don't have any feline help? I have found them being very very good at being "helpful" in the least helpful way possible.

[@raymitchell9736]

@@Blondihacks I know what you mean... we can be our own worst enemy at times. I've said it myself: "At the time it seemed like a good idea, but In retrospect..." I try not to have too many of those... but I can't seem to help myself either. 😜

[@jetownsend1]

I literally laughed out loud at the "if you measure the length of the handles on my die stock with a micrometer, you are getting kicked out of my shop."

[@tedjar]

I wonder if there are any nearby KZbinrs we can get to show up at Quinn's shop with a metal clipboard, a micrometer, and wearing a shirt that says "Die Stock Handle Inspector."

[@petem6291]

Quinn, I enjoyed this video so much I watched it twice , I said it before you do outstanding work...

[@ErikBongers]

That was more complex than I expected. Learned a lot, tnx.

[@bradyoung6663]

This video is a prime example of why piece work machining takes so long and is expensive, and why patience is a virtue. Sometimes it seems like the setup time is twice the machining time. But that's what it takes to be within .001". If you go smaller, it usually takes longer. And for some reason I can't help but believe that she actually put a hotdog in the lathe just to see what happened.

[@nbolin2879]

Just got my Blondihacks coffee mug yesterday! Now I can do my own spit-takes at my lathe...

[@brianhaygood183]

23:18 I think I've been called a self-centered bore before, too

[@mman9306]

You have MAD Skillz .

[@terrytopliss9506]

Nicely done Quinn.👍👍

[@billyhooks99]

Tip: use a corner rounding end mill in the lathe tool post for precise radius. I use them quite often. BTW Quinn great video I particularly liked the use of dead center. I appreciate what you are able to do with limited resoutces.

[@lesmaybury793]

Interesting use of a 4 jaw ind chuck. Shows how versatile they are. Thanks for doing this video Quinn.

[@JohnsOrganWorks]

I liked the strength of your handles. Someone once proudly lent me a die stock he had made in his home workshop and one of the handles broke off in my hand - a very awkward moment!

[@Kris_at_WhiteOaksFarm]

Love your dry and simple delivery. I'm not a metal worker, much. I do wood and soil best, but sometimes I hanker to work metal. That was a beautiful and relatively simple project. Now I just need a lathe... Thank you for the teaching.

[@eringerych6616]

Always learn from your videos, I have a pre 1929 9 inch South Bend lathe. I didn't learn enough to actually make anything 60 years ago so now I must catch up. Thanks for your patient explanation it helps

[@r1mein54]

Glad to have watched many of your videos for tips. I recently turned some coffee tub red HDPE, cut outside 11M threads and tapped inside 1/4inch pipe threads to replace the broken plastic drain petcock fitting on my air compressor water separator.

[@terrinewman7390]

yesss imperial fist shake! btw Quinn I last got the 7x10 mini lathe and am ready to start using it to make things!!

[@criggie]

What's the metric equivalent ?

[@robertwalker7457]

Nice work Quinn, I was taught as an apprentice that dies are split so they can be adjusted. You can open them up for the first cut and then close them up for the final. If the thread was to go in an existing internal thread we would try it after the first cut in case the internal was worn and not do the final cut. Some dies have integral screws for the purpose and others just a split and you need a holder with up to four screws, one to open , two either side of it to close and one on the other side just to hold it in place. There are various other combinations and the die has to have a bit of a loose fit in the holder. I am going to be turning a register on a mounting plate for a chuck soon and the set up techniques you showed her were a great help thank you very much.

[@ArjenJongeling]

You could add a bearing to one of the handles so you don’t need a slippery piece of wood when you’re making long threads. It would just roll like a little wheel.

[@Bosbulls]

I also wanted to mention this.

[@ArjenJongeling]

@@boots7859 low tech is also tech :-D

[@warrenuecker683]

Never cool??? ALWAYS cool!!!

[@ruftime]

Thank you Quinn!

[@eric.is.online]

"No, it's German. It says *the* stock, *the* wrench." -Sideshow Bob, probably

[@Blondihacks]

I almost made that joke, but wasn’t sure anyone would get it

[@Nemozoli]

@@Blondihacks You know, for a rather long time I believed that the Wolfenstein game "Die, Führer, die!" was some German heads-up call addressed to Hitler with a really messed-up grammar... also, the title of the movie "Die Hard" was a bit confusing at first (yes, I speak both German and English, amongst other languages).

[@yowie0889]

@@Nemozoli To a German audience is the film Die Hard about a hard-working German heist gang troubled by a bare-footed policeman?

[@jsn7123]

@@Nemozoli Nothing beats the patient in an USA hospital who panicked after seeing a wall clock showing "DIE". But it was a watch set to German (for whatever reason). The "DIE" was nothing else but short for the German word "Dienstag" (= Tuesday).

[@TheKnacklersWorkshop]

Hello Quinn, As always, nice work and well explained... Watching you clock the stock in the 4 jaw chuck made me think you need a longer chuck keys to miss the DTI... Have a good weekend and see you next Saturday... Take care. Paul,,

[@Blondihacks]

Funny you should mention that- one is on the way, courtesy of Clough42

[@SIDFAILBA]

Thanks Quinn this video couldn't have been timed better as I've not long since destroyed the cheapo die holder that came with my set.

[@Teon]

All your videos are informative, but this one was particularly so - there were a lot of setup configurations that weren't immediately obvious, but your explanation of how to solve each of them will translate to many other similar situations. Thanks!

[@busultan]

I learn alot from you .... Thank You!

[@jlucasound]

That was wonderfully satisfying, Quinn! Awesome job!

[@Syncubus]

You may regret not knurling the handles when you're cutting threads in icy/alpine conditions! :D

[@johnsherborne3245]

I inherited my Dads Moore and Wright tap wrench, a tool he treasured I think because it was the first tool he bought as an apprentice. The ends were knurled and handled horribly. I took it to the scotchbrite wheel and polished the ends. Now it’s a pleasure to handle.

[@vjackhouse]

If you want to create perfect 180° marking on a round job on the diameter of the job then while you do machining just use a form tool of a sharp corner and Mark a line on the face using the tool just a small scribe and one on the od and then rotate the chuck 180° and match the line on the face Vola you have perfect 180° marked point because we always alingn the too at the centre of the X axis

[@SethKotta]

So, something that I've been wondering for a while: what do you do with the metal chips and waste? Do you just toss them, or is there a recycling process I'm not aware of?

[@tracymclaughlinholmes677]

Any tool that works well for its intended purpose and also for light murder is a good tool in my book!

[@tracymclaughlinholmes677]

Moderate manslaughter is only good if you have the land to dispose of the bodies, lol

[@leerogers6423]

Good video , great project for anyone wanting to pick up a few more ticks on the skills list. I have lead a sheltered, clean and blameles life , only when I read the comments did I realise that there were jokes. Honestly , scouts honour , we chefs don't do hot dog jokes.

[@thepcg4094]

I love using stock from the scrap pile since you save time turning it into some new shiny scrap compared to cutting new stock

[@jeremy7923]

You've gotta put the 5 second dancing clip in every video now when you say the famous line when facing. ...As an homage to your long time viewers 😄😁🥰

[@kristinachou9798]

the design is very interesting

[@Hydrogenblonde]

Put the die stock handle on the carriage, set the feed to the pitch of the thread in the die you are using and engage the feed on the carriage. That will give the handle a surface to rest against without it having to skid along that surface. Skidding causes the slight wobble seen at the end of the video.

[@Blondihacks]

If I could just “set the feed to match” I wouldn’t need this. The point is to avoid change gears

[@Hydrogenblonde]

@@Blondihacks yes I guess. But even if you have a all geared head machine you don't always want to screw cut everything. Some times even though you can screw cut you might decide a die is a better option.

[@anthonymarino4260]

always learning thanks

[@ADBBuild]

Nice job. As usual, way more precise than needed, but oh so satisfying. We use CRC 3-36 at work a lot. It's a decent light oil that is similar to WD-40. Might not be enough to keep your die stock from rusting, unless you oil it often.

[@Blondihacks]

I guess we’ll see. It seems to claim it can serve that role, but I’m not convinced yet.

[@gregstrenzel3940]

Now that you have mastered the 4 jaw chuck you'll never go back to a 3 jaw self centering chuck . Much more grip and control using a 4 jaw. Great job.

[@ghl3488]

Lovely job Quinn, really good machining tips too, especially the set up in the 4 jaw. regards from Wales

[@stanburton6224]

I was a mechanical designer for 27 years before the oilfield biz crapped the bed. So take that knowledge in mind when I ask why didnt you drill and tap both the handle holes and the set screw holes all the way through? That would cut the number of setups almost in half as well as ensure that the holes were 180 degrees apart. And it allows for better chip removal in the handle holes. You can use a regular tap instead of a bottoming tap.

[@Blondihacks]

Because I didn’t want giant holes inside the bore where the die lives

[@leighmackay7486]

You are multidimensionally cool.

[@billrichardson4873]

Great video Quinn! Love your machining & narrating skills!!!! Oh yes, and your math skills, which you modestly don't mention. Just saying!!!!

[@michelhv]

11:37 Indeed, if you break on through to the other side, the day will destroy the night.

[@mikes_machines]

Love your videos !! Your teaching style is clear, and perfectly paced with all the little details explained. Have you ever considered converting either your mill or your lathe to CNC? That would make an excellent video series and leave you with a CNC machine to enjoy. It's not as hard nor as expensive as you might think.

[@saifcathum3423]

Very cool.

[@normtheteacher5485]

You go girlfriend! Keep up the good work.

[@mariellecb1]

Thank you for sharing this. Excellent work as usual. I am wondering, does 'light murder' hurt less?

[@creswick]

If you have an appropriately-sized bearing, you might be able to slip one on the end of the handle when running it under power to solve the binding problem. Thanks for the video, as usual I learned more than a few new things!

[@ch34pskate16]

Great stuff!

[@starforged]

Great video. Thank you...

[@memomakes9453]

Awesome. Remember Tim the tool man Taylor......I got tools that fix tools argh argh argh. Well, you have tools that MAKE tools yahtzee yahtzee yahtzee.

[@tedh.8356]

Good Job!

[@brucematthews6417]

Loads of chuckles in this video! Really like it! And a very nice die wrench as well! One little thing that may come back to haunt you as it did to me a couple of years ago with my own tail stock die holder. I'd made it a fairly snug fit on the die OD. That was fine on solid dies. But one time... .I expanded a die to cut a thread which would be less sloppy in another part on purpose. But the expanded die no long fit into the die holder. I ended up chucking it up and using the .002" off center of the 3 jaw chuck to slightly expand bore the hole to one side away from the set screw divot opposite the expansion joint. That did the trick. it just means that on non split dies I had to use set screws from the slightly expanded side of the opening for "normal size" dies. There has to be a better way though. Especially for an otherwise centered tail stock die holder.

[@umahunter]

I've been using that crc for awhile and I love it especially in the 115-120 degree summer when I've got a swamp cooler running it lasts way longer than wd40 for coating bare metal to keep the red menace away from ways and tables etc

[@mikemo1964]

Not only are you cool, but your jokes are on point!

[@bhoiiii]

Always enjoy your vids. Not a troll comment... My only suggestion is to embrace carbide on a small lathe. I enjoy grinding HSS, but have found that carbide lets me get the work done more quickly. Time vs carbide? All the best.

[@kenhukushi1637]

chicken and die stock problem: chicken must first die before you can have chicken stock.

[@g.tucker8682]

Made my day!

[@homemadetools]

Good work as usual. We featured this video on our homemade tools forum this week :)

[@marcoantoniomejiamedina8539]

Awesome sauce!!!

[@bradyoung6663]

You'll get used to using a die under power. I've done hundreds of parts like that with m12 and m14. I recommend using white nylon plate(I can't remember the number of it, but it's very slick) on a dedicated slide board. If anything it'll make you feel safer. And I think the chamfer looks good intersecting the handle.

[@Bosbulls]

Add a roller bearing to one of the handles. Then it will ride along smoothly.

[@kgee2111]

Teflon cutting board works good.

[@metalshopwithtroy5755]

Hi Quinn, enjoyed your video fantastically presented and after watching it it made me think two things. Firstly more confidence and a finness of closure. 2nd very interesting in fusion 360 to be able to change scale of a part with the way you did it. Would like to see more on that too. If I beg now Please!! Love your work🏆 Thank you Troy Guyette 👍

[@crashlandingcity]

Interested to see how the alleged rust inhibition of 3-36 turns out, I just think of that stuff as the "heavier light oil in a can". Gets bunker fuel off your hands really well though.

[@andreymitin7911]

Good job.

[@roliver64111]

Really like the tool holder is made in the U.S.A.! Great video also!!

[@kgee2111]

Not so fast Son...

[@bearsrodshop7067]

Nicely done, and at a camera speed I could make notes without stopping and restarting ,,,Great piece all done on a lathe,,cool. But those of us will a mill like to cheat,,,hehe!! I still like your making of the "V" block to hold small round stock. Have a part coming up that requires such a figture,,Thx again Quinn,,Bear

[@fisheatinweasel]

WRONG! You are very cool!

[@jackhetherington4751]

Nice one, A nice knurl would go a long way on it

[@Reach41]

What a fun date she would be. As a wife, think of the savings by buying raw materials in quantity! And no complaints about chips tracked in the house, but have to make sure the baby doesn’t eat them.

[@d.graydraftinganddesign361]

Nice job Quinn. Thanks for sharing

[@johnapel2856]

Neat project. Thanks, and Meow to Sprocket.

[@graemebrumfitt6668]

Nicely done Quinn! TFS, GB :)

[@ErikBongers]

Holy Blondihacks, forgive me for I have sinned. I watched your video again, pondered on it, but just a minute ago, I bought a 38mm die stock wrench from Amazon, because I'm lazy. In the previous weeks I did make a slitting saw arbor, a fly cutter, a sphere cutter and a hex ER block. Hope I can be forgiven.

[@unogazzy84]

Nice work as usual.

[@kswiorek]

Too bad that your lathe doesn't have that extensive time traveling features or you'd be able to test the new 4-jaw chuck key

[@criggie]

Don't cross the streams! She may not know yet !!!!

[@jeronimolara9169]

Good explanation….thanks

[@steved8038]

I'm dieing to make one of these to your diesigne !! Sorry just couldn't stop myself.it comes from being English and drinking all that tea.

[@fladder1]

Next time, a floating die holder for the tail stock with extra safety build in! 😁

[@fredericapanon207]

From the modern version of the game Clue: it was Quinn in the machine shop with the die wrench.

[@fredericapanon207]

@@randomelectronicsanddispla1765 The board game Clue has been around since 1947.

[@fredericapanon207]

@@randomelectronicsanddispla1765 Not new, just the one that was used in North America, as opposed to the UK.

[@KevinWoodsWorkshop]

You can never have too many tools.

[@Ceagon]

I hahaha'ed a lot at the expression, "like a wet hod dog"