Let's Make A Toolmaker's Clamp : Conclusion!

[@blfstk1]

To harden your knob, clamp screws, chuck them in your drill press. Turn the drill press on. Heat the screws while spinning. When they get to quenching temp, lower them into your quenching oil while they are spinning. Heats evenly and quenches evenly. No guarantee they won't warp, but gives you the best chance. Works.

[@Blondihacks]

Wow, that’s a great idea! I would not have thought of that. Thank you!

[@blfstk1]

@@Blondihacks You are very welcome. Proud to serve.

[@promethbastard]

"To harden your knob" I can hear the childish giggles from the back.

[@noelhenderson700]

Check out that Lazy Machinist latest post on dipping vs dunking when quenching.

[@TheRadioShop]

They turn out great! I always love how you show the mistakes and how to recover from them. I now have a mini lathe and a mini mill!

[@TheRadioShop]

@John Verne Well, it is only a Harbor Freight lathe, but does pretty good after you work the bugs out. Uploaded a video on it this morning.

[@andyZ3500s]

Congratulations on your new tooling.

[@nefariousyawn]

@@TheRadioShop one of the things I actually like about the cheaper harbor freight products is spending a little time refining the fit and finish or tweaking them to work better. It makes the tool feel more like mine.

[@deeiks12]

I love that you add the conversion to metric everywhere. For someone like me who is in Europe and works only in metric its super important. I don't have any experience in imperial and frankly its super confusing that sometimes when the numbers get larger the measurements get smaller and so on. As a hobby machinist its wonderful to see what you actually mean by saying "taking smaller cuts" for example. Thank you!

[@redleg1013]

I got to learn the coolest hack as an apprentice years ago, that I still use when threading. Your thread depth is the thread pitch times .75 and you're in the 2A ballpark. It has saved my bacon more than once trying to save a project on the fly.

[@bkoholliston]

Nice project! With these clamps, once you get the screws started you can hold the knobs in each hand and move your hands like you are pedaling a bike to close the clamp. “Pedal” backwards to open the clamp.

[@HelenaOfDetroit]

Fun story about the strength of expanding steel. I was teaching myself how to weld, so I didn't have a lot to work with. Put some angle iron in my vise and welded something onto it. Went to do something else, and heard a loud crack. Turned out, the heat soaked into the angle iron, it expanded, and then broke my cast iron vise. Lesson learned.

[@trancethan]

I am really enjoying your videos. This may be the wrong choice of words but you "dumb" it down enough so I actually understand what you're doing. I like that when you make a mistake you dont "youtube" it lol. I literally said, "damn, I never thought of that" I wish I had the room in my garage for a small lathe. But just a drill press, belt sander and grinder is about all i can fit. Still enough to get stuff done.

[@johnapel2856]

Indeed, a delightful project. I really like the "precise-ness", ( "precision isn't exactly the right word), of the way you work. And the humor. Thank you for the humor!! Thanks, and Meow to Sprocket.

[@matspatpc]

I plan to make some of these. Hopefully mine can turn out as nice as yours. Joe Pie's knurling video has helped me get "mostly good results" - including some 304 stainless a few weeks ago. Combined with making a hex nut on my knurling tool, rather than using the supplied knurled with 2 very thin flats for a spanner, you can't get the spanne on there, because you either hit the chuck, the tool post or something else!

[@barryfields2964]

A follow rest is an awesome bit of kit. It doesn’t get as much love as it deserves.

[@60shaddie]

Made one of these during my apprenticeship, way back in 1967. Still have it and and use it!

[@thomaskirkpatrick4031]

Something else that I haven't seen mentioned, your camera work is excellent. I've seen many people trying to show parts on a lathe, you usually end up with a shot of the machinists back. Well done.

[@larryshaw6517]

I used to run into that problem on my live center as well so I used a little sharpie marker to but a spiral mark on the cone, that's probably why I keep calling asleep while turning. Thanks

[@andrewwasson6153]

This is so cool. I should have known there would be a blondie hacks KZbin channel. I was an early follower of the Wordpress site when Veronica was being designed. I was a big fan of metal shop in high school and made a set of these clamps for my dad when I was about 15 years old. I inherited them when he passed on a few years ago, along with a bottle opener and a ball-peen hammer.

[@Blondihacks]

Welcome! Veronica is still around although I don’t have much time to work on her these days

[@chrisj4570g]

OK, thats a brilliant use of a 123 block. (setting tool post square to the work)

[@lisag2771]

Glad I’m not the only woman that gets excited over machining a pretty tool. 😄😄👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@frankherring6253]

Quinn; I have seen you cut machine screws like that a couple times, just a tip if you pick yourself up a pair of automotive wire striper/crimping pliers they have a machine screw cutter incorporated at the hinge point. Just screw your screw into the appropriate hole to length shear it off then screw the screw back out. Works great! Nice clamps by the way. Thanks

[@Blondihacks]

I have a few of those lying around. I’ll check for that feature!

[@scottb6282]

A successful test fitting and subsequent final assembly is very satisying to watch.

[@jantimbramble7941]

Thanks for this great project Quinn. I think you need to number this first pair of clamps since someday they'll be on display in the Blondihacks museum!

[@jimsvideos7201]

Thank you as always for taking us along. In your shoes I'd be inclined to put some high-vis enamel on that wingnut, convenient jars of it are mis-labeled "nail polish" for some reason.

[@jimsvideos7201]

@@BloopTube Abrasive? I didn't watch the video again but the nail polish was either to be a visibls indication that a fastener hadn't backed off, or to make one spinning in a lathe more obvious.

[@thaumaturgicresearchcounci4180]

I have a set almost the same. They look a bit wonkier than your excellent job though! Good thing about this style of clamp is you can tighten both screws to the part you're holding, then an extra tweak to the rearmost screw gives huge mechanical advantage to the clamping force as the jaws pivot slightly at the front screw location.

[@mikecurtin9831]

When knurling with that type of tool (my preference, too), turn a piece of scrap about .015" smaller (adjust to taste) than your final dimension and use it to calibrate the span of the knurls with the spindle stationary. Like you did, put lots of oil on it, then quickly run the knurls over the part. It's fast and does a nice job. Thanks for the video and thumbs up to crush a troll.

[@mikecurtin9831]

I'm having a problem accessing the patreon email benefits and I've tried to get through to you through email (so as not to clutter things here) with equal lack of success. There's no rush, but I'd appreciate it if you could contact me in your copious free time. :-) Thanks.

[@vivianmorresey]

Watching this was a great way to relax and enjoy the high quality of your work, and it reinforces to me how long it takes to make things properly vs the quick and dirty methods ie add to cart!

[@masonellett3158]

Man! Squaring up the tool post with a 1 2 3 block is genius! Why have I never thought of that?

[@petem6291]

Quinn . your workmanship and attention to detail in each and every step is outstanding .. (only smart people can work at the space ship factory It is a rule ) By the way Quinn you can not call it a junk bin when each part is in alphabetical order/thread and pitch size.. All labeled, and the metal separated by type and country of Origen.. ( Its a rule ) Thank you for taking the time to make these videos Pete m

[@Clough42]

Those are beautiful, Quinn. Well done! With or without change gears, I always find O1 difficult to thread. It seems no matter what I do, I end up with a rough surface, with lots of tearing visible under a microscope.

[@localele1]

Another nice project done.For a speed wind on those clamps grab one knob in each hand and rotate them around each other like a crank handle.

[@camerashy44]

They look great! So satisfying to see you work with those "hobby" machines and do such precise work.

[@walter67435]

This has become one of my side projects, in the goal of using a surface grinder to make some precision flat stones, which in turn will be used to ... etc. So points: 1) probably there are cheap and dirty ways to hold a stone to a magnetic vise without making clamps like these. 2) You must absolutely have a way to drill holes perpendicular to surfaces. It is worth the time to tram your mill or drill press, and have a way to measure holes to make sure they are perp. I've decided I'd really like a setup to do this automatically (drill a hole, bring it to the test thingy for perpendicular) 3) making the screws is tough especially if your chuck is old and effed up. Better to machine all the concentric features on the screws in one go before threading them. If all the round parts of the screws are not concentric then it's going to be sad times when you put the vise together and try it out. 4) holding a threaded thing in a chuck the way you do it there is kind of dangerous if your chuck is not working nicely. That nut might seem tight but it can rotate in weird ways and once that happens you have a really effed up way to make threaded rods with right angle bends in them.

[@electricsheep1963]

Very cool, also takes me back about 40 years when I also made a pair of these during the machining rotation of my apprenticeship

[@robertlaloie7471]

For your E-Clips as you call them, you can go in the machinery’s handbook and you will have all the information about those and will be able to make your groove at the Wright dimension every time and always be happy that you made the wright groove for the retaining ring.

[@Blondihacks]

Yup, I made the groove to spec. That’s why they fit.

[@heliarcweldandmachine]

@@Blondihacks ah ha ha !

[@Strawdog]

Your skill I love to watch quoting now "precise-ness" how you approach each task, I keep the neighbors awake a mile away laughing at your commentary !!!!

[@jerrycoleman2610]

Quinn, Nice job on the tool makers clamps. I enjoyed watching & content thanks for sharing your video with us.!.!.!.

[@house89147]

Appreciate the metric, thank you!

[@pabloturtle]

Great project. Thank You.

[@OriginalHuchang]

“And the final step of course is to spend 20 minutes to find out where that went” Stop I’m dead. Hahaha

[@GaryT1952]

Really well done Quinn! You just machined an heirloom.

[@SH-pc4xt]

Agreed, why not a signature edition? Perks for patrons, perhaps? A random drawing to pick the lucky guy or gal?

[@randynovick7972]

This was a very satisfying series to watch. Many thanks!

[@mousefad3673]

OMG, the music @14:46 - I nearly spat my tea on my laptop :D

[@lotharerkens8154]

Here's a project idea to fight boredom: Make a couple a special fasteners for your follow rest which places the hex nut on to the right side. This should gain you between 3/4" and 1" of additional follow rest travel.

[@edgeeffect]

Thanks for that "silver steel".... finally I, as a brit, understand! Anglo American translations are always helpful.... as are Imperial/Metric.

[@kevgermany]

Ta. Good you put the Tommy bar holes in.

[@terrytopliss9506]

You certainly are an excellent engineer Quinn.👍👍👍

[@AmateurRedneckWorkshop]

Well done nice looking clamps.

[@alanschaeffer8004]

Awesome job! Great video. FYI, they do make a “E” clip insertion and removal tool... used for old IBM typewriters and copy machine repair.

[@bostedtap8399]

Great series on very useful, nay mandatory tools for the work shop. 😀👍 If I may suggest there is a quick way to open/close toolmakers clamps... Hold each knurled knob in each hand, then spin the whole clamp, like pedalling on a bicycle. Excellent vlog Quinn. Thanks for sharing and best regards John Quinn.

[@dalemcinnes1834]

You should try this Quinn as it has a very satisfying feel to it as you open and close the clamps very quickly this way. Dale in Canada

[@dalemcinnes1834]

PS. that is why they make them that way so their is a knob on both sides and not both on the same side. Dale in Canada

[@matthewphillips1728]

Quinn. Thank you another great video. Keep up the fantastic work👍👍👍👍👍

[@rsp6549]

What a pleasure to watch.

[@johnjohn-ed9qt]

For the split block, the answer is the same as for many other things: Chemicals. Loctite blue is sufficient. You cleaned with acetone anyway. It sets sufficiently in the time to center the part unless you are Adam or Tom, if you throw a little heat at it. For the E-clip, a proper clip tool makes all of the difference. I spent years not using one. After all, how often do I need it. The third assortment kit in as many years convinced me. I have nearly ten years on the current assortment kit, with one or two sizes replenished due to use. Never reuse them. Never.

[@jamescopeland5358]

I enjoyed both of the videos on the clamps! I plan to harden them. I'm in the process #32 chain breaker to and soft screws didn't work at all.

[@kristinamckeown5106]

Single point threading is one of my favorite operations on a lathe. So satisfying!! Thanks for sharing. I would be curious to know what you end up using your clamps for. Looking forward to seeing them in future videos.

[@rpavlik1]

Hey, it's the return of the big shell mill in the high speed segment - hopefully it got sharpened 😁

[@Blondihacks]

Actually no, I still has one bad tooth on it. 😂 It has been relegated to aluminum and non-critical jobs for now.

[@PeteHowlett]

Great video Quinn. I remember making one of these in High School here in the UK...

[@britishreaction54]

Great work. A joy to.watch.

[@kevinreardon2558]

I bought a set of cheap china clamps. the screws don't line up well with their mating sides and bind all the time. I've been trying to figure out a simple way of fixing them, and this video helped me in seeing a different design. Thanks. Hopefully I won't have to throw them out.

[@Blondihacks]

Chasing all the threads with a tap and die might help. If the threads aren’t really good, this design binds quite easily.

[@kevinreardon2558]

@@Blondihacks Good suggestion.

[@phildcrow]

Another great video. There was a pregnant pause at the conspiratorial grin before "Hello, Internet!" That's how I knew this would be a good one lol.

[@billyhooks99]

Beautiful job. Thanks for sharing.

[@Hunter_S-fr4ns]

Bloody brilliant

[@marcusFZ6]

Metal Junk Bin - Neatly organised Top Shelf ;)

[@lrodpeterson3046]

Although I'm not a machinist, I have a lifetime of experience (74 so far) in mechanics, spatial orientation, construction, etc., so sometimes I see an operation that could be improved. I hope this is one of them. In your first assembly of all the parts, you mentioned difficulty in screwing the two jaws together, needing to keep them in parallel, which I totally understood at the time. Then you took the whole thing apart, cleaned, blued, oiled, etc. and proceeded to reassemble. What I noticed was that if you left off the circlip until you had the screws started (or even waited until you had the jaws together) you could drive the (spring loaded) screw down, then screw the loose one down and attach the circlip. Although the relief for the circlip isn't there for that reason, you can certainly take advantage of it.

[@toranaandy2245]

I was watching thinking the exact same thing, and I’m a mechanic of only 12yrs.......

[@Blondihacks]

True, but it was a test of function, so I needed to see that the clamps would operate well in their entire range anyway.

[@craigsuslosky3974]

I just recently found your channel, great project!! Very nicely executed as well. The "Jax" seems to work very well for small projects like this. I made 4 of your "low profile mill clamps" I think you called them, scaled up to fit my mill and hardware. Thank you for sharing your ideas with everyone!!

[@Blondihacks]

Awesome! I hope the clamps worked out for yah. JAX is pretty good when the parts can be dunked, otherwise I like Brownells Oxpho Blue for rub-on

[@JBFromOZ]

Great build series thank you!

[@jackmanatee3162]

I have sets of these that my father and my grandfather, both tool and die makers, made as apprentices. So I guess I'm obligated to make a pair as well.

[@glennmoreland6457]

Shoving a bit of bar through the headstock spindle and securing it at the changegear end would've stopped that part winding itself into that block Quinn....🇬🇧👍

[@Blondihacks]

Good idea! The end of my spindle bore is such that there’s no easy way to do that though. Would be a good project though, to make an expanding “bore stop”

[@glennmoreland6457]

@@Blondihacks If the end of that spindle is threaded then turn yersen a bit of bar....through bore it, counterbore it and thread it to accept the spindle... Then mount it on a hex collet block, slap it on the miller and drill & tap 3 holes 120° out from each other... There you go Quinn... Something that can be used to set a depth in the spindle bore for repetition work... And the triple screws can be used to centre up longer bits of bar etc...🇬🇧☺️

[@jerrydemas2020]

Love it "SPINNING WINGS OF DEATH"

[@dieselgypsy1100]

Great project Quinn, I really enjoyed watching it. Can you not arrange things so the follow rest actually "follows" your cutting tool on the finished side? Or at least straight across from the cutter? This would give you room to work right up to the chuck. With threading you shouldn't have to adjust between cuts but if you are removing material from the diameter you would have to adjust the rest between passes. 😊

[@soranuareane]

Hey there Quinn, it's one of your new subscribers again. Sending out parts for professional heat treating (or hell, even calling in a favor since you're part of the whole family here) should be a viable option, especially if you're not confident on your flame-fu. Or someone can donate a proper heat-treat oven, but that seems like an unnecessary splurge with the parts you make. Oh, and meow.

[@Nemozoli]

I will have a laptop in the shop just to have your videos running while I am doing machining stuff. They set the mood nicely...

[@mrchin7562]

Agggh. I need more toys. Those look good. Shopping time. (First, I'll need a lathe. Then I'll need the things that go with the lathe. Like a shop.)

[@woodscreekworkshop9939]

Turned out nice Quinn!

[@jasonhull5712]

I am so happy to not have to deal with change gears anymore. So worth the investment of time and money. I have come to absolutely love my little Clausing Metosa 1330. It cuts metric and imperial threads with the flick of the wrist.. oh, and I happen to have a second identical one if anyone else would like to never mess with change gears again…..😋

[@dougberrett8094]

Using an ultra thin parting blade is not necessary to part tool steel on an inexpensive lathe. I do it all the time on my mini lathe. The “secret” is to put the cut off blade in upside down and the run the lathe in reverse. Despite all the bad press the mini lathe gets, it’s chuck will not unscrew. Parting “in reverse” allows the lathe to flex out of binding, rather than into it.

[@pnt1035]

There's a well-known design (or three) for a rear toolpost in which you mount the parting tool upside down at the back of the cross slide and run the lathe in the normal direction. Prevents the chuck unscrewing from the spindle :-)

[@dougberrett8094]

pnt103 I suspect that is necessary for those who got suckered into buying a screw on chuck. With so many operations made simple by running in reverse, I don’t know why anyone would settle for a lathe that can’t run in reverse. I use my 12 x 36 lathe with a D1-5 camlock mostly now, but have not yet fixed the cutoff blade to cut upside down. This is mostly because the lathe came with a piston style QC tool post. I don’t trust them to hold fast. Just yesterday (literally) I upgraded to a wedge on the bigger lathe. The 0XA wedge on the mini lathe made a huge difference.

[@pnt1035]

@@dougberrett8094 "Suckered"? Actually many of us with older style lathes have screw-on chucks. Plus the rear toolpost has other uses and is often more rigid than the front one.

[@beachboardfan9544]

Daaaaamn that jax cold blue finish looks great! Stuff I get from brownells sometimes leaves an inconsistent finish, I'm gunna give the jax stuff a try.

[@Blondihacks]

Honestly, I like Brownell's better. The key to these cold blue products is good surface finish and absolutely zero oil or grease anywhere. You really gotta degrease them perfectly.

[@beachboardfan9544]

Interesting, I usually clean my parts in an ultra sonic cleaner then dry/clean with acetone, then heat them to 200 in an oven before 'cold bluing'. Pre-heating is the only way I've ever been able to achieve uniform finishes. I'm guessing good surface finishes is part of my problem.

[@christtophek9487]

superbe vidéo "as usual", merci pour cette belle leçon d'usinage. keep going, keep milling, lathing and so on ! greats

[@LastBastionLabs]

Nicely done.

[@markhgillett]

I apologize if someone else has suggested this but at least in my opinion it is easier to loosen or tighten the clamp to get it close to where you need it is to grab both knobs and rotate with your hands and arms like riding a bike if that makes any sense

[@davidlwhitesidearmy]

Super job. Really enjoyed the videos

[@Smallathe]

Very nice! Loved the work elegance. And fair display of errors (hey, we are humans... it's the machines that make the mistakes ;)

[@garagemonkeysan]

Great video and build. Clamps look strong! Mahalo for sharing! : )

[@clydeadair3809]

I'm wondering if you couldn't have reversed the wing nut and threaded it on first using your Alum clamping block like a jam nut and the put it into the lathe chuck wing nut first?

[@noelhenderson700]

I have a rather ancient Hercus 9A lathe. (An Australian built South Bend clone.) I do like your method of single point threading but I can't use it because the spindle nose on my lathe is threaded. Running the lathe backwards, even if that was possible, (it is if you twist the drive belts), is a terrible idea. The threaded spindle did make it easy for me to make an ER32 collet chuck for it though. Collets are the best way to hold threaded parts without marring the threads.

[@rgmoore]

Nice work. Care has to be taken deburring for e-clips or cir-clips. A bit too much and clips will slip under pressure. Ask me how I know.

[@makosharkcnc7730]

lot of work! great job!

[@robm.6825]

Great video(s)! I was wondering what the blue cutting fluid you used was? Thank you.

[@calvinsmith9824]

I made a split block like that using the using the four jaw on my lathe, lets just say it was functional. Yours made on the mill looks much nicer( not saying it just mill you obviously have a higher level of talent than myself 😃), I would like to get me a mill. Thanks for the informative video.

[@craigtate5930]

A person could put a sharpie mark on the live center to help see when it stops spinning. Very nice project

[@AdventureswithJane]

Nice, useful tool. Thanks. 😊 --Mark

[@markrand652]

Neat project!

[@mantisgaming]

2:10 yeah... That's how i broke my follow rest 😞

[@joshwalker5605]

Does case-hardening them with something like cherry red risk warping as well?

[@mikewasowski1411]

12:31....got me. I was looking down at my ice cream bowl and that was the precise moment your voice climaxed and then came through pause.....I immediately abandoned my ice cream expecting this to be the lead into a typical funny effort.....annnnnnnnnd......got me.....Nothing but an editing glitch? 😆

[@larrymills8527]

back a long time ago in school we had to draw blue print in drafting class so we could make them in metal shop they look alot like them ours were longer

[@MrBuck295]

I just realized I need a tail stock to support my end ( at my age I`ll take all the help I can get ) might make getting out of the chair easier

[@promethbastard]

Bit hard not to move with something sharp and pointy spinning there..

[@kensherwin4544]

You will eventually need a follow rest too.

[@meezermama627]

Fabulous, as always. Sure would like to see you do a short video on knurling. While chamfers may set us apart from the animals, knurls are pure machinist porn ! Thanks.

[@hairyfro]

When I got my PM1127 I thought I wouldn't mind the change gears since I didn't anticipate doing single point threading very often. As it turns out, I don't do single point threading EVER as those change gears are such a pain to deal with.

[@Blondihacks]

Same thing happened to me. I thought I wouldn’t do it often so I wouldn’t mind them, but it turns out I avoid doing it because the gears are a hassle.

[@olavl8827]

@@Blondihacks Computerise that thing: create.arduino.cc/projecthub/nsr5058/lathe-electronic-lead-screw-52a9c5

[@SH-pc4xt]

Here's another electronic lead screw option, this one from Clough42 and explained in a lengthy sequence of very interesting videos. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fIXWanqvnLeEY7c Well, they were interesting to me anyway, even though I have no intention of ever completing such a project.

[@SH-pc4xt]

Guess I should have read the comments before posting. This alternative has already been mentioned. Clough42 himself has already commented. AND Quinn ALREADY has his electronics board. Oh well, someone has to be the last one to the party...

[@Blondihacks]

@@SH-pc4xt It's okay, nobody reads the comments before posting. I always get 20 people saying the same thing. 😀 Heck, most people seemingly don't even watch the video before commenting. 😏

[@madcarew.3256]

Made these nearly 50yrs ago as an Engineering Apprentice!

[@tommykelley7826]

14:19 there's so much snark in that comment and i love it XD

[@elmarqo_3448]

Very nice. I would like to make a pair.

[@FoxMacLeod2501]

As a career auto mechanic, I find it hard to accept how often lathes in perfect working order can sound like a metal can full of rocks rolling down a hill.

[@Blondihacks]

😂 That’s the straight-cut change gears making that racket. It’s possible to dial the spacing in perfectly so they run quieter, but it’s so much effort that most people don’t bother.

[@howardosborne8647]

@@Blondihacks A piece of writing/copier paper between the gear teeth being meshed is how I set my back gear mesh clearances. They run pretty quietly after that technique.

[@johnptc]

another excellent production :)