Machining ultra thin shaft spacers and precision washers

This video will show you a technique for making precision washers or shaft spacers out of material as thin as .0015. I use a mill to start and finish on the lathe. Take a look.

[@StraightThread]

That's a great lesson, Joe. Thanks for noting all the subtleties to watch out for. There's a thin line between success and failure on an operation like this, and guidance from an experienced master makes all the difference.

[@glennfelpel9785]

Good technique and demonstration. Looking forward to the next part. This stuff is great!Thank you.

[@joepie221]

Thanks for watching.

[@grahamhall2662]

Excellent job. Just demonstrates how much engineering and engineering skill is required for a simple part. Most people don't appreciate how much effort is involved.

[@joepie221]

20K worth of machinery for a .10 part.

[@jimmilne19]

Super good technique. You add a lot of high quality education to the library of KZbin machining video instruction out there (and I have watched a lot of it). What a wonderful resource for us and future machinists! Thanks.

[@joepie221]

Thank you Jim.

[@fourfortyroadrunner6701]

WOW THANKS!! I'm an old guy with a beater old 10" SB, know "just enough" to make something fairly round, LOL. This was a GREAT tip and will probably give me more ideas.

[@XSspeeds]

I've used this trick quite a few times now, and I learned it right here years ago. Thank you Joe, for so many tips that I get to use almost daily. And trust me, I remember where I learned every one of them.

[@joepie221]

Thanks. Pass it on.

[@ShevillMathers]

I learn something new with every video you present, I am a hobby machinist who builds big astronomical telescopes, cameras and associated equipment-so machining is a means to an end. As a former medical pathology lab scientist, my natural hand skills have allowed me to design and make many of my items I have used in research projects-but self taught is not the same as being taught either the correct way or by by professional machinists. It took me nearly two years to build a Stuart Turner Vertical 10 steam engine as a first project so many years ago. Wish I had You Tube back in the 1960's.

[@joepie221]

Could you imagine where we would be now. Thanks for watching.

[@taurusdragon5479]

Joe... thanks for posting these incredibly educational videos. You, Adam, Stefan, Tony, both Toms, Robin, the Keith twins, Mr. Pete and many more KZbin professors have advanced my skills and knowledge immeasurably. I watched this video when you first posted it and I'm glad it imprinted within the recesses of my mind. Yesterday I discovered I need some very small diameter washers to salvage a project. The washers need an O.D of .658", an I.D. of .190" and thickness of .001", .002", .005" and .010". I don't know where I'd even begin to source them. I'm relieved to have remembered and revisited this video. I'm heading out to my shop right now to make the washers from my supply of shim stock. You've turned my dread and despair into excitement and elation! Thanks again Professor Joe! Michael (in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)

[@joepie221]

Great comment, and thank you for your support. You have inspired me to post the video on how to bore those washers once thay are done. Its a great trick and worth watching. Stay tuned.

[@pieterbotes8938]

I've been using this method for nearly 35 years. Machined numerous 10 micron spacers!

[@joepie221]

It works well.

[@pieterbotes8938]

@@joepie221 It does brother. People think a person is talking rubbish when you tell them that you can cut material 5 micron in thickness on the lathe. Think outside the box.

[@lexboegen]

Very cool. That's similar to a technique that woodworkers use when planing thin sheets of veneer. They clamp them tightly between two pieces of scrap wood and plane the stack flat and smooth. That process yields a superior seam when the sheets are glued to the final substrate.

[@renter007]

"that's not a bad trick" is an understatement. thx for this tip.

[@joepie221]

Pressure is the key. Good luck.

[@1495978707]

I'm always amazed at how something that should be theoretically simple (cutting a generic solid of rotation) is so complicated and multifaceted because of the complexities of reality. And I'm also always amazed every time I see one of you videos come up, because I think "wow, I haven't needed to do that yet, but damn I don't know how so I better check it out." Because obviously (in this case) once you've turned stuff you realize that thin parts are really tough to work with, just like you say at 0:30.

[@PeterWalkeronGoogle]

Wow! Just the job to deal with a problem many of us face. Thanks for taking the time to share it.

[@joepie221]

Patience is the key. Good luck.

[@bcbloc02]

I have used the sandwich method to make copper head gaskets before. It is a handy trick for doing precision work on hard to grip bits.

[@rcheadservice]

Ive been doing this for 35+ years and I always find new ideas that I can use in these videos.

[@joepie221]

Excellent.

[@ken481959]

One of the things that I learned long ago, was that if I teach you what I know, and you teach me what you know, we are all better off in the long run. However, there are too many out there that are secretive of their knowledge because of fear: Fear of being replaced, fear of not being recognized as the most knowledgeable, etc. This is something that must be overcome if we are to succeed, not only in the trades, but in Life itself.

[@cameronmccreary4758]

I have machined thin, odd shaped parts in the past and my method was to machine the inside surfaces then fixture and fill the machined area with Cerrosafe bismuth alloy which, supports the part as a solid then machine the outside. Finally, I melt the Cerrosafe metal out from the inside of the part with fixture and now I have a part that looks like is was made from sheet when, in actuality it was machined from the solid. I had an occasion when I needed to replace a ruined grip safety for a 1900 Luger pistol. These were machined from solid steel but look like sheet steel parts. I used Cerrosafe and a fixture to machine the part's inside then back filled to make the part solid; machined the outside then melted the Cerrosafe out from the inside and now I had a grip safety part which fit the pistol and operated. Very nice work on your shims.

[@holypizza1]

Is there a video for this method? I wanna watch it

[@shawnfeile]

I just happened across your channel a week or so ago. I have to say I'm impressed. You are a good at instructing and your videos are very informative. I work as a maintenance mechanic/welder/ machinist. I'm no where near a journeyman machinist, but I usually get done what we need. We have some electric motors that have automatic brakes and use a variety of thin spacers to maintain proper clearance. This and the boring video was very handy to watch. You have earned a subscriber and I look forward to binge watching more of your videos.

[@dralexmclean]

I've watched a few of your video's Joe and as a guy who is just starting to play with a lathe and knows VERY little I really enjoy your stuff. BUT, for guys at my level simple stuff like surface speed, use or non-use of lube and what type of lubes, style of cutter etc are things that would improve my learning it it's possible to throw them in. All in all THANKS for making the effort, it is appreciated. Alex

[@Dubbelehalvezool]

I ab-so-lu-te-ly had no idea how that was done, other then putting them between pressure blocks of some sort. Thanks for another very informational video.

[@JoePCP]

As a new lathe user I'm enjoying watching a master at work....

[@joepie221]

Thank you. Been at this full time since 1976

[@tomcorcoran5600]

Thanks for the video, Joe. I WILL be using this as I use a lot of thin shims. I've typically purchased shims or made form cutters and punched them in a hydraulic press. Usable, but not nearly as nice a finish. After 42 years in machine repair it's still nice to learn a few new tricks!

[@joepie221]

Thanks. Stay tuned. I plan to put these back in the lathe and bore them out.

[@johndonlan5956]

That was brilliant Joe! It seems like a lot of effort, but the results made it worthwhile.

[@Stephen1455]

Brilliant! I have done several variations on the theme, but you have taken it to an extreme! Brilliant!!! I.E thin washers!!

[@injun-gman6216]

That was an awesome demenstration of that technique Joe! Yet again, I have learned something new! Thank you !!!

[@joepie221]

Thanks for watching.

[@MrSteppingstone888]

absolutely awesome, now I know how to make thin steel washers for pivot bolts on a air riffle / I love you videos and your upfront straight forward knowledge and the ability to show the details Thanks again you are enjoyable to watch !!

[@creamshop]

WOW!, you have been trained by the right people in the past from the looks of your shop, a beauty!

[@joepie221]

Thank you. I'm very fortunate to have it at my disposal. We've done a lot of very interesting projects here.

[@creamshop]

your Harrison lathe looks in pretty good shape, has it been repainted, these lathe are a rare find, wouldnt mind getting my hands on one, is it 15 x 50'' model ?

[@johnferguson2728]

I keep finding these gems as I view your older videos. I could have used this technique when I was making a shim for my old South Bend lathe. Thank you very much!

[@joepie221]

Hi John. Thanks for checking in. Be sure to watch the video where I re-bore these.

[@bpark10001]

I used this technique to machine silicon steel 4" diameter with 3" hole, 17 mil laminations for an alternator for the military. First I cut squares from old transformer core & stacked them & turned the outsides by pressure turning, followed by deburring outside. Then I stacked them in a fixture held in 3-jaw chuck. Fixture was aluminum ring bolted to aluminum plate, the bolts providing the compression & lateral constraint centering. As the boring tool cut out the center of each lamination, it exploded out like the "throwing stars" you reference in another video on pressure turning. Silicon steel is nasty stuff! (Imagine machining sand mixed with stainless steel.) The resulting rings required deburring inside (despite being tightly stacked) & annealing afterword in furnace to restore magnetic properties. The advantage to bolting versus pinning is that the bolts can be tightened to accommodate different material thicknesses & fixture is reusable. Normally, silicon steel shapes can be fabricated only by stamping.

[@PurityVendetta]

Spot on. I have a job that requires some custom spacers to control crankshaft end float. This video has been a great help. Thank you for sharing.

[@joepie221]

Glad it helped

[@johnsexton7621]

You have an intellectual approach. Your machines don't sound like it is going to hell

[@joepie221]

Thanks.

[@chuckphilpot7756]

Putting rolling papers between the layers would probably improve your odds. You would lose rigidity a bit more than aluminum, but aluminum spinning on steel will erode it and on aluminum it will gall. Great demonstration on pinch turning. Always good information from a great machinist. This guy is who I wish I could have started training with. Had to teach myself. And I'm not a good teacher. 😂

[@Dave5843-d9m]

The snag with self-teaching is we learn the mistakes.

[@douglasthompson2740]

Thanks for good coverage on a little explored topic. Keep them coming. Helping to flesh out my machining knowledge which has large holes in it. Take care. Doug

[@dovalrad8499]

impressive! simple but efficient way of explaining things. Thanks!

[@erth2man]

I had an assignment to make some copper discs .020" thick and around 7" diameter with about a 4" hole in the middle. I mounted a larger aluminum plate on the lathe that I was going to cut against. A parting tool of course would snag on thin material (especially grabby ass copper) and it is a tricky thing at best to part anything going longitudinally as we usually find out. I used the tail stock to hold pressure against an oversized square of sheet copper like you used in this video to hold pressure against the face of the aluminum stock. Now this next part of my story is what was the game changer. I used a sharpened cutting wheel taken out of a large pipe cutter mounted with a should screw onto a piece of square stock that would fit into the tool holder. With that I was able to use the compound to gently drive the wheel into the copper stock backed up by the slowly turning aluminum plate with complete success. The inner circle was accomplished in the same manner as the second step. I've used this technique a number of times to cut thin and/or soft material on a lath instead of using a conventional tool bit.

[@joepie221]

Interesting. Sounds viable.

[@Brian-ig2kg]

I have a very similar project with graphfoil and I am waiting to see the second half of this because this could save me so much time. Thanks for posting this first video.

[@joepie221]

I started putting it together, yesterday. How thick is your foil?

[@Brian-ig2kg]

Joe Pieczynski 0.060" per sheet. it's just so fragile.

[@joepie221]

Can it take compression force without crushing?

[@skeeter50001]

Joe, very good. The shims turned out great. This was a very good lesson for me. Thanks for sharing.

[@joepie221]

Thanks.

[@kennyk6345]

All your videos are amazing! And I am blown away by how clean your shop is. It must truly be a joy to work in such an environment. Most break rooms I've seen aren't even that clean. I learn something with every video I watch. Thanks so much for your time and sharing knowledge!

[@joepie221]

Thank you. My background is orthopedics and the shop was nearly sterile. There is no reason a machine shop has to look like a junkyard. Usually its just a lack of time to keep it clean. Its easy to get behind.

[@donziperk]

@@joepie221 In my shop I always reserve 20 minutes at the end of the day to clean up and put tools away. Makes for an easy and pleasant start the next day. Thanks for great videos I recently purchased a small lathe/mill combo and between it and your videos I’m making instead of getting custom parts made.

[@ChrisB257]

Very nifty method Joe - sure gives a great finish.

[@TBJK07Jeep]

Thanks for this Video Joe. I just watched it & your Hold & Bore out Thin Shims. Been trying to think of ways to do this for a while.

[@joepie221]

Glad it was helpful!

[@nathangriffith7132]

Love the videos! have picked up alot of cool tricks tricks in my bag because of these great videos. Thank you for taking the time to do this.

[@joepie221]

I appreciate you watching.

[@johnambler3107]

Excellent Joe I would never of thought of making shims that way.

[@rescobar8572]

It works! ! Thanks Amigo! I did some brass washers .010" thick with your method. I couldn't be happier. Thanks for sharing.

[@joepie221]

Glad to hear it.

[@johntenhave1]

That was a crafty solution. Thank you, Joe!

[@241cfii]

Great video at the perfect time for me Joe. Ive been toying with ideas of how to do this for a washer that I need in a Gatling Gun that I am building Thanks and keep up the great work

[@joepie221]

I'd like to see that gatling gun. 6 or 8 barrels?

[@241cfii]

10 barrel. give me an email address and I'll send you a pic

[@joepie221]

[e-mail]

[@joepie221]

Got the picture. Wow! Does it fire?

[@sanddan525]

Just found your channel, great stuff! I also watched your threading video, thanks again and I am officially subscribed.

[@joepie221]

Thanks and welcome.

[@normanmay9339]

I'm reminded of something I saw about 55 years ago that made me laugh. I was just a kid at the time. My Dad needed some soft copper washers for a project so we took a ride to the hardware store in the small town we lived in at the time. We went inside and he found what he was looking for but he didn't buy them because they cost too much. They were $.06 each as I recall and the store owner himself commented that yes, they were a little dear. So we went back to the shop and my Father busied himself for a little while building some kind of jig and he got busy making his copper washers. They worked perfectly when he was finished and I thought my Dad was really neat and the smartest guy I knew. Oh, and the washers and the blanks he used to make them.........pennies.

[@lorenlieder9789]

Great job Joe I finally learned how to make thin shims I am very impressed Thank!!

[@joepie221]

Thanks for the comment. Glad you liked it.

[@armdaMan]

Hi Joe Another good interesting project well demo'd We always learning Thanks for sharing aRM

[@joepie221]

My pleasure. Thanks for watching.

[@k5at]

Joe, I enjoy every one of your videos, as I always learn something. Thanks for sharing your expertise!

[@joepie221]

Good to hear from you Herb. Thanks for watching

[@DFWKen]

Never would have thought that was possible! Thank you.

[@wallbawden5511]

Joe these may be old videos but for me there still relevant and am trying to store a lot of info into the thing i call a brain it does work some of the time cheers and thanks again

[@joepie221]

Thanks for watching

[@johngurney1069]

awesome easy to follow and very very helpful need shims for my diff but no longeravailable now I can finish project and possibly help others with same problem

[@joepie221]

Obstacles are opportunities. I've always said 'you can slow me down, but ya can't stop me'. I'll figure out a way around you. Good luck with the shims.

[@oddjobbobb]

I was thinking, before you set up the pressure turning set-up, “an application of thin cyanoacrylate glue to hold it together?” But compared to your solution what a mess that would have been to clean up. Thank you again, Joe. I don’t know where you are in terms of d sad spirituality , but be blessed, as, and more, than you’ve been a blessing.

[@charrontheboatman]

Interesting Joe, gr8 technique!!! Thank you for sharing.

[@RemyMartinVSOP]

Great video. I enjoy watching you work and reminds me of myself in my work approach. I always learn something new from your videos. Thank you for sharing. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@joepie221]

Thanks for tuning in.

[@cosmicrayastrophysics7839]

Most interesting. Once I wanted some 1 inch discs (no centre hole) out of 28 thou brass and the only way I knew was to use a fly press, but not having one I got quotes and with the set up time for small numbers the price was not economic. I had to give the idea up, but this idea makes me think about revisiting that project. I could guillotine out squares and then with pressure, perhaps machine them into the circular discs I wanted. Thank you for the inspiration.

[@joepie221]

Piece of cake. Get to it.

[@Hardturnin]

Joe, I enjoyed your video very much. Many would very challenged with such a project and in this world that is when another shop decides to give the job to a supporting shop. I also appreciated how you told us how,what kind of,and when to use certain tools and when not to. Finally I really respect that you use manual machines.. I believe anyone who goes into the trade is helped a lot by learning on them as sometimes (at least to me) manual in many cases becomes the best way. Best regards, Go Pflu football!

[@wjkahl4900]

Thanks Joe... always a good show.

[@joepie221]

Another tool in the box. Thanks for watching.

[@larrysperling8801]

another great and very useful lesson from prof joe.

[@joepie221]

It yields a very accurate and clean part. Thanks for watching.

[@ManicSalamander]

This video is my textbook for today. Your videos are incredibly useful for machining with manual equipment.

[@RRINTHESHOP]

Great Demo, love it.

[@joepie221]

Its a good solution for parts with no, or small center holes.

[@dank1389]

Shims for the injectors on the old diesel Mercedes engines are very hard to come by, now I can make my own! Thanks!

[@joepie221]

No problem 👍

[@r777w]

Another great lesson Joe. thanks as always.

[@joepie221]

Thanks for watching

[@jaewonhwang3716]

Probably one of the best ways to machine such thin shaft spacers. Thank you so much for the video!

[@joepie221]

in early 2018 I'll post a video on how to rebore them. Stay tuned.

[@GnosisMan50]

Yes, great idea. Thanks for sharing.

[@bowlingkingpin]

Thank you so much for showing this technique, Joe. I need some shims for a car; reckon I'll give this a go before I go out and buy them!

[@joepie221]

It gets easier when the shim gets thicker. Have fun and good luck.

[@tecnobs3d]

Very nice video. Looking forward to the next one. Cheers from Sweden Bengt

[@joepie221]

The boring solution is done on the lathe. Its creative !

[@jacobbowling6247]

Awesome video. I’d have just made a die. I like watching your videos and perspectives. Wish I could have cut my teeth in a shop with more machinists like you

[@razorworks9942]

Really good info on this one Joe. When I was installing my powerfeed on my Bridgeport I needed a thin washer, about 10-20 thou I think, called my buddy and wa-la.... always wondered how he did it. Maybe this method was it. Thank you Sir. Razor!

[@joepie221]

Hey Razor. No matter how small the shim, this will get the job done. Now you can do it. Thanks for watching.

[@erg0centric]

amazing, thanks. And printer paper is typically .004" I used to build big printers.

[@joepie221]

Let me know when you build paper. we'll talk.

[@mikenixon9164]

Very interesting Joe thanks for sharing. This is like the friction drive I use

[@joepie221]

I've used friction drive on many things. Its a good technique.

[@davew368]

Learn something new every day. Videos like this are really helpful...thanks! Subscribed

[@martinwilliams6027]

Brings back old memories of the tool room I used to work in for 20 years I’m taking easy now working in dimensional calibration 👍

[@pierresgarage2687]

Hi Joe, Normally I would have used the screw method, but this pressure way is great and easier on the centers... Cheers, Pierre

[@joepie221]

Hi Pierre. If this shim had a 4mm hole in the center, this way would be the only way. Larger holes and thicker material are well suited for the screw and cap. I do it both ways. Thanks for the comment.

[@ke6bnl]

That was some good information, that I will put to use, may have needed to do that in the past

[@PacoOtis]

Well done! Thanks for the video! Very informative and excellently presented.

[@wallacesaan]

Great tip! Will definitely keep this in mind for next time I need something thin like this

[@joepie221]

Works well.

[@leeroyholloway4277]

I produce some gyroplane parts/upgrades that include some thin Teflon thrust washers. I have a couple of dedicated setups for stacking the blanks and cutting them very similar to this. Also some .070 x .800 stainless retaining washers. I have my laser cut guy knock out the rough blanks, then bore, stack and finish on the lathe. Thanks the the demo, I picked up a couple of good pointers.

[@joepie221]

Excellent.

[@Turbogto_guy]

You are definitely a master machinist. I’ve done the same but used a shouldered bolt for the pin and tightened it together with a nut. Much easier for a one off operation. If you need many of these then this method is far superior.

[@joepie221]

Thank you sir.

[@matthewperlman3356]

Very helpful video. thank you for putting this one up.

[@joepie221]

Glad it was helpful!

[@DavidMilum]

Enjoyed the lesson. Thank you Joe.

[@joepie221]

Glad you liked it.

[@MAsWorld1]

Your the best shop teacher I never had 😊

[@CaptainSwoop]

Very helpful Joe ... thanks alot. I thoroughly enjoy Tom, Pete and Tony but your my "go to guy" for tricky stuff.

[@marhue7026]

hey you bring nice tips all the time, always sharing. good man.

[@joepie221]

Thanks

[@mosquito-song]

Excellent! Thanks for sharing and the clear logic behind each step!

[@FabRightMike]

Thanks for giving us another tool for the toolbox.

[@joepie221]

This is a good one. Wait until you see how I bore them out.

[@DGH12]

In the beginning when you drilled the hole in the plates on the mill . Could you have just used the end mill , why did you drill a hole first ? Thanks for all the great information and showing us these skills that you have . I'm a big fan ,thanks again . 😊

[@BrendanMcAdams]

Great video! I need exactly this to make spacers for a horizontal mill arbor. Just need to add the leeway.

[@BrendanMcAdams]

...keyway. (Damn autocorrect!)

[@petefletcher]

I've chucked up with pressure on wood all the time. never thought of using it on metal.Cheers.

[@kennyward4674]

👍 I've used the same technique to make brass and copper washers for straight razor pins. I use a watchmakers lathe to turn those though, they're tiny. 😊

[@johnv341]

Excellent method, very well explained. Thank you!

[@joepie221]

Works very well. Thanks.

[@lenkaufer274]

Such a simple solution for something I had fought with a couple of times before. I tried to make shims for antique iron restoration projects. Thanks Joe. You have a great way of passing on your experience to us amateurs.

[@joepie221]

Glad to help. Ask a question if you have a non related specific issue. I'll help ya if I can.

[@glenncpw]

I dont luck figured into it - follow the instructions and go carefully with patience - thanks Joe another good vid

[@joepie221]

Very true. Thanks for watching.

[@skiptracer8703]

I see all kinds of possibilities, thanks Joe Jim

[@joepie221]

Pressure turning solves a bunch of problems. Thanks for the comment.

[@karlvella7627]

Hi joe I was noticing that some of your videos have more than 100k views but the subsribtion is about 32k... I dont know why they didnt subsricibe to your channel since it is one of the best channel that is on the you tube . I AM USING YOUR TECHNIQUE FOR THREADING AND IT IS SPOT ON .... THANKS KARL FROM MALTA

[@joepie221]

Hi Karl. Thanks for the support. This channel is just about 2 years old now and is finally getting some traction. it would be good to have big numbers, but thats not why I'm doing this. I had a wolf spider video go viral last month on facebook that got 13 million views. Too bad I don't have a facebook machining page yet!! Maybe I'm in the wrong trade?

[@karlvella7627]

Joe Pieczynski hi joe thanks for the reply. I saw that viral of the wolf spider and was fantastic.... and to go up to 13milions views it is fantastic... but one thing for sure that I know is that this is your trade.... yes this channel is expanding and I am really happy.. you are teaching alot of people and we are very greatfull to you and for your time preparing the videos

[@patrickbradford6587]

OMG this was the best! I was researching how to make super thin shims and ran into this! Amazeballs! I will have to try this when I get a chance.

[@joepie221]

Team it up with this one for the complete package. thanks for watching. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZPXdHp7f56tbqs

[@jeroen-surf]

Just found your channel, it's awesome. Subscribed!

[@joepie221]

Welcome and thank you

[@JimFleming1953]

Nice work, Joe! 👍

[@Hunter333444]

Great video with very useful information thank you

[@markfulmer8501]

Joe - great idea thanks for posting..