Poor Man's Hemingway Style Knurling Tool

[@Rustinox]

Very nice looking tool. Is sure will work much better than the old one.

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thanks Michel.

[@myworkshop2]

Great project, turned out really well.

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thanks for your comments.

[@Preso58]

That looks like a winner Jon. I have the plans for the Hemmingway sensitive knurler if you want a copy. They were passed on to me by John Creasey. I find that compressed air is a good way of cleaning debris out of the knurl pattern as it develops. It works really well on soft materials. Cutting oil just makes a sludge which gets carried around and it sort of mushes up the crisp diamonds that a knurl needs. Regards, Mark

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thanks for the tip Mark. That cutting oil does make a mess. I will try the compressed air method when I use it next.

[@MattysWorkshop]

Gday John, great build, I normally go just over centre of the with the knurl wheels, give it a little adjustment then back the cross slide out to pull the wheels into the work piece, I’ve found this is much easier then trying to tighten down with it on centre, hope this helps mate, top job, cheers

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thanks for the tip Matty. I will give that a try when I use it next. Thanks for watching and I hope you are doing a bit better now.

[@joell439]

That is a really nice build. I’m adding this to my list future projects. Thank you for showing your approach and explaining the mock-ups and setups (especially how/why and solution for the broken drill bit). 👍👍😎👍👍

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

No problem. I get plenty of tips and ideas from other youtubers content, so just sharing mine as well.

[@Steviegtr52]

Hi John. That turned out great. I did build the Hemingway sensitive knurl tool some time ago. But yes they are expensive. I was given a stack of knurling wheels & they are all imperial bore size. Steve.

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thanks for the info Steve. That probably explains why there is some play in there then. I will need to account for that when I make the knurler for the larger lathe.

[@mccornchip]

Well done, beautiful tool. Great narration and video. Thanks!

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thank you for your kind comments.

[@glennwright9747]

I keep day dreaming of making one like yours, but making the dovetails directly in the side plate.

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Yes, being one piece would provide more rigidity.

[@kerringalvin1240]

Well done, nice how too. I built I cut knurling tool a couple of years ago, it has 4 interchangeable heads, the holder is a bespoke QCT block,makes for quick selection of knurling setup. One day I’ll get round to adding a couple more knurls for straight knurls

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thanks for watching and your comments.

[@jonsworkshop]

Really nice job John, something that's been on my to do list for a long time, I have the eastern import scissor knurl, and it's about as much use as a chocolate fire guard. Cheers, Jon

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thanks Jon. Every time I used my old knurilg tool I was kicking myself because I had not made a better one. I finally got around to doing it. You will think of this next time you use yours I'm sure.

[@edsmachine93]

Very nice, beautiful job. Thanks for sharing. Have a great day. 👍

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thanks for your comments.

[@jonasbeausang3411]

Very good. I built the Hemingway knurlingtool many years ago. Still have it.

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thank you. These styles of scissor knurling tools sure beat the bump type.

[@MyMiniHomeWorkshop]

Nice outcome in the end, certainly looks the part, I contemplated making one then spotted a Chineseum version and bought that instead, it works ok most of the time 👍

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thanks for watching. My original knurler was Chineseum. Maybe you got a better quality one than what I had?

[@MyMiniHomeWorkshop]

@@thehobbymachinistnz My first one was a Chinese piece of crap like the one you opened your video with, the new one is more along the lines of the new one you made, it's not quite as sturdy as yours looks, but does a pretty reasonable job. 👍

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

@@MyMiniHomeWorkshop 👍

[@Dogfather66227]

New subscriber! I really enjoyed watching this project come together. I built a pseudo-reverse-engineered version of a Hemingway (Marlco) knurl tool a while back but beefed up the arms a bit to withstand the pressures of using inexpensive 3/8 inch wide Asian knurl wheels. It works very well although you do need to mind the pitch and workpiece diameter. By the way, some of us who spent hours building one with a rotary table might feel a little silly right about now. . . Thank you for posting.

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thanks for your comments and the sub, much appreciated.

[@Vandal_Savage]

Very nice. I think the first thing that I'd make with it would be a knurled lock nut for the twisty-turny grabba-holdy thingy on the top 😄

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thanks for watching. The lock nut doubles as a lock nut to hold the handle onto the all thread, and something solid for pushing the arms together as the aluminum handle would likely get chewed up. It is permanently tightened.

[@vankatanemuedobre]

That was just next level!

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thanks you.

[@lomsen79]

Great project. Came out really nice. I'm planning to make one myself, but just using the lathe and a drillpress. Ain't got a mill.... Yet. Would be nice with drawings/plans. 😁. Please. Regards from Denmark

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

This was made from watching other KZbin videos, and out of my head. I don't have any official plans but the video shows most of the dimensions that you can use.

[@lomsen79]

@@thehobbymachinistnz If you don't mind.. I will copy yours.. Looks awesome. And it can be done with the tools I have at hand.

[@MarkATrombley]

If you put some copper in the slot (to protect it) you could use weld to build up the thin parts of the arm.

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thanks for the tip Mark. I may need to do that if the arms don't hold up.

[@PallabiRoy-cx1nj]

Like 134 nice video my friend thanks for sharing and stay connected ❤❤❤❤

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

No problem, thanks for your comments.

[@dazaspc]

Nice job. I noticed you had several other knurls as well for some parallel knurling. A trick for getting a nice knurl finish is getting suitable relationship diameter wise between it and the knurl pitch. This will make a beautiful knurl that isn't double cut. The simple way is to measure the circumference of the knurl tool wheel and count off the points. The pitch will be the factor for the tool. Using that pitch measurement you just have to make sure it divides evenly into the circumference of the job you are doing. It isn't a lot but it will make a difference. The Coarser the knurl the better the result. The diameter you aim for is the trick and you rarely want more than a single rotation.

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Yes, my example was a bit double imprinted. Thank you for the info, I will try that out next time I use the tool.

[@duggyblu]

Lovely job🍺

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thank you.

[@kentuckytrapper780]

The hobby machinist kit, I'd buy it..excellent job.

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thank you.

[@stevewilliams2498]

Can you explain why you had to resort to a hacksaw when you had the milling machine set up with the 20mm cutter ? You should press deeper to get a "full" knurl too. If you pull back the crss slide a little, Crank down the tommy bar. Advance the cross slide back in again. It is easier than just squeezing the arms together on the workpiece.

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thanks for your comments and tips. I ran some more tests and I got better knurls with more pressure. I used the hack saw because my cut off wheel did not cut in deep enough.

[@Forensic1Man]

Hi Mate, What if you used a thin walled brass insert inside the knurling wheels? That way you can keep all tolerances down to 0.001" and then swap them out as you wear-in the new tool. Great job of designing and fabricating!

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thank you for your comments. Yes, another person mentioned something similar. I may look at that if I have issues in the future. I will account for this when I build the next knurling tool for my larger lathe.

[@chrisstott2775]

A additional feature you might consider is making the top pivot an eccentric with a suitable lever to allow extra pressure to be easily applied to the knurls as required.

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thanks for your comment. This is how the Hemingway sensitive knurler works. I will attempt this one for my larger lathe in a future video.

[@nickd5943]

Nice! Really nice job!

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thank you.

[@douglashank8480]

Nice build!

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thank you.

[@antant7522]

Thanks for the video. Great work!

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thanks for watching.

[@Argosh]

You could also press fit a bronze bushing in the knurling wheels then ream it with the same tool.

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Yes, possibly. Although the play is probably about 6 or 8 thou. So 3 to 4 thou wall on the bronze bush. Would that be thick enough to work?

[@Argosh]

@@thehobbymachinistnz you can always make the hole bigger first. I probably wouldn't want to go below 1mm.

[@mattylarkspur9858]

i'd be a little worried about those press-fit pins on the knurling wheels themselves working their way out - from what i've seen the pins often have a head on one side and a c-clip on the other. though i guess you did say it would be a temporary thing!

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

I was going to make some custom bolts with nyloc nuts. I may do that if the pins work their way out. Thanks for watching.

[@randyshoquist7726]

@@thehobbymachinistnz I don't think you need to worry. There is no axial force on the pivot pins, so they're very unlikely to shift in use. The only reason to secure them at all it to keep them from falling out when you lay the tool on its side to store it. On my own knurling tools I use standard hardened dowel pins. They are a slip fit in the arms so it's easy to change rolls, and I use tiny set screws to secure them. I hardly need them, congealed cutting oil secures the pins just fine.

[@joell439]

If I may make an unsolicited suggestion…… I suspect adding a small thrust bearing with its hardened races between the handle jam nut and the tool arm will make it even more of a joy to use 😊

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Yes, that would reduce some of the friction.

[@stringmanipulator]

awesome work 😁👌

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thank you.

[@philipm7054]

When I have cut too deep with the angle grinder Before I just blob some weld on

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Yes, I have done that at times as well. I thought that it would clean up here, but it was deeper than what I thought. Thanks for watching and your comments.

[@maxfarr4142]

Hey man love your work. Inspired! I'm in chch and I've been wondering about larger than useless amount of cold blue (maybe 1 litre?) supplier in nz. Any ideas?

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Hi, yes, I know what you mean. The first bottle I brought was from Gun City and it was only 90mls. You do two jobs and its all gone. Lately I have got 960mls bottles from 2 places, Delta Mike Ltd and Reloading Direct. They were the cheapest at the time (somewhere around $120).

[@maxfarr4142]

Thanks @@thehobbymachinistnz . Whereabouts are you?

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

@@maxfarr4142 I'm in Auckland.

[@paulwomack5866]

In deference to 100 years of model engineering history, this type of knurling tool is normally termed "clamping" (for obvious reasons) and pre-dates Hemingway's example (which is very well done) by decades.

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thanks for the info.

[@stevewilliams2498]

Hemingway don't claim to have invented the design. In fact, they credit someone else. What they do is collect all the materials into a package along with detailed drawings.

[@paulwomack5866]

@@stevewilliams2498 Absolutely! Even Hemingway don't call it a "Hemingway Style Knurler", which is kinda' my point. The fault here isn't Hemingway's.

[@SanjayKumar-gw6ob]

The name of liquid for blacking. Please give me a idea.

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

I used Birchwood Casey Perma Blue.

[@michaelhubbert3300]

Just wondering what range you get with this knurling tool.

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Hi, it can open wide enough to fit a 60mm diameter bar.

[@TheBegby71]

Is your belt grinder one of Jeremy schmidts designs?

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Yes it is. I brought the plans and built it when we were all locked down during covid

[@TheBegby71]

@thehobbymachinistnz nice work man, best 2x72 grinder on the market and supporting a clever bloke thinking outside the box like yourself

[@carbonmac6906]

Any material sizes and parts ? Thx.

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Hi, the sizes are shown at 3:05. The knurling wheels were brought from Aliexpress. Thanks for watching.

[@carbonmac6906]

👍

[@bulletproofpepper2]

Thanks for sharing.

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

No problem.

[@NightsReign]

LMAO with as many times as Artisan Makes has been called out, he's eventually going to have a surface grinder, metal 3D printer, a CNC lathe/milling enclosure, and still be relying on manually hacksawing pieces apart... 😅

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

I have seen him use an angle grinder occasionally. I'm not sure why he does not use it more often.

[@ronwilken5219]

​​@@thehobbymachinistnz keeps his arm muscles in shape. Good for arm wrestling at the pub. What gets me is how he holds the saw with both hands on the handle. I was always taught to use your predominant hand on the handle, your second hand on the opposite end of the saw. Stand so your predominant hand's shoulder is in line with the cut and proceed to cut about two strokes per second, no faster, until done. Depending on material, use the appropriate cutting compound and as in woodworking cut on the waste X side of the line. The other thing to practice is using the whole, or as near as possible, length of the blade. Cutting using 4-6" of a 12" blade seems to be a little counterintuitive. Nice job on the knurler by the way. Doug Gray of Canada also produces a very well thought out kit, very similar, with good drawings, pre shaped but un drilled material that I suspect is either lazer or water jet cut. Cost around $100 Canadian, roughly the same in Ausie bucks. Don't know where your NZ ones figure. I have a kit of his waiting for inspiration to make it. As to the "slop" in the knurling rolls, this might be advantageous in having the rolls meet the work at the correct angle i.e. 90°. If it concerns you you could most easily fix it by making two new pins from say 10mm bar reduced to the bore diameter of the rolls. (9mm?) Then turn each end of the pins to your desired 8mm. This then means you don't have to bore out or remake the arms. Also if you make the pins a little longer and provide a groove near each end you could mount them with circlips to make changing roll styles easier instead of peening the ends over with a hammer. Greetings from Canada's banana belt.🤞🇨🇦🍌🥋🇺🇦🕊️🇳🇿🐏👍

[@markrainford1219]

Sometimes a hacksaw and files are just much quicker.

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Yes, they are if you cant get any power tool to reach the area that needs to be cut or ground. Thanks for watching.

[@timmienorrie]

Nice. 👍

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thanks for watching.

[@randyshoquist7726]

The Hemingway design is elegant but overcomplicated. Many elements can be greatly simplified without sacrificing performance. It puzzles me a bit that so many youtubers copy it so closely. But if you have the material and the patience and want something that will look nice for the rest of your life, I suppose that's reason enough for the extra effort.

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thanks for your comments. In a lot of the videos I have seen from other KZbinrs, it looks like they are building the knurler from the Hemingway plans. Maybe that is why they look so much the same?

[@WheatMillington]

It shouldn't puzzle you - notice one month all of a sudden a bunch of prominent youtubers make the same tool from the same supplier. The community over the last few years has become absolutely lousy with undisclosed sponsorships and it's ruining everything. Ever noticed how every woodworker and metalworker on YT uses the same tools?

[@Blueshirt38]

Hey, that hacksaw usage is all that keeps some machinists from weighing 300lb.

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thanks for watching. With all of the hack sawing he does, I presume the guy from the other KZbin channel is around 155 lbs...

[@Blueshirt38]

@@thehobbymachinistnz He's probably got arms like Popeye the Sailor as well.

[@gregc1520]

You are getting a double imprint. There is a formula to cure that problem.

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Yes, my example was a bit double imprinted. Another user has kindly given the formula which I will try out. Thanks for watching.

[@johnhall8455]

Pretty much a copy of the no longer available MARLCO knurling tool,which Hemingway later copied…

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Possibly, never seen the MARLCO knurling tool.

[@johnhall8455]

@@thehobbymachinistnz…just Google it..😉

[@josedias4664]

Perfeito parabéns 👏👏👏

[@thehobbymachinistnz]

Thank you.