Track Idler Shaft Follow-Up Video - Changes Made To Speed Production and Viewer Questions Answered

[@MICHAEL-ys3pu]

Hi Josh, Mick here in Australia, it’s disappointing that you have to explain why you do things the way you do. Can’t people just watch and enjoy watching you do it your way. As we all know there is more than one way to skin a cat. I have learnt a lot watching your channel, keep it up, get out in your shop and do it your way, the first time.🇦🇺

[@TopperMachineLLC]

Unfortunately many are taught one way and can't see there are other ways. These followup videos are to help people understand, and to answer questions in more detail.

[@petegraham1458]

I think the feeds from the book are likely for straight fluted end mills ? You used your knowledge and experience to optimize the process. Yes I could hear the same issue you mentioned on the other video, still nervous about climb milling but everything is working right!

[@ypaulbrown]

You got that right Mick

[@ypaulbrown]

@@TopperMachineLLCtruth…love all you do Josh…Paulie in Orlando

[@rexmyers991]

Amen

[@BrightRaven777]

The 3 levels of knowledge: 1) Learn the rules 2) Master the rules 3) Break the rules

[@TopperMachineLLC]

Funny how so many never deviate from what's written. "That's how we have always done it" is just bad practice.

[@PhilG999]

One of the fundamental rules of Engineering! I know because I R 1 That's also why I always RTFM. Then I decide if I'm going to do it THEIR WAY or do it MY WAY!

[@hobbiesrus]

As a hobby machinist, I really appreciate you taking the time to explain and answer questions!

[@zorbakaput8537]

Spot on - There are no stupid questions and Josh details his answers well.

[@davidward9935]

Josh, I admire how you make everything a teaching moment. I am not a Machinist, I work in electronics. I had an electronics instructor that said, “Learn something new every day.” That is why I watch your videos, to learn. Thank you for your contribution to my education.

[@maddiec.3212]

Josh, just want to let you know that these follow up videos are the best videos you do. I love the explanation of why you are doing it “this way” because it gives me another guy’s view point of a job that I may do. If I run in to issues, I have a peer’s opinion and experience just like we worked at the same shop. I ran into the same issue with cutter speed that you did recently. I was running about 75 sfm, and the mill was about to come apart. I turned it all the way down to about 30 sfm and it was smooth as silk.

[@frankerceg4349]

Thank you Josh!

[@charleslund453]

40 plus years ago and in a far away place I worked in a small machine shop where there was only two type of machines that had power feeds. A lathe, and a mill. Most of the machines were very old. Hand cranking the table was the power feed. Secure the part, get it done fast and don't break the cutter. What I see with your videos is how to analyze and complete set up to be efficient as possible. You know your machines. You know what works. I still like watching whenever I can. I enjoy watching the variety of things you do. No room for criticism on my part.

[@prancerontheprairies191]

Best of luck to you, Conner. May your future see greatness, and you have the skills to own it.

[@eyuptony]

Hi Josh. Interesting subject, feeds and speeds. A lot of text books are out of date these days. Also they may be written by people who have not worked in mass/fast production. This is where your knowledge has shown through, thanks to you're previous hands on learnt skills. I'm the same take as you Josh, but I'm from the woodworking trade, mass and bespoke.

[@johnscott2849]

I am no machinist but I have noticed that slower revs and feed almost always works better for me. The bigger the cutter the slower I go. All my equipment is old like me.

[@alanm3438]

I am not a machinist so I am not qualified to criticize your work or give advice. I think that it is great that you are always looking for a way to do something better. The bottom line is that it is your shop and your equipment; you can do what you want. You have helped a lot of people get jobs done because you have the skill and equipment. The time you invested in Conner was time well spent. Thanks for the time that you spend making videos for us. I will never be a machinist but I sure do enjoy watching you, a professional at work. I hope Rocky is ok.

[@2xKTfc]

This end mill makes beautiful chips! Like the shaved chocolate you'd see on cakes 🤗

[@jamesbonnema1041]

I really like learning the 'why' of machine work from a pro, and appreciate you're attitude experimenting with different material. Ive learned some cool stuff after going out on a limb

[@mikeb1520]

Those of us with hobby sized machines couldn’t imagine doing the shafts in 15 minutes, shows the value of big industrial machinery.

[@TopperMachineLLC]

I'd bet with a South Bend lathe and a bench top mill it would be 2 hours each. Lol

[@mikeb1520]

@ my equipment is a good step up from that, but probably still an hour each lol

[@mikep1085]

Thanks Josh! Can't wait to see the progress on getting the dragline back together! 😄😎

[@johnlee8231]

Glad you worked out a quicker way to make those flats. Always happy to hear about a quicker way to finsh a job.

[@ЕвгенийБарма]

Cleaning the workshop is very important. Sometimes after a hard, and especially not very successful in terms of work day, you just need to see how at least something is resolved, how at least something becomes better...

[@212caboose]

Oh, that is just BEAUTIFUL!!! I am so glad I found this channel!!! I've learned so much in the short time I've been a subscriber. Thank you!

[@125spectrum]

Ignore the haters Josh. It's easy to criticise but you have great content. Paul, Scotland.

[@jamesdavis8021]

I really enjoy your videos.Keep up the good work.Many times I have found that nylon would hold up much better than bronze.When I got an unacceptable amount of slop, I simply replaced the worn shaft.The nylon bushings were still good.

[@MyLilMule]

I do wish my K&T horizontal had a backlash adjuster. They were available, but mine did not come with one. Maybe some day I will make one, the parts look fairly basic. I appreciate these follow up videos. It helps answer questions I didn't know to ask!

[@TheAyrCaveShop]

Thanks, Josh. Great info on the feeds and speeds.

[@ronhawley]

Thank you for the video your expertise shows in your work

[@dankotos61]

I enjoy your videos you give me a lot of good ideas I like watching your thought processes. Keep up the good work

[@MatthewRulla]

If you ever do dive into the anti-backlash climb-milling adjustment, please create a detailed video.

[@2xKTfc]

Someone smarter than me once said "You don't have a clean house, you keep a clean house". I dislike cleaning as much as the next guy but I sure like the result! So, keeping at it (or at least getting on it) it is!

[@ypaulbrown]

Remember…weld metal is cast metal !!! And those pins were rolled metal….two different grain structures….You did it ‘the right way the first time’…..cheers Josh❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@jamesbonnema1041]

@@ypaulbrown what? Weld metal is not cast, thanks for your intelligence

[@ypaulbrown]

@@jamesbonnema1041 oh contraries ….you are melting a solid metal and letting it solidify on a surface or it self. It is a cast metal without a mold, it has not been extruded or rolled to change its grain structure but in some types of welding, there are water cooled dams that actually act as a mold. Electro Gas and Electro Slag are 2 types of welding like this. I hope this sheds some light on what welding metal is. Steel manufacturing pours molten metal into ingot molds and then lets it solidify, the mold is then removed and the ingot is placed in a soaking pit to reheat in preparation for rolling to shape, rolling changes the grain shape along with the shape of the ingot, the rolling actually gives the material a grain direction like wood, it runs length wise, so when cutting material to be bent or formed, it can be important to orient the bend 90 degree to the direction of bend….Paul

[@davidaarons2488]

Thanks Josh. experience pays off now and again don't it. Best wishes for Conner.

[@candicebeebe6688]

I don't have questions. This all seems tike Magic to me. I tune in to see the chips

[@connahjones8178]

One thought it when making something new, you can also choose the material used, maybe use a new style of material (you used plastic for a bearing surface for instance) and maybe steel instead of cast iron etc.

[@alandawson2813]

Enjoy your videos Josh, From kiwi land

[@ToddThompson-w6e]

Great video. Keep up the awesome work!!

[@TopperMachineLLC]

Thank you! Will do!

[@ToddThompson-w6e]

@TopperMachineLLC i do some small machining jobs here for my self as well. I have a 1942 atlas lathe. I really enjoy the videos and I learn alot of great techniques from you. I really appreciate it.

[@billdoodson4232]

You are totally right about doing it from new at times. The example I give is rather more prosaic, but every bit as valid. One site I was on as Chief Engineer asked me to put a particularly aggressive brush cleaner into the MSDS chemical register. I asked them why they needed it. It turned out they were, ironically, painting various barriers safety yellow and then wanted to clean the brushes. It made no sense whatsoever to spend time using £5.00 worth of solvent and 15 minutes of someone's time to clean a paint brush worth £4.00. Astonishingly there was still resistance about just throwing a brush away. Go figure. But that brush cleaner didn't go on the chemical register. Love these update videos Josh, I'm thinking others should do the same.

[@TopperMachineLLC]

Lol. I am always amazed by people cleaning brushes. Or digging through a bucket of odd ball fasteners for one screw. My recent one was heating the shop with an outdoor wood boiler. What is my time worth? 2 hours a day feeding that boiler, not to mention all the time to cut the wood. That's all lost time in the shop, lost revenue. All to save $400 a month on heat. I was losing a potential of $3000 a month minimum. You always need to look at the whole picture and not just what's in front of your face.

[@billdoodson4232]

@TopperMachineLLC Totally right. And congratulations on your State being the one that gave the votes to get Trump over the line.

[@TopperMachineLLC]

@billdoodson4232 if it weren't for those few counties in the worst part of the state, we would always vote correctly.

[@richardsurber8226]

love hearing q-a

[@BobOBob]

I was always told the feeds & speeds charts were a starting point. Definitely nobody ever told me they were golden.

[@TopperMachineLLC]

It is amazing how many people think that the charts and calculations are set in stone. "Don't deviate from what is written" I have almost never followed what was the published specs. I always go by what the machine, tooling, and job is happy with.

[@BrucePierson]

You really nailed it with making those new pins. I don't know why anyone would suggest repairing the old pins, it just would not have been worth the effort when it was so much easier to make new ones.

[@TopperMachineLLC]

exactly

[@tomcren59]

Good Job!!

[@TheUncleRuckus]

I think the Nylatron for the bushes should hold up just fine for you, imo this is a perfect application for it, as the digger isn't going to be out moving dirt 8+ hours a day 7 days a week and will only see occasional use. I also think ppl seem to still have this misconception about plastics in general, they still think of plastics as being weak and easily worn down, like the plastics of 30 to 40 years ago when many modern plastics are specifically engineered to wear as little as possible and in the case of Nylatron without ever needing external lubrication as it's impregnated with molybdenum disulfide powder. 👍👍

[@TopperMachineLLC]

I intend to actually use the crane a lot more than people think, but it should be just fine. I know a guy who makes gears out of nylatron. Good stuff.

[@davidmosscrop2374]

Hi Josh. Great video for feeds and depths. I know the audio is not great, but it sounded way better. Likely you could feel the difference in the borer as well. Be Well

[@kentuckytrapper780]

Great video Josh,keep'um coming.

[@TopperMachineLLC]

Thanks, will do!

[@bruceterhune3400]

Conventional milling worked best. I hope you did the opposite end milling the same direction, plunging to depth first, of course. It's good that you show how you remedy a machining issue. I really enjoy your videos.

[@TopperMachineLLC]

I sure did. Best way to get her done.

[@jackgreen412]

I like the way you think.

[@chrisstephens6673]

Have you tried Oilon, an oil "filled" Nylon 6 often described as a bronze substitute, with a claimed upto 20 times wear life(?) of bronze

[@dcraft1234]

I'm always amazed that anything that lives in dirt can last more than 20 minutes.

[@paulhammond7489]

Hope that Connor decides to come back after his service. He's learned a lot so far, but there's always room to learn some more before he heads off for pastures new

[@BrucePierson]

I wonder if the person who complained about you doing follow up videos is still around. I always watch your videos and followup videos and you always get a like from me. It's always interesting seeing what you are working on and the followup videos explain why you do things a certain way.

[@TopperMachineLLC]

I don't know. Haven't seen anything, but I could have blocked them also. LOL

[@aaronbaird3533]

Being as the surface finish on the flats isn't particularly critical, I wonder if a roughing style end mill might have worked better?

[@garychaplin9861]

Hi Josh, I am curious as to why you chose a relatively soft material. I did a lot of undercarriage work and pins , bushes shafts, rollers in fact everything was made from high carbon or alloy and always case hardened to very specific depths.

[@TheWrena440]

Yep!

[@BadMFingAtti2d]

I'm curious why you didn't place your part locating end stop at the other end so that your cutter would be pushing the part towards it?

[@Ankh1Ankh]

some steel likes it slow , nice , same with drilling

[@StuartsShed]

The book is just the starting point for feeds and speeds. Too many variables for those to be set in stone. 👍 Welding build up repairs are for parts that are complex and high value, where a starting blank / casting is very high dollar value. Things cut from simple bar? Not worth it. Where do people come up with these ideas? I guess that’s why I didn’t have any qustions first time.

[@TopperMachineLLC]

Exactly. The only way they could have been done better is if a basement troll did them on their imaginary machines.

[@karlhrdylicka]

@@TopperMachineLLC ,Excellent comment Josh. Your job and shop . do it your way .

[@bluikkso]

Would it make sense to make some out of bronze and some out of nylotron, for a comparison?

[@Hyratel]

the choice of Nylatron intrigues me. You mentioned that it has competitive compressive strength to bronze (I think I got that right) in a prior video. I'm curious that I haven't seen any other machinists or ShopGuys mention it, even when they're highly price-conscious. 20 minutes to FIVE is quite the bump in process speed, and as time-value-conscious as you have to be, that can be the difference between 'barely breaking even' and 'making a healthy profit (on time-value of labor)' on a paying job, especially for the large batch sizes of those roller axles. that's a net time saving of ... the better part of a day. (napkin math says Five Hours of time savings for a guessed batch size of 20 axles)

[@keithhinesjr2786]

What is the protocol of when to use cutting fluid. And what are the different types 😊

[@TopperMachineLLC]

depends on what you're doing and what tooling your using. I run most carbide dry, HSS needs lubrication/coolant.

[@seabreezecoffeeroasters7994]

For a smaller machine take on it go check Stefan Gotteswinter on his smaller Deckel. He went to Oil over Soluble for his small shop and needs. Dry to Alcohol to Soluble or Oil - use what works best for you.

[@8dholland]

Did you buy a lot of machines from shops going out of business?

[@buckinthetree1233]

On a part like that, new is the only way to go. It's much faster, and you know what you’ve got. I've seen old steel like that form a crystalline structure after welding making it extremely brittle. On shafts that run into high material cost and just has a worn spot from a spun bearing then weld it up and turn it down. On a job with low material cost, it's better to just start fresh.

[@TopperMachineLLC]

Right on

[@omw-bavaria]

Yeah, fixing these simple parts is nonsense, just replace em. No worries then. But funny how many peeps would weld those up, if they would have welded rods up before and then turned them back down, they would never attempt or suggest that with these simple parts. Besides all the risks Josh mentioned. But everybody thinks different, so i dont judge anyone if he wants to do it that way. Greetings from Germany, Chris

[@ianmoone2359]

Another question from Downunder 🇦🇺 please Josh. Is that auto transmission fluid that you’re using as your coolant / cutting fluid in your horizontal mill? I have a old 1952 Bridgeport mill and have been trying to figure out what soluble oil to buy to add to the sump and use for cooling / cutting fluid, and lots of story’s about it going bad and stinking up the shop, growing bacteria etc over time so I’ve been putting off making the decision. Would ATF fluid work ok in my Bridgeport mill and avoid all the corrosion and bacterial growth issues I see machinists complaining about - instead of using soluble oil? Are there any downsides / risks (can it catch fire & burn? 🤷‍♂️ I would value your advice please.

[@TopperMachineLLC]

If you go back and look at the video of the flow issue I had with this mill, I explain why I'm using ATF. As I've found, it's been working g great and seems to have no issues.

[@ianmoone2359]

@ Thanks heaps Josh, I really appreciate your advice & time to read & respond. 👍👍👍🇦🇺

[@omw-bavaria]

Hey there, I am using ATF as cutting oil on my horizontal/vertical mill also for years. I have a Deber FU2, similar to a Cincinatti 2H, similar to Joshs, with no issues. And my shop also never burned down 😉 And i bought the cheapest atf dexron type 2 if i remember right. I only use coolant on my saws and the big lathe when drilling. Greetings from Germany, Chris

[@bloodknottrevelian3396]

With the cut shown on this video the end mill was cutting away from the workpiece. The cut on the other end of the workpiece would have the end mill cutting into the workpiece. Would this make any difference as to how well the cut goes. I am not an engineer but fascinated by the kit you have and what you achieve with it.

[@TopperMachineLLC]

I should have shown the other end. I fed the same direction, but plunged into the part and fed out.

[@bloodknottrevelian3396]

@@TopperMachineLLC I did wonder if that might be the way to go.

[@stevetinderjr1651]

Hello , I have a question....... Wouldn't you be afraid the deep cut would push your work piece feeding from the left?

[@TopperMachineLLC]

Nope. A good vise will hold bo problem. Realistically a stop is just that, a stop. A place to set your zero reference. It is not meant to hold anything, that is the job of the workholder.

[@mr.picklesworth]

Was that ATF flued in your flood cooling on the mill? If so how well does it work and would you recommend it for a home hobbyist? Seems like it would be cheaper and not go rancid.

[@omw-bavaria]

Yes, he has ATF in it, i also use it for years now. Now issues, works great. I only use coolant on my saws and the big lathe when drilling. Greetings from Germany, Chris

[@TopperMachineLLC]

No issues at all with the ATF. It also is a great cleaner, keeps passages clean.

[@hilleryclifford1350]

Just watch a guy with a lifetime of experience ….. He kinda knows what he’s doing. Watch before you comment keyboard commanders.

[@zjtr10since80]

👍🏻

[@terryjennings2356]

Least favorite part of the job is hands down removing broken bolts.

[@ramirocortez6392]

👍👍

[@FrancisoDoncona]

What is the toilet plunger for????

[@TopperMachineLLC]

LOL, Magnetic pickup tool. Used for clearing chips.

[@FrancisoDoncona]

Sorry on a small phone screen it looks like a plunger. Just wondering how that could help, mine is a cattle prod style. Guess it's a matter of scale.

[@ssboot5663]

LIKE!!!

[@stovepipe666]

You need to get paid for the clean up as well 😂

[@TopperMachineLLC]

It is always billed. But pushed off until it's shovelable. Much easier to clean up mounds than tmstray chips.

[@stovepipe666]

I always charge for clean up too

[@bigmikex2333]

I understand that the area is dying. Please stop harping on it. You have the ability to mentor some great young people and have them thrive in that area. Please keep the faith that the region can turn around and recover.

[@TopperMachineLLC]

Unfortunately the region will not recover. I can't continue to work with these kids without jobs to teach them on and revenue to pay them. I will preach about this region until things start to change. I am working with many different groups to try to make things happen here. How will they thrive here if there is nothing for them to do?

[@Dreddip]

So many people have so much to say, but hardly any have any real experience, even less have real world experience. So much machining work is limited to tribal knowledge and personal experience. As i say to many people, you can present a part to 100 machinists, and you will get 100 different ways to make that part. Every one of them will have been made correctly and to spec. if not better than.

[@jackgreen412]

Your cutting oil looks like ATF.

[@TopperMachineLLC]

Yup. Look at some of my older videos with this mill. I explain why.

[@BobOBob]

Here's a terrible comment. Feel free to ignore.

[@riliwi]

Nobody will ever make new ones again !

[@ClydeShelton-fv1lf]

what red cutting oil/coolant do you uses?