After months of using my new mini mill to make stuff for my new mini mill, I've finally started using it for reel stuff. First up is modifying a set of blemished Cortez Conversion jigmaster plates Tom had sent a while back - thanks again Tom. It wasn't intentional when I started, but it looks like I've copied features from Tom's clasic series, his 3/0 plates and the Newell plates - lucky I'm using his plates as well.
The plates started out anodized red;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_20_12_19_6_22_52_311462072.jpeg)
The plates after stripping the anodizing in a phosphoric acid bath at 175 - 220 F
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_20_12_19_6_23_13_3114684.jpeg)
Checking the anodise is completely removed with a muli-meter (anodizing is non-conductive)
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_20_12_19_6_23_44_311482182.jpeg)
There is a small amount of anodizing residue in some of the internal corners that should be removed either mechanically or chemically before the plates are re-anodized;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_20_12_19_6_24_02_31149919.jpeg)
I started cutting a bevel with the plate mounted on a rotab using the screw holes in the plate & removing the each screw to cut past it ::)
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_20_12_19_6_24_21_311501016.jpeg)
I'm not sure what I was thinking but after one pass I changed to a central screw to hold the plate;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_20_12_19_6_25_37_311531107.jpeg)
Cutting the open slots for the screws using a 6 mm end mill. I started with a 3 mm shank 5mm carbide burr that I had used dozens of times in the drill press - the shank bent and left the semi circular scar at the bottom of the plate (Lesson No 142: Think!)
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_20_12_19_6_25_03_31151868.jpeg)
Using a 6 mm end mill to cut down the diameter of the plates where they don't contact the frame;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_20_12_19_6_25_28_311521619.jpeg)
And where I'm at with the plates;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_20_12_19_6_26_23_31154332.jpeg)
The plates with the frame;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_20_12_19_6_26_41_311551545.jpeg)
OK - the frame needs a bit more work ;D
Thanks
Mike
QuoteOK - the frame needs a bit more work Grin
Maybe just a little more polishing...Very cool stuff!
Mike
Lookin' great !
Love watching you play on your mill now that you've had some practice.
No doubt you have more tricks up your sleeve.
Thanks for sharing
I'm so happy to see you starting another reel!
I love seeing all the cool innovations you come up with!
Thanks for sharing so I can learn ;D
I really like the beveled edge. Wanted to do the same on a couple of 4/0 side plates. Makes it nicer to hold / palm the side plate... Jeff
Looking good Mike. The "Lesson Learnt" tally will never end. Don't ask how I know this.... :D
Quote from: Rothmar2 on December 20, 2019, 08:58:17 PM
Looking good Mike. The "Lesson Learnt" tally will never end. Don't ask how I know this.... :D
Agreed...I'm the master of "learn it the hard way". 8)
I like it..!! It's something I want to learn.
Quote from: mhc on December 20, 2019, 02:26:29 PM
The plates with the frame;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_20_12_19_6_26_41_311551545.jpeg)
OK - the frame needs a bit more work ;D
Thanks
Mike
oooh nice, Im keeping an eye on this fo'sho!
with the same words that my friend the "sculptor" would say.
its an easy job, the frame is there, its already inside of that block, I just need to take all the material that is not needed with my chisel.
Thanks guys, I hope I don't bore everyone with too much detail in these posts but I'm still a bit enthusiastic about what can be done with even small machines like this.
Quote from: Maxed Out on December 20, 2019, 05:49:54 PM
No doubt you have more tricks up your sleeve.
I think I have Ted, but it can be challenge retrieving them at times. ;D
Quote from: xjchad on December 20, 2019, 06:02:32 PM
I'm so happy to see you starting another reel!
....Thanks for sharing so I can learn ;D
Thanks Chad, it's taken a while setting up the mill (I haven't started on the workshop yet) but it's functional enough to start this reel. We all learn from each other's posts and look forward to your projects as well.
Quote from: Rivverrat on December 20, 2019, 08:18:38 PM
I really like the beveled edge. Wanted to do the same on a couple of 4/0 side plates. Makes it nicer to hold / palm the side plate... Jeff
Yeah Jeff, taking the corner off with either a bevel or rounded over does seem to make a difference to the feel of the reel - it drops a bit of weight as well.
Quote from: Rothmar2 on December 20, 2019, 08:58:17 PM
Looking good Mike. The "Lesson Learnt" tally will never end. Don't ask how I know this.... :D
Chris, if you're still racking up 'lessons learned' I've got a long road of lessons ahead.
Quote from: handi2 on December 20, 2019, 11:49:27 PM
I like it..!! It's something I want to learn.
Go for it Keith - they are fun machines, particularly if you have spent some time with files and a drill press thinking there's an easier way to do this.
Alex, I've started uncovering the frame within the block - first was to mark out the material to remove;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_22_12_19_4_08_11_312852005.jpeg)
The bulk of the material was removed using the x y table feed to step around the external diameter;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_22_12_19_4_08_30_312851795.jpeg)
A hole saw was used to remove the internal material (I had bought the hole saw before the mill and wanted to try it out);
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_22_12_19_4_08_48_312872293.jpeg)
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_22_12_19_4_09_06_312881357.jpeg)
The inside radius was trimmed to size with a boring head;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_22_12_19_4_09_34_31289255.jpeg)
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_22_12_19_4_10_25_31291415.jpeg)
I was using one of Ted's reel feet for shape etc and found a 19mm end mill tilted at 45 deg matched the curve on the underside of his feet;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_22_12_19_4_10_04_31290310.jpeg)
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_22_12_19_4_10_37_312925.jpeg)
The tapers at each end of the foot are around 9 - 10 deg so I cut a couple of angled parallels to set the frame in the vice at 9 deg;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_22_12_19_4_11_18_31293806.jpeg)
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_22_12_19_4_11_48_31294264.jpeg)
The underside of the reel foot shaped;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_22_12_19_4_12_09_312951641.jpeg)
Next up is drill and tap the side plate holes to mount the frame on the rotab.
Thanks
Mike
Loving your work Mike, keep it coming, cheers Don.
Mike, not only you are showing your amazing work, you are also showing us how it's done step by step, some would be too proud to show anyone.
I'm glad you're here pal.
Sal
I love watching you create reel magic, keep it coming
Great stuff. I enjoy checking your photos.
My late father in law had a machine shop and to my utter regret I never mastered more then very basic lathe work.
Had all the tools available. :'( :'(
Wow, this is going to be awesome!
Thanks guys, I appreciate the interest - I've got a few more photos to bring this project up to date. To drill and tap the side plate holes I used the drilling jig I had made for the underhead reels:
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_28_12_19_4_04_46_312961849.jpeg)
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_28_12_19_4_05_03_312971743.jpeg)
To hold the frame on the rotab I made a small clamping plate, sort of like a lathe face plate with a 20mm stub to fit in an ER32 collet holder;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_28_12_19_4_36_40_313011357.jpeg)
Starting to trim the outer surface with the frame mounted on the plate;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_28_12_19_4_05_24_312981620.jpeg)
Trimming the frame and side plate together;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_28_12_19_4_05_42_31299996.jpeg)
I cut a couple more recesses to reduce bulk and weight;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_28_12_19_4_05_59_31300503.jpeg)
I'm not sure what happened to the photos of cutting the head plate side - but it was more of the same anyway.
As usual, I've been side-tracked with other stuff but hope to get back to this soon.
Thanks
Mike
Fabulous workmanship !!
Thanks Crow, I was hoping to knock this project over pretty quickly while I had a bit of time off work over Christmas but as usual I was distracted by other stuff. I have made a bit more progress on the frame - cutting the curved 9 deg tapers on the foot and trimming the ends of the frame with a 3.25mm radius.
Cutting the tapers was all set up and about 5 minutes cutting - the frame was clamped in a vertical position against a 1-2-3 block and using the left over plug from the holesaw to protect the inner surface from dings. The rotab was used to cut a 31 mm radius curve on the plug to match the inside radius of the frame:
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_06_01_20_2_55_32_31312414.jpeg)
Checking the plug fits the frame;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_06_01_20_4_13_08_31474393.jpeg)
The rotab set up with a 18mm off-set to cut a 15mm radius with a 6.0mm cutter;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_06_01_20_2_56_26_314691903.jpeg)
Cutting the taper with the mill head tilted 9 deg;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_06_01_20_2_56_17_314682112.jpeg)
Then returning the head to vertical to square the bottom of the cut;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_06_01_20_2_57_29_314711210.jpeg)
Cutting the 3.25mm radius on the ends of the frame:
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_06_01_20_2_58_08_31472595.jpeg)
And where it's at;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_06_01_20_2_58_26_314731614.jpeg)
Next up will be to cut some holes in the body of the frame, after I decide on a design. :-\
Thanks
Mike
Mike, keep it coming...
Amazing skills! One of the best frame I have seen to date!
Great work Mike!👍
Sal
Outstanding work, thanks for showing what's involved. You've come a long way with that mill already.
Incredibly awesome!
Hi Mike, that's some complicated tooling you put together to hold the frame in place !! Looking great so far and finishing touch will be drainage cutouts. Thanks for sharing your progress
-Ted
Always in awe of your work. Love how the block gets transformed before our very eyes into a useful work of art.
Really cool to watch!
Any idea of what color/s you're gonna anodize her?
Thanks for showing how things are done, even if it is way above my pay grade.
Best,
Dom
So next level, looking forward to the next installment. Thanks for taking the time to post it blow by blow
Geez, That's just a completely different level of ability that is........
Wow, I'm in serious Awe here......
Col
Sensational work Mike - thanks for taking us on the journey!
Looking forward to the next installment.
All the best, Justin
Love watching this stuff! 8)
I gotta say, i am really impressed by the variety and creativity behind your machining setups. Some advanced thinking there.
Kudos for that.
Me, i have fun toys like a 0-90 tilting rotab, but rarely if ever consider actually removing the three-jaw chuck from it. It lives there, as far as i'm concerned, demonstrating a great laziness in setups nowadays.
.
Thanks again everyone, it's been loads of fun so far trying different set ups and experimenting. This reel is getting close to shape, there's a bit of final trim sanding and polishing that I will leave until I'm ready to anodize it when the weather gets a bit cooler.
Half of the Cortez Conversions engraving on the inside of the plates was removed when the plates were cut down so the plates were shaved down to remove the rest of it. I used different thicknesses of paper to shim the plates untill they were 'flat' - It took a lot of fiddling to get them within 0.02mm or 0.8 thou, I think the set up will need to be simplified to get it any better.
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_23_01_20_2_57_59_31607813.jpeg)
It took 0.2mm to remove the engraving remnants from each plate, although I took 0.3mm from the head plate to correct a slight mistake. The Tib XN frames measure 31.8 mm wide - thanks to Chris (Rothmar2) for measuring his XN squidder frame. I aimed for 32.3 mm for this frame to compensate for the 0.5 mm total material removed from the plates. Once cut to width, the plates were mounted on the rotab set up vertically to cut the drainage holes for Ted ;D;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_22_01_20_4_30_21_316011401.jpeg)
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_22_01_20_4_30_39_316021584.jpeg)
The foot got in the way with cutting the bottom of the cut-outs so I used a smaller collet holder to rech through the reel from the other side. I didn't have an MT3 20mm collet to fit the shank of the ER16 holder so I mounted it in the ER32 holder - not ideal but all I could think of;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_22_01_20_4_30_58_31603633.jpeg)
Time for a quick test fit;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_22_01_20_4_31_16_31604580.jpeg)
I assembled it with the spool after a bit of finishing work with needle files and dremel and there was no freespool - I was surprised and a tad concerned. It didn't take too long to realise I hadn't cleaned up the inside of the plates after cutting the engraving off - the red circle shows where the metal dragged off the face was rubbing the spool;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_22_01_20_4_32_17_31605535.jpeg)
And where it's at for now;
(https://alantani.com/gallery/31/7995_22_01_20_4_34_46_316061136.jpeg)
Next up will be to make a shorter eccentric lever and stuff.
Thanks
Mike
What a reel Mike... amazing!
I bet now it get a little scary with the fine tuning, but looks like you have it nicely under control.
This has been extremely enjoyable to watch.
Mike, don't ever stop doing projects and thanks for sharing them with us.
We should pass a basket and send it over to you😁
Cheers,
Sal
Great project, Mike --
Coming from a guy who is just a reel mechanic -- this level of skill and imagination is inspiring.
The experience and attention to detail you show us -- demands respect and admiration.
Thanks for taking us along!
Best, Fred
Yes I agree with Sal & Fred, thanks Mike, inspiring for sure, what a great reel, yes & thanks for the step by step pics, what line do you think you will load it with, also rod, cheers Don.
Mike, you're my hero and I want to be just like you when I grow up.
-steve
Thanks guys. It might be a while before I finish this reel, I've been hoodwinked into making some funiture for my daughter. I tried explaining I don't do woodwork anymore, I'm learning to be a machinist ;D but it didn't wash, she pointed out I had a stack of cabinet timber I wasn't using and the tools needed to make the stuff she wants.
Quote from: Alto Mare on January 23, 2020, 02:09:35 PM
I bet now it get a little scary with the fine tuning,...
Thanks Sal, as you would know the pressure not to blow it increases the closer you get to the finished part and the 'recovery options' reduce.
Quote from: Donnyboat on January 23, 2020, 06:22:59 PM
what line do you think you will load it with, also rod, cheers Don.
Hi Don, I'm thinking around 40 - 50lb braid with 25 - 30lb leader, dunno about rod.
Quote from: foakes on January 23, 2020, 02:32:41 PM
Great project, Mike --
Coming from a guy who is just a reel mechanic -- this level of skill and imagination is inspiring.
Thanks Fred, from a guy that's not even a reel mechanic ;D As far as imagination goes, there are a lot of borrowed ideas from Tom H, Alan C and others.
Quote from: oc1 on January 23, 2020, 08:23:31 PM
Mike, you're my hero and I want to be just like you when I grow up.
-steve
Haha, Steve you need a break, you're getting confused! Go and spend a bit of time with some well balanced people and reboot. ;D ;D
Quote from: Robert Janssen on January 22, 2020, 11:19:15 AM
I gotta say, i am really impressed by the variety and creativity behind your machining setups. Some advanced thinking there.
Kudos for that.
Me, i have fun toys like a 0-90 tilting rotab, but rarely if ever consider actually removing the three-jaw chuck from it. It lives there, as far as i'm concerned, demonstrating a great laziness in setups nowadays.
Thanks Doc - you've got me dreaming of a table long enough to have tilting rotab on one end and a vice permanantly mounted on the other end. I'm all for lazy set ups when I work out how.
Quote from: broadway on January 07, 2020, 02:53:21 AM
Any idea of what color/s you're gonna anodize her?
Thanks Dom - as usual I haven't decided on the color yet - plain silver to match the XN cortex squidder, faded gunmetal/pewter like the underhead or maybe something with shades of blue.
Quote from: Rothmar2 on January 06, 2020, 09:07:48 PM
Outstanding work, thanks for showing what's involved. You've come a long way with that mill already.
Thanks Chris, Your detailed posts on various projects have been a big inspiration to have a go at making some stuff myself. I'm looking forward to you getting the time to take on new projects.
Mike your work is truely inspirational - don't ever stop 8)
Simply magnificent.
How does a person become an apprenticeship with you?
Nick