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One product I commonly make is a paintball gun barrel that takes inserts of different sizes. This helps the player match the bore of the barrel to the size of the paintball that day, and this aids accuracy and gas efficiency. There are, however, some markers out there that weren't designed with...

-Yes, all of them do. It's part of the holding system. Doc.

Just picked up a new drill grinder, one I hadn't heard of until just a week or two ago. Came in yesterday and I finally had a chance to try it today. Quick opinion? Worth every penny. It's basically a Drill Doctor that actually works, without having to hold your tongue just right, or sacrifice...

-Came out of the finest scrapped treadmill I could find. :D (Many years ago, a local gym/health spa got rid of several old treadmills- big professional ones, not the usual Wal-Mart coatracks. One had a 4HP DC motor. :) I scrapped those things out and made use of a lot of it- I sliced up a...

-That's what I said six machines ago. :) Doc.

And even mo' progress! The last step on those detent bodies is to drill and broach them for an allen wrench socket, so they can be installed and removed. I was hoping to tool this up in the turning center, but I have too many jobs lined up for that as it is. So next best is to set it up in the...

-For certain kinds of watches, yes. :) Doc.

Sometimes I think I spend more time making tools than actually using them... I have a chronically-overdue project on the list that I really need to get done and out the door- one of many, I'm afraid- and to speed things up, I want to be able to power-tap in the turret lathe. I already had a...

It happened again. :) I was shutting off the lights and getting read to head out of the shop for the evening, when... The sun can only 'thread the needle' through the trees, down the driveway and through the shop window like this, a few days of the year. Always kind of a nice treat when it...

More progress! At least until I can pick up some more material... :) Doc.

Latest video: As should come as no surprise, making a small run of more paintball parts! :) Doc.

Out of the frying pan and into the... thing wrapped in an enigma, I guess. :) As noted, it just took a couple moments to drill and tap the gear for a setscrew... Which, with the gear installed "upside down" (at least, compared to when I got the unit) did indeed allow the gear to clear the...

Ah ha! See where stupid assumptions get you? A couple of readers suggested the thumbscrew bit was to disengage the gear from the leadscrew. I didn't think that was the case, as the sliding travel of the upper portion wasn't enough to fully clear the gear- nor did it work in the way I've seen...

With the parts finally dry enough to handle, naturally I couldn't restrain myself from assembling things. Old Iron Disease is a sickness, kids. :) The thumbscrew came out of the Evaporust pretty clean, though as previously reported the face was pretty badly pitted. I scuffed it a bit with some...

I have baskets full of tooling for these machines, and I still have to make or modify something almost every time I gear up for a new part. :D Today's tidbit- vaguely related to a customer order- is small bits turned from a long bar. Generally speaking, I can run bars about 32" long in the Omni...

Warmed back up today- a little- so I was able to finish scrubbing and degreasing the big iron spar, making it pretty much ready for paint. Once it had a chance to dry thoroughly, I hung it up outside and gave it two coats of self-etching primer. While that was curing (back inside where...

And that's one thing- finally- off the To-Do list! :) The connectors for the pushbutton handpiece came in today, so after the day's projects were done, I popped one onto the other end of the cable. I wish the connector had a better strain relief, but it ought to last if I'm careful. Did it...

I have a blast cabinet, but in warmer weather- and with better stripper- doing it chemically is generally quicker. Especially on larger parts. The spar would only barely fit in the cabinet, and given the thickness of the paints, would likely have taken two or three hours of blasting. What you...

All work and no play, as the saying goes, makes Jack a dull boy. And lemme tell ya, folks, Jack has been a dull boy indeed. :) On the plus side, it warmed up this week, getting into the low forties, and one thing I've been champing at the bit to do, is clean up and paint some of these new (to...

Progress! Today's tableful*: Now, that's not today's production. To be honest, some of these parts have been sitting on my floor half-finished for... well, way too long. Most of it I started dusting back off around Thanksgiving, and I've been cranking handfuls here and there as I've had time...