开云体育

Like many of us here, I have made a few accessories for my mini-lathe and my micro-mill - stops, carriage clamps, indicator holders, things like that. I don't think I have ever copied an existing design, mostly because I don't have easy access to the large blocks of steel or aluminum that those designs often need. So, I figure out a design based on the raw materials that I have on-hand. In figuring out a design, I almost always make up a proof-of-concept model made out of wood. I don't have a huge scrap bin of steel, brass, and aluminum, but I do have plenty of hardwood, Baltic Birch plywood, and lots of woodworking tools. With the wood model, I figure out approximate dimensions, where to put holes and fasteners, will the accessory interfere with features of the lathe, etc. I'm not afraid to re-make wood parts that aren't quite right. Eventually, when I have the design worked out, I'll make a metal version. But in some cases, the wood model has been good enough for my needs. I used a wooden spindle crank for a number of years, and I still use a couple of wooden indicator holders (which have embedded rare earth magnets).

I am the only one doing this?