Re: Check in

[ABLE1 <somewhere@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 4/8/2020 12:25 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:
> On 4/8/2020 5:16 AM, ABLE1 wrote:
>> On 4/7/2020 11:13 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:
>>> On 4/7/2020 6:48 PM, ABLE1 wrote:
>>>> On 4/4/2020 4:47 PM, Jim Davis wrote:
>>>>> Hey!
>>>>>
>>>>> How's everybody doing?
>>>>>
>>>>> How about a periodic check-in just to let each other know how we're
>>>>> doing
>>>>>
>>>>> I've just stopped working as of Friday and will probably not go out
>>>>> except for necessary reasons.
>>>>>
>>>>> New York is a hot spot and it's getting real scary here.
>>>>>
>>>>> I don't know anyone personally who's caught the virus but
>>>>> statistics are going up and up all around me.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Hey Guys!!
>>>>
>>>> My reminder popped up.
>>>>
>>>> Maybe too soon??  Don't know but I am still here.
>>>>
>>>> I stopped in at the local Lowes today to pickup a couple of
>>>> 3/4' flat washers.  I drove past the front entrance down to
>>>> the Contractor Entrance.  Only to find the Contractor Entrance
>>>> what now the store Exit.  And there was a outside line of about
>>>> 10 people (6' apart) waiting for permission to go in.  I decided
>>>> to travel another 5 miles to a Hardware Store to get what I needed.
>>>> They had different rules but no lines of bodies.
>>>>
>>>> Hope all are doing well during this crazy time.
>>>>
>>>> Have a good and safe rest of the week.
>>>>
>>>> Les
>>>
>>> I moved the refrigerator from my front office to the communications
>>> closet in my personal office.  I needed a brass hex bushing to finish
>>> hooking up the ice maker, So i walked out in the shop and made one
>>> rather than screw around with Lowes or Home Depot.
>>>
>>> Right now if I need most parts "right now" I make them rather than
>>> going out and dealing with all the crazy.  If I can wait a couple
>>> days I add them to one of my regular vendor orders and they cost me a
>>> lot less than the local box store charges.
>>>
>>>
>> Wow Bob,
>> You seem to have certain advantages that us others will never have.
>> Can I place an order for a 3/8-16 Acorn Nut??  Delivery by Thursday
>> would be nice.  That is when I will be repairing my Mower Deck that
>> keeps burning up belts.  Oh, never mind I did get a 3/8-16 half nut
>> that should do the job.  :-)
>>
>> Les
>
>
>
> I have some half nuts.  They are used to engage and disengage the lead
> screw on a lathe.  You have a 3/8-16 one?  Really tiny lathe?  Part of a
> quick release mechanism on a tiny drill press vise?  Usually they are
> for an acme or a trapezoidal thread.  Are you sure yours will work in
> place of the 60 degree V threaded acorn nut?  Is your acorn nut an
> unusual thread form?  Is this why you need one fabricated?
>
> Yes I could make a 3/8-18 acorn nut. I could potentially have it there
> by Thursday.  Freight would be a killer.  I think I also have a box of
> them in one of my drawers full of nuts and bolts.  Does it have to be
> fabricated in house or would a mass produced one be satisfactory?
>
> As to your washers.  You really should establish a relationship with a
> decent local commercial nuts and bolts vendor.  (probably NOT Fastenal)
> You probably could have purchased a whole box at a commercial vendor for
> what a few cost at one of the box stores.  Usually if I just need a
> couple of anything small my local (regional) fastener store just gives
> them to me.  I try very hard not to take advantage of that.  Often I'll
> buy a box just to have it on hand, and not be embarrassed by getting it
> free unless a box is just to much to spend.  Usually its not.  They are
> always a LOT cheaper than a box store for hardware in their product
> range.  I'm fortunate that Copperstate Bolt is just a couple miles from
> my shop.  Closer than any other source really.
>
> I was always a little surprised more communications contractors didn't
> make more things.  I routinely fabricated camera mounts for specialty
> applications.  Made my own recessed cover plates for mounting optical
> sensors across heavy traffic areas.  (actually made press dies to modify
> the cover plates)Â  Sometimes I made things because the best solution for
> an application didn't exist.  Other times because what was available
> wasn't the best fit and was way to expensive.  A few times other
> contractors were interested in my "inventions."
>
> Recently I was working on a new product for machinists.  I wanted some
> knobs (shoulder bolt with a LARGE knurled head) for the project.  What I
> found was either expensive and poor fit for the application or moderate
> priced cheaply made and a lousy fit for the application.  I made my own
> for the prototypes.  I could have them made in 10K qty pretty cheaply
> per unit, but 10K units is still a lot of money.  I'll probably only
> sell a dozen (maybe a couple dozen) completed products per year.  The
> economics of that should be obvious.  I walked out and stood in front of
> the lathe and asked myself.  Can I make these efficiently enough to pay
> myself my going rate and still be less than the small quantity price of
> buying them.  One at a time maybe.  Then I walked over and stood in
> front of one of the CNC mills and asked myself can I batch out more of
> them in less time with less manual labor by using this?
>
> The biggest problem I have now is that my shop was never intended to be
> a machine shop.  It was a warehouse for my contracting company with a
> small office in front and a small work area in back.  When I wired it I
> thought what I was doing was overkill for an office air conditioner,
> lights, and a few outlets in back.  Now I often find myself adding up in
> my head the current draw of everything that is running in the shop to
> make sure I am not going to overload the main.  I try to never use any
> of the welders while CNC mills are running.  I just bought another
> machine.  It will be here next week.  LOL.
>
> I need to stop boring you guys with what I am sure sounds like needless
> bragging and get back to work.

Bob,
Bored or not I find your typing fun to read.  I have some machine shop
experience working in the plastic industry for 22 years.  The last 14
of those years as the Maintenance Supervisor.  And some of the years
working in the R&D Department.  Then it was having to take another .005"
off the mandrel and re-knurled so the diameter of the overflow tube in
an American Standard toilet could be brought into tolerance and
production could start saving product to fill the truck for shipment.

A lot of times is was "just figure it out" and make the dang thing work.
Making special parts in the machine shop was always fun.  There were
times that the first off ended up scrap so that the second attempt would
actually do the job.

My Acorn Nut now Half Nut is for my mower deck.  Last year after burning
up a belt I saw that the tensioning cam was loose and had some wear on
the on edge.  I removed and had ground a new surface.  Upon reassembly
I didn't notice that there most likely a Acorn Nut on top of the pivot
bolt that was locked against another nut to hold all together and not
let it get loose.  My bad for not realizing that it may have been what
happened or started the problem in the first place.  Anyhow, all came
loose again, burned up another belt and made things ugly.  I have now
order a new replacement cam an will be replacing on Thursday or Friday.
Since I could not find a Acorn Nut at the Hardware Store I went for a
Half Nut to lock the Pivot Bolt in place.  All should be good then.

BTW for some reason my grass did not seem to take a vacation and is
still growing.  I did look at just buying a new mower,  But, trying to
balance maybe $40 in parts and a little time against $2000 for new
seemed to be make sense.  I could be wrong but, I will live with it.

Again I appreciate your typing.  I am sure others may enjoy as well.

So, the next time you take a break from working remember to set a
alarm clock so you get reminded when it is time to get back to work.

I didn't proof read the above much. Please excuse any typo's.  :-)

Later,

Les