I’m taking a break from my Micromouse project because I’d been getting quite frusrated with my lack of progress and am instead doing some manufacturing, which is a much-needed change of pace.
On Monday I did a little Micromouse work (but as usual, ultimately accomplished nothing) before commiting to my manufacturing side project(s).
On Tuesday I made a part for Mr. L on the lathe.
On Wednesday I started planning my new project: A tap-follower. A tap-follower is a tool used make the process of using a tapping tool easier by applying pressue and keeping it centered. Making sure threads are straight and centered is vitally important, and it can be quite a challenge to do by hand. A tap-follower is used in a mill or lathe to help make sure the tap is aligned properly and applies some pressue to help get it started in the material.
I created the drawings for it on Wednesday. The tool will have four parts in total, including the spring.
On Thursday I started turning the body of the tap-follower. It will require two setups and hopefully the shop’s new collet-chuck will help keep my parts concentric between setups.