routine maintenance, a caution

[Ken S]

As part of answering a recent post (rusted shaft), I disassembled my T7. I was in a hurry, and had to leave my Tormek disassembled until I returned from a trip.

Since the T7 was already taken apart, I decided it was time for the "annual" cleaning and regreasing. A squirt of WD-40 and a paper towel made quick work of the cleaning. I keep a small tube of white lithium grease with my honing compounds. Everything went well until I could not locate the cross pin. I tried assembling everything minus the cross pin. No go.

Like most of us today, I hate to pay shipping, especially for a metal pin 23mm x 3mm weighing almost nothing.With perdistence and good luck, I found the pin.

The moral of this story is to take care of the cross pin.

Ken

[RichColvin]

Ken,

If you do indeed lose your pin, let me know & I will make you one.  My metal lathe is now up & running...

Kind regards,
Rich

[Herman Trivilino]

Rich, if you want a project, use your metal lathe to make one of these out of some kind of metal.

forum.tormek.com/index.php?topic=1592.msg6634#msg6634

[grepper]

Not sure how you'd pull that off on a lathe.  CNC mill would work though.

[RichColvin]

Hermann,

No mill yet ... next big buy though !

I do like that idea though.  Will keep it in mind.

Rich

[SharpenADullWitt]

Ziplock bags.


Not just for the kitchen.  Good for keeping parts together.  Fitting guns to new holsters.  Taking things apart that have small springs/balls etc. that may go flying (ratchets, etc).

[Ken S]

Absolutely right, SADW. I keep a box of Ziploc sandwich bags in the shop. The operator (me) just had a senior moment and forgot to use one.

I have a mat cutter left over from my small photographic business. The cutter has several losable small parts including plastic knobs. I purchased a kit of spare parts on ebay for it. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to purchase such a kit of spare parts for Tormek?

Ken

[SharpenADullWitt]

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to purchase such a kit of spare parts for Tormek?

Ken

Not sure, what would it contain? (can't really think of anything that I don't keep with the machine)
On my model 2000, the bars (one threaded, one not) do not have the holes in the end for the knob of the SE-76 or later.  I picked up upon and used the trick JF recommended, which was a magnet on the end.  (1" diameter 1/4" thick neodymium magnet from a local store)  When I have last removed my wheel, I stuck that pin to that.  Otherwise I would have put them in the water tray, on the other side of the magnet.

[jeffs55]

Ziplock bags.
Rare earth magnets attached to the frame (if it is some kind of steel) will hold small ferrous parts and do not require opening and closing bags.

[Rob]

I also keep ziplock bags in my workshop.  The problem is magnified 100 times with a wood lathe because the shavings mount up all round the lathe very quickly.  on the floor, on the shelves, on your tools, it's a constant nightmare and their ability to attract every single small thing you ever pick up is of near cosmic proportions!

I kid you not, just last Friday I was turning apples for a club open day in a nearby park when I dropped my Jacobs chuck (with 4.5mm drill in it) which had been in the tailstock to drill the hole to reverse the apple on a screw chuck.  That, what, 6 inch long bulky piece of metal fell in the shavings and it took me 10 minutes to find the dam thing!!!  When you drop a chuck jaw screw....just forget it....go inside and make a cuppa tea :-)

[RichColvin]

Rob's right.   

Rich

[Ken S]

SADW'

Good JF tip about using the magnet on the end of earlier unthreaded universal support bars. When I have the luxury of no current posts to answer, I like reading through JF's (Jeff Farris) posts. I always learn things from his many years as a Tormek demonstrator.

What would I include in the kit of parts? For starters, anything easily losable. I am much more likely to lose a part than have it break. I suspect many of these parts are generally available in industrial supply stores, especially in metric land. The cross pin replacement costs only $1.70 US. The main cost is shipping. My ideal kit would include one or two cross pins. I would have some spare washers and nuts. I would have a couple plastic spacers, the one which holds the shaft in place when the grinding wheel is removed. A couple replacement rubber feet. (I am surprised that I have not lost at least one of these over the years.) One each of the standard male and female plastic knobs. A spare tube of honing compound.

In reality, I do have a kit of spare parts. I keep it in the box my spare universal support came in. I do not have all the parts mentioned. I do have the original shaft nut from the T4. It fits any Tormek shaft. I upgraded to the quick connect knob. Most of my kit is from Tormek related projects. I have a spare microadjust, bought as a not very successful locking nut. Six or eight different styles of plastic locking knobs, from a successful replacement idea for arthritic hands. Several homemade spacers and reducing bushings made of plastic pipe. Several fender washers for using one inch thick Norton 3X wheels on the Tormek. Several spare jigs. A couple spare tubes of honing compound and a small tube of white lithium grease. My next parts order will include a spare set of bushings to be kept in reserve.

Jeff,

Rare earth magnets have much unused potential. I recently watched a video by GravediggerMax showing how he uses Avery magnetic sheets to catch grinding debris.

Rob and Rich,

Maybe a turner's kit should include a spare Jacob's chuck. 

Tormek is very good about making spare oarts available. The real reasons for the kit are to avoid the several day wait to receive an ordered part and the shipping costs.

Ken