I know you all probably have the "newer" Universal Support with Micro Adjust (US-105). It replaced the old universal support way back in 2003 I think, which was just a year after I bought my Tormek.
A long time ago I bought a die and the matching nut for the 12 mm shaft. The nut substitutes for the micro adjuster. It never worked as well as I'd like it to so this weekend I made some further modifications. I used bondo to cement the nut into a two-inch diameter plastic screw cap and fill in the gap between the outside of the nut and the inside of the cap. After the bondo set up I drilled a hole in the middle of the plastic cap and screwed it over the universal support.
It worked just great except for one thing. I could no longer tighten the set screw that holds the universal support in place because the cap diameter is too wide. So, I went to the hardware store and bought a dimmer knob and a threaded shaft. The shaft fits nicely into the dimmer knob, but I glued it in place anyway. The shaft is longer than the one on the original set screw so I can tighten it up without it touching the new homemade micro adjust.
What can I say, I'm cheap. But it does the job!
Edit: I later ordered a replacement part called the "7050 Tightening Screw - knife & scissor jigs". I pulled the threaded shaft out of this part and swapped it out for the threaded shaft in the universal support tightening screw. It's now long enough to work again.
I think "creative" would fit better than "cheap". Clever, Herman.
Ken
Thanks, Ken. It's called Yankee ingenuity. (Uh oh, did I just say that?)
How politically incorrect for a Texan! Herman, I'm shocked.
Ken
If its fit for purpose and cost you almost nothing, plus you got to exercise your creative thinking the net result is...
it works = good
it was good value = good
you feel much more committed to supporting it in the future cos you made it and understand exactly how it works = good
we got to enjoy it second hand = good
Im strugling to see anything whatsoever wrong with what you did Herman....save a 21st century hang up on "you have to buy the proper part" myth :-)
Good for you I say
On the matter of going to war with different factions of America....I'll stay out of that one if you dont mind :-) Suffice to say...we're allies now :-)
Quote from: Ken S on March 04, 2013, 08:44:17 AM
How politically incorrect for a Texan! Herman, I'm shocked.
Well, Ken, I'm a transplanted Texan. Originally from upstate NY, near Canada.
Quote from: Rob on March 04, 2013, 09:35:16 AM
Im strugling to see anything whatsoever wrong with what you did Herman....save a 21st century hang up on "you have to buy the proper part" myth :-)
Some day I'll buy the official US-105 and then I'll have this one as a spare. I'll have the option of mounting one on each side of the machine if ever there's an advantage in doing that. I've alos got my eye on the BGM-100 so I can use my Tormek jigs with my dry grinder.
aye....that dry grinder conversion jig looks good doesnt it...all the control benefits but faster steel removal.....mmmmm
You have to be more careful because the steel can get overheat. And it's more dangerous to the operator because of the high speed of the grinding wheel. The Tormek is very safe in that regard.
I tell you what would be a really useful mod to the T7....a universal support that somehow allowed you to take the jigged tool direct to the honing wheel. But of course it could never compensate for the different (and always varying) diameters of the wheels.
The point being to avoid having to remount the US if you wanted to accurately hone rather than by hand.
You could do that it you had an extra universal support. But as you said, the wheels have different diameters so you have toreadjust things anyway.
But suppose you had several identical chisels, all new and of the same length. You could probable rig up an indexing system so you could move back and forth between the grindstone and the honing wheel without have to readjust things every time.
I always free hand when I'm honing so it's not an issue for me. Although some time I'd like to use the jig to hone a wood chisel and see if I can completely get rid of the scratch marks making a true mirror surface.
I freehand almost exclusively too. But I have a lie Nielsen block plane which gets used for various fine jobs including end grain. That I use the jig to hone so I can really get it perfect. It cuts like butter for the first few passes. It may sound weird but those first few strokes are exquisite
I understand. There's nothing quite so nice as having just the right sharp tool for the job.
Herman,
I like you threaded my USB. Instead of a 12 mm Metric die, I used a 1/2 20 tpi die. It works real well and I am very pleased with it. I don't see how the new USB would be an improvement in my case. It definitely cost a lot less. I had to buy a hex die as mine was round.
Quote from: kb0rvo on March 04, 2013, 09:42:39 PM
Herman,
I like you threaded my USB. Instead of a 12 mm Metric die, I used a 1/2 20 tpi die.
I thought about doing that, but since I didn't have a 1/2 inch die and had to buy one anyway, I just went with the 12 mm because that's the shaft diameter. I had a hard time turning the die as that's quite a long length to have to turn. It probably would have been a lot easier with a 0.5 inch die, as that's a 12.7 mm diameter.
QuoteIt works real well and I am very pleased with it. I don't see how the new USB would be an improvement in my case. It definitely cost a lot less.
Yes, it was a lot cheaper, but what are you using as a substitute for the micro adjuster? I had just a plain hex nut and it was hard to grip with my bare, usually wet, fingers.
QuoteI had to buy a hex die as mine was round.
Huhh?
I figured that if there was any flat left on the crest of the threads that would be for the better because of the USB locking screw. But there wasn't enough difference in the diameter to make a noticeable flat area. I am sure that it did thread easier with the 1/2 vs. the 12 mm.
Quote from: Herman Trivilino on March 04, 2013, 10:05:33 PM
Yes, it was a lot cheaper, but what are you using as a substitute for the micro adjuster?
I originally had a nut that I welded a flat washer to, but am just using a plain nut at the present.
In regard to the hex die, I was referring to the external surface (the outside) of the die. With the round one, which only had one dimple for the set screw of the die stock, I couldn't get the die to rotate a full turn because of the second leg of the USB. By using the hex die, I could slip the die stock off the die and reset it in another position on the die so as to continue the thread.
Quote from: kb0rvo on March 05, 2013, 04:07:22 AM
I originally had a nut that I welded a flat washer to, but am just using a plain nut at the present.
I don't have a welder. Had to use bondo. ;D
Herman, I applaud your Yankee ingenuity. With embarrassment, I must admit I chose a less noble path when I needed another adjustment nut. Instead of Yankee ingenuity, I chose to use Yankee dollars. I ordered a replacement part from sharptoolsusa. (from the sharptoolsusa website>Tormek>replacement parts>T7)
66 US-105N Adjusting nut with scale for Universal Support 1 $ 7.00
While it was not the course of least cost, the nice people in Missouri gave me excellent service, even though I used Yankee dollars.
Ken
ps You are certainly picking up steam. You have blasted through senior member, and I look forward to you becoming the first hero member from Texas!
Ken, I hadn't realized spare parts like that were available. $7 is a good price for that micro adjust nut. I doubt it would fit my homemade threads, though.
You have inspired me to buy a couple extra parts. I bought the adjuster knob for the knife jig as it'll work much better as a set screw for the universal support than my home made dimmer knob. It's the same as the original, except it has a longer shaft.
I also bought a new angle setter for my angle master jig. After years of use it's gotten worn away from rubbing on the grindstone.
Quote from: Ken S on March 05, 2013, 12:08:41 PM
ps You are certainly picking up steam. You have blasted through senior member, and I look forward to you becoming the first hero member from Texas!
Thanks. There's been a flurry of activity on this board lately. Unprecedented.