If You Don't Know Where You Are...

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:01]It's nice to have options. Options are a beautiful thing.

[00:00:04]But what if all my options suck?

[00:00:08]I could have many ways of locating a part in the mill, for instance. But if they're too finicky, too involved, or too meh, it feels like the only way forward is to suffer.

[00:00:19]And it's easy to fall into this trap, blind to the options I don't yet see.

[00:00:24]Until I remember that I have something more powerful than options at my disposal.

[00:00:29]A machine shop.

[00:00:30]Welcome back to Inheritance Machining.

[00:00:59]So, what offensively common machining task am I going to make an offensively elaborate solution for today?

[00:01:05]Finding that hole. More than just knowing it's right there.

[00:01:08]Finding a feature's exact coordinates in a milling machine is something I do about, well, a lot. That's probably why I have so many ways to do this already.

[00:01:16]The most barbaric way is to hunt and peck with a pin of the same diameter. A slightly more exciting way is to use an edge finder. You get close to the edge and boop.

[00:01:26]And then I split the difference between opposing points in each direction.

[00:01:30]But that requires math.

[00:01:32]Most often, I just use a coaxial indicator like this, which requires me to move my whole setup, and I hate it every time.

[00:01:39]And it actually isn't that accurate of a tool. A real indicator is a lot more accurate, and I can hold it with an articulating arm on a magnetic base. But I almost never do this because it's super finicky to get it positioned just right, while also not knocking the mag base off the spindle. And the thing I haven't mentioned about all of these options is that they require whatever tool I might have mounted to be removed.

[00:02:00]I do have one tool that sort of does what I want, the tried and true, whatever they call this. It clamps to the spindle above the tool, but the number of knobs you have to adjust is just plain unacceptable. And me and my one-man hobby shop with a permanently open schedule and no production requirements don't have time for that.

[00:02:18]I'm aware I'm a hard nut to please. But really, is this so much to ask for? I didn't think so, so I came up with something better.

[00:02:25]An articulating arm on a spindle clamp, but it's much, much cooler than that.

[00:02:30]Not only does it hold an indicator, but the end joints are constrained to circular motion rather than spherical, so the indicator will always be on center line with the spindle, which is nice to have, but the coolest part is it locks all the degrees of freedom with one single knob. One turn, infinite positionability, all dead center.

[00:02:48]At least in theory.

[00:02:50]I have a tendency to overestimate the functionality of my designs, so I won't know if this actually works until the very end. No incremental payoff on this project. I've got a lot of chaos ahead of me.

[00:03:00]Let's get to work.

[00:03:02]As if the mechanism wasn't risky enough, some of the parts are as well. So, I'll start with the riskiest of them all, the arms.

[00:03:09]With some very, very long holes through the length of them, these should be a treat. But before I get to that, I'll turn these down to their proper dog-bone shape.

[00:03:17]Removing this much material is when things most likely go bananas. And if things are going to go ape on me, I would rather that happen before I put a straight hole through the middle.

[00:03:26]Though, I don't expect that to be the case with this being annealed A2 tool steel, which should also make heat treatment warp-free as well, if I decide to risk that.

[00:03:35]Time for the drilling.

[00:03:36]I've heard before that there are some tricks and nuances to drilling deep holes like this and keeping them straight. Something about gun drills comes to mind, but I don't have one of those.

[00:03:45]So, I'm basically counting on the fact that this long drill bit even exists that this will come out okay. That and an assload of coolant.

[00:03:53]Keeping everything lubricated and cool should keep the drill bit on the straight and narrow, much like the sponsor of today's video, Element, keeps me in line. A big part of standing at these machines all day without falling into them comes down to hydration, which is more than just staying refreshed.

[00:04:06]Element is an electrolyte drink, but more than that, it's the best electrolyte drink I've ever had. The flavors are great, of course, but what really stands out for me is how it makes me feel.

[00:04:15]I start my days early with a hard workout, then spend the rest of it running these machines, producing these videos, and juggling my young'uns, which is enough to bring anyone to their knees. But, when I drink an Element, or three, throughout the day, the fatigue doesn't come. I actually went on a vacation recently and forgot to pack Element, and let me just say, I'll never do that again. Element works for me because it's backed by science. More than leaving out the sugar, caffeine, and dodgy substances, Element packs the perfect balance of the minerals my body needs to effectively hydrate. I recommend Element to everyone because it genuinely makes me feel better, and I think it will work for you, too. So, if you want to see what I'm talking about, go to drinklmnt.com/inheritance to get a free sample pack of Element's most popular drink mix flavors with your first purchase.

[00:04:58]With our drill bit still in one piece, I'm going to assume that was a success.

[00:05:02]More than straight, though, I want the hole to be an accurate diameter. That's an easy enough task for a reamer, and with the hole now to size, we can round this out.

[00:05:44]That looks like it came out great, doesn't it? I thought so, too, until I noticed this.

[00:05:49]You see that wobble?

[00:05:50]That's what I like to call a crooked hole. Pretty devastating considering how little preparation I put into understanding proper drill technique.

[00:05:57]I'm not going to worry about this just yet though, because I should be able to compensate for this in the mechanism, so long as I keep track of which direction it shifted.

[00:06:05]Onward and millward.

[00:06:07]The ends are a little too round for my needs, so the fly cutter flattens them out leaving a nice finish.

[00:06:19]Then I can come back in and add some roundness in the form I do require.

[00:06:23]Holes.

[00:06:24]But simple drilling doesn't give me the precision I want. Especially when crossing paths with our long crooked hole, which is exactly why I drilled them undersized.

[00:06:33]Leaving just enough material for a finishing pass with probably the most boring tool I own.

[00:06:52]Flipping Phido's favorite treat over, I'll flatten out this side as well.

[00:07:03]Bone-o-rific.

[00:07:05]Then I just did it all again, exactly the same. And wouldn't you believe it, I matched the crooked hole as well.

[00:07:10]All right, after all that, I think I need a win. So let's tackle the indicator clamp next.

[00:07:15]It's made of A2 as well as being A2 piece design.

[00:07:19]Clever choice of words there.

[00:07:21]Anyway, I'll start with the outer sleeve, doing the largest bit of material removal first.

[00:07:25]And of course we like a smooth finish.

[00:07:27]Even when we won't be able to see it, I'll know it's there.

[00:07:36]What's on the outside is just as important as the inside. So I'll slim this down as well out here, leaving a fancy little fillet for the eye to catch on.

[00:07:44]Before I part this off though, I'll take advantage of the excess stock for some fun over at the mill. Making sure to snag a drill in the thin wall of the sleeve before finishing the cross hole out with the boring head.

[00:07:55]Because again, we like a good fit.

[00:08:02]I'll add the locating slot for the anti-rotation pin, then do some very critical deburring and polishing at the lathe before parting this off and finishing the other side.

[00:08:14]I think this sleeve came out great, but let's leave the final judgement until after I make its mate.

[00:08:19]I'll start the usual way with a face and center drill, but since I'm already back here tailstocking around, might as well drill and tap for a little surprise I have in store later.

[00:08:47]That's not the surprise I had in mind.

[00:08:49]On the bright side, I've been looking for an excuse to change this chipped insert.

[00:08:54]Anyhow, I'll turn this down until it fits our sleeve like a glove.

[00:08:59]Now to set the work on some tricky stuff.

[00:09:02]Like this conical section that actually plays two roles. First in locking the indicator in the arm itself, and then locking it from pivoting out of position.

[00:09:19]The rest of the fun stuff is for the mill, like drilling a hole for the anti-rotation pin, hammering in the anti-rotation pin, and finally shortening the anti-rotation pin.

[00:09:29]Oh, and I can't forget drilling and boring for the indicator as well.

[00:09:33]The final touch is a filed radius on the parted face. We love a demified end.

[00:09:38]But better than that, we have some of our first parts to fit together.

[00:09:42]And they look freaking fantastic.

[00:09:44]Just goes to show you can never go overboard on the aesthetics. And I'm one of those lucky bastards that can say his wife sees things the same way. Because more than putting up with my idiosyncrasies, Paige not only makes these videos and stories beautiful, but also creates a beautiful home.

[00:09:58]Literally. Once she heard we were sponsored by SendCutSend, she straight up designed and ordered this beautiful custom dish rack for our kitchen by herself.

[00:10:06]SendCutSend then made the work look easy by laser cutting, bending, and powder coating all the components. Even these gigantically long bends came out great and at the specified angle.

[00:10:15]>> [laughter] >> Needless to say, Paige is pleased. Check out the link in the description to get 15% off your next order with SendCutSend.

[00:10:25]Back at the project at hand, the way this is coming out is really getting me going. I'm having all sorts of knobby thoughts.

[00:10:31]So, let's do something about that next.

[00:10:33]I feel like it's a sin at this point to not make a knob out of brass. So, we're going to use brass. Obviously, the color is spectacular, but even more exciting is machining it.

[00:10:42]I mean, look at those chunkalicious chips. It's like machining shiny cheese.

[00:10:46]And after a whopping three passes, the roughing is done and we can add the fancy stuff.

[00:10:51]Like a fillet, which again is no problem for this luscious metal.

[00:10:55]This wouldn't be much of an adjustment knob without a threaded hole. So, we'll take care of that real quick. Then finally add our first chamfer of the day.

[00:11:03]Truly, I'm sorry this took so long. I'll try to make up for it in the back half.

[00:11:15]Flipped and centered in the four-jaw, I'll clean up this side and match the bevel with the first.

[00:11:22]Over at the mill, I'll get this cinched up in a collar block. Then use the Noga arm for what might be one of its final centering jobs. It's really brutal how many of these tools make their own replacements.

[00:11:32]And the retirement home is getting full.

[00:11:35]I like my knobs scallopy, so I'll set my boring head up for this. Yeah, it's not exactly what this was meant to do, but at least it won't be a total bore.

[00:11:43]I know where the center point of my scallop is, so I can loosely set the head's cutting diameter just shy of that, then start taking bites out of the side as I re-approach that center point.

[00:11:54]And once there, I take a measurement to the opposite side to see that I inadvertently set the head to the exact right radius on the first try.

[00:12:01]Which probably sounds really lucky to you, but scared the hell out of me.

[00:12:05]I like cutting it close, but not that close.

[00:12:12]I promised you more chamfers, so here we go.

[00:12:15]And better yet, I get to make use of my latest build. Making tools to make more tools to use on my tools makes me happy.

[00:12:33]Of course, it doesn't solve all of my problems, so I still need the boring head to cut a chamfer on the underside.

[00:12:43]Although little wear chamfers are quick enough to add with the tickle of a file, and viola, one tri-scallop knob. I haven't made one like this yet, and consider me a fan.

[00:12:52]Now, this is the one single knob that should tie this all together.

[00:12:56]But the things that really make this possible are up next.

[00:12:59]I can't really think of anything less caveman to call them other than wedges.

[00:13:03]So, let's make the wedges. The first one is actually a glorified screw. So, I'll get this turned down and prepped for threads.

[00:13:23]Of course, I didn't realize until just now that the pitch I chose required a change of gears, which isn't exactly my favorite thing to discover after I've already got the collet chuck set up.

[00:13:31]But, I'm not about to remake that beautiful brass knob. So, the long way around it is.

[00:13:50]Touch pass looks good, so let's make some threads.

[00:14:14]And we're golden.

[00:14:17]The wedge is actually a job for the mill, which should have been the easiest thing in the world for this chamfer cutter. But, then I forgot to hit record.

[00:14:25]What? Did you think something bad happened? Not on this channel.

[00:14:32]After parting, the final end is cleaned up and we can start on wedge number two, which is even simpler with just a diameter, a bore, a chamfer, a part, and a finish.

[00:14:45]I also quickly whipped up this bushing to round out our wedge assembly, meaning we only have a few more parts to make before we can see if this is all going to work.

[00:14:53]Up next are the push rods, the simple pins that pass through the long crooked holes in the arms. Except for one problem.

[00:14:59]It appears that our crooked holes came with a little extra pizazz. They're bent. I can't even get this slightly undersized starting stock to pass all the way through. But, I have an idea. I really only need this close fit near the ends of the rod. So, what if I just turn down the middle a bit to give room for the curvature in our bores?

[00:15:17]Of course, turning something with this much stick out, well, just isn't going to work. So, I whipped up this little support that I can hold in the tailstock chuck.

[00:15:36]I'll be honest, that worked way better than I thought it would. The end features are just a quick job for the mill. A chamfer on one end followed by a chamfer 180° out of phase on the other end, which can be aligned with a slanted face of a V-block.

[00:15:49]The second pin is similar, except one end gets a scallop rather than a bevel.

[00:15:54]And just like that, after only five attempts, I have the two push rods I need. I'm building up quite an assortment of parts here. Actually, all I have left is the spindle clamp. And wouldn't you know it, I have a nice piece of A2 tool steel the wrong size right here. You have eyeballs, so you can probably see that this is much, much bigger than I actually need.

[00:16:11]But being able to get all the way around the perimeter should make the milling a whole lot easier. And after getting the top flat and the sides looking nice, I can start working out the actual profile. Beginning with some scallopy bits. The first few being produced by a carefully chosen end mill.

[00:16:26]Then a big one right in the middle scooped out bite by bite by what I should just start calling our scalloping head.

[00:16:47]Following that is breaking not one, but two 1/4 inch end mills within seconds of each other, no less.

[00:16:54]Then wising up and using a plunge technique to establish the bottom of the clamping V.

[00:16:59]But before leaving the comfort of this setup, I do want to address all the sharp edges. So, I'll bring this guy back in once again for some chamfery goodness.

[00:17:19]The shallow 15° angle of the V means that I can just rotate my vise right on the table, trammeling it with an angle block.

[00:17:28]Then use the V bottom I already milled as a reference while I nibble out the bevel, cleaning it up with a few light passes.

[00:17:35]Then it's just rinse and repeat on the other side.

[00:17:46]And now I'll raise the bar for most boneheaded move, probably ever. Because for some reason, I thought the only possible way to relieve our part from the rest of the block was with a well-saturated slitting saw, which very promptly broke. But fortunately not as catastrophically as the second.

[00:18:02]Only after I expended all of my suitable slitting saws did it occur to me to use the one saw perfectly suited for this kind of thing, the band saw.

[00:18:12]Fortunately, that all went ugly in my favor, leaving me just enough material to mill this down to the required thickness before also whipping up some chamfers on this half as well.

[00:18:21]But sometimes chamfers aren't enough, and sometimes we get the idea that we need to add fillets to things as well.

[00:18:27]With a boring head, of course, and a tool not even meant for a milling machine. But if you grind the proper clearances on the backside, it works great. Until it doesn't. You see, I thought I was being clever here, but the real smart move would have been to use the right tool from the get-go.

[00:18:42]Especially when I've been fortunate enough to acquire a rotary milling head specifically designed for this sort of thing.

[00:18:47]The path of least resistance was not the path of least resistance.

[00:19:09]Two tapped holes and a big old honking chamfer large enough to make your grandma cry later, and we've got ourselves a clamp. Or at least the body of a clamp. I still need the clampy part, but I'm getting really impatient at this point, and I just so happen to have one the right size right here.

[00:19:24]So, with all the necessary pieces in order, let's finally get an answer to our question. Is this going to work?

[00:19:42]>> [music] >> Moment of truth.

[00:21:00]>> [laughter] >> Yeah.

[00:21:05]It works.

[00:21:07]I think the maniacal laughter is a good sign.

[00:21:10]As is the fact that that arm doesn't move at all.

[00:21:14]I can change it to literally any position >> [music] >> and it just stays there.

[00:21:18]All with one single twist of a single knob.

[00:21:21]But I can't forget to mention the other important features. Like the fact [music] that this particular arm will always keep the indicator on center line of the spindle, which not only acts as a visual aid when making the rough alignment, but also allows for a safe and easy setup on tiny features as well.

[00:21:35]And the fact that this arm can do all of this without actually having to remove any tools from the spindle is just the kind of cherry on top I like. And just in case you forgot, one knob.

[00:21:44]Yes, I know this kind of thing already exists, but to make one myself and it [music] actually work, it basically doesn't get better than that. And with our concept proven, I think this build deserves a little extra loving. Just to make sure it truly is inheritance quality.

[00:21:59]One of the most important parts of machining is knowing precisely where you [music] are. I'm starting to see how much that's played out in my life as well.

[00:22:07]I mentioned last time that I've been doing a lot of work on myself recently.

[00:22:11]Mentorships, retreats, journaling, you name it, I'm trying it. And in that work, I'm starting to find a connection to my own sense of purpose. As a person, as a father, as a man.

[00:22:23]I'm remembering the younger version of me.

[00:22:26]The one who felt so out of control of his life and found peace through his hands.

[00:22:30]Through these machines.

[00:22:32]I never really wanted to be someone to anybody. And suddenly, I think I have to.

[00:22:38]This is a complicated and honestly intimidating direction to go in.

[00:22:42]I don't know how I'll do it. How to be helpful, inspiring, and mentoring in ways that I never had as a kid or even as a young adult.

[00:22:50]But right now, I'm not too worried about the how. I'm just focused on getting a really good handle on exactly where [music] I am.

[00:22:58]As always, thanks for watching and see you next time.