Material: Steel
Units: (in)

I’ve seen many ball turning designs as I read through the back issues of Home Shop Machinist and Projects in Metal, but I’ve never seen one as simple and effective as Steve Bedair’s Ball Turning Toolpost.

Steve runs a website dedicated to 9 x 20 lathes and it’s full of great information. If you’re interested in this project, be sure to check out the other projects Steve has listed on his site.

Note: Because this project requires both a lathe and mill to complete, I’m listing it under both categories.

Here’s an image of Steve’s Ball Turning Toolpost in action:

And here’s a YouTube video clip of the toolpost in action:

Excited yet?

Here’s the link to the plans so you can create your own! If you want a detailed walkthrough of the process, be sure to visit Steve’s site.

  Ball_Turning_Toolpost_-_Complete.pdf (225.4 KiB, 9,825 hits)
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Material: Steel
Units: (in)

If you’re looking for an advanced project to tackle with your Mill, this is it. Once complete you’ll have a quality boring head without spending hundreds of dollars on one!

I’m planning on machining this project next, I’ll post pictures along the way. For now, here are the plans:

  Adjustable Boring Head (119.2 KiB, 4,424 hits)
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Material: Steel Units: (in)

Here's a nice set of plans for a Toolmaker's Screwless Vise. A vise like this is handy to have, and I even used one to make the jaws for the Tapping Fixture.

This is a somewhat advanced project for the mill, and should be constructed from a suitable grade of steel (to ensure that it will provide you with years of quality service). If you have the ability to do so, you may even consider hardening the vise once you've completed it.

The 3 Page PDF file is available for download below.

  Toolmaker's Screwless Vise (122.0 KiB, 3,676 hits)

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