The switch went out on the grinder, new switch time. To attach it to the pedestal, the previous owner used [...]]]> This was a weekend of building and equipment repair. The air system went out on the Sharps machining center. So out with the old and a completely new regulator, filter and oiler went on.

The switch went out on the grinder, new switch time. To attach it to the pedestal, the previous owner used bolts with square nut. He attached the grinder to the plate and then another set of bolts to hold the plate to the stand. With everything rusted it took a little longer then I would have liked. So a new switch, new wiring and re-drilled and taped the holes for cap screws.

Not exciting , but things that have to be done.

This [...]]]> With this post I am happy to note that Axel, a friend of gun lab, is back for a visit and as always we put him back to work. And unlike what most people think of me we did actually allow him some time off to go to the local gun show and stores.

This post is about the continuing work that is being done on the VG1-5.

This weekend was spent working on a number of projects by different people and in different shops.

Axel spent most of his time working on making a stock pattern for the rough cut and the finish router work.

Before I go into great detail on making the stock pattern I have to stress that some people just do not like to change there ways. We have a rather complete machine and wood working shop. So when you see the method that the pattern was make it is all Axel.

It started with a wood blank that was roughed out on the old stock fixture plate.

This a really scary fixture to use with a 3/4 horse power router especially toward the grip of the stock. Even though there is a bearing riding against the fixture

it was still an interesting experience.

Axel took the rough shaped stock and fitted it to our test rifle.

A close up of the fit up.

Then it was off to make a pattern that would make the same thing over and over but still allow for the minor differences that we are going to encounter.

Now this is the point where German stubbornness comes into play. We will just go back to the fact that we do have a couple of nice work shops and in the saw room is a really nice band saw.

Did I mention that this tool works great on cutting Aluminum?

He did it the old fashion way  and when you don’t have much in the line of tools you use what you have and become expert with them. This is what Axel did.

He started by attaching the stock to the aluminum plate with the two stock screws and then a third point on the stock to firmly hold the blank to the plate.

He then marked out the stock out line.

Then he went to the drill press and drilled about a thousand holes,that may be a little exaggerated, but the number is close.

Then he put the stock that he previously fitted to the rifle and and spent quite a bit of time, between guns shows and gun store visits, and files everything away that did not look like the stock.

When it was all said and over this is what it looked like.

So now the new process for making the stock will be to lay out the stock with the aluminum pattern, cut the stock out with the wood shop band saw.

Then using the pattern cut the shape out on the router table using a straight cutter with a ball bearing guide.

After the shape is cut out go back in with a radius cutter to cut the couture.

The final set will be to plug the third hole with a wooden dowel.

Many thanks to Axel for his help this last weekend and we are a step closer to getting done.

With the summer heat this year, generally the same every year, it has just gotten to me for some reason. Probably [...]]]> Every weekend I have a list of projects that I want to do. Generally I can get through only 15% of what is on my list. This weekend it was even less then that.

With the summer heat this year, generally the same every year, it has just gotten to me for some reason. Probably due the A/C going out in the clean room and in the wood shop. Both of the units were small and really over taxed but they kept the temperatures down enough that you did not feel like you were sweating to death in the shop. Starting last weekend I made the decision to actually install heat pumps in both shops. The duct work has always been there but it was designed for an evap unit and not actual A/C. That is out after the serious rust issue that I have been dealing with.

Last weekend I ran the new wire for the 4 ton unit for the machine shop. This weekend my wife bought it and we unloaded it from the back of my pickup truck. With the backhoe still down it was another fun filled exciting weekend . It is how ever down on the ground and wired in both power and control.

The duct people will be out this week so I can do up drawings and these I will have made.

For the wood shop it needed a little more work. I first had to get a slab down for it and for the size that meant that I could not order it in it had to be mixed on site all 35 bags. However it is now done and that A/C unit will be picked up this week and put on the pad.

Still dealing with the heat and the fact that the fab shop will be coming soon on the shop to work in list it was decided to get the evaps working in there. This is one of those projects to complete at step “Z” you first had to start at step “A”. The fab shop had gotten a little out of hand in the past couple of months. The first step was to store somewhere all the cabinet fronts that I demo out of a house, these will be used in the wood shop.

Then a total clean up and up away project commenced. All the casting equipment had to be stored away as well as all the tools laying about.

You can actually walk down the isles.

Then the new sheet metal ducts that we did a while back had to be installed and the evap coolers flashing installed and coated down. The the evaps were moved into place.

Designing and making duct work is not my strong suite.

The evaps just setting on the roof.

The first evap installed.

A better picture showing both evaps installed

So then what did not get done off the list. Well first is the parts that I wanted to make on the 3d printer. I did not get to make the AR-16 pistol grip on the stock duplicator off of the 3D print that I wanted to make. I also did not fire up the wire EDM. I finally finished writing a cutting program for it. I also have not finished the water system for the fab shop evap coolers. I did get the duplicator moved but did not finish the dust system for it.

I also have not finished the video’s that I have been working on or the gun post that are setting on my computer.

New lights were installed over the HAAS and Sharps machining centers.

Installed one over the cnc lathe.

Went back and re-mudded the ceiling where we put the lights earlier.

I spent time working on the [...]]]> Not much fun stuff this weekend. Work was accomplished in the machine shop by adding even more new led lights.

New lights were installed over the HAAS and Sharps machining centers.

Installed one over the cnc lathe.

Went back and re-mudded the ceiling where we put the lights earlier.

I spent time working on the dust collector system for the wood shop.

The dust collector building was built a while back. This weekend was the first opportunity I had to get it all set up.

When I built the wood shop I put in a underground dust collector system. It has been a time coming to get it all hooked up, but now it works.

My crt tube for the wire edm came back I got it in stalled and all hooked up.

I powered it up and tested it that it worked properly.

I really want to thank the guys at McWilliams, http://www.mcwilliamsedm.com/index.html, for all there help and quick service. Great guys that really know customer service.

The only fun project that I started on was a new ammo/feed strip box for my Hotchkiss protatve light machinegun.

I needed the wood shop to build what I wanted for the box. Unfortunately, by the time everything else was completed it was late and I was exhausted. My project for next weekend. I did manage to get a few more posts written and a couple of videos for posts, but more on that this week.

The increase in available lighting was amazing. Then he told me the price of the lighting fixtures, $36.00 [...]]]> A great deal was accomplished this weekend. First is a couple of pictures that Mac,a friend of gun lab, sent me about some new lighting he put into his little shop. The before and after shots.

The increase in available lighting was amazing. Then he told me the price of the lighting fixtures, $36.00 I could not pass it up.

My machine shop has a few dark spots in it and I am always changing out ballasts and bulbs in the lights.

There are a number of lights that need to be changed out.

You can see the dark spot over the surface grinder and bead blaster.

The first light changed out over the milling machine

Added one the surface grinder area.

Removed all the old lights.

New sheet rock and first coat of mud. Could not connect the plug in as the mud was still wet.

The new light over the manual lathe

With a life span of 50,000 hours I should not have to worry about new lights for 25 years. As the older ones go out I will be changing them to the new lights as well.

step 1

Step 2

step 3

step 4

The complete process.

This is the video taken to accomplish this part.

To give everyone a little back ground this machine uses what is call G-code to perform [...]]]> Today we are going to write a basic program for the Japax wire EDM and run that program on the machine. This will be a dry run only to verify that the machine can perform the program as written.

To give everyone a little back ground this machine uses what is call G-code to perform its functions. Here are the sheets of G-code that pertain to the Japax wire EDM.

These are the M-code required to operate this machine.

This first sheet is how the program is written in the manual.

There are a couple of problems with this program. The first is no program number, not a big deal but life is easier with it. The second is that the program does not call out a G-code to determine if the part is metric or inch. This is a big deal as there is a large difference between 20mm and 20 inches in travel.

So the proper program would be written as such.

N123 (This is the program number. It is not necessary but a good idea.
N1 G21 (This lets the machine know that the measurement are in metric) ( The decimal point behind a number also indicates that the move is to be completed in metric)
N2 G90 E.1 D1 (This tells the edm that all measurements are in absolute and not incremental. The E.1 is the wire compensation as registered in D1)
N3 G92 X0Y10.0 (This is the X and Y start point. It is where it is to start at and based upon G92 as the part coordinate.
N4 G42 G1 X0 Y20. D0 (the G42 is wire compensation to the right side,G1 lets it know to travel in a straight line from X0 to Y20.
This is an important note. All measurement unit with a number in it must be followed by a decimal point.
N5 X10.Y20. D1 (Because the last G code told it to travel in a straight line we are still telling it to do that just this time we are going from X0Y20 to X10Y20) The D1 call up the wire comp that we stored earlier.)
N6 X10. Y0 (the wire is still following a straight line)
N7 X-10. Y0 (still moving in a straight line with a change in direction)
N8 X-10. Y20. ( straight line change of direction)
N9 X0 Y20. ( the wire is still on a straight path and still using the wire comp set in N5)
N10 X0 Y10. D0 (Straight path with no wire comp, it was turn off with the D0)
N11 G91 E-.1 D1 G90 ( We now go to incremental movement, a wire comp of -.1 is taken from D1 and the G90 puts us back into absolute)
N12 G27 P5 Q12 R1 ( The G27 code means to copy The P is the start point the Q is the ending point and the R is the number of times to repeat the process)
N13 M02 ( program ends)

There is another method also to input measurements in metric. If you write the measurement code as X10 Y5 this tells the machine to move in inches. If the same code is written as X10. Y5. this tells the machine to move in metric.

There are a couple of items that are important to discuss at this time.

First is that “I” has to be typed prior to any input, then the store button is pushed to input the data. So an actual line of code would be written as :

I N3 G92 X0 Y10.0 (inch) then press the STORE button

I N3 G92 X0. Y10.0. (metric) then press the store button

There are a couple of other important letters that are used to input data.

P : this is to correct a line of code that has the >marker

D: This will delete the line of code that has the > marker

R: This will replace a work in a line of code with another work. A space must be used between the old word and a new word

/  then pushing the store button returns you to the select display screen

This is a video of the machine operating using this program.

If anyone out there has experience with a Japax wire EDM I would like to chat with you.