in the previous video i made the base andclamping nut for the finger plate tool. in this video i finish that build, by makingthe drilling jig bushings, the knurled thumbwheel as well as this clamping finger. the clamping finger is such a cool looking part; especially the chamfered edges. i'll need to make sure i get the depth of cut right for it all to work.
old woodworking tools on ebay, anyway first things first, it needs to be marked out on a strip of mild steel plate. the symmetry of the part means that if i mark off the various dimensions along a center line, i can then construct the rest of the shape using an engineers square and protractor. i must get around to buying some radius gauges for marking out.
in the meantime, this washer will do the trick. you can see i'm opening up four holes. the two outer ones are for later threading, and the two inner ones will form the end curves of the internal slot. these threaded holes are where the lifting screw is inserted, to provide the clamping force. to make the slot, i started out with an undersized slot mill, and then once i had broken through, i moved the cutter closer to the line on each side, to bring the slot to size. so thats the inside cutting complete, nowfor the edges. the band saw takes care of most of the waste stock.
and i used the belt sander and filing machine to bring it closer to the line. i've left it a little short of the line , toallow for a bit of finishing later. now for those chamfered surfaces. first the depth of cut is marked out. and then its off to the mill. this part is like the base; the surface of the raw stock is kind of rough. so i gave it a bit of time on some 240 grit paper, to clean it up and to leave a nice surface finish. and that's the clamping finger complete. you can see how it can be swung around the stud, to bring either end into use.
now for the lifting screw thumb wheel.this one was made very much like the clamping nut. i started with the knurl; trimmed offthe end, and then drilled and threaded the center. once parted off, it becomes a bit hard to hold, so i used this cap screw as a mandrel,and did the rest of the turning while it was on that. i used a graver to form the dome. and then gave it very light touch with someemery paper. a bit of loctite holds the threaded rod in place, and that's the tool basically done. all i need to finish the job, is a set of bushings for the cross hole jig.
now the bushings are basically just a shouldered cylinder, with a hole drilled down the center, matching whatever size drill you intend to use for the cross hole. so i picked four sizes that i know i'm going to need in the near future, and drilled them out. this one is 1.3mm and i figured i had better stamp them withtheir sizes so i don't lose track of what i've got. ok, lets give it a go i've faced off the end of the rod to have a look at the hole; as best as i can tell, its where it should be. the drilling feels quite stable, and the tool is easy to hold.
i can see this tool is going to get a lot of use on the belt sander and filing machine too. and if i'm working on something that tendsto grab like brass, i can lock it down on the vise, and know that its going to sit tight. this is a great little tool. thanks for watching, i'll see you later. and if this is your first clickspring video, thanks for dropping by. make sure you subscribe to get regular project video's, and don't forget to like, share and leave me a comment. thanks again for watching, i'll see you onthe next video.
