Rough stock and fixturing pics

[SWATH]

Sorry I took video of the whole process but my editor doesn't handle 1080p so I can't edit it yet, I usually do 1080i for editing but here are the pics I took anyway. The light WOC seems to be working out ok but it takes awhile.

Stock begins as a rough bar of steel and is then face square and smooth



Bar is cut into 4 pieces 1x2.25x2.5



Rough cut sides of the bars are then faced to the same dimension



Rough stock pre-drilled then milled out. These started from 2 of the solid blocks of 4140HT






Next flip the parts and repeat for the next holes



The final roughed out parts. Although I only did two here I plan on doubling up and doing 4 at a time.



Now for the fixture plate to hold them





Here is what the plate looks like with the bosses finished. I removed .0001 inch at a time from the diameter of the bosses until the parts just press fit on so there is no play whatsoever. They just barely need to be tapped on with a hammer to seat.


Here is what it looks like with a part secured on the bosses. I still need to drill and tap the large bosses so I can bolt the parts down.


Yeah I know I should probably center the vice on the table or use two of them to support the overhang but the fixture plate is 1 inch thick of hardened steel so I haven't found it to be much of an issue yet.

[Sweeney]

What exactly are you making? Nice job BTW.
Are you running a V1 or V2 machine?

[slowtwitch]

Glad to see you finally making chips

[SWATH]

It's a V2 machine and the spindle is still flaky but programming cuts that are anywhere from 10% to 50% of the supposed spindle capability I can actually sort of use it. They are gun parts.

[Sweeney]

I can't believe you're making gun parts! Guns are icky!!!! What about the children?!?!?!

Picatinny gas blocks I assume. Nice!

I've made a few gun myself for my own guns... repairs or 'enhancements' and I just made a 1911 frame into a 1911A1 using my Bridgeport... cut the trigger reliefs as I'm putting together a 1943 Ithaca on a new frame.

My spindle is dead and I'm trying to decide what to do. I'm leaning towards a drive other than the Mikini replacement either with the current motor or a similar route as Alan.

Some of my gun bits...
My Dan Wesson 15-2 extractor installed w/ factory replacement sitting on the frame. I like mine better.

Springfield 1903 USMC front sight hood machined from bar stock.

[SWATH]

Yeah picatinny railed gas blocks. So how did you retro engineer those parts? Did you have a model or did you make your own with some calipers, a computer, and a whole lotta time?

[Sweeney]

The DW extractor I made by measuring up the old one which the previous owner had butchered. I used V-Carve Pro to model it and machine it out of a chunk of W1 tool steel.
The '03 sight hood, I found measured drawings for and again used my V-Carve. The original sight hoods are stamped from sheet but I 'needed' one to compliment my repro USMC sights.

[SWATH]

Beautiful work. That original extractor almost looks to be MIM. I like yours much better.

[Sweeney]

The factory replacement is definitely a casting (stainless). I don't know if it's MIM. The original part was 'worked' by the previous owner... apparently using a carbide toothed, rabid beaver. I can only surmise that the barrel was adjusted too far in (Dan Wessons have interchangeable barrels) and the extractor was 'modifieded' so the cylinder wouldn't impact the barrel.
Anyway, it was a fun project.