Mortice Guage Pin

How about a tack?

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

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Re: Mortice Guage Pin

Ernie Miller

>The end of a small twist drill would be a hard steel that wouldn't wear very fast. what about solder?

Drafting . . .

SteveM

>Most old drafting sets come with that little tube of spare parts. The spare points for compases or dividers work well. Very hard steel and already pointed. If you really want to trick it out chop off the end of the divider arm with the set screw and inset it into the gauge and extend the set screw out the side. Then you can mark with scratch or lead.

I'm with Ernie on this one...

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>A broken drill bit or a drill blank would work great here.

How's the quitting going there?

Re: I'm with Ernie on this one...

Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native, Presently Away

>Hmmmmmmmm perhaps not the end of a drill, but perhaps a bit of the un-flutedshank of a tiny drill bit might just do the trick.

Quitting is going very well indeed, and even the "rough spots" and much less frequent, last for shorter lengths of Time and are less stressful. It sure is good to be free from them, I feel like a new man.

T.O.

Re: I'm with Ernie on this one...

Dean J in MN

>Yep Todd -- All my gauges have the shank of small drill bits for pins. Work very well.

-Dean

Glad to hear it. Keep up the good fight!

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

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An idea on fixing the drill bit...

James Watriss

>I think I read that the arm is brass or bronze?

If you heat it up before you drill it, the hole will contract as it cools. Use the same size bit as the shank you plan on putting in there, and heat the rod back up when it's time to insert the pin. Presto, when it cools, the rod will shrink around the new pin. Home-brew press fit pin, with no need for JB Weld or glue of any kind.

Re: An idea on fixing the drill bit...

Marv

>What James has just described is called a "sweat fit". Problem is, when it comes time to get the drill point out, heating it might now work because both metals get hot. However if you plan to never remove the point, then any means of holding it in is ok and should be done the easiest possible way. Super Glue would be my choice. You can break a Super Glue joint by heating it a little.

Marv

good news and good idea

Bill Tindall, E.TN

>While I never met Todd, I picture him as someone with a sturdy constitution, the kind of person one could rely on when the going got tough. So I am not surprised that his Conquest (note the much better word than "quitting") has been successful.

A friend called a few minutes ago asking for some help moving a table. She is in her late 70's, smoked most of that time, and has emphysema. She moves around with an oxygen tube attached to her so she can breathe. It would be tough doing woodworking with that arrangement. Another neighbor, 63, does earth moving. He quit this spring. He too has emphysema and was having trouble working his machines(making a living). His wife says he keeps remarking how good her cooking is now that he can taste it.

But I digress. I always thought of the pin being something soft like a finishing nail that could be sharpened with a file as needed. But a drill bit could be pre-sharpened, inserted and likely never need sharpening again. That sounds like a good idea. Is there a reason one would need a fileable pin?

Old sewing machine needle

Stephen Shepherd in the State of Deseret

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Alternative adhesive

Stephen Shepherd in the State of Deseret

>Try a bit of shellac to affix the pin. Heat up a flake or two of shellac and apply to pin. Or heat the pin touch to shellac and place in hole. Holds well and can be reversed.

Stephen

Re: Old sewing machine needle

Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native, Presently Away

>Hmmmmmmmmm, I kinda like that idea Stephen, as the need le would be tapered--I think, thus I can drill a hole the size of it sharp end, and then drive the needle in real good 'un tight with a fair whack,or multiple taps, then nip it off and file the end to the desired shape. Should be pretty easy to revove in case of a dork up with the file.

Have you done this using a needle? What guage do you suggest/recommend? I can go buy a new one as they are cheap enough.

T.O.

Re: Old sewing machine needle

Stephen Shepherd in the State of Deseret

>Yes and I even have one as a drill bit on my Archemedies drill. Get one that matches the hole in the gauge or one that matches the drill bit you are going to use.

I also use square cut hardened steel shoe nails for the marking and mortice gauges I make and they work well for replacing square pins. They are tapered and have no head.

Stephen

Re: I'm with Ernie on this one...

Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native, Presently Away

>Dean,

How do you keep the new pin from pushing back out? I'm sure there are many different ways, but I wonder how you do it.

T.O.

Re: I'm with Ernie on this one...

Dean J in MN

>In my gauges I simply pre-drill a 1/16" hole and press fit a 3/32 drill shank.

-Dean

Re: I'm with Ernie on this one...

Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native, Presently Away

>Thanks Dean, that is exactly what I was thunkin'. Basically a good press fit.

T.O.