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Showing posts with label woodworking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label woodworking. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Flip-up Workbench Build -- Possible Application for Our Test Gear


Interesting workbench build.   While his tools were all for woodworking, this got me wondering about using this technique to store bigger pieces of electronic test gear that are not in use every day.  

 

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Mythbuster Video #17 Boxing it Up, Tuning Filters, Tapping a Heat Sink, QRO Dreams....


I made a cabinet out of scrap packing material. I show how I tune LC filters by squeezing the turns on toroidal inductors. I tap a heatsink and think about more power for the Mythbuster.

Saturday, May 2, 2020

A Toroid Winder from the Wizard of Wasilla -- Paul KL7FLR


Paul KL7FLR has been sharing tribal knowledge with us for several years now.  He recently provided insights on how to tap threads into metal.  In 2017 he told us about his Alaskan road-kill microphone.  And in the midst of the current quarantine he built this really neat toroid winding tool.   Winding coils is often a show-stopper for would-be homebrewers;  Paul's device should help then get past this perceived impediment. Thanks Paul! 

Paul writes: 

A few weeks ago I needed a way of holding a T37-6 toroid to wind an LP filter coil. Being of the fumble fingered crowd I slapped together a quick and dirty holder using a crudely tapered ¼” wooded dowel. As fate would be, I soon needed to wind some other coils of a larger diameter and my wham bam holder wouldn’t do the job. Time to make a holder for more than just one size with the materials I had on hand.


I measured the id of the smallest toroid and the largest toroid I had and plugged them into an online taper calculator. https://www.easycalculation.com/shapes/taper-degree-calculator.php. Calculated taper was 6.65 degrees so I settled on an even 6 degrees with a length of 1 1/2”.  The final of the taper was extended to 3”.  Using my small 6” metal lathe I set the compound to 6 degrees and chucked up a 4” piece of a ¾” wooden dowel. I would have liked to have an ash, maple or other hardwood dowel but I used what I had on hand. Then I turned the 6 degree taper for 3” until the smallest end was 1/8” making the large end almost ¾”. Some sanding with 320 grit sandpaper followed by some ultra-fine 400 grit made it ready for a coat of clear sealer and a quick stain.



Moving over to the milling machine, I set the 6 degree angle with a 6 degree parallel in the vise.  Positioning the mill spindle to the center of the dowel I used a #0 center drill to mill a slot the entire length of the taper to about .015” deep as I didn’t have a 1/32 end mill.  This slot also can be accomplished with a rotary tool or a hobby knife and a steady hand.


I had a couple of 6-32 wood brass insert nuts in the hardware bins. Believe I bought these at Lowes and the Hillman part #880546 is what I used. Drilling a 3/16” diameter hole ½” deep I screwed the insert in until it was flush with the bottom of the dowel. My previous toroid holder had a wooden base but it proved to be too light and easily moved around on my bench.  I dug out a scrap hunk of ¾” steel about 2.5 inches square.  I then drilled a hole through the base using a #27 drill. Now the toroid holder can be mounted on the steel base using a 6-32 machine screw about 1 ¼” long and removed for a different size spindle when necessary. A wood base can also be used with appropriate length wood screw. Be sure to drill a pilot hole large enough in the spindle to prevent from the wood screw from splitting the spindle. A #6 wood screw long enough to pass through the base and into the spindle about ½” would be adequate.

Winding consists of passing the wire up (or down) the slot, lifting the toroid up and rotating slightly and back down on the spindle for the next winding. This has proved to be a very useful fixture when needing to wind some toroid coils.

The picture at the top shows a T-37-6, T50-2 and a T68-2 top to bottom. Will also fit a up to a T-106. Any larger toroids would require a larger spindle to be made.

Enjoyed your YouTube “Quarantined Receiver”  and all the doings from Pete.

Paul
KL7FLR

Monday, April 13, 2020

Other Kinds of Knack: Woodwork Wizard! (video)



This guy has some amazing tools, and even more amazing skills.  I find it inspirational to occasionally take a look at other kinds of workshops.   Check it out.  Video above. 

Along similar lines, the young Englishman Leo was in Washington state with his girlfriend when the lock-down and travel bans kicked in, so his work on Tally Ho (and his videos) continue.  See:
https://youtu.be/zXV0ywqj7zY

SITS! or Stay in the wood-shop! 

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Santa Came to SolderSmoke! From Australia!


Oh wow!  Santa Claus made a really long distance DX trip to SolderSmoke's East Coast HQ last night.   His chief Elf this time was Peter VK2EMU who crafted the AMAZING Morse key you see in these pictures.  This is truly a work of art.  I will indeed put it on the air with a homebrew transmitter.  And we will keep on soldersmoking.  

Thanks very much Peter.  This was really great.  

Merry Christmas to all!  


Saturday, June 9, 2018

Another Wood Box BITX! KC1FSZ Abandons Al-Fresco but Continues with Wood


'Tis a thing of beauty.   I like the wood.  And I like the hood.  The handles are a nice touch.  A fitting follow-up to its al fresco organic origins.  

Hi Guys:

I know there was a view that my giant BITX was supposed to be left out in the open, but I’m going to try to attend my local club’s Field Day festivities this year and the 4 foot long “planker” was pressing the limits of portability.  So I moved from the shack to the wood shop and built myself some custom cabinetry.  I think it looks a bit like an IC-73000 now don’t you think?  OK, maybe not.  

There is a hinged door at the top and shelf levels inside for the different parts of the circuit. The power supply and PA section are mounted on the bottom which can be removed for accessibility/serviceability.   The whole thing weighs about 10 pounds!!

73s,

Bruce KC1FSZ




Monday, March 20, 2017

Homebrew Canoe (video) (beautiful)



I post this because it is nice to occasionally look up from our soldering irons and take a look at what other people are building.  This video is really beautiful.   
Designer: Douglas Bowman | Dimodifikasi oleh Abdul Munir Original Posting Rounders 3 Column