Apollo 11. PARTS. NASA. SMITHSONIAN. ADAM SAVAGE??

Breaking the Silence on Project Egress!

This "Top Secret" mission is a collaborative, maker-inspired, project to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. Saunders shares his crazy story about what the project is, why it's so important, how it ties into his renewed passion for 5-axis machining, and why he's ready to get a "real" lathe!

If you want to meet up and see the project, swing by the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, July 18th!

Collet Bushing Drama

Old Red, White, and Blue won't provide the proper sized thread, so he turns to the Swiss for an answer instead.

Until the custom collet bushing arrives, the Tornos is a chucker lathe. Although there were some concerns about long stickout and tool deflection, surprisingly, the Tornos is STILL dead nuts!

 

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Swiss Training Continues The Tornos has made over 500 parts so far! By making what is essentially a dowel pin, Grimsmo's learning how components of the machine work together. Also, his familiarity with FANUC control on the Nakamura comes in handy.

Can I Get Your Digits? Instead of 4 digits, the Swiss has 5....meaning Grimsmo can move the machine in increments of ten millionths!

THE PRICE IS RIGHT...BUT IS THAT ENOUGH? So you're in the market to buy a machine but before you do, there are considerations you may not have thought about! Check out Guide to Buying CNC Machines.

Don't Judge an Endmill by its Coating! A while back, Saunders mentioned his preference for owning uncoated endmills to avoid having material-specific tools. In theory, this makes sense but Laurens steps in to set Saunders straight! Sure, the coating is something to consider but there are other characteristics such as the edge grind on the flutes and relief that are MUCH more important.