Thanks, Ox!

The Cabin Fever Expo is one of the premiere gathering of model engineers in the US, and since I've gotten interested in this machining hobby, I've attended the expo each year. Fortunately, it's  really close by. It was in York the first two times I went, and this year, in nearby Lebanon. It's a great place to be inspired by some really fine craftsmanship, and also to pick up some bargains on tools and materials. It's where I found the welding equipment mentioned in a previous post.

I went with a short list of things I was looking for, including some better "tap handles" than I had previously. A tap is the tool bit used to cut threads into material, and of course, the handle is what holds it. I was rooting through a box of old tools and scrap, and came across just what I was looking for:

This is a pair of tap handles. I found them separately, but after finding the second one, I realized there was more in common than their obvious design similarities. They were owned by the same guy, named "Ox." He had scribed his name into the metal of each handle:

I showed that to the vendor, and said he had to give me a package price because they were clearly a set that must remain together. He agreed and did so - tool nostalgia runs deep in metalworking geeks, I guess.

Here's the handle with a tap mounted, cutting 1/4-20 threads in a block of aluminum. I'm using the drill chuck on my milling machine to hold the tap square to the work. In use (when my hands aren't occupied taking a picture) I'd use my right hand to put downward pressure on the mill spindle, and my left hand to turn the tap handle.

I'm not immune to that "tool nostalgia," and I think of that unknown craftsman every time I use them. Thanks, Ox, for taking good care of your tools! I'll do the same!

I'll close with a video of some of my favorite work from Cabin Fever, immodestly including my own engine at the end. It's the one with a wooden base in the Make717 display. If your email program doesn't show the video, you can click this link: https://youtu.be/oig--sh9LHE