A Mildly Embarrassing Repair

It was back in 2016 when I received a used Sherline lathe for Christmas. Click here for the post announcing that addition to the shop. Here's a photo from that post:

Since that time, I've made a much better base, added a quick change tool post, and more. It lives in the garage at home, where I use it for small projects for Make717 and just general goofing around.

But... in the detail below, see the knurled knob circled in red? Somehow that went missing, and I didn't even notice!

That screw locks the tailstock, but it also keeps it from rotating. I didn't know anything was amiss until the tailstock started binding. Turns out the "ram" - the part that extends - had rotated slightly and left a burr in the barrel. Rats...

I found an aluminum rod that was a pretty close fit in the bore, and slit it to insert a small piece of sandpaper. No machine work here, just careful turning by hand until I was satisfied that the burr was gone.

Since I don't know where that knob went, I had to carefully make a replacement from an 8-32 screw. The nut is to lock it in place so it doesn't fall out again!

And now it's back online, ready to go! Posed with the tools I needed to lock it in place:

And as long as I'm posting, I'll post a "family portrait" to celebrate the set of hex drivers I recently completed, to match the previously-made screwdriver set. I use these constantly for bench work like this.

If you're interested in making your own "Fancy Drivers" you can check out the poster below. I display it at the Make717 presentations where I make these things. You need to know that the raw material is 3/8" brass rod, and the pocket for the bit is created by drilling 1/4", and then using a 6.8 mm end mill to ream a pocket. Pressing the bits into that makes a tight fit. Click the poster for a full-sized view.